Out with the old, in with the slightly not that old

Out with the old, in with the slightly not that old

 

Originally written March 2015

 So today it happened. 4 years of luxurious use and comfort has gone away. It was a trip to a dealer auction that turned into a 4 year love affair that eventually had to end. It started with a used old gal that needed someone to turn her into a princess again.  I accepted that challenge with a nod of my head. Countless money and time and she became a lady again, not quite a princess as she’s still a little wrinkled but not as disheveled. I’m not talking about some uptown heiress turned homeless woman, I’m referring to my 1996 740il.

 

 

 The road to the sale was a long one.  A couple months ago I half assed listing the car for sale to raise a little extra capital for a business venture I am looking into. I didn’t push selling it because I loved my e38 but a few weeks ago I gave it another whirl, this time with the real intention of selling. I did the same with our boat. Even though I do this for a living, when it’s my own personal vehicles, I grow attached. It becomes harder to sell them but sometimes, that day is inevitable.

 Trying to get a qualified buyer was the first hurdle. If you’ve ever tried selling a car on Craigslist, you understand the pain. Once you get past teenagers trying to exchange old Playstations, X-Boxes, Atari 2600’s and a rusted BMX bicycle, then you have the section of “buyers” who are waiting for money from a lawsuit, tax return, borrow from family, loan sharks, or impending bank robberies. They want to come and see the car, test drive it and negotiate, even though they can’t afford a pack of gum. Then you have the scammer who sends a message “still for sale?” which I reply yes, and they get into a long drawn out story how they are on an oil barge or ship or some other BS story and they will send a driver after they send you a bogus check and just wire the extra money to their shipping company. Not a chance. Your money disappears into the abyss into some Nigerian internet thief’s hands or perhaps someone taking residence at the Principality of Sealand for the purpose of ripping people off - Google that for some fun.

 Next hurdle is the “buyer” who emails a low ball offer without ever talking to me, emailing questions, or knowing anything else about the car except for the small amount of info listed in my ad.  Those are just price shoppers and I just delete the emails without ever responding. In my experience 100% of those people will never actually buy the car, just web shopping. Probably for those who are in the previous category of tire kickers.

 Finally you get the small number of real buyers. Those with money or a qualified trade. People who will actually send an email with some cognitive skill, an actual name and a phone number, and a good handle of language. Even better, an actual phone call!  How 1990’s of them.  I had offers of an e46, an e30 ix, an e21 (which was a very tempting possibility), then something that piqued my interest enough because the buyer was local. The vehicle offered for trade? An e36 Convertible.  In Schwarz (Black) with Leder Soft (Beige) Interior, 111,000 miles, and decent condition, at least by what the pictures showed.

 

 

 The buyer/trader stopped by my dealership on Tuesday to show me his car. It was bitterly cold so I had to make the inspection quick. The paint was nice, the interior was good, convertible sound. All seemed well.  Since I didn’t have mine, we scheduled the next day for test drives.  Wednesday I drive the e38 into work. The battery was week and barely taking a charge so I called Advanced Auto Parts to see if I can exchange the one I had purchased 4 years prior for a new one since it was prorated after 36 months and up to 84 months.  They no longer prorate their batteries! Even though it clearly states that on the receipt, they won’t honor it. That was very unfortunate but that’s a complaint for another article. I bit the bullet and bought the new battery so I was ready to go.

 My buyer shows up, we take a couple test drives. First my e38 then his e36. We tour Bricktown to get the feel of each other’s cars. He seemed impressed with the way the M62 just had smooth power and the 7 had a fantastic ride quality. His car was less luxurious but the handling was much sportier yet still comfortable to use daily.  Upon arriving back at my shop, we do the exchange. I’ve never had an e36 and even though the weather has been less than ideal for top down driving, Spring is coming and what better way to welcome the warm weather than with topless cruising… The car, not me. Trust me no one wants to see that.

 I’m a full 24 hours into the transaction but I think I made a good decision. I am not sure if I will be keeping the e36 or placing it up for sale for the initial purpose of business capital. I have to do a couple repairs to it first like the blower motor and front end work. Once those are taken care and drive it a little bit I will make my final decision. Time will only tell. As for the Principality of Sealand I hear for only £29.99 you can become a Lord, Lady, Baron or Baroness.

Lord JT, savior of BMW’s has a nice ring to it

 

JT Burkard

Comments and suggestions are welcome