My Car History
10-01-2009, 12:17 PM
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I was driving home from work last week and I spotted one of my old cars (an Audi S3). It was still gleaming and I was pleased to see the latest owner was looking after it and enjoying it as much as I used to.
Anyway, it got me thinking about all my old cars. I?ve not had that many as I?m only 28 and don?t change them that often but I thought I?d share it with you anyway as I have pictures of most of them.
It?s a bit long winded but he?s the story of how I finished up with my 5 series.
MY CAR HISTORY
1989 Vauxhall Nova 1000cc
My first car, bought in 1997, not very nice to look at or to drive (hence why I have no photo!) Bought because it was cheap and I could afford the insurance, which in the UK is extremely expensive if you are young and male! Had to keep it for 2 years till I could afford better!
1995 Rover Mini Cooper 1.3i
I absolutely loved this car to death. Still easily the most entertaining car I?ve ever driven. Not that fast in a straight line (it was only pushing out about 75bhp) but in weight nothing and on a twist country lane it was superb.
2000 VW Lupo 1.4 16V Sport
Eventually the lack of refinement and comfort offered by the mini (not to mention the unreliability) got to me so I bought this?.a car I regret buying. It was reliable, comfortable and well built but was dull to drive.
1995 VW Corrado 2.0 16V
I soon got bored of the Lupo so went out and bought a proper drivers car. I couldn?t afford the insurance on the mighty VR6 version but the 16V version was still brilliant. It went well and handled superbly, driving it was a really pleasure and I never got bored of the electric boot spoiler that came up at 55mph. One of the best handling FWD cars of all time and certainly a future classic.
1997 Rover 214Si
Some may think that this is a slightly bizarre choice of car to replace a Corrado with but I needed the money to buy my first house and the astronomical insurance on the Corrado was something I just couldn?t justify. I bought the Rover to save money but 6 months after getting it the head gasket went and cost me the earth to sort out?.money I could have spent on the Corrado?s insurance! I was fluming, but I should have known better than to buy British!
1998 Audi A4 1.8T Sport
Back to a German car, it had over 100k miles on the clock but was still reliable and solidly built. Loved the metallic blue paint and 18? alloys. It looks dated now but was a real eye catcher at the time.
2002 Audi S3
I still love the look of this car, purposeful without being in your face. The perfect premium hot hatch in my opinion, and it was perfect for the greasy British roads with it?s punchy engine and Quattro grip. Unfortunately this was another casualty when I needed money to move to a bigger house, plus it wasn?t great as a family car when we had our first child so in the end I reluctantly sold it.
2002 Ford Mondeo 2.5 V6 Zetec-S
The replacement for my beloved S3. I bought this from a guy I was working with at the time and it was a lot of car for not much money. I knew it had been looked after and it made a good family car for a year till I could afford something nicer?
2004 BMW 530i
Which brings me to my first BMW. Now I have 2 kids I need something big (a 5 series is a big car here in the UK!) but didn?t want a 4 x 4 and people carriers are not even an option! I considered the A6 as I like my VAG cars but it simply wasn?t a patch on a 5 series (but then I don?t need to tell you guys that do I!)
Easily the nicest, best spec?ed car I?ve ever owned. It looks good sat on my drive, has enough space for the family, and is a joy to drive. It?s also the first Auto I?ve ever owned and I love it. It suits my needs perfectly at the moment and with no plans to have any more kids / move house it should be here for a while yet?
The Future?
The joys of having 2 kids is likely to dictate my motoring requirements for the foreseeable future but once the kids are a bit older and can climb in and out of the car themselves the latest shape 335Ci will certainly be on my shortlist. No doubt I?ll change my mind plenty of times before then though as I?m still lusting after a 6 series.
One thing is for sure, I?ve certainly been converted onto the BMW brand!
So there you go, not the most interesting car history but a few good ones in there?it would be interesting to see what other people on here have owned previously so feel free to share?
Anyway, it got me thinking about all my old cars. I?ve not had that many as I?m only 28 and don?t change them that often but I thought I?d share it with you anyway as I have pictures of most of them.
It?s a bit long winded but he?s the story of how I finished up with my 5 series.
MY CAR HISTORY
1989 Vauxhall Nova 1000cc
My first car, bought in 1997, not very nice to look at or to drive (hence why I have no photo!) Bought because it was cheap and I could afford the insurance, which in the UK is extremely expensive if you are young and male! Had to keep it for 2 years till I could afford better!
1995 Rover Mini Cooper 1.3i
I absolutely loved this car to death. Still easily the most entertaining car I?ve ever driven. Not that fast in a straight line (it was only pushing out about 75bhp) but in weight nothing and on a twist country lane it was superb.
