NJ BMW CCA Newsletter 11-10

What have I done?

 If you love something, set it free. Then try to buy it back a week later. I made a colossal mistake over the past month or so. The tan e21 that has had been in the hands of many NJ CCA members then made its way to me last year is gone. I was its keeper, its savior, its chance to become a glorious car it once was. And I sold it.  I felt like its arrival into my driveway was by some of divine Bavarian intervention and it was up to me to take this once forgotten soul that sat idle for years and restore, or at least improve it. In a moment of weakness it was all gone.

 The Sierra Beige 1977 320i that came into my life was far from perfect. It has surface rust in areas, the battery was shot, the paint was faded, the clutch master cylinder gave way, the tires were dry rotted and belts separating, it was filthy, but it was an e21 with Recaro Seats and it whimpered “help”. I took this car in like a stray cat in a rain storm. I had seen its potential. I had plans – New paint, new tighter suspension, a set of 15x7 Panasports, engine improvements down the road, new carpet, plus numerous other enhancements and maintenance items. I started with tires, then the clutch master replacement. I buffed the existing paint which made a huge improvement in looks. It was getting there. I started to use this e21 everyday and it was becoming a confident driver. Almost a year later I decided to do a full tune up. That made a HUGE improvement in power and running quality. I wasn’t afraid to take it on the highway at distance. Oh yes, it lived again.

 Then for some bizarre reason I listed it online for sale. I think it was shortly after I attended the Jersey Shore BMW Riders Club meeting and was thinking of buying a Beemer for some two wheeled fun. If I sold off a couple cars, I can get a nice motorcycle. Perhaps a R1200GS or even an older R90A Airhead in Café style. Of course I already have four motorcycles and no room inside for a 5^th so maybe getting a Beemer would have to wait. Sandy has shown some interest in learning to ride a motorcycle but doesn’t want to ride any of the ones I have. She has requested me to find her a quality 2000-2007 Kawasaki Ninja 250 in Red to start off on. Where the heck is she expecting we put that? And you all thought it was just me with the need to buy internal combustion machines. I really need to expand that 24x24 garage I was planning on building to something more like an airplane hanger the size to fit the Spruce Goose. Does anyone know of an abandoned warehouse going into tax sale in the Ocean County area?

 Around this time I also had dropped my 1983 Mercedes off to a Benz specialist to get checked up, gone through, and made reliable. The bill was an unknown factor but I told him to keep it to the minimal with the work that I requested. Famous last words huh? Every time I called the shop owner Bob, he would say “I’ll figure out where I am at and call you back.” – I never got that call. He would also inform me “while I was there I did this or that” which sounds expensive.  Did I owe $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, $First Born? I had no clue. I was hoping the cheaper the better but experience told me otherwise. My plans were to get the car sound, use it for a couple months then sell it for a profit, or so I hoped. You can all guess where this is going. After a month of him checking systems, ordering parts, and repairing issues I wasn’t aware of I had finally got the car back – and my bill - to the tune of $1,700+ for all repairs. WOOF – that’s not what I wanted to hear. It was a good thing I was sitting when he told me my bill because I might have needed a defibrillator. This car was worth it and I have to admit the money was well spent because the ol’ 300D ran and drove beautiful.

 Unfortunately, since toys pay for toys, the sale of the e21 was now imminent. I had one interested party (or clown) who asked me to drive the 320i all the way to Manhattan so he could look at it instead of coming down to see it himself. I declined his oh so generous offer. It’s not like I had a Ferrari 365 GTB for sale for $950,000 and he wanted an expert to look at it. This was a dirt cheap 77 BMW that was cosmetically challenged. I actually took the car offline for awhile as I was torn on selling it but my brain malfunctioned and I relisted it again. With all the fools and ridiculous blind offers I received I did however find the perfect buyer for the e21. His name is Derek and his brother is restoring a 2002, which helped pique his interest in BMW’s. This would be his first BMW and it seemed like I was passing the torch to the right guy.

