Minor Road Trip with The Enabler in tow

In reply to Harvey:

Get out of my Bucket.

Woody wrote: In reply to Harvey: Get out of my Bucket.

I'm sorry I understand how this Internet thingamajig works.

Isn't that one of those convertible E46 cars?

Aint that one of them there German Me-Otters?

You tricked us. Looking back, it makes perfect sense as a Miata replacement.

Mmmmmmmmmmm me likey.

If you have to patch any holes in the floor, be sure to use a german road sign for your patch material.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Mmmmmmmmmmm me likey. If you have to patch any holes in the floor, be sure to use a german road sign for your patch material.

No patching necessary on this one. It's cleeeeeeeeean!

I really like that color! Interior pics? Which engine is it?

No interior pics yet. It's the M54 all aluminum 2.5. The color is Siena Red.

Woody wrote:

Looks very clean. Never driven in winter?

I doubt it. It's spotless, but doesn't look like it was detailed to sell.

This is the only photo from the Craigslist ad that motivated me to haul my trailer down to New Jersey.

It seems like you always have a plan when you buy a car, so I've got to ask, what's the plan?

2002maniac wrote: Interior pics?

mazdeuce wrote: It seems like you always have a plan when you buy a car, so I've got to ask, what's the plan?

Well, that's kind of a funny story...

I had been thinking about getting a Z3 as my next Wintercrosser / Winter Beater, and maybe do a little ice racing and a few HPDE events with it next season. I looked at a couple of them, but they were either too crusty or way too much money. Then I decided to push the idea to the back burner until spring, as I had knee surgery which slowed me down for a while, and I had a bunch of other stuff going on. I didn't forget about it, but I wasn't actively looking either.

At some point, I had set up a Craigslist browser to send me text alerts for Z3 ads. It only sends me them after I log into it in the morning. I might get a few texts during the day, but then it goes into sleep mode when I turn off the phone for the night. After that, I don't get the texts until I log in again. I haven't been using it for a while, but the other day, I decided to check CL with my phone for something else (I don't even remember what I was looking for). Anyway, I got a text alert when this ad was posted later in the day.

I looked at the ad, but honestly, I really thought it was a CL scammer, because there was only one photo, the price was so cheap, the ad text didn't say much besides Excellent Condition! and Absolutely Loaded!, complete with exclamation points and the official BMW name of the color.

I clicked on the button for the reply info and there was a woman's name and phone number. It suddenly seemed like an ad that a woman might write about car that she really loved.

I called the number and spoke to the woman and then her husband. They were very polite and sounded a little older. They said that they were retiring and downsizing. I made arrangements to see the car the next day. It was far enough away that I decided to bring the trailer just in case.

The car was parked in front of a beautiful old house in a very high end neighborhood. It was clean, but didn't look like it had been detailed for sale or anything. The body is just about perfect. When he opened the hood I almost fell over because the engine was shockingly clean. I noticed how shiny the tailpipes were and suspected that the muffler had been replaced, but when I looked underneath, everything else was just as nice. I took it for a quick ride around the block and we made a deal very quickly. This was as close to being a no brainer as any car that I've ever purchased.

Now, here's the problem: My Plan.

This car may just be way too nice for the awful things that I had planned for it. I haven't had much of a chance to even look at the car yet. I backed it off the trailer, parked it next to the garage and then focused on getting the Miata ready for a new home. Hopefully, I'll have the BMW registered by next weekend and I'll just enjoy driving it for a few weeks before deciding what I'm going to do with it for the winter.

And I'd love to find a hardtop for it, but I suspect that they're harder to find than Miata tops.

Woody wrote: And I'd love to find a hardtop for it, but I suspect that they're harder to find than Miata tops.

might even be harder to find than s2k hardtops

Super Sub-Minor Road Trip

Just made a quick strike into Fairfield County for a $100 set of matching factory wheels.