vinceinIL

Ahhh, now it makes more sense....When I asked Mike about the buyer, it didn't sound like the buyer was as serious about the car as I was, and I got the feeling Mike felt bad about not following through with me and selling me the car, as he and I had really enjoyed talking as two car enthusiasts. He and his dad both wanted the car to go to a car enthusiast as it had been in their family since new. Mike's brief description of the buyer didn't fit Roger at all. Roger, I know you told me you didn't have room to store another vintage BMW, and that's why you weren't trying to buy this car. I'm still interested in buying it if you're interested in selling it. I'll send you an email as well. Thanks, vince

Aha! So you're the guy who bought the car from Mike! I was in love with it, especially the Florida color. I thought you had clearly decided not to buy the car, so I tried to buy it. I had called him and talked with him extensively (2+ hours) about the car. He sent lots of additional pictures. In one of our later calls, he admitted that he didn't think the he would get near the $4500 asking price, and there hadn't been much response. I made it clear I really wanted the car and made him an offer in late February/early March. It was based upon my thinking the car might have other issues besides the trans, and that I really thought the trans would need rebuilding, not just a linkage adjustment as he claimed. He understood that the car would be more appealing if the trans and other issues were fixed or better known. Not that I didn't really like the car, or trust him, I just had a feeling from some of what he told me and years of messing with old cars that he hadn't gone through it very much. I even sent him the shipping quote so he could see I had checked out how much it would cost to have it shipped to me. He never countered my offer, or gave a hint of what he would sell it for, but did mention near the end that his dad kind of had final say over the whole deal, which he hadn't mentioned before. I sent him an email in April letting him know I was still very interested that he didn't respond to. I called him a week or two later and he kind of hemmed and hawed and then admitted he had just sold the car to someone else but wouldn't give sprcifics even though I asked him if he thought the buyer would be interested in selling it. I think he was embarrassed that he sold the car to someone else without responding to me, because I had been straightforward with him about wanting to buy the car from the beginning and couldn't get a dollar figure from him. My thoughts were exactly the same as yours, fix it where needed, clean it up, but keep it as original as possible. Good luck with it! vince

hey Justin, I'm sure Yale would be proud to know what his car is doing! Do you have any recent pics of the car at the track? Thanks for making a lot of folks happy with the restoration and using the car the way it should be! vince

I agree with locking the board to posts by registered users only. It's disappointing to see good people I've known for a long time have to deal with such idiots. What would Fjordwhatever or JhC post if their identity was public? vince

Nice going, Tom! vince

Ditto on Carl. Good luck! vince

Bill, Great pics! Reminds me of all the great times I had there the past couple of years. Maybe next year things won't be as hectic around here and I'll be able to get away for a four day weekend. vince

Darn, too bad it's sold already...would have bought it.... vince

Sadly, I'm not going this year. Oddly enough, though, I am in the Cincinnati area on business this week, driving back via I-74 and I-65 starting Thursday morning. There's a very good chance we might cross paths, wanna try to meet for lunch on the way? Feel free to try calling me on my cell phone, 630-618-6054. vince

Mintgrun is a great color, but is not a color that tis were painted from the factory. It's a square tail color. I'd be real curious if anybody knows more about this car and if it's a "real" ti that's been painted Mintgrun or a non-ti 2002. Thanks! vince

Malcolm, Sorry to hear that the year you're going to The Vintage is the year I'm not. Either way, I think you'll have a great time and will also find many other things in the area to enjoy. vince

That's the car that was at Bobby Thrash's shop/junkyard near Road Atlanta a couple of years ago. vince

Fair price, got a running rustbucket in CA 12 years ago for $200, wouldn't pass emissions, had to be cut up. Had, I think, 212k on it, trans is still going fine in my '02, but does leak a little. I got the rear brakes and other parts too. Anything not useable in a 2002 nobody wanted. vince

It is a bit tight putting the five speed in there, I was looking at a friend's car on his lift yesterday. The important thing is to have the driveshafts lined up straight when installed, and having the center bearing preloaded. Patience and good lighting help. I used a 3 bolt flange when I did the 5-speed conversion for a couple of reasons; it is strong enough for all but really hard usage (and even then, how much torque are you going to be getting, anyway. The other reason is for performance; less rotating weight. Keep us posted..... vince

Sounds like a fun time will be going on! I will not be going this year, too much going on, too many house and car projects at the moment. Wish it was closer... But I AM going to Oktoberfest. Have fun! vince

The big question I have is whether this is a 2002ti or a regular 2002? Care to tell us more, like a VIN #? Thanks, vince

I bought my first 2002 from Hawaii Five-O when he was living in Milwaukee years ago. Great guy and knows his 2002s. vince

I've posted this in the Events section, but also wanted to post of here as this is where most of the traffic is. I wanted to post this for the date and location, more info will be forthcoming in the future. Format is pretty much the same as the past few years. Date is Saturday, 9/24, location is the same as last year at the ZF facility in Vernon Hills, IL vince vstrazzabosco@yahoo.com

Just wanted to post this for the date and location, more info will be forthcoming in the future. Format is pretty much the same as the past few years. Date is Saturday, 9/24, location is the same as last year at the ZF facility in Vernon Hills, IL vince vstrazzabosco@yahoo.com

I've had these senders go bad and cause the light to flicker. Usually with age, and they have also been known to leak. If the sender is of unknown age, might want try a new one since the engine has been rebuilt. vince

Looks good, Jim! A lot of the effectiveness of the driving lights has to do with how they're aimed for the weather and terrain you're driving through. Heavy fog or dust makes it hard to use powerful driving lights; in such instances dedicated fog lights are more useful because they throw more light low and to the sides. Terrain makes a difference, especially if you're going though twisty roads or with lots of elevation changes. I remember making minor adjustments to the front lights to compensate for the terrain when I was running lots of SCCA rallies, some at night. Sadly, where I live it's too crowded to need to use even regular fog lights on my daily driver. So the green ti is reserved for special use only, with it's memories of the Alcan to keep it going. The old Rally 2000s on it didn't do the Alcan, but they did run lots of rallies 20+ years ago. vince

Same here, when I needed a 3 bolt flange 5 speed driveshaft asap, Dave came through with one. He also gave me a great deal on a driveshaft for another BMW. Definitely one of the good guys! vince