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cars

BMWs I have owned

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I HAVE OWNED four BMWs, one of which I still have. In the process of owning these cars, I’ve become an avid tinkerer on them.

The first was a 1992 525i Touring (Station Wagon/Estate Car, depending one where you call home). I was recently arrived in Germany and needed a car. One of the guys in the office had committed to buying a car from someone who was leaving. His family didn’t like the car, so he needed to find a new buyer. I became the owner of a then 19-year old gold car. I paid $2,000 for it. It needed work.

I ended up having much of the work done, though in retrospect, had I known then how much DIY info is available online, I could have done a bit more. All in all, I was happy with the car. When I left Germany in 2013, I sold it for $2,400 as a much better car then when I bought it. It’s my understanding that at least as of early 2017 the car was still seen in action around Patch Barracks in Stuttgart Germany.

In 2015 I was back in Germany. I needed a car. An Army friend was leaving and had a 1999 318i Touring to sell. I bought it for $1,300. It needed work. Lots of work. I did all of it myself. After about a year, Melissa and I stumbled across what was going to become the next car. I bought number three. Number two several weeks later sold for $2,000 as a much, much better car than when I bought it.

Number three was a 2003 325i Touring I bought for $3,500. It needed work. Again, lots of work. It ended up being the nicest car I had ever owned at the time. I put many long weekends and evenings into fixing problems and replacing worn parts. One of the guys at the base Auto Skills Center laughed once when I told him what I wanted to do. Really. When I was done changing the crankcase ventilation valve, I told him if I ever suggested anything that painful again to stop me before I started! I put just over $1,700 in parts into the car. The labor was pretty much just my own sweat.

I was getting ready to leave Germany and found myself wishing I had purchased a US specifications car. With all the work I had put into it, I would have gladly brought it home with me. I found a US model 2004 BMW X3 that had lots of potential, but the seller/owner and I couldn’t come to terms on it. I sold the car for $4,200 as a really, really, really nice car and put the money in the bank.

Two days ago I got an email from BMW inviting me to test drive a new, 2017 X3. I had to laugh because I was on the way home with a 2006 X3! It needs work. Not a lot of work. It will allow me to tinker and improve another car. This one I will likely drive for a number of years.

None of the first three cars was intended to be a “flip” car, but it worked out that way. This time, I expect I’ll drive the X3 for a few years. This blog will be the story of how it gets better. I hope you enjoy reading about the projects as much as I expect to enjoy doing them!

Books, Flying, Germany, History

More reading…

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I AM FAR behind in updating what I have been reading. In a blatant effort to get rich, I’ll share some of the last several week’s reading with you. The links or cover pictures take you to Amazon. If you happen to buy something, I get a few cents. (After doing this for three years, I’m up almost $4!)

About a year ago I was on one of my regular flying trips to the UK. I saw a book there called Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon. I can’t describe exactly why, but I found it interesting, odd, different, a bit darker than my usual reading. Several months later, back in the UK, I found another of his books, Defectors; A Novel. I had the same je ne sais qua feeling about the book, but thought I’d like to read more. On a recent trip, I found Istanbul Passage in a Kansas City book store. Reading up about Kanon on Wikipedia, I learned that almost all his stories take place in the year or so immediately after the end of world war II.

I’ve been to Turkey, though not Istanbul. I have some knowledge of the history, traditions, and culture of Turkey. I rather enjoyed the book. I expect I’ll eventually work my way through all of his books:

Sometimes at the book store I see a name that gets my attention because I’ve read most of that author’s books and am looking forward to the next one. When I see D… Brown I have to think for a second – “Is that Dale Brown or Dan Brown?” Dale – Flight of the Old Dog – Brown’s books are completely different from Dan – DaVinci Code – Brown’s books. Doesn’t matter, they’re all great!

I’ve just finished Dan Brown’s Origin. Read it. That’s all I can say.

Scott Turow has been writing really good lawyer stories for years. His latest, Testimony, takes place in an interesting international environment instead of small town America. I’d say Origin, above, is a bit more riveting. But this is definitely worth a read; it will keep your attention.

The three novels listed above might make you think I’m slacking off on my promise over the last year to continue to raise the caliber of what I’m reading. I also have three non-fiction books to mention.

Some months ago I saw a reference to Nicholas Stargardt’s book Germany at War; A Nation Under Arms, 1939-45. This book focuses on the stories of several real people or families during the course of the war. Rather than discussing grand strategy or the general staff, it describes the every day life for soldiers on the front and family or civilians at home. Very well done. If you have an interest in this era take a look:

As I write this, I am reading two completely unrelated books, a biography that became a movie recently and an aviation safety book. Both are interesting and attention-keeping. (OK, I’ll admit that the aviation safety book isn’t for everyone…)