Musings on the daily life of an obsessed automobile enthusiast
Many people I’ve talked to say that driving an E34 five series is like driving a “big E30,” but that’s selling the E34 short. Not that I don’t love my E30s, but the E34, at least the 535 I’m driving these days, is a totally different contraption. Sure, the styling […]
For those of you not familiar, BEV is not a lovely lady, but a Battery Electric Vehicle. I.e. an EV that is not a hybrid, but powered only by a rechargeable battery. I currently own a 2017 BMW i3 BEV, as opposed to BMW’s REX (range extender model) that uses […]
As I’ve mentioned here, the original 3 – the E21 was my first BMW crush. When the E30 hit the market, it became even more intense. I loved the square, minimal lines, and the new level of interior ergonomics and functionality. And the thought of a six, wow a six-cylinder […]
“It’s perfect now; you’re gonna love it.” Steve at Matt’s Alignment and Brake tells me with a big smile, handing the keys over the counter. I’d been anticipating this all weekend, as Roy and I didn’t make it back from the coast, dropping off the Z4 for top repairs in […]
It all began innocently enough. I needed some parts for my 89 325iS that’s beginning to take shape, and a great potential donor car was just up the I-5 in Seattle. Somehow, don’t we always need more parts? The Bronzit four-door in question had its complete cooling system replaced, a […]
With about four hours to kill and no choice but to sit in my chair and behave, I finally had a block of free time to read Rob Siegel’s Resurrecting Bertha, something long overdue. If you’re familiar with Siegel, either through his “Hack Mechanic” column in the BMWCCA Roundel magazine, […]
What better thing to do on a Thursday night when your wife is out of town on a business trip than buy a wagon? Right? Truth be told, I’d been looking for a wagon again for some time, but as it’s only an occasional use vehicle, it didn’t have to be […]
After a couple of weeks in storage, it was time to break out the E23. The weather’s been holding steady, so a blustery 48 degree day is the perfect weather for a classic BMW. But then I remembered…the windows don’t work. That’s why I put it away in the first […]
One of my least favorite car things to do is clean a dirty engine compartment. The older a classic gets, the more potential it has to get really, really dirty. This is a bad thing for more than just the aesthetic element. Whether you wrench your own or take it […]
It’s always exciting to me when anyone introduces a new roadster, not just BMW. Considering that topless models account for just below 1% of US car sales, I’m amazed anyone is doing convertibles, or manual transmissions. Wait – the new Z4 is not available with a manual (or even that […]