 About a week after selling the e21, and using all the proceeds of the sale (and then some) to help pay for the enormous Mercedes bill, I offered to buy the 320i back. Derek was not having any part of it. I guess the e21 Movement got him too. He fell in love with the Sierra Beige 320i. Derek did promise that if the car would ever go back up for sale, he would give me first rights to it. So for now, it’s just a temporary separation. I do get updates and he also contacts me for advice. I also encouraged him and his brother to become members of our illustrious club. When I sell my cars I feel like I am giving up a child in marriage. I question the buyer, screen them, and make sure they are the right new owners. I could have sold it to anyone but I wanted to make sure my cars go to a car guy, an enthusiast, who will take what I have started and finish it the way it should be.

 Since the e21 was now gone, I registered and drove the Mercedes for about a month and before I fell in love with that one, I put the 83 300D up for sale as well. With only 87,000 miles and full services just done with records to show for it, I was able to sell it fast. This one went to a Mercedes Diesel enthusiast so it made me feel good to save another one from an impending scrap yard death. I still have that darn 89 Jaguar and if the planets align correctly, I will have that one finished and sold before years end. Let’s hope for a quick release of ownership.

 Now since I’ve opened up a couple spots in the driveway, I started the hunt for a new purchase. I’ve tried to buy several e30’s like a 1991 325i, a 1989 325ix, a 1991 318is, and a couple MG’s and TR6’s. Amazingly, only a few of these owners returned an email or a phone call and the ones that did, well lets just say I just had to pass. I have also been looking at BMW motorcycles plus old vintage 70’s Honda motorcycles (another one of my passions) and recently I started having a hankering to go touring with a 1986-1991 VW Vanagon Westfalia Camper – Yes you read correctly a VW Van - I have no clue how that happened but perhaps I want to get in touch with my inner Hippie. I think it would be cool to take Sandy, the two cats, a couple bicycles, and hit the highway to wacky unknown destinations. Of course we would have the prerequisite Grateful Dead dancing bears sticker, Peace sign decals and Life is Good T-shirts. Maybe a couple granola bars for good measure. I don’t think it would fair well for track days and autocross though. With the right therapy, I might be able to move on from the Van craze before any money is exchanged.

 Being the last article of the year I decided to reminisce on the year’s writings. I introduced the e21 and then its eventual sale. I made a random mention of Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities. I bought a Jaguar and found out why they are inferior to BMW’s. A Mercedes found its way to me without even trying.  I called upon Vic Lucariello of Philes’ Forum for some technical help on an e46 I had at my dealership. This man is a vital asset to the club. I planned the ultimate road trip of odd roadside attractions. I invented a self evacuating kitty litter box for RV’s. I attended the “other” BMW club meeting and found there could be a 2-wheeled Roundel wearing cycle in my future. I also bought a 740il that pleased the wife – Sandy has claimed this one as HER BMW. We also went to Vegas and found out the Mini is small but super fun, to watch for black cows at night, and last but not least beware of intoxicated Biergarten dancers on your fresh paint. Yeah, it was a full year. I am hoping next year will yield the same, if not more excitement and insanity.  

 It has been several years since I started to write for our clubs newsletter. I believe it all started off as I wrote one article about our gimmick rallies that Sandy and I attended. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of strange vacations, frustrating car finds, backyard mechanic’ing, and general amusement. I figured it is about time I actually had a name to my column so I am dubbing this “Initial Ramblings”. Initial because my friends call me by my first two initials – J.T. – Ramblings because I usually don’t have any particular subject matter to write about. I guess you can say I am a general interest writer. To my amazement, I have been approached time and again by club members telling me how much they enjoy my articles.  By popular demand, I had started a blog with all of my writings over the past few years. It will be an archive of my past articles with additional pictures and commentary since I am not limited to print space. It will take some time before I get them all listed but hopefully by the end of year I will have them all posted. I might add in a few bonus blogs as well.

