It's been almost a year since I posted in here last, and I've only owned the Rex a bit longer than that. Just a couple weeks ago I realized I was madly in love with this thing. But now...it has worn off. It just went poof this past weekend and I'm still not sure why to be honest.
On Saturday a friend (who owns a rusty, slammed BMW E21) and I got to talking about BMWs for whatever reason. I have no idea how, but the conversation went from "BMW" to "740iL" in a mad hurry, and suddenly I found myself Crazedlisting the entire Midwest, astonished to find people selling these luxury behemoths for so cheap. I found a 1998 750iL - the V12 - selling for about $5000. The car cost "$119k new," as the ad said. Ridiculous! And then it happened. I found pictures of stanced 740s, like this one...
...and I was like, gotta have. Nice, right?
But then I talked myself out of it with various reasons, from maintenance costs to image. I don't want to roll around looking like a drug dealer. Plus, to get the car to look anything other than utterly boring it needs lowered with wheels and tires, etc. Also it is enormous. Gets the same fuel mileage as my RX7 though, which is amusing.
So yeah, I decided against the 7. Mainly because I found an E30 that caught my eye. In Philadelphia.
The car is pretty nice. It's a 1987 325es, which means it has a 2.7L version of Bimmer's I6 that revs like a diesel in stock form, and makes diesely amounts of torque. To liven it up a bit the owner slapped on a Magnaflow cat-back (the legit exhaust is a major plus over my car) for a little better flow and a streetable but satisfying sound. The engine is chipped which results in an extra 20 horsepower and about 20 more torques, for totals of about 140 and 190, respectively. It is lowered on Bilstein dampers with Ireland Engineering springs and stanced a bit with 15x7 and 15x8 Diamond Racing steelies. I hear they're all the rage but I'm not into it. The seats are Euro-market Recaros which look and feel lovely, and are a pricey aftermarket upgrade.
Overall the car looks great. It was owned and maintained by an enthusiast who obviously knew what he was doing, and I can tell just by looking at the surprisingly clean engine bay. His goal was to make a fun daily driver and that parts he chose sound like what I'd be interested in doing, if only I were motivated to spend on parts anymore. I've become lazy; more interested in washing and cruising than wrenching and bruising. BMWs like this have an uncanny ability to be race cars or show cars and work just as well in either role, so if I ever change my mind in the future I can give this car a makeover. I have a few friends who own them, one of whom works at a place called Euro Classics where a wealth of knowledge exists, along with a list of part numbers as big as the prices are small. Oh, and junk yards. Don't bother trying to find an FC in a junk yard.
Anyways, long story short, I want this E30 and I've made a few steps toward coming up with a buying plan. Tomorrow I'm going to see a loan officer about financing options. Anything from a simple car loan to a credit card with no interest for however many months is on the table. Oh, and a Craiglist ad for the Rex. Good riddance!
Already hit a pole?