2000 VW Lupo 1.4 16V Sport
Eventually the lack of refinement and comfort offered by the mini (not to mention the unreliability) got to me so I bought this?.a car I regret buying. It was reliable, comfortable and well built but was dull to drive.
1995 VW Corrado 2.0 16V
I soon got bored of the Lupo so went out and bought a proper drivers car. I couldn?t afford the insurance on the mighty VR6 version but the 16V version was still brilliant. It went well and handled superbly, driving it was a really pleasure and I never got bored of the electric boot spoiler that came up at 55mph. One of the best handling FWD cars of all time and certainly a future classic.
1997 Rover 214Si
Some may think that this is a slightly bizarre choice of car to replace a Corrado with but I needed the money to buy my first house and the astronomical insurance on the Corrado was something I just couldn?t justify. I bought the Rover to save money but 6 months after getting it the head gasket went and cost me the earth to sort out?.money I could have spent on the Corrado?s insurance! I was fluming, but I should have known better than to buy British!
1998 Audi A4 1.8T Sport
Back to a German car, it had over 100k miles on the clock but was still reliable and solidly built. Loved the metallic blue paint and 18? alloys. It looks dated now but was a real eye catcher at the time.
2002 Audi S3
I still love the look of this car, purposeful without being in your face. The perfect premium hot hatch in my opinion, and it was perfect for the greasy British roads with it?s punchy engine and Quattro grip. Unfortunately this was another casualty when I needed money to move to a bigger house, plus it wasn?t great as a family car when we had our first child so in the end I reluctantly sold it.
2002 Ford Mondeo 2.5 V6 Zetec-S
The replacement for my beloved S3. I bought this from a guy I was working with at the time and it was a lot of car for not much money. I knew it had been looked after and it made a good family car for a year till I could afford something nicer?
2004 BMW 530i
Which brings me to my first BMW. Now I have 2 kids I need something big (a 5 series is a big car here in the UK!) but didn?t want a 4 x 4 and people carriers are not even an option! I considered the A6 as I like my VAG cars but it simply wasn?t a patch on a 5 series (but then I don?t need to tell you guys that do I!)
Easily the nicest, best spec?ed car I?ve ever owned. It looks good sat on my drive, has enough space for the family, and is a joy to drive. It?s also the first Auto I?ve ever owned and I love it. It suits my needs perfectly at the moment and with no plans to have any more kids / move house it should be here for a while yet?
The Future?
The joys of having 2 kids is likely to dictate my motoring requirements for the foreseeable future but once the kids are a bit older and can climb in and out of the car themselves the latest shape 335Ci will certainly be on my shortlist. No doubt I?ll change my mind plenty of times before then though as I?m still lusting after a 6 series.
One thing is for sure, I?ve certainly been converted onto the BMW brand!
So there you go, not the most interesting car history but a few good ones in there?it would be interesting to see what other people on here have owned previously so feel free to share?
10-01-2009, 12:38 PM
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there's your nova or one similar to it
i did own a brown 1984 1.3sr (which i resprayed yellow that same week lol ) Cheers for sharing the pics and welcome to Bmw
10-01-2009, 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by pjinca' post='1022429' date='Oct 1 2009, 09:30 PM
Those are some good cars (my wife would KILL for that Mini Cooper) 
10-01-2009, 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by bryso90' post='1022432' date='Oct 1 2009, 09:38 PM
there's your nova or one similar to it
i did own a brown 1984 1.3sr (which i resprayed yellow that same week lol ) Cheers for sharing the pics and welcome to Bmw
10-01-2009, 02:15 PM
#7
That's a great rundown. LOVE the mini. If only we could get those in this Country during that time. Clearly I think many of us have an emotional connection that threads through all of our car choices.
My own:
College & immediate post-college: a Nissan Sentra hand-me-down from my mom - stick shift, 2-door, great car. Eventually went to my sister. Was sold with over 172k miles on the original clutch!
First post-college Purchase: a 1990 Saab 900 Turbo. I was trying to swing a used M3, but realized I really couldn't afford it. Was going between a 318is (1991) and the Saab, and fell in LOVE with the power of that engine (would spin the front wheels on dry pavement without needing to dump the clutch). Sold it after one too many car insurance bills about 10 months later, and bought a...
1992 Toyota Camry - My first and so-far only new car purchase - bought one of the first of the new body styles in that year. Chose the lowest trim level available because I could get a 5-speed. Had manual windows. Took it to business school and before an internship on the West Coast had a CD player installed. Drove across the country in the car - had a blast. Finally sold it a year post business school and bought, with my soon-to-be-wife (now EX-wife) a.....
