As far back as I can remember I have been obsessed with cars, and most recently that obsession has been channeled to my 1999 540i. My passion for cars is definitely in my family’s blood. My grandpa had a very strong interest in cars, some of which are some of the most beautiful cars from the 20th century in my opinion. These cars included a 1969 Signal Orange Porsche 911E, 1958 Blue Jaguar XK-140 convertible, 1968 Jaguar E-type convertible in Tan, and a 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible in Black with the suicide doors. Growing up around these cars gave me a solid understanding about cars and how awesome they can be.
As I got older, I remember going to the San Francisco Auto show almost every fall with my dad and brother, and checking out the latest and greatest of what the auto industry had to offer. One of the cars that i remember was a 2003 E39 5 series. I remember sitting in it and realizing that it truly was something special and unique.
As the years went by I got to enjoy my dad’s cars and would always love going out on a Sunday drive. These cars included a Red 1973 Porsche 914, a 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce in Aquamarine, the 1971 Mercedes 250c in light Blue, and most recently sharing the garage with the 540i is a 2014 Cooper S hardtop in British Racing Green.
When it was time for me to get a car of my own, I of course started searching craigslist for that 5 Series that I had sat in almost a decade ago. What I found was really disappointing. I came to realize very quickly that finding one that was in good condition is not an easy task. What I saw was sad, almost every one that I looked at was beat to hell and back! In the spring of 2011, I was at work with my dad killing time by looking for the perfect e39. It was a 1997 528i in Montreal Blue over Beige interior. I was convinced this was the one. I begged my dad to go take a test drive after work and finally he gave in. The test drive was a total let down. The car sucked, it would hesitate to accelerate and when you took your foot off the gas the car would decelerate so fast and sounded terrible. Needless to say we left the lot feeling disappointed.
That summer I would continue to search for my perfect e39. I sent my dad an email of a Silver 1999 540i with sport package. I didn’t exactly get the response I was looking for, “There’s no way I’m buying my 17 year old son a German rocket”. Once again I was crushed, but I kept at it and finally got him on board.
It was late June 2011 and Dad wasn’t home from work yet, I called him and he said he was late because he was at the DMV. What for? 2 hours later I’m still at home waiting for him and I see this beautiful Silver 540i pull up that looked just like the one in the ad. HE BOUGHT IT! I was ecstatic! Everything on it was prefect, from the M Parallel rims to the Dinan exhaust to the cross drilled rotors and the immaculate Black leather interior. The previous owner spared no expense while owning her and made many upgrades. She still smells new on the inside and has few blemishes on the outside other than some rock chips on the hood. The only downside for me is that she is an automatic, I would kill for the 6 speed! I plan to keep her forever and continue to maintain her like she always has been. She truly is The Ultimate Driving Machine.
