The Story of My Car

It began in the spring of 1998, as I was looking for my first car. My parents, not being very much into the automotive industry, put forth some basic parameters: Find a safe, reliable, starter car. Being rather blase' about what type of car I could get, I took it upon myself to find my dream car. No, not a Mustang, but a rather sophisticated German automobile. I was looking mostly at E28 535i's, and E30 325i's. I wanted a large sedan that at the same time runs circles around most other cars performance-wise. And it needed to fit my budget.

In May 1998, I happened upon a 1986 M535i in my local auto-trader. Of course I took notice, and went by to check it out. Unfortuantely it was a complete diaster. Rust, worn leather, bad idle, a bad set of BBS wheels, etc., etc. And the used car dealer was asking $6000 for it - way too much. I passed. Then in July, I found another M535i by chance in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I went down to see it with my father. It was THE car I was looking for. I got it for a relatively good price(what the previous car was offered at), and got a completely orginal M535i with 114,000 miles. Well, not COMPLETELY original - it had a cheap Sony cassette tape deck.

The car was a splurge for me. My mother was not very pleased. However, it had potential...this was August 1998.

First, I drove the car in its then present condition for about a month. I had to get new tires for the winter, so off come the TRX's and in go E34 525i alloys with good H-rated Dunlop D60's. All regular maintenance issues were taken care of as well. At the same time, I started the website devoted to the car. Over the winter, it performed well, and perfected my "on-the-limit" handling techniques in snowy, abandoned, parking lots.

The car lasted well through its first winter with me, and the spring season started anew with changes and modifications. At first all I wanted to do was keep it mostly stock, and keep its performance level on par. However, the bug bit. I fixed the front shimmy with new control arms, and new pads and rotors were put in the car. A new starter and window regulator fixed a few more problems.

Now, I must explain that most of the work I did myself - a neophyte to actual car work. A great help was guess what, the Internet! That and the Bentley manual saved my butt on numerous occasions. Also, it was around this time that I befriended Rob Anderson. We had actually been conversing via e-mail for quite a while before. Our first meeting was when Rob drove down to meet me after he had put Stahl headers on his old car in the spring of 1999 - April. Not one month afterwards, he had his unfortunate incident with a telephone pole and broken rear trailing arm, and his old car was transformed into the Grey Ghost he now owns. I even helped out with the "transformation" on my Memorial Day break form school.

My senior year at high school started very well, with my car now at 122,000 miles, after one year of ownership. A steady job brought money for more regular maintenance, and a new Boysen rear muffler, guibo, and new tie-rods and a centerlink. The car appeared at two local autocrosses(my first) where I was able to put it through its paces. Here is where my initial thoughts of performance changed...

Stock, a BMW is a very good automobile. I, however, had grown accustomed and wanted - needed more. The March Driver's School at Lime Rock Park cemented this opinion. My car needed serious work. Time to save up money...unfortunately a little old lady in a Ford Contour got in the way. Yes, my precious baby had an accident in April of 2000. To put a long story short - my car was fixed perfectly. However, I had to argue with the insurance company for a good 2 months before they relented and gave me all the money for the settlement of the repair, and they did NOT salvage my car. They in fact settled so well, I purchased a lot of the new modifications with the insurance money left over. Quite remarkable, but I wouldn't want to go through that experience again.

The serious work began in earnest in the summer of 2000. RD Springs, Bilsteins, complete euro light conversion(with 100W bulbs and wipers), new engine mounts, differential mount, rear end bushings, a short shifter, rebuilt drive shaft, and other little niceties completed the present package. I knew exactly what I'm searching for in this car. A true performance car that can do double duty as a family hauler. Once you have set aside a goal, it is time to work in earnest ot achieve it.

A rather severe change in my lifestyle occurred in the fall of 2000. I happened to be accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and am studying Aerospace Engineering. My car is safely stowed in my family's garage - awaiting my breaks and vactions to fo more work to it, and of course, for the odd driving adventure. The car is now a true garage queen. The final plans call for more modifications (see Maintenance Log: sway bars, CD player, stress bar, wheels/tires, M5 clutch conversion), and finally a complete repaint with shadowline trim, and then build the motor to my ideal euro "tuner" specifications. Of course, new door seals, window seals, and other little things will complete the package and turn it into a perfect iteration of the M535i I've always dreamed of. Stay tuned...

January, 2001