1992 BMW 535i - Bought it with 58k on the odometer. It was an automatic because of my wife. Big mistake right there, but ok. Modded it a bit with some Dinan bits. Was a great car. Held onto it for 10 years until it had 190k miles on it. Still was tight, looked great except for some minor rust around the lower rear doorframes (common in that car), and no problems ever with the automatic.
1991 M5 - Bought it on ebay while I had the 535i with the intention of selling the 535i. Was in such good condition I couldn't stomach driving it on rainy days so I decided to keep two cars. Realized that it was insane to live in NYC and have two cars but only a 1BR apartment, so sold it for what I paid for it (after a bit in maintenance) and kept the 535i...
I eventually sold the 535i and bought:
My own:
College & immediate post-college: a Nissan Sentra hand-me-down from my mom - stick shift, 2-door, great car. Eventually went to my sister. Was sold with over 172k miles on the original clutch!
First post-college Purchase: a 1990 Saab 900 Turbo. I was trying to swing a used M3, but realized I really couldn't afford it. Was going between a 318is (1991) and the Saab, and fell in LOVE with the power of that engine (would spin the front wheels on dry pavement without needing to dump the clutch). Sold it after one too many car insurance bills about 10 months later, and bought a...
1992 Toyota Camry - My first and so-far only new car purchase - bought one of the first of the new body styles in that year. Chose the lowest trim level available because I could get a 5-speed. Had manual windows. Took it to business school and before an internship on the West Coast had a CD player installed. Drove across the country in the car - had a blast. Finally sold it a year post business school and bought, with my soon-to-be-wife (now EX-wife) a.....
1992 BMW 535i - Bought it with 58k on the odometer. It was an automatic because of my wife. Big mistake right there, but ok. Modded it a bit with some Dinan bits. Was a great car. Held onto it for 10 years until it had 190k miles on it. Still was tight, looked great except for some minor rust around the lower rear doorframes (common in that car), and no problems ever with the automatic.
1991 M5 - Bought it on ebay while I had the 535i with the intention of selling the 535i. Was in such good condition I couldn't stomach driving it on rainy days so I decided to keep two cars. Realized that it was insane to live in NYC and have two cars but only a 1BR apartment, so sold it for what I paid for it (after a bit in maintenance) and kept the 535i...
I eventually sold the 535i and bought:
10-01-2009, 02:37 PM
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My Ride: 2006 530X, Silver Gray, Black Dakota, Premium Package, Cold Package, Park Distance Sensors, Steptronic
Nice post, especially that you have photos of nearly all. Couple of things - I don't think the metallic blue Audi looks all that dated and a 5 is considered a fairly big car even here on the other side of the Pond.
Here is my rundown -
1972 Ford Gran Torino (bought used in college), Chevy Nova (can't remember the year, but it's irrelevant), 1982 Peugeot Diesel (one of the worst autos EVER), 1985 Peugeot TurboDiesel (the other was totaled in a torrential rain and we didn't learn our lesson), 1988 Honda Accord (wife totaled Peugeot), 1992 Acura Legend (great car, kept for 10 years, 3 drivers), 1997 Saab Turbo convertible (fun but a dog), 1997 E420 Mercedes Sport, 2003 C240 4Matic (still have it) and now a 2006 530XI (the most fun and best overall performance).
God, this list makes me feel older than I feel.
Here is my rundown -
1972 Ford Gran Torino (bought used in college), Chevy Nova (can't remember the year, but it's irrelevant), 1982 Peugeot Diesel (one of the worst autos EVER), 1985 Peugeot TurboDiesel (the other was totaled in a torrential rain and we didn't learn our lesson), 1988 Honda Accord (wife totaled Peugeot), 1992 Acura Legend (great car, kept for 10 years, 3 drivers), 1997 Saab Turbo convertible (fun but a dog), 1997 E420 Mercedes Sport, 2003 C240 4Matic (still have it) and now a 2006 530XI (the most fun and best overall performance).
God, this list makes me feel older than I feel.
10-01-2009, 03:40 PM
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My Ride: 2006 525XI, Jet black on Dakota beige. Premium and winter packages. I consider myself a purist and intend to keep my car absolutely stock and shiny.
2008 328I Convertible, Sapphire black on beige interior. Premium package, NAV, iPod adapter.
Retired: 2002 325I, Titanium silver on black leather. Premium package. Absolutely stock and proud of it.
That's quite an array of mostly great cars. The 530I, in my opinion, trumps them all. Great choice. The E60 is a fairly big car even in the USA.
10-01-2009, 03:49 PM
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My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
An interesting thread, and listing of your cars! 
Mostly pointing to the fact, You've Come a Long Way to get to your E60, now go and drive the hell out of it!! 
Mostly pointing to the fact, You've Come a Long Way to get to your E60, now go and drive the hell out of it!!