SameGuy
10-31-2014, 01:38 PM
My neighbor is not a car geek, but he's an all-round handy guy who knows how to fix his own cars (and farm tractors -- his sideline is winter driveway snow clearing). I've only ever seen one new car in his family, a late-90s Pathfinder that they leased for three years. Otherwise, he's very fond of 10+ year-old Asian brand sedans that he finds for peanuts and then keeps running.
This summer he happened upon a 1998 318i convertible at a driveway near his country house, and knocked on the door. The guy wanted some amount of money, my neighbor offered about half that in cash on the spot (he had it in his pocket!) and drove away with his midlife crisis car.
The other day I offered to help him prep it for winter storage, then detail it in the spring. He politely declined the offer and said he take it to a local detailing shop and get one of their "high-end" details for "$100 or even $120." Uh, ok. I'm pretty sure I'll convince him to go with me by spring, but I'm wondering if I should look out for anything with the E36 paint. It's a triple black car, I had a couple of quick looks and the clear seems to be in reasonable shape overall, just very dull and hazy with a normal amount of swirls and wear.
This summer he happened upon a 1998 318i convertible at a driveway near his country house, and knocked on the door. The guy wanted some amount of money, my neighbor offered about half that in cash on the spot (he had it in his pocket!) and drove away with his midlife crisis car.
The other day I offered to help him prep it for winter storage, then detail it in the spring. He politely declined the offer and said he take it to a local detailing shop and get one of their "high-end" details for "$100 or even $120." Uh, ok. I'm pretty sure I'll convince him to go with me by spring, but I'm wondering if I should look out for anything with the E36 paint. It's a triple black car, I had a couple of quick looks and the clear seems to be in reasonable shape overall, just very dull and hazy with a normal amount of swirls and wear.