<WOB>Relatively New BMW Owner Remembers....

[qarey_at_reynosa@xxxxxxxxxxx]

..when it was possible to go out for a weekend drive...the ride wasn't much,
but at least we were on the road going somewhere.

Sorry for the WOB, but had to vent somewhere...

I have always coveted the BMW cars, and was able recently (within the past 9
months) to rotate my Detroit garbage out of the garage and purchase two
"vintage" BMW's...a 1990 325isa for the wife and a 1990 M3 for myself.  Both
cars were thoroughly inspected prior to purchase and were found to be clean,
undamaged, and well maintained versions of the cars.

Now that I own them, I can't ever get out of the garage on the weekends.  It's
always something! ...auxilliary cooling fan, A/C compressor and other
components, clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder, an as yet unsolved hard
starting problem, switches, controls...ad infinitum. My repair budget has
already been blown for the next few years.  It is my humble opinion that the
reason there are so many "vintage" BMW's on the road is that each and every
part
on the automobile has probably been replaced in it's lifespan, so it's now
practically brand new, and the owner is so embarassed that he has had the
exorbitent repair bills that he continues to throw more money at the car to
keep
it on the road.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the cars, but it's now a love-hate
relationship. 
WHEN on the road, they are fantastic, BUT...it's hard to keep them there.
I've
got to tell ya, these machines require more maintenance than my previous
"toys",
a Sunbeam Tiger (289ci), a Mini Cooper 1275S, and gobs of Ford performance
cars
(Boss 302's, Super Cobra Jet 429 among others).

Guess I just need to roll with the punches and hope that when I'm through
investing my savings account into the cars, I'll have some reliable
transportation, but it would be nice to have a weekend off now and then.

Just some unsolicited comments as I go seeking more parts for the cars.  At
least the repairs have kept me from spending the money on accessorizing the
cars<LOL>.  The obsession continues.....

Paul Lonnquist
McAllen, TX
paul1@domain.elided

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End of bmw-digest V9 #90
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