 I appreciate all of the encouragement and the kind words I have received over the years and I hope to continue this whirlwind tour of insanity, barn finds, and failed decisions into the future.

JT Burkard

Comments and suggestions are welcome

NJ BMW CCA Newsletter 8-10

…and along came an e38

 In last months article of the ultimate road trip I made the comment (or threat?)  “I’ll just buy an e38 740iL specifically for this trip”.  Sandy has always liked the e38 body style and I have a fondness to the 1995-2001 7-Series myself over the e65 (2002+ 7_series). Well, guess what wound up in the driveway a couple weeks ago? That’s right a 1996 740il in Jet Black with Black leather interior. Yes, my car buying is still out of control. I believe we are up to 10 cars again.

 It always happens the same way. When I am looking for a specific car, I can never find one I want. If I do, it’s usually sold before I pull the trigger. Remember I was in the market for an e30 convertible? I still haven’t bought one. When I least expect it, I wind up buying cars I don’t need. Example: 1989 Jaguar XJ6 and 1983 Mercedes Benz 300d of recent acquirement. This e38 came about the same way. I wasn’t looking for it but it found me. I have been to many dealer auto auctions in the last 10 years I’ve been with my dealership. For whatever reason my boss never allowed me to get an Auction Access card which will give me the ability to bid and buy cars for my shop. About two months ago I finally got my auction card and the boss asked if I can go to the dealer auction with him since there are 22 lanes and approximately 4500 cars that run through each week. He needed help as he felt he was missing deals on good cars for good prices.

 I was of course ready and willing to break in my new card and spend the dealerships money for inventory. I always see good deals slip though at the auction so now is my chance to actually take advantage and scoop up that good deal instead of letting it get away.  Usually the day before we go to the auction I make a list of cars we are interested in with what lane and run number those cars are so we can find the cars when they get into the lane. Sometimes they are good, other times they are best passed off to another bidder.  My boss was going to watch lanes 1-8 and I was watching lanes 9-22.

  I was checking my cheat sheet to see what cars are coming in and as lanes were opening I was watching for good deals. Usually the first 10 or so cars that go though a lane can be had for a good price as not many people are in those lanes yet. I noticed the very last lane was open and they were only up to car #6. I made my way down to see if anything interesting was coming up. As I got there, I see this black 1996 e38 coming up. Since I had my BMW hat on, I had to walk around it and check the car out. It needed a few cosmetic items but it ran well, the A/C was cold and most of the electrics seemed to work fine. I thought to myself “this is a car I’d like to own just to say I had one”.

 A couple moments later the 740il was pulled up to the auction block. I would say there were 8 dealer representatives in the entire lane with their hands in their pockets with no intentions of bidding. The auctioneer starts the bidding high and no one bites. Eventually, the price came down to the point where it was sounded like we were bidding on a worn out Ford Taurus instead of a Bavarian Flagship. One dealer starts it off, then another guy raises the bid $100 over. The original bidder pops $100 over him. At this point I am thinking this car is chump change and I need to get in on this. I throw in $100 over the last bid. Both of the bidders looked over at me as to say “listen kid, stay out of this”. No dice buddies, I have my newly acquired Auction Access card and I know how to use it. How fitting to christen it on a BMW purchase. 

 Back and forth the bids went until we crested the next $1,000 increment and then all bidding stops. The auctioneer is now trying to get another $100 bid from someone, anyone and at that point, dealer reps were walking away as not to be enticed to bid any higher then they wanted to pay. The current high bidder was standing next to me. After numerous calls for another bid, the auctioneer points his gavel (really it was just an 18 inch piece of hose they slap on the podium) at me and said “You have a BMW hat, come on and bid, you know what this car is” – He was right, I did – I knew what it was and I did place that $100 bid. As soon as I did, the high bidder looked at me and just walked away. Maybe my hat intimidated him, or maybe he knew he was beat. Either way, that was the last bid to be placed on the car. Going once… going twice… the hose gavel drops as final price. The auctioneer looked at the seller and said “Sell it?” – He nods his head in disgust as he was probably looking for more money but figured just dump it.

 Wow, I just bought an e38 for cheap. Wait, I was supposed to be buying cars for my dealership, not for my own use. I figured the price was right so there was room to do some minor fixes and the shop can still make a profit. If the boss doesn’t want the car, I’ll pay for it. I can’t lose.

 Excited with my purchase, I walked about 18 lanes back to where my boss was and showed him the papers I had signed signifying I bought something. He asked “how is the car?” I said it’s in good shape, needs a couple minor things but the price was right. He looked unamused. I told him if for whatever reason he doesn’t want the car, I would buy it. That’s a win win situation for him. If he wants it, he will make money. If he doesn’t I still pay for the car and he doesn’t lose.

 Later in the day we bought a 2002 Mercedes C240 so the boss said to me “If you want that BMW, just pay me tomorrow for it.” I of course said yes. I found the car out in the huge lot and moved it closer to the lanes so I can show it to him and another dealer guy we know. They both said it was a good deal but I guess my boss wanted nothing to do with it so it became mine. Maybe he didn’t realize how cool it was since there was a ski bag in the pass thru for the trunk. Maybe he had Stuttgart on the brain instead of Bavarian aspirations? Fine with me.

 So jump ahead a few weeks. I installed a new mirror cover, headlight lens, front fog light, and ordered a new radiator plus hoses for the car. I also found that it might need some front end work, which I hear is a typical issue for this car with over 100,000 miles. It’s worth putting the money into it as Sandy wants to keep it for a while. We might even do the WYT rally with it. It will also provide some good newsletter articles as I think this will really challenge my mechanical skills over the other e21 I have been trying to fix up.

 So the moral of this story? You might get what you wish for if you’re not looking for it.  Also 10 is a nice round number.

JT Burkard

Comments and suggestions are welcome

NJ BMW CCA Newsletter 9-10

Bimmer…Beemer… we all should have both

 So far the newly acquired e38 has been a fairly good buy. Sandy and I are enjoying it since we put it on the road. Of course it needed a few items but I have gotten a lot of the issues taken care of already. The headlight lens is replaced; the fog lights are also replaced as well as a new mirror cover on the driver’s side. A new radiator, expansion tank, and hoses were installed with the use of proper BMW coolant topping everything off. Several people have asked what the difference is and why wouldn’t I buy just any coolant, or the cheapest. There is a difference. The BMW coolant is nitrite, amine, and phosphate free. This helps prevent corrosion and electrolysis damage. Plus it’s a really cool blue color. Not to bore you any further with fluid talk, this concludes my cooling system public service announcement.

 My tan e21 has finally gotten its full tune up I’ve been putting off. Let me tell you, I should have done this sooner. I have done some things over the last year I have owned it but I didn’t realize the wires were the originals or at least they seemed they were from 1977. It also appeared the cap, rotor, and possibly the points were also original. Points you ask? Yes, this ol’ e21 has points, something that went away shortly after in the early 80’s. It’s amazing how those little things make a car so much better and an absolute pleasure to drive. I thought my tan 320i was a little sluggish but never paid much attention to it. The automatic e21 always seemed a bit quicker, which shouldn’t be the case. After the tune up was done it made a huge difference. I actually planned to install a tii distributor from a 2002 but now I am going to hold off. This little car is even more of a blast to drive. I have to stop putting things off this important for so long. Too many projects and interests pulling me in all directions.

Speaking of…

 How many times have you spoken with someone and they say “Hey, that’s a nice Beemer you got there?” – 9 times out of 10 you just ignore the common misuse of the term. We all know Bimmers are the cars from BMW and Beemers are their motorcycles… or at least I hope you would know this by now. We will revoke your membership if you don’t.

