Hey all:
Sorry for the third person intro but.....well, I've never done that before so I'm going to leave it since it sounds funny. Well, since I sold the 911, it didn't take long for a Bavaria to get in touch with me. I wanted to share this story with anyone that is interested on here because I do owe a debt of gratitude to many of you on here. All for various reasons (even the one's that drove me nuts). I learned something from each and everyone of you moonlighting for a while in the vintage Porsche world. I didn't intend for it to be a moonlight experience as many of you know. That being said, let me digress a bit. I realize now this was all meant to be. When people say cars have souls too, I am a true believer now. I really feel like this car found me, instead of me finding it. I have never been that person, like many of you here, that stumble upon the barn finds, the deals, the cars that are Pink (Golf) Elephants out there. Like the one's that find first production Porsche's in there janitors closet of their warehouse.....Ehhhmmm, excuse me sorry, not going to go there.
I am the guy on the phone calling with the owner telling me, "sorry, you just missed out, it just sold!" Well, this car was my "Barn Find." That saying "Barn Find" used to give me high blood pressure, well, still does! Overused is an understatement. Mostly untrue B.S. This really was in a barn, and in Southern Cal none the less. I didn't even know there were barns in Southern Cal anymore, well not in the last 20 years at least. I guess the Norco area and inland a bit and down South.... again inland there still are farms and barns. Well, it turns out, I was the one that the intermediary that was selling "Betsy" answered the phone when I called . He wasn't, "free earlier in the day" to check his phone messages he said. It was all "timing" as they say. Well, luckily the gift of gab does pay off once in a great while. After we finished the conversation I convinced him to not answer any more calls regarding "Betsy" (I just named her that in this thread, always wanted a car named Betsy I guess) and to give me first dibs on the car the next day, Saturday. I needed to run to the bank, withdraw the necessary cash, and roll out to his pad straight away. Google Maps told me 40 minutes or so, I was there before 10:00am that Saturday. No joke, the "sellers" phone was blowing up the entire time I was there. So, what I didn't know, and neither did anyone else calling the day before or that morning was that the color of the car in the pics, was not the original color. But still...the car looked promising....Regardless, his phone was blowing up due to the Blue Plates mostly I think and anyone that knows these cars probably realized it was not an original BMW color. At least I knew that. One of the few things I knew.
Well, I'm sure "many" if not "some" of you have experienced what happened next.....after lifting up the hood and trunk and doors, I could barely contain myself. It turns out, there is Golf "yellow not green thank you" paint everywhere. Engine bay stickers are all intact, the whole nine yards. And what was really weird was.....all I could think about was you guys here at Early911S Reg.......vintage 911 owners. Not BMW owners........Well, one BMW owner in particular but I can't mention his name. But mostly I felt what many of you must have felt when you found your "Holy Grail." It wasn't until we (my buddy that came with me) verified the matching number motor...the sunroof..... and the factory A/C that I really knew I hit "My Holy Grail." Why do I say that? As a lot of you know, I grew up in a BMW Bavaria my whole life, kid seat and all, taking it to JR. Prom, then sadly seeing it go in Jr. College when my dad sold it. I have a "lost and found" out for it on e9coupe however.
Now full circle, my first BMW that I owned when I was a Sophomore in HS was a rare 1976 GOLF BMW 2002. 1976 is not a great year, but still it was a rare color and still is for any year 2002. But to find the combination GOLF, in a BAVARIA, was like I said earlier, the PINK "GOLF" ELEPHANT for BMW's. Kind of like Albert Blue or something here...I really love that color on a Porsche.
So, the main reason I am writing this is something that I realized lately on this journey and that is........it doesn't matter the worth or rarity of a car, or the beauty of a vintage car that you always lusted after or the friends you meet along the journey, but the connection you make with the car and the community, whichever one you choose to identify with. I never felt this with the Porsche I just sold, so I know it was never meant to be a long term aquisition. But I now know the feeling of finding a car that one will never sell....and I know now that I will NEVER sell Betsy......Never.....It means too much. This Bavaria is a cross between the car I grew up in and the one I can still smell in my dreams as crazy as that sounds....and the first BMW I ever bought, paid for, earned through hard work, blood, sweat and tears, my 1976 GOLF 2002. Betsy has 144K verified original miles since 1973 but I plan on putting much much more on her. Ironically we got 400K miles on your Bavaria before my dad sold it with only rebuilding the top end once. Tell me that is not a good motor/car!!!!!!!!!!!
I was very lucky to have a truly great friend offer to help my with restoration and I can't wait to see where this car and this journey will take me. I'm happy to be back to "The Mark" sorry, but for me; BMW is "The Mark for me." And I will back that up on the California Targa coming up and show you all how the 4-door can handle both vs. BMW coupes and vintage Porsche 911's/912's. I hope Betsy is ready by then and I say this all in good fun....As you all know, I love vintage Porsche's too, but I'll drive it in the corners with the best of you. One last thing and my main point of this whole thing is. For a $3K+/- starting price tag, vs. a $30K++++ starting price tag, I am having more fun with this restoration, than I ever did with the Porsche. I am not the millionaire most of your are. It's nice having money to spend on a restoration doing justice to a red headed step child BMW....I am not delusional, well, sometimes, but I guarantee, after I am done with this Irish, green eyed, beauty, "Betsy," things will change with e3 perception!!! Here is the mini build thread and some Shutterfly pics....and I will post as many pictures as requested......unlike some other people.....Eeeeeehhhhhhm....
http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthr...435#post132435
https://shanesgolfbavaria.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5
-Shane
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Originally Posted by joegt3cup
