Just a few more details...

For all intents and purposes, Sergio is finished with the painting stage.  Only because my discriminating eye notices almost every little blemish, a few finishing touches will be needed.  Again, I have to give credit to Carchitect's staff because they point out and correct those which I somehow pass over.  Even then, I am letting go of some very minor ones so that I can enjoy the car already.  Its been in that doggone place far too long.  In fact, in the almost four months since my purchase, just twelve days have been spent at my garage.

All of the major interior parts are now back in place.  The onboard computer indicates all the electronics are working properly but we will do a road test soon to find out if any gremlins come up.  What remains is a complete detailing of everything.  It will be done on the interior, exterior, glass, trunk and engine and deservedly so.  As is typical after a paint job, a combination of hardened rubbing compound and other accumulated dirt has crept into the various nooks and crannies which need to be painstakingly removed with a small brush. 

Here are few more pictures of what has been done.

The seats are back in place:

Engine covers repainted:

First bath in three months:

While hanging out at the shop to oversee the work on my car, it so happened there was a Honda City being put back together after having gotten the same kind of makeover as Sergio.  While both looked very good on the outside, the big difference was on the inside.

BMW:

Honda:

It does not take expert knowledge to conclude that the City's floor was in poor condition.  The surface was deteriorated and there were chunks missing in the insulation (front passenger side).  As to how this could happen, I don't know.  My first thought was the floor was still up for painting and cleaning but on closer look, I saw there was already some sort of topcoat applied.  So I guess this was good as it was going to get.  True enough, the carpet was reinstalled a few minutes after I took the picture.  And to think that this car may be up to eight years younger than mine.  It may come as a surprise that my floor did not even need a repaint at all and just received a thorough clean up instead.

For those who are wondering if buying and restoring Sergio makes sense, my argument goes along this line of thinking.  From a financial standpoint, I anticipate that my total outlay will be enough to buy a typical brand new Japanese or Korean compact car.  While it would be a perfectly good decision to choose the new car, I will not hesitate to say, that barring any misfortune, my BMW will keep its value and comparatively be worth more over time.  If I can manage to keep it in tiptop shape for the long term, there may even be a probability of appreciation although I need to point out that profit is not my underlying motive in doing this. 

The intangibles are priceless...