If you come from the Porsche thread, you can skip to post #2, you already read the first one.
If you are a new visitor you are welcome to read everything, and even have a look at THIS thread.
Off we go.
I bought another car.
Posting about it on the thread of another car of mine is like telling my wife I have a new girlfriend, but on this particular case I don’t think they care as much or even.
If you ever search for my posts (why would you) you would find that every time someone posts something about a long wheelbase e38 I just lose it. Most of the time I want to say “I wish I had your car” or “jeeeezzzaaaaaas help me!” but I end up just posting “one day, one day”.
You see where this is going?
For the past 5 years I have been looking for one. Here in Mexico the e38 is such a rare car, first of all, 90% of them are armored so finding one of the 10% is quite an achievement, finding a long wheelbase model is even more difficult, and when you finally find one, they are on the last leg of their life or very poorly maintained.
For that particular reason E38s are way more expensive than the newer, uglier E65s+
Whenever a unicorn popped out it was just way out of my price range and they had a lot of Kilometers, worn out interiors, non long wheelbase, or fugly color combinations.
A family member runs a used car lot so I told him way long ago that if he ever came across one he should tell me.
3 weeks ago he messages me. –“Look what I have here” and attaches this picture.
Mixed emotions filled my heart/stomach, I always wanted a facelift model, never cared for the pre-facelift front but then again maybe I was asking too much, I immediately call him back and ask the big question.
Is it armored?
With a laugh he answers –No, and that isn’t even best part, it has 29,000 kilometers. ( that is 18,000 miles for those of you on the imperial planet )
Now this is at a time I can’t make any stupid expenses because I am finishing a house and it is consuming all my pesos!
I jumped of my chair, asked for permission to leave work and took path to the lot.
On the way I had the good angel bad angel on my shoulders moment.
It was a very intensive back and forth moment with myself but this the resume of it.
Good – Don’t do it, you have so much expenses and you don’t need another car.
Bad – You have been looking for this too long, take it!
So I take a decision, fix an amount in my head that I would be comfortable paying for it and prepared to be heart broken in case it didn’t work out.
I arrive and make my best effort not to run around the car like a ballerina.
It is the real deal. Euro Spec 740iL with a big list of options installed.
Car was solid, of course as steel is. But the odometer was real, interior was clean, suspension felt firm, all electronics were working.
Yet 18 years are a lot of time and it took a toll on the car.
So… We negotiate.
Start, we discuss the condition of the car and some evident hits.
I make some calls asking for prices on some parts that will have to be replaced.
I receive the quote and as I hang I suspire and with the horror of losing the opportunity and getting beat by an old man out of disrespect I make my offer, which is almost 50% of asking price.
His eyes pop out and says no way.
Again with my heart pumping to offer a lot more I stay firm and leave. ( not like superhero leaving an explosion, we actually say goodbye and stuff ).
Few days later I get a counter offer, after dealing with my inner demons again, I accept it.
So that one day I always said is today. Well not today today... but…
Today I present to you not only what is my e38, but what is a vehicle that I always wanted, I always drooled about and finally got it. Good Times.
The Good,
Interior is in excellent condition, a bit of grime and grease here and there, all plastics need some nivea.
Full individual electronic rear seat and rear entertainment console with adjustment of front passenger seat, this will come handy for my daughter if she wants to piss off her mother.
I know it’s dirty, I won’t detail it till I finish doing some repairs to it.
The Bad
So, what does it take to make a low mileage e38 affordable?
1st – Delaminating protective glazing.
It’s like Christmas between 2 layers of glass. I will need the 2 front ones and a rear one. Realoem lists them for a grand total of 3500usd +. I hope I can find a better deal on those.
2nd – Dead pixels
Somewhere there you can see the odometer. Same for the rear console.
3rd – “small” hit
May look superficial but the bumper is out of place on the rear quarter so something is bent inside.
4th – the big one.
When I was looking at the car for the first time, owner told me the car was hit by a motorcycle. It must have been a tomahawk because driver’s door is a crooked and the car lacks all airbags on that side.
Also shows the handy work of another type of Dr. Frank. Or maybe even the same one! This is a small world after all.
Most likely the car had no insurance and was fixed by the owner on the cheap.
And that’s it, yeah I know you may be thinking that I could have bought a better car, reality is that maybe I could, but I did not want to let this one pass and then not finding THAT one. Kind of like Shrek and Fiona. She was hot at first but turned fat and green at the end. I did it on reverse on hopes that I can turn a fat and green car into a hot redhead one.
