Can You Autocross With a Family Wagon?

Wagons always get an unfair reputation for being the nation's favourite schoolrun-mobile -- images of an '83 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, driven around by a family with three kids and a St. Bernard in the trunk doesn't exactly help shed that relative uncool-ness. Wagons just aren't sporty, and they sure aren't cool, people say. Over here, we have seen many people ditch the wagons in favor of the taller SUVs and crossovers for their bigger size.

For most of the world however, wagons are great alternatives for those who want to haul more things without needing to get a truck, but still retain the fun driving dynamics and fuel economy of a 4-door sedan. Don't believe me? Take a quick look on Google Streetview for streets of London and it will take you less than a minute to have the first wagon-sighting.

Case in point: in addition to the #SharkNoseDiary 6 series project car that I have, I regularly drive a slightly-scratched up 2007 Mazda 6 wagon as my reliable daily commuter. Fitted with a 3.0 V6 engine that produces 212 horsepower, the car (nicknamed Mazda Miyagi because why not) can propel itself from 0-60 at a respectable (in 2007 standards) 7.1 seconds.

My favorite thing about it though? It's mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Combined with the zoom-zoom Mazda driving dynamics, I can go fast enough to quickly fall in trouble with the law while hauling my apartment in the trunk. You can't really do that with a modern SUV (unless you are willing to spend a lot of money for one of these).

The bottom line is: The car is a lot of fun, and it can do fun while hauling as much stuff as your neighbor's CR-V.

To prove my point, why not enter my car into an Autocross event?

#SharkNoseDiary: Hibernation and Repair

Mileage: 40 miles.
Fuel Economy: 18 mpg.
Expense: $195 (brake service, reservoir sensor reset).

Winter is here, and unfortunately being in the Pacific Northwest, it only means that people are only thinking about two things: 1. Boy, it is really starting to rain now; and 2. Honey, let's start packing for the emergency ark we have on our backyard. 

Normal winter day in the Pacific Northwest. Surf's up!

Unfortunately for me, it also means that I am going to stash my 6 series for until next year when the sky clears up. Not so easy though...

[Previously on #SharkNoseDiary: After displaying my $2100 classic BMW alongside $2-million hypercars, it is time to activate the Anti-Rust Protection Plan -- storing the car for the Winter]

#SharkNoseDiary: Road Trip!

Mileage: Approx. 100 miles.
Fuel Economy: 14 mpg (it's improved by a staggering 1 mpg!)
Expense: 1 tank of gas = $60

It's road trip season, so I figured that I might as well take the old girl out for a cruise. And what a cruise we had.

[Previously on #SharkNoseDiary: I bought a 1987 BMW 635CSi for $2100 and figured, eh, might as well take the car up and down a mountain pass for a full day to see if anything falls out of the car.]

#SharkNoseDiary 4: Owner's Report

Price (when new): $46,965 ($98,449 adjusted for inflation).
Price (as purchased): $2,100.
Mileage: Approximately 1400 miles since purchased.
Fuel Economy: 16.5 mpg.
Expense: $145 (oil change, reservoir patch, and a failed radio installation) + $50 (parts) = $205
Getting waves from classic BMW owners: Priceless.

It's been a little over a month since I bought my BMW 635CSi. It's been quite an experience. This is a quick summary of my first month of owning a 29-year-old European sports car at the cost of a 2-year cable subscription.

[Previously on #SharkNoseDiary: I bought a 1987 BMW 635CSi for $2100. I have since put in another 200 bucks to show how much I don't care about my hard-earned money.]

#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.]

#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.

#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.