My recently acquired graduation gift to myself.
I'd like to go into some details with how I acquired this car because I feel like its got an interesting story.
I saw this car on Craigslist almost exactly 1 year ago to date. I emailed the seller asking a few questions and he gave me his phone number but I never called because I ended up buying another car. Well I owned that car for about a year and was just never happy with it (it was an Evo 8 for those who are wondering). So after selling my Evo 8 I started the search to find a clean unmolested black on tan e36 convertible. I ended up checking out two other cars prior to this one and nearly bought the second one but pulled out of it at the last minute after looking at it twice. My wife drove me home and I couldn't help but think about this car in the photo and how I should have bought it a year ago. The thought of not pursuing this car last year irritated me and sort of figured it was likely a lost cause at this point..
So, during the drive home I thought what the hell, I still have the emails and the guy's phone number so I'll give him a call. So I called him and during the last ring an old man picks up with a thick Virginian accent. I explain to him that I was the one who inquired about the car last year and asked him if there's any chance he still has it. And to my surprise he did! He then explains to me that he's sick and doesn't have much time left. We chat for a few a while and he gives me his son's number who now ran the show at their small mom and pop dealership. The next day rolls around and I call his son, him and I chat for a while about the car and I scheduled a day and time to come for the car. The morning of, my flight gets delayed by about 6 hours and I wouldn't get there until very late so I make the last minute decision to tow the car home with my wife's x3 (it towed amazing for those who are wondering). I get there and I could not be any happier with the car. It's exactly what I'm looking for and exactly within my budget. The car has 109,000 miles on which was a bit more than what I was looking for but it is extremely clean and well taken care of. It has sat in their showroom since 2013. It needs a new soft top and a radio but those are really the only two caveats with the car.