 So why am I bringing this up you ask? Some may guess that I have an itch for a BMW brand motorcycle. You might be correct. A friend of mine is a Beemer owner and his love for these finely crafted motorcycles has become infectious. His newest is a K1200S, a beautiful sport touring bike that looks like a flying bumble bee. Yes, it’s yellow and black. He asked if I was interested in attending a meeting of the New Jersey Shore BMW Riders in Avon by the Sea. I said why not. Those two wheeled wonders have Roundels on them so I’ll see what it’s all about.

 It’s interesting who you might run into. As I walk in, I see my friend Nowell, who invited me, and his son, who also owns a Beemer. I sat down at the table not knowing what to expect. I look over to my left and there is Hank Farber, one of our CCA members who is also a BMW motorcyclist. I also got my tan e21 from Hank. What a surprise that was. Hank wound up joining us at our table. I have to say the BMW riders are much like us in the CCA, a very nice group of people passionate about their brand. I was told that once I ride a BMW motorcycle, I will never want to ride my Hondas again. We’ll see about that. At the end of the meeting I was handed one of their newsletters by one of their members (I am sorry, I forgot your name). I mentioned I wrote for our NJ BMW CCA newsletter and he said “I know who you are; I read your articles every month.” – He is apparently a CCA member as well.

 When the meeting was adjourned, everyone spilled out of the restaurant into the parking lot to graze the 2 wheeled wonders everyone rode in on. I took the e38 even though I was thinking about riding my 1981 Honda CB900c. It was either drive a BMW car to a BMW motorcycle meeting or ride a Honda motorcycle to a BMW motorcycle meeting. Either way, I wasn’t riding Beemer style. It didn’t matter as one of the members offered to sell me his bike, a beautiful 1998 R1100R 75^th Anniversary edition, one of only 500 built. As beautiful as the bike was, I seemed to have left my stack of Ben Franklins at the bank. As many of you can guess, I was thinking about it hard. I also found out what BMW really stands for “Bikes Made Weird”.

 But I have priorities right now. 3 that all could use a little something. Plus I have that pesky (or as the English say Dodgy) XJ6 Jaguar mistake I purchased and the 83 Mercedes 300d I started to fix up. With just the repair bill from the 300D, I could have bought a used e30. Yeesh, what do I get myself into with these things? If I can sell off those two, I’ll put a little into the save a Bimmer fund and maybe with what’s left over, if anything, I will search for a BMW cycle.

 But wait, I have a BMW cycle – Bicycle that is. This is the BMW Cruise bicycle Sandy and I got from a first place finish at the Spring Rally we won. After watching the Tour de France on VS all July – something I do every year - I decided I needed to get into shape. Well, round is a shape but not the shape I would like to be in anymore. I just brought the bike to a shop to get tuned up. You want to cause a stir at the local bike shop or bike trails, bring out a BMW bicycle. No one ever heard of or saw one so it was quite an interesting conversation piece. Maybe the Beemer guys would allow me to ride that in their club? It has a BMW emblem and it has two wheels.

 So as usual, my interests are about as grounded as a dirigible pilot. Bimmers, Beemers, and what the heck would be the nick name for a BMW bicycle? Beekers? Bammers? Who knows? It’s late and Sandy and I are going to be flying to Sin City tomorrow for vacation. I need to get some sleep.

Stay tuned next month – VEGAS!

JT Burkard

Comments and suggestions are welcome

NJBMWCCA Newsletter 10-10: Vegas, a Mini, and the Biergarten

Vegas, a Mini, and the Biergarten

 It’s that time of year again where Sandy and I have to get out of NJ for 10+ days and enjoy all that Sin City has to offer. Maybe it’s the hellacious Mojave Desert heat, maybe it’s the huge luxurious casinos, the endless shows and performances, the good (and expensive) food, or perhaps it’s the street folks handing out calling cards for… um… night companions. Whatever draws us there, Vegas - the Entertainment Capital of the World - has been our choice vacation location for the past 5 years.

