Mobile phone ringing...

That was Raffy asking me if we can proceed with our meeting at the bank tomorrow morning. I said that if he has already prepared the documents legalizing the sale then we can go ahead. Minor hitch though because the Deed Of Sale he showed me yesterday was not printed clearly. Seemed more like a poor photocopy and I had doubts as the notary public might reject it. I reminded him to get a new set signed. Other than that, the rest of the papers were in order (in my opinion). Raffy says that he can prepare a new Deed Of Sale tonight with all the relevant data filled in. I am always uncomfortable at seeing fill-in-the-blanks on legally binding forms.

Truth be told, I really wouldn't care so much if he gave me a Deed written in invisible ink as long as the car gets to my hands. As they say, possession is 99% of the law. I'm really more of a night person but can't wait for daylight...

The renowned Winny...

Winny is the nickname given to my other Bimmer. My naming rights are based on the three letters of each of my cars' registration plate, in this case WNY. Its a 2000 model 323i on an E46 body. Same logic sytem on the BMW nomeclature meaning to say the car is a 3-Series with a 2.3 liter 6-cylinder engine built into the E46 platform. Funny enough, this is not accurate as the engine's displacement is really 2.5 liters. The generally accepted explanation is that BMW gave themselves wiggle room to claim an upgrade as a 325 model later on in the production cycle. So goes Teutonic efficiency for the sake of marketing expediency.

A great portion of what motivates me in doing this blog is that I did not document the process of restoring Winny. Most likely because I did not know any better. Winny was my first European car and when I got her, all I wanted was to get everything up to scratch in as little time as possible. Mind you, my standards can be quite demanding and in the excitement of things, taking pictures and writing about the befores was so much more unpleasant compared to enjoying the afters.

While waiting for the car to arrive...

In case you are really curious, here's a few more bits of information on what it is that I am talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E34

Or if you can't access this page, just do a search on "BMW 5 Series E34".

What's going on here...

At close to high noon today, I finally jumped into what should be a long term commitment. No, not the kind you're thinking of dirty-minded fools! I got myself a new car. Or rather, I got myself a new old car. A second Bimmer and big brother to Winny. More on Winny later.

For those who are wondering what the heck an E34 is, fyi its a 5-series BMW made from 1988-96. My latest acquisition in particular is a 1993 model 525i. E34 refers to the body shape while 525 signifies that its a 5-series equipped with a 2.5 liter 6-cylinder engine. Wondering what the "i" stands for? That's "idiot" which I'm sure some of you will say for wasting my money on a worthless piece of junk. While at some point buyer's remorse will surely set in, it hasn't for now the simple reason being that no money has changed hands.

I agreed to meet with the seller in the untamed territory of Carmona, Cavite a place I had only intermittently passed through on the way to somewhere else. And compounded by the fact that I was going to meet up with a complete stranger, it was not a time to let one's guard down. I was already planning for what to do in the various worst case scenarios (i.e. how much ransom to pay and the like) until the seller, a guy named Raffy, arrived. I knew it was him as he was driving the car described in the classified ads. To my pleasant surprise, we got along fairly easily since we both understood BMW cars; a mutual respect earned while discussing a few technical bits requiring some expertise. After the obligatory test drive, I asked to view the paperwork and for this, he invited me to the nearby family compound. All seemed to be in very good order and so after a little negotiation, we struck the deal and sealed it with a handshake. The documents will be prepared and we have agreed to meet at my bank on Tuesday to consumate everything...