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Do I have a real one or what?

Brent Smith asked
>Last week I bought a '92 318iC with 33K. This is my first BMW and I love 
>the car. I can see why people buy them and are willing to pay more for 
>them. But after reading several post here, I am frustrated that many BMW 
>owners feel like I don't have a "real" BMW.

and Kelly Alexander asked
>	Is getting a 80-83 320i a waste of money to get and fix?  
>Should I opt for something newer (dealers push 325's)?

All BMW's are *real* BMW's. They all have such a great combination of
free revving smooth running engines, crisp and responsive steering,
brakes that are usually bigger and more powerful than many other
similar cars, and a general package that is good looking and
thoughtful. Stuff like power mirrors, doors that don't lock you out
without your key.. etc etc.

For many people, *more* is better. So a 325i is better than a 318i
just because it has *more*. More power. It is also heavier and more
expensive. Lots of people on the digest seem to take this to the
extreme :) A *supercharged* M3 ? some of you guys are nuts! :)

Last weekend we ran an autocross and I was really impressed with a guy
in a little old '85 318i. He had some monster wheels and a Momo seat
with harness.. and that little car could *move*. I was jumping in and
out of cars being a passenger - from tricked out E36 325i's to E30
318i's, not to mention a Volvo 850 and others.. and just kept thinking
'that 318i is amazing!'.

Go with what you got : unless you are a seasoned pro whatever car you
drive probably has more potential than you can ever realize.

Get what you can afford : 320i's are *cheap* and can be so much
fun. Easy to work on, parts are cheap, just amazing little cars.
Don't get pushed into more than you need. Sure, 325's are faster.. but
how fast do you need to go ? Is it worth the extra money to you ?

just my 2 cents :)

BTW, I had my 320i for a few years, loved it, learned how to *drive*
in it :) and then felt I was ready for something newer and faster.
The 325i doesn't disappoint, but I sometimes think I had more fun
driving the 320i to the limit at reasonable speeds when now I'm going
*way* faster than reasonable to really wring out the 325i :)
But officer, I was just trying to blow the carbon out! I forgot all
about the speedometer..

chris pawlowicz
'89 325i
'81 320i ex