DriveTribeBasically Cars | DriveTribe
Obtaining your dream car, for most enthusiasts, is one of the greatest feeling of all time. Months spent finding the right example, building a list of perfect parts, and saving every available dime is just a fraction of what car lovers go through. It can be frustrating honestly but when you get the keys and get behind the wheel for the first time all of the hours of hunting seem like were all worth it.
This was the case for my E36 M3. Being based in Southern California I found many examples of my dream car. The usual find consisted of high mileage, body damage, less than fair paint, or just straight over priced.
During the pandemic I found myself in Northern California, where eventually, I found my perfect example. From the first look I knew it was mine. Cosmos Black (a color I wasn’t very fond of at the time), low mileage, and in today’s market, the right price. Dream car,obtained.
But dreams can turn into nightmares.
Not even a year into ownership the car and I ended up in a front end accident. Rangdy Pobst said it best. “I never get scared when I crash, I get depressed because I know I’m done.” Suddenly all of the stress of searching and hunting hit me. Not all at once though. After looking at a perfect crashed car in the driveway month after month began to take its toll. Back and fourths with insurance was just a stressor that would eventually flame the fire to get the car back on the road.
For starters I need parts so a donor chassis was purchased for an incredibly low price. After disassembling both cars it was off to Kings Auto Body in Garden Grove where the shop would damn near perfectly match paint to the current condition of the car. A few trips to a BMW dealership would get me all of the small things, bumper support brackets, a roundel, and fog light brackets. With everything I need to make the dream a reality again I got to work and reassembled the car.
I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone who loves cars. It was one of the hardest things that I had to go through as an enthusiast and as a person. Although, sometimes you need a reminder of why you do what you do in the first place.
The DiscoSpider