Backtracking Part 1

  I've been contemplating adding a BMW to our family for some time. I come from a VW background so I've been exposed to German engineering. Only older stuff though. I picked up a 90 civic hatch when I was in high school. From there it has been mostly imports of the Japanese variety. Until more recently. I've got a good friend who owns two beamers, a 3 series and a 5 series. We have had some really good times working together fixing and putting mods on them. This sort of wet my pallet towards them.

  It got me thinking about the subtle differences from my current Honda hatch. How the bmw felt, how it handled in comparison. How the motor sounded in different rev ranges. The way the interior looked, felt, sounded. The throttle response on an e46 3 series is noticeably laggy from the factor. It seemed to fall far behind the hatch. The response on even an older B16a is incredibly quick. The brakes in the same car felt good. The ride was firm yet planted. So many things to consider.

  The struggle inside for me had already started. I love ef hatches, please don't get me wrong. I've owned my current hatch for a good 5 years. My original hold back was indecision. I wasn't sure I wanted to ride the bmw train. I didn't want to have to maintain it. I didn't want a beast of a car that I would have to buy a higher capacity jack to lift. Parts were more expensive, less abundant. I wasn't made of money and the maintenance of any older or newer bmw seemed daunting.

   All that went south when I got, "the itch." No, not some bad rash in a can't-talk-about place. This all came about when one of the new engineers (now good friend) let me drive his e36 328i home for lunch. There was just something amazingly beautiful about the sound the engine made. The way the car felt when it accelerated. The way it handled. The way it looked on the road. It was planted yet nimble. I still felt connected to the road but, I wasn't jarred or bounced around. The seats were soo comfy. It had two good size cup holders. This is what I was missing out on.

   Now just to find one...