If you are a new visitor you are welcome to read everything, and even have a look at THIS thread.
Off we go.
I bought another car.
Posting about it on the thread of another car of mine is like telling my wife I have a new girlfriend, but on this particular case I don’t think they care as much or even.
If you ever search for my posts (why would you) you would find that every time someone posts something about a long wheelbase e38 I just lose it. Most of the time I want to say “I wish I had your car” or “jeeeezzzaaaaaas help me!” but I end up just posting “one day, one day”.
You see where this is going?
For the past 5 years I have been looking for one. Here in Mexico the e38 is such a rare car, first of all, 90% of them are armored so finding one of the 10% is quite an achievement, finding a long wheelbase model is even more difficult, and when you finally find one, they are on the last leg of their life or very poorly maintained.
For that particular reason E38s are way more expensive than the newer, uglier E65s+
Whenever a unicorn popped out it was just way out of my price range and they had a lot of Kilometers, worn out interiors, non long wheelbase, or fugly color combinations.
A family member runs a used car lot so I told him way long ago that if he ever came across one he should tell me.
3 weeks ago he messages me. –“Look what I have here” and attaches this picture.
Mixed emotions filled my heart/stomach, I always wanted a facelift model, never cared for the pre-facelift front but then again maybe I was asking too much, I immediately call him back and ask the big question.
Is it armored?
With a laugh he answers –No, and that isn’t even best part, it has 29,000 kilometers. ( that is 18,000 miles for those of you on the imperial planet )
Now this is at a time I can’t make any stupid expenses because I am finishing a house and it is consuming all my pesos!
I jumped of my chair, asked for permission to leave work and took path to the lot.
On the way I had the good angel bad angel on my shoulders moment.
It was a very intensive back and forth moment with myself but this the resume of it.
Good – Don’t do it, you have so much expenses and you don’t need another car.
Bad – You have been looking for this too long, take it!
So I take a decision, fix an amount in my head that I would be comfortable paying for it and prepared to be heart broken in case it didn’t work out.
I arrive and make my best effort not to run around the car like a ballerina.
It is the real deal. Euro Spec 740iL with a big list of options installed.
Car was solid, of course as steel is. But the odometer was real, interior was clean, suspension felt firm, all electronics were working.
Yet 18 years are a lot of time and it took a toll on the car.
So… We negotiate.
Start, we discuss the condition of the car and some evident hits.
I make some calls asking for prices on some parts that will have to be replaced.
I receive the quote and as I hang I suspire and with the horror of losing the opportunity and getting beat by an old man out of disrespect I make my offer, which is almost 50% of asking price.
His eyes pop out and says no way.
Again with my heart pumping to offer a lot more I stay firm and leave. ( not like superhero leaving an explosion, we actually say goodbye and stuff ).
Few days later I get a counter offer, after dealing with my inner demons again, I accept it.
So that one day I always said is today. Well not today today... but…
Today I present to you not only what is my e38, but what is a vehicle that I always wanted, I always drooled about and finally got it. Good Times.
The Good,
Interior is in excellent condition, a bit of grime and grease here and there, all plastics need some nivea.
Full individual electronic rear seat and rear entertainment console with adjustment of front passenger seat, this will come handy for my daughter if she wants to piss off her mother.
I know it’s dirty, I won’t detail it till I finish doing some repairs to it.
The Bad
So, what does it take to make a low mileage e38 affordable?
1st – Delaminating protective glazing.
It’s like Christmas between 2 layers of glass. I will need the 2 front ones and a rear one. Realoem lists them for a grand total of 3500usd +. I hope I can find a better deal on those.
2nd – Dead pixels
Somewhere there you can see the odometer. Same for the rear console.
3rd – “small” hit
May look superficial but the bumper is out of place on the rear quarter so something is bent inside.
4th – the big one.
When I was looking at the car for the first time, owner told me the car was hit by a motorcycle. It must have been a tomahawk because driver’s door is a crooked and the car lacks all airbags on that side.
Also shows the handy work of another type of Dr. Frank. Or maybe even the same one! This is a small world after all.
Most likely the car had no insurance and was fixed by the owner on the cheap.
And that’s it, yeah I know you may be thinking that I could have bought a better car, reality is that maybe I could, but I did not want to let this one pass and then not finding THAT one. Kind of like Shrek and Fiona. She was hot at first but turned fat and green at the end. I did it on reverse on hopes that I can turn a fat and green car into a hot redhead one.
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