Possible 4.8is Purchase Turns Into Actual Purchase

[crystalworks]

So, as most of you are aware I came across a Dinan modded 4.8is e53 a couple weeks ago that looked great in pictures. Now, it's fairly easy to make a car with at least decent paint look good in pics... so I posted hoping someone local could go at least put eyes on the vehicle. This is a fairly small community but in case it missed your radar, that thread is here: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...o-request.html

Let me just say that I am not as elequent or witty as Propellerhead so don't expect that level of entertainment. It should be a pretty good read though. Fair warning, I am known to be a bit long winded...

Well, only 12 hours after making that post and conferring with the salesman it was determined that I pretty much had to decide, sight unseen, if I wanted the truck. He said there were 2 other buyers under contract and trying to release funds. They couldn't take deposits, no matter size. So, not knowing how many other opportunities I would get to own a Dinan modded 4.8is e53 (many parts are NLA now) I checked with the wife and set the purchase in motion.



Vehicle ad pic above for reference. It took a few hours to get funding and paperwork in order. Saw the vehicle listed on 8/10 @ 10:00PM and bought it 8/11 @ 8:00PM. So less than 24 hours after seeing the vehicle listing... