After 2+years, I finally got inspected and on the road today. Had to make a verbal "honk", and promise to repair the horn. Gotta love small-town NC. Ran into a friend that had retired (very)early that had recently bought a new Ferrari. Had to spend 30 minutes walking around, and around, and around, the coupe. Anybody can have a new Ferrari,he said, it only takes money. Safe to say he was impressed. A couple of cars stopped in the road to rubber-neck. Many went by verrrrry slowly. I stopped to get some petrol on the way home. Only took 45 mins. Wide grins and questions. Those on this board already know what I am telling those of you thinking of buying a coupe. Dont be in a rush to buy a coupe, as you will have to get used to some patience after you do. Cheers, Dave V. in western NC
Lurkers beware
- Thread starter dave v. in nc
- Start date
gazzol
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on getting your car on the road, I know exactly what you are talking about it happens all the time when I'm out in mine. Great feeling isn't it.
Roger S
Well-Known Member
Congrats on getting the car out and great story. I had my 2002 out the other day and a lady knocks on the glass and puts her thumbs up. She follows it up with similar sentiment, "anyone can lease a new BMW."
steve in reno
Well-Known Member
lurkers
I have people stop me and ask what model and year mine is nearly every time I take it out, which is often.
It brought a large gas station to a near stand still with admirers walking around it recently.
The new BMW's all look like Honda's, Hyndai anyway.
steve
I have people stop me and ask what model and year mine is nearly every time I take it out, which is often.
It brought a large gas station to a near stand still with admirers walking around it recently.
The new BMW's all look like Honda's, Hyndai anyway.
steve
lurkers
You wouldn't have that problem in So Cal. Too much bling down here, especially in the OC with all of the Ferraris, Lambos, etc with their matching driving shoes, jackets and sunglasses. Only the real enthusiasts seem to know the coupes or those who could care less about the bling bling factor. As Paul Cain has said, Concorso Italiano in Monterey is a gathering of fine BMW automobiles with an Italian car parking problem. (Hope I got that right Paul)
And as someone mentioned recently (Murray?), oh for the days when the sight of another BMW caused you to instantly reach for the headlight flasher! As for new BMW owners I don't think they have a clue. Even a salesman at Irvine BMW asked me what my car was.
You wouldn't have that problem in So Cal. Too much bling down here, especially in the OC with all of the Ferraris, Lambos, etc with their matching driving shoes, jackets and sunglasses. Only the real enthusiasts seem to know the coupes or those who could care less about the bling bling factor. As Paul Cain has said, Concorso Italiano in Monterey is a gathering of fine BMW automobiles with an Italian car parking problem. (Hope I got that right Paul)
And as someone mentioned recently (Murray?), oh for the days when the sight of another BMW caused you to instantly reach for the headlight flasher! As for new BMW owners I don't think they have a clue. Even a salesman at Irvine BMW asked me what my car was.
blumax
(deceased)
SoCal response--and bling bling
Chris--I don't think you go to places like Trader Joes, Starbucks, USPO and Keans Coffe shop and park in the blue spots like I do--trust me if you did your beautiful Malaga Coupe would be noticed--just as the BLUMAX is and the compliments generously flow--often from unexpected sources.
Oh--I forgot--you still go to an office everyday and only take your Coupe out for display--surrounded by a dozen or so other fine early BMW's at Cars 'n Coffee--that's not where it happens--so hurry up and give up your high level corporate life and join me for a cup of Joe during the week at Kean's in Newprt--I'll loan you my blue parking permit and you will experience the same admiration BLUMAX gets--even when in jaded Newport Beach our Coupes are unique and admired.
Chris--I don't think you go to places like Trader Joes, Starbucks, USPO and Keans Coffe shop and park in the blue spots like I do--trust me if you did your beautiful Malaga Coupe would be noticed--just as the BLUMAX is and the compliments generously flow--often from unexpected sources.
Oh--I forgot--you still go to an office everyday and only take your Coupe out for display--surrounded by a dozen or so other fine early BMW's at Cars 'n Coffee--that's not where it happens--so hurry up and give up your high level corporate life and join me for a cup of Joe during the week at Kean's in Newprt--I'll loan you my blue parking permit and you will experience the same admiration BLUMAX gets--even when in jaded Newport Beach our Coupes are unique and admired.
psychrunner
Well-Known Member
Thanks..I needed that!!
I really needed that anecdotal feedback of your experience with your coupe. I have been sending checks on a monthly basis to a resto shop over 300 miles away to a tune of over 500 hours a @ $65 an hour, and quite frankly am getting burned out from the experience. My anticipation and excitement have been waning. I just had Maximillian send them seals and other final touch items, so I should be about 4 weeks away from completion. Hopefully no major issues with mechanicals as all we have done is new Protonix ignition, plugs and wires, fuel line and Carl's suspension. Brakes and other "small" isuues were taken care of shortly before my purchase in May (2007). I am crossing my fingers re: that D-tronic injection, but the shop continues to reassure me that "it ran fine when it came in" (the seller drove it to the shop) with no leaks, etc. Anyhow, this thread helped to revive some of my enthusiasm.
Thanks
psychrunner
I really needed that anecdotal feedback of your experience with your coupe. I have been sending checks on a monthly basis to a resto shop over 300 miles away to a tune of over 500 hours a @ $65 an hour, and quite frankly am getting burned out from the experience. My anticipation and excitement have been waning. I just had Maximillian send them seals and other final touch items, so I should be about 4 weeks away from completion. Hopefully no major issues with mechanicals as all we have done is new Protonix ignition, plugs and wires, fuel line and Carl's suspension. Brakes and other "small" isuues were taken care of shortly before my purchase in May (2007). I am crossing my fingers re: that D-tronic injection, but the shop continues to reassure me that "it ran fine when it came in" (the seller drove it to the shop) with no leaks, etc. Anyhow, this thread helped to revive some of my enthusiasm.
Thanks
psychrunner
pj
Well-Known Member
ouch
Psych, I don't know which is worse, the pain of doing the job all at once or the pain of longing to have it done. My coupe has been going through piece meal restoration since 2002. The upside, I get to drive it frequently throughout the summer.
Trust me, once you get behind the wheel you will likely feel like I do... a restore 70's vintage 3.0 is finer looking, more fun, sexier, and attracts more attention than a new 645CSi....
I had the thrill of driving Shawn CSi a month or so ago, WOW!
Hang on brother, report back after that first ride!!!
Trust me, once you get behind the wheel you will likely feel like I do... a restore 70's vintage 3.0 is finer looking, more fun, sexier, and attracts more attention than a new 645CSi....
I had the thrill of driving Shawn CSi a month or so ago, WOW!
Hang on brother, report back after that first ride!!!
Murray,
I'm not quite ready for the Blue parking permit! I am looking forward to joining the ranks of the happily but very busy retired in 3 more years though. The coupe will definitely get more use then.
I'm not quite ready for the Blue parking permit! I am looking forward to joining the ranks of the happily but very busy retired in 3 more years though. The coupe will definitely get more use then.
It's a good feeling isn't it dave! The first year of coupe ownership was a painful one for me, problem after problem, to the point where i seriously felt like throwing in the towel. Having got encouragement from this forum i decided to stick with and am now a very happy coupe owner.
I've been out in the coupe with my brother on several occasions (he owned a '68 911 at that point) and every time i got people stopping to give compliments. Many even ask what it is and then offer to buy it! It infuriated him to hell as no one ever did the same to him when he was out in his porsche. It actually seemed to have the opposite affect, with a fair few people giving him abuse! :shock:
The one that i'll never forget was when sitting in traffic one day in london. The traffic going the other way was free flowing but a bloke in a ferrari 360 actually slowed right down, wound down his window, and said 'beautiful car'. I thanked him and he drove off. The look on my brothers face was priceless!
I've been out in the coupe with my brother on several occasions (he owned a '68 911 at that point) and every time i got people stopping to give compliments. Many even ask what it is and then offer to buy it! It infuriated him to hell as no one ever did the same to him when he was out in his porsche. It actually seemed to have the opposite affect, with a fair few people giving him abuse! :shock:
The one that i'll never forget was when sitting in traffic one day in london. The traffic going the other way was free flowing but a bloke in a ferrari 360 actually slowed right down, wound down his window, and said 'beautiful car'. I thanked him and he drove off. The look on my brothers face was priceless!
coupe74
Well-Known Member
Another Paul Cain comment...
I forget what we were talking about at the 2007 Monterey Historics, but I remember Paul's comment:
"Nice e9s are as rare as big dicks on Humvee owners!"
..stopped me in my tracks at 8:00 AM...and still makes me laugh when I encounter some vertically-challenged jerk in a (leased) Hummer blindly squeezing me out of my lane while raging on his cell phone to the banker foreclosing on his 110%-financed house while the Panamanian pool boy is banging his wife AND daughter AND son...but I digress.. (do people outside of California have these experiences??)
On a side note; I drove through one of those newer subdivisions with For Sale signs on every third home and was amazed at the number of new SUVs parked out front with 20" bling-bling big rims parked in front. Not an e9 in sight... thank goodness! I think it means I'm still straight..(I better ask my shrink..)
I forget what we were talking about at the 2007 Monterey Historics, but I remember Paul's comment:
"Nice e9s are as rare as big dicks on Humvee owners!"
..stopped me in my tracks at 8:00 AM...and still makes me laugh when I encounter some vertically-challenged jerk in a (leased) Hummer blindly squeezing me out of my lane while raging on his cell phone to the banker foreclosing on his 110%-financed house while the Panamanian pool boy is banging his wife AND daughter AND son...but I digress.. (do people outside of California have these experiences??)
On a side note; I drove through one of those newer subdivisions with For Sale signs on every third home and was amazed at the number of new SUVs parked out front with 20" bling-bling big rims parked in front. Not an e9 in sight... thank goodness! I think it means I'm still straight..(I better ask my shrink..)
piezopaul
Well-Known Member
california thing
Hey coupe 74,
I think most of the stuff you're talking about is left coast stuff (except I AM vertically challenged). Not may of us have pool boys here in the southeast, or pools for that matter. The E9s are appreciated and noticed and commented on as Dave said......Most of us are straight and we don't have many shrinks. 8) - Paul
Hey coupe 74,
I think most of the stuff you're talking about is left coast stuff (except I AM vertically challenged). Not may of us have pool boys here in the southeast, or pools for that matter. The E9s are appreciated and noticed and commented on as Dave said......Most of us are straight and we don't have many shrinks. 8) - Paul
pj
Well-Known Member
Hey Paul,
Hows that Californian csl doing
PJ
Hows that Californian csl doing
PJ
piezopaul
Well-Known Member
NC CSL
Hi PJ,
She's doing great. Had her out yesterday. The triple webers sound great and it runs strong. One of my 911 friends thinks it sounds like a ferrari (at least on the intake side). I took one of my co workers to a VW dealership to drop him off and all the sales guys came running out to see the car. The guy I was dropping off is not a car guy and he thought it was "just an old BMW."
All in all its been great to own thus far and I consider myself fortunate to have done this well sight unseen. Thanks for your input on the car last year. I think you were the only person I communicated with who had seen the car. You sounded like you knew what your were talking about, and gave me the confidence to move ahead with the purchase...so thanks again!!- Paul
Hi PJ,
She's doing great. Had her out yesterday. The triple webers sound great and it runs strong. One of my 911 friends thinks it sounds like a ferrari (at least on the intake side). I took one of my co workers to a VW dealership to drop him off and all the sales guys came running out to see the car. The guy I was dropping off is not a car guy and he thought it was "just an old BMW."
All in all its been great to own thus far and I consider myself fortunate to have done this well sight unseen. Thanks for your input on the car last year. I think you were the only person I communicated with who had seen the car. You sounded like you knew what your were talking about, and gave me the confidence to move ahead with the purchase...so thanks again!!- Paul
pj
Well-Known Member
Paul
I am just glad she went to a good owner, if that car would have come up this year I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat, the herd would have been thinned though. I do have my eye on a Lotus elise though .
Have fun
PJ
73 csi
87 325is (soon to be 345is) ttu
95 M3 road & Track
I am just glad she went to a good owner, if that car would have come up this year I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat, the herd would have been thinned though. I do have my eye on a Lotus elise though .
Have fun
PJ
73 csi
87 325is (soon to be 345is) ttu
95 M3 road & Track