1999 BMW M Coupe, Boston Green, Fantastic!

Very lovable automobile, distinctive looks, excellent materials, works like a dream. According to R&T, it accelerates 0 to 60 MPH in 5.1 seconds. As far as I know, the car is completely original, with the one exception of the Dinan cold air intake, installed already when I got it.

I purchased it in March of 2002, with 9,000 miles on the odometer. Now it has 73,000 miles, averaging 5,200 miles per year for its entire life. Partly because since I had it, I worked from home.

Maintenance had been performed by a BMW specialist in the SF Bay Area, and for the past 3 years, Weber BMW in Fresno. It has a nearly new battery, and a couple of new gas struts for the rear hatch.

The only mechanical problem that I am aware of is that the air conditioner is somewhat weak. This has been true its entire life. I tried to get it fixed a few times, but it leaks down again.

Appearance-wise, the sheetmetal is all original, with the factory paint over it. There are a couple of nearly imperceptible door dings, and visible stone chips in the front. The original ‘starfish’ rims had their fair share of curb visits, but they remain presentable.

The plastic front bumper cover had been repainted before (off the car), and will need it again: on the driver’s side, there is a scrape from a stop-and-go incident, and recently, I hit a fist-size object that was flying down the freeway at night, with the right side.

The tires (Dunlop Direzza DZ101 225/45R17 and 245/40R17, F/R) have most of their threads still. These are splendid handling tires both in the wet and the dry.

The interior looks to be a 9 on a scale of 10, with no tears, or anything particularly worn. Maybe the floor mats could be replaced.

In summary, the car is not in showroom condition, but is worth restoring, considering its rarity and its endearing nature, and that there is little to bother with. It has been a California car since 2002, and thus it is free of rust.