Wednesday, June 29, 2016

#SharkNoseDiary 3: Paul the Parts Guy.


Expenses: 
Service: $95 (oil change, coolant reservoir patch, trunk liner fix).
Parts: $50 (original BMW cassette stereo, '87 7 series original instrument panel, extra indicator stalks, original BMW floor mats, on-board diagnostic computer)
Chatting to a stranger for 2 hours about BMWs: Priceless.

Every car should have a name. A couple years back, I had a Volkswagen Passat which I named after Sir Alan Rickman's most beloved character -- no, not him -- Hans.

It's been almost a month since I bought my nameless 1987 BMW 635CSi -- it's about time to name it

Growing up with 90s action movies, I follow this odd tradition of naming my cars after movie villains -- hence Hans, my previous car. This car is German, so it has to have a German-sounding name. Beyond Hans though, it gets surprisingly hard, because there aren't a lot of good German movie villains outside the Die Hard universe.

[Previously on #SharkNoseDiary: I bought a 30-year-old BMW, which is yet to be named. Until now.]

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

#SharkNoseDiary 2: Some Issues.

Two 80's icons. 
In case if you have missed the last #SharkNoseDiary, I have purchased a 1987 BMW 635CSi as my summer / weekend car. I guess you could classify this as an impulse purchase, partly fueled by my love of old BMWs and partly due to my lack of sound financial sense.

I have been living with the car for over two weeks now, and I have already done about 800 miles -- no small feat considering that it is a 30-year-old BMW that I bought at the price of a Smart TV.

[Previously on #SharkNoseDiary: I bought a 30-year-old BMW at the price of a Smart TV. It could turn out to be a mistake.]

First two weeks of my ownership was utterly joyous. The drive is a blast, as the straight six engine absolutely sings, albeit at the cost of 15 miles per gallon. People also love seeing it on the roads -- I have gotten approval nods and thumbs up from Porsche owners, BMW owners, to a guy who drives a Hyundai Pony with a broken exhaust. Although, I must say, the people who tend to recognize the car are usually of, um, retirement age.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

#SharkNoseDiary: Goodness, I Must Be Crazy.


Last week, I bought a 30-year-old BMW.

Actually, let me rephrase that. Last week, I bought a 1987 BMW 635CSi luxury sports coupe. For $2100. To those of you who know BMWs very well will know it affectionately as the "shark-nose" E24 -- one of the most iconic and strikingly beautiful sports coupe to come out from Bavaria.

To those of you who doesn't know much about cars... Well, I bought a slightly rusted European car at roughly the same cost as what people would spend on a beginner's golf set. Oh, and the car was made in West Germany, because well, West Germany was a thing back then.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Driving to the Southernmost Point in the United States in One Day


Ahhh, Florida: A dash cam company's paradise purely because of everything that goes on over there on the roads. Earlier in the year, I went down to South Florida for a short trip -- no, not because I wanted to have my own Florida Man sighting. Instead, I was in Miami to attend a family wedding.

More importantly however (cousin, if you are reading this: your wedding was pretty good too), I was here in hopes of taking the famous drive from Miami to Key West -- a 4-hour drive over the Atlantic Ocean, featuring one of the best scenic views in North America as you head south straight for the southernmost point in the lower 48 states.

This should be a good one.