Comments on: Unfrugal: Owning and Restoring a Vintage BMW

By: sue

sue — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:12:34 +0000

this article was so refreshing for me….I love little two seater sports cars…. My first was a fiat spyder. I miss it. My big dream is an Jag XKE one day… Right now I’m hooked on BMW Z3. I get everyone telling me the expenses of BMW and you need to go to bmw because specialty tools. I have been away from my love of little cars since my 13 year old son was born and I’m finally having withdrawl. I have to do this to save my sanity. Is the cost that high? I have no real money two kids and house payments but….Bye for now Sue

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By: Maritza

Maritza — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:50:21 +0000

That’s a great story! My first car EVER was the 1978 black 320i just like yours. My dad bought it at a police auction for $600. It needed fixing and he worked on it pretty consistently. I drove it through high school and my first year of college before it became too much of a burden for me and my dad. We kept it though with my dad’s plans to fix it up again, but he never found the time. I’m looking to sell it now and happened upon this post….Well I’m glad you like the car. I wish I could get mine to working order and spiff it up, but it’s way too time consuming and expensive. I hope someone will be willing to take it on.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:08:36 +0000

@leigh: That’s awesome! Unfortunately I’m not even a shadetree mechanic. One step at a time, though.

By: leigh

leigh — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:43:28 +0000

my husband’s 29th birthday present was a fairly rare 1990 lexus in need of an engine rebuild. $600, ebay.

but he’s an experienced pro mechanic, we were looking for something to replace the car he was driving, and he was really wanting a really special project car.

it was totally worth the $600, it makes him immensely happy to drive that car every day.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:52:43 +0000

@brooklynchick: Yea I give her all the credit. I honestly wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t encouraged me to do so.

@Bill: Exactly. You pick the things that make the most difference to you and you keep them, while letting others things go. I love this mentality.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:04:25 +0000

Nice car. I love the look of BMWs and they do drive nice but maintenance costs are very expensive unless you can do it yourself, as you are doing. My similar story is I own a Harley Davidson motorcycle. It’s not very practical and there is the cost of the bike and insurance…but I REALLY enjoy riding it so I’m willing to pay the price for that enjoyment.

By: brooklynchick

brooklynchick — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:50:41 +0000

Good for you (and your great wife!)!! Life is short, glad you found a way to ENJOY!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:30:57 +0000

@weakonomist: someone knows his BMW terms. I didn’t mention E36, E21, etc. because I figured no one else would understand.

I’m the same way — I am not a mechanic. I’m having to learn as I go. But for the most part the tools are your basic socket sets and things like that. And the car was in really good condition when I bought it — just a few repairs here and there needed. I’ve got a new set of wheels I need to put on it, too…

@Stephanie: I’m not as big of a fan of the new ones. The reason I fell in love with BMWs is there were kind of boxy. Now all the cars are sleek and look like Japanese cars. Not that I’d be complaining if someone handed me the keys to one or anything…

By: Stephanie PTY

Stephanie PTY — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:51:23 +0000

Awesome car, awesome story. My boyfriend and I both have soft spots for BMWs, so I think we’ll be joining you as members of the BMW-owning community… someday!