 
And if you have read my previous articles from years past you know that no trip out to Las Vegas is complete without a trip to the Little A’Le’Inn. Just 150 miles north in Rachel, Nevada this town of approximately 78 people is located in the middle of nowhere. The nearest gas station is 40 miles away in one direction and 90 miles in the other direction.  It’s located on the eastern edge of the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range so you might get lucky to see some cool Air Force hardware in the sky flying under 2,000 ft between the mountains. We had seen a couple fighters zipping across the baron plains at Ludicrous Speed before. More importantly, the Range is also known as Area 51.

 To get to the Ufologist and Conspiracy Theorist mecca, we needed a car. A speedy car, something that says fun. How about a 2007 Mini Cooper S Convertible? Yup we rented a red Mini S drop top for our 300 mile round trip cruise through the desert wasteland. Upon getting the keys to this car, the name Mini really applied. Someone had the seat almost all the way forward. I couldn’t even get into the car. The first thought going through my head was “Maybe I should have rented the Porsche Boxster instead”. Once I got the seat into proper position (all the way back touching the rear seat) I pulled the car around so Sandy can jump in.  The helpful attendant from Dream Car Rentals showed us how to put the top down, a most important lesson. We pulled out, top down, onto the freeway and headed towards Rachel.

 It took a few miles to get used to the car and its functions, plus where to put my left foot. It was shamefully equipped with an automatic transmission. Once I settled in, we motored out of town soaking the 106 degree sun with the A/C at full blast. We made it about 20 miles with the top down before we decided that crispy skin is not a fashion statement and we were better off going the rest of the way with the top up. We turned onto I-92, the straightest road I have ever been on. You look down the road as far as you can see to where it disappears and there isn’t one turn or even a curve for 20+ miles. In NJ we are so used to trees, buildings, and whatever hampering our vision more than 2 miles or so. Here, you can see forever. The distance is very deceiving.

 We arrived at the A’Le’Inn and ordered up a couple Alien burgers. There was a crew doing an independent film on the ‘Inn and Area 51. The one guy did a brief interview with me to find out if we had seen anything strange. I guess my experiences and story wasn’t interesting enough for them as he didn’t even turn the camera on. We had some friendly conversation with some of the customers and locals. Sandy struck up a conversation with a woman named Annette from Denmark who was traveling all across America solo riding a R1200GS BMW motorcycle. She is sponsored by BMW who helps provide with some gear and maintenance on her bike. In return she gives presentations at BMW Motorcycle dealerships. Her business card states she is a motivational speaker.  I can tell you it was inspiring to listen to her adventures. This is her second trip to the Americas. The first was a couple years ago when she started her journey in Argentina and worked her way from South America thru Central America and into the US. This year’s trip was strictly around the United States ending up in Miami. She has a blog of her tours. If anyone is interested, contact me and I can forward the website information.

Black Cows at night never a good thing

 Annette had to hit the highway as she was headed toward Utah. We figured it’s about time we headed back to Vegas ourselves. We were at the ‘Inn for several hours and we wanted to get back to town before it got dark. The desert is a little scary at night as it’s very dark with no lights from anything. The amount of stars you see is amazing when there is no city light pollution. This area of the desert is a free range, which means someone speeding along the highway can come across a herd of cows crossing the road and not be able to react in time. 70mph at night with 1500lb black cows crossing the road and driving a Mini doesn’t sound like a challenge I want to try.

 We also took a ride over to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop. Those of you who watch the History Channel will be familiar with the name as it is the location for the show Pawn Stars. Sandy was on the hunt to meet Chumlee. Unfortunately, we had to stop there twice because the first time we visited there, the lead characters had already left for the day. Too bad because I had my “Chumlee for President. He’s my kind of idiot” T-Shirt on.  We did catch the “Old Man” the next day and were able to get our pictures taken with him. Sandy wound up purchasing an Amethyst ring from the store as well for a very good price. We also made friends with the head of security , Andy, who just moved out there a year ago from New York City. We promised to send real Bagels and Rye Bread out to them. The other strange but interesting location we visited was the Atomic Testing Museum. This was fascinating and creepy all in one. I think I just wanted to see some mushroom clouds but I really got an erie chill when I read all the material as well as watched a few videos on how serious and frightening the times were when the nuclear era had started. On the brighter side we now have a Miss Atomic Bomb 1957 magnet for the fridge.

 My first impressions with the Mini were it was small (hello, its called a Mini) and a little cramped. Once I settled in, I found a groove and started to like the car. It drove well, handled nicely, and it had reasonable power. The two position convertible top was a great feature as well. We wound up putting the top down at night just due to the intense heat that Vegas has in August. Overall, we enjoyed the car and Sandy even said “I wouldn’t mind one of these” – I think I would still rather have an e30 Convertible for the added trunk space. I still can see why so many enthusiasts are buying Minis and why they have the following they get. It’s a fun car with a little character, which is the reason why we rented it in the first place.

 Two weeks after we returned from our trip the Deutscher Club of Clark held a Biergarten on Friday, September 17 with BMW cars as a featured display. JMK BMW brought a bunch of new cars for everyone to drool over as well as many of our CCA members putting their cars on display. Be it for me not to pass up an opportunity to show off our 1977 320i, which was the oldest car in attendance. We had a great turn out with a beautiful e30 M3 and 325es on hand, an e34 M5, e39 Touring, as well as several Z4’s and e46’s, and a real nice e36 Convertible.  The infamous Red Rocket was in attendance for all to gaze at its wonder.  Even our club president came out with his e30 325ix and e90 M3 and Jamie brought out his e30 race car. We had a fantastic display but that was just a small part of the evening of fun.

 It is called the Biergarten and true to its name, the event was held at the picnic area at the DC with enough tables for what seemed to be at least 600+ people with traditional German food being served and of course German beer. With a plate full of good eats and a cup of golden suds the night was only getting better. There was an Accordion player walking about the tables playing German music and a fantastic live band playing everything from the usual favorites to traditional music from Germany. They even did a couple Jimmy Buffet tunes just to get everyone in the mood. Somehow I don’t think Warsteiner in Paradise is going to be the next Parrothead hit though.

 Everyone from our Club as well as the Deutscher members were having a ball. This event is by far one of the best social gatherings besides our yearly picnic. Most of us weren’t quite sure what to expect and were pleasantly surprised. Some have been in Germany for a true Biergarten and they said this is very much like the ones in Europe. It is something I encourage all of you to come and partake in next year. As the night went on, CCA members pulled out with their cars and by 8:30 there were only two sets of members left - Sandy and I with Dave and Patty, who came in the e36 Convertible. We all had a good time - until…

 As we were hanging out in front of the covered dance area where the band was playing there were 4 people standing, and dancing, next to our e21. They were laughing and spinning around having a very good time. Sandy said to me “watch these people because they are holding their beer cups sideways and I don’t want them to spill drinks on the car”. A very good point indeed. I had a little faith that all would be fine until the one gentleman was spinning around and fell right over the passenger fender of our car. At that point I had to quickly shoe them away from the car display so they do not damage anything. I recently repainted the hood on our 320i because there were a few scratches and I didn’t need this guy to damage my perfect paint.  Thankfully, they understood my concerns and took their party over by the proper location for dancing.

 Soon after we left the Biergarten stuffed and entertained fully. This event was a lot of fun and was something I am looking forward to for next year. I hope to see a larger gathering of pre-80’s BMW’s so if you own one of these vintage Bimmers, blow the dust off it and bring it out. You will not regret it.

 I was also surprised how many members told me they enjoy my newsletter ramblings. I have been thinking of taking my articles and starting a blog with additional pictures included as our publication has only so much printing space. Feel free to contact me for a link to this blog once its up if you are interested.

 This months article bullet points – The Mini is small but fun, watch for black cows at night, and beware of intoxicated Biergarten dancers on your fresh paint.

JT Burkard

Comments and suggestions are welcome

Copyright JT Burkard 2010-2011