I just bought one after selling my 1977 Fiat 124 spider

[SteveNeill]

I'm new to the forum. I'm a lifelong car nut. I have had many cars over the years. You name it I probably have owned one. All sports cars and some sports coupe.

I will pick it up tomorrow morning. Tried and tried to find a manual that wasn't beaten to death and had no luck. So I drove this one with the automatic and in sport mode I was pretty impressed. I researched this car for a full month. Looked at the BRZ but liked the feel of this car better.

Interior and overall condition is excellent. No leaks, no manifold oil burning smell. Good service record. Fingers crossed because buying a used car no matter what you do is always Russian Roulette.

Looking forward to the journey this will be my first BMW in my 74 years of life.

[lemansblau135is]

Welcome

[ShocknAwe]

Hi Steve

[SteveNeill]

Thanks for saying hi!

[jdt10768]

Nice One! welcome

[SteveNeill]

Originally Posted by jdt10768

Nice One! welcome

Thank you. It sure looks nice and the next few weeks will tell all. It has 114 thousand miles on it which isn't bad for it's age.

[cerealwars]

Congrats! Mid-30s, owned almost 20 cars similar to what you describe. My 128i is my first German car as well. I've had it for 3 years now and it is tied for my favorite car I've ever had. Hope yours is just as good to you!

[SteveNeill]

Originally Posted by cerealwars

Congrats! Mid-30s, owned almost 20 cars similar to what you describe. My 128i is my first German car as well. I've had it for 3 years now and it is tied for my favorite car I've ever had. Hope yours is just as good to you!

Thank you. I hope so too. I'm down to my daily 2026 EV Solterra and a 71 VW bus I'm selling. Only have room in the garage for two cars these days.

Last one I sold acouple of weeks ago was the Fiat.

[Fishee]

Nice, welcome.
I sold my 82 Alfa Spider before buying my 135i.

[SteveNeill]

Nice!! I had a 1964 spider Veloce. Duel Webbers. I got T-boned while it was parked on the street. Sad day. Still it's nice to drive something sporty witout all the classic sports car problems which have always seemed endless.

[ShocknAwe]

These spider photos are really doing it for me.

[chaz1294]

Congrats and welcome to the 1er family!

[SteveNeill]

Originally Posted by chaz1294

Congrats and welcome to the 1er family!

Thank you!

[SteveNeill]

Yesterday was the big day to pick up the 128i. It was exciting and a bit nerve racking. There was little fuss as it is with a cash deal. You've gone over the car many times. I Drove it. Parked and before leaving you look under the engine. Both times no oil drips. No manifold oil burning smells. Engine is smooth, no expensive noises. This all comes from years of experience buying used sports cars and being around my father growing up who raced cars and knew what to look for.

But despite all that it's always a toss up. You just never truly know until you drive it home. It ran like a top. It still felt like a new car. It was throaty, strong in the revs and acceleration. I couldn't find anything I didn't like about the car. This was miles away from a 1977 Fiat 124 spider I just sold, or my former Golf, my 86 300 ZX and so on on. These BMW's are clearly in a class by themselves. And you just don't know this until you own one and drive it.

But wait. You know something is coming. I was literally 3 blocks from my house when she started acting up. It stuttered, choked and died. I got it pulled over safely and there were warning lights on and all kinds of scary stuff. Then I looked at the dash again. You see there's this little gauge that tells you how much gas you have. It was zero. The lot I got this from forgot to fill it up.

I started laughing because I felt so stupid. With all my years of experience I was so excited to get the car I just drove off with a glazed look on my face without a second thought.

The AAA guy showed up, gave me some gas with a smile and I drove off to the gas station.

Today I'm going to my studio. My mechanic is next door to me. The only thing this car needs so far is new rubber. Everything works. They could have cleaned it better so my detailer will fix that this weekend. I'm going to replace the rear trunk emblem and the brake light lens strip.

I noticed the front rotors are very large and the rear looks stock. Or did the car come that way? Shocks aren't original at 114 thousand miles they couldn't be original and they ride very firm while still offering a smooth ride.

Engine looks bone stock but I'll take a closer look today.

Sorry to go on so long but you all know what getting a new ride is like. Pure joy!

[demas]

Originally Posted by SteveNeill

..These BMW's are clearly in a class by themselves. And you just don't know this until you own one and drive it...

True. After buying my first, an E36, never looked back.

Glad you got it back home and enjoyed the ride - so much so that you missed the low fuel warning! :-)

[Fishee]

Originally Posted by SteveNeill

Yesterday was the big day to pick up the 128i. It was exciting and a bit nerve racking. There was little fuss as it is with a cash deal. You've gone over the car many times. I Drove it. Parked and before leaving you look under the engine. Both times no oil drips. No manifold oil burning smells. Engine is smooth, no expensive noises. This all comes from years of experience buying used sports cars and being around my father growing up who raced cars and knew what to look for.

But despite all that it's always a toss up. You just never truly know until you drive it home. It ran like a top. It still felt like a new car. It was throaty, strong in the revs and acceleration. I couldn't find anything I didn't like about the car. This was miles away from a 1977 Fiat 124 spider I just sold, or my former Golf, my 86 300 ZX and so on on. These BMW's are clearly in a class by themselves. And you just don't know this until you own one and drive it.

But wait. You know something is coming. I was literally 3 blocks from my house when she started acting up. It stuttered, choked and died. I got it pulled over safely and there were warning lights on and all kinds of scary stuff. Then I looked at the dash again. You see there's this little gauge that tells you how much gas you have. It was zero. The lot I got this from forgot to fill it up.

I started laughing because I felt so stupid. With all my years of experience I was so excited to get the car I just drove off with a glazed look on my face without a second thought.

The AAA guy showed up, gave me some gas with a smile and I drove off to the gas station.

Today I'm going to my studio. My mechanic is next door to me. The only thing this car needs so far is new rubber. Everything works. They could have cleaned it better so my detailer will fix that this weekend. I'm going to replace the rear trunk emblem and the brake light lens strip.

I noticed the front rotors are very large and the rear looks stock. Or did the car come that way? Shocks aren't original at 114 thousand miles they couldn't be original and they ride very firm while still offering a smooth ride.

Engine looks bone stock but I'll take a closer look today.

Sorry to go on so long but you all know what getting a new ride is like. Pure joy!

hahah you checked everything but the fuel gauge

Would recommend having your mechanic check the condition of the shocks. At 114k miles, even a second set is probably at end of life.

[SteveNeill]

Originally Posted by Fishee

hahah you checked everything but the fuel gauge

Would recommend having your mechanic check the condition of the shocks. At 114k miles, even a second set is probably at end of life.

I will. Zay is a car nut like us he works on all kinds of rods and sports cars and has a true passion. I'm lucky to have him next door. You can just see the Rod to the right where his shop is next to mine.

[SteveNeill]

Where is the best place to get a new truck emblem and the truck brake light strip lens?
Thanks!

[GoRomeo]

Hi and Welcome!

[SteveNeill]

Thank you and this was one of the many reasons I got this car. For my dog. The rear seats are perfect for that. Nova loves the car and didn't hesitate to jump straight in. Blanket in place and super comfortable for her.

[MParallel]

I missed out on the dog option.

[SteveNeill]

It's been two weeks and I have been so much enjoying this car. It just runs well. Next week new rubber and a few cosmetic parts I want to replace. Just great my brand new daily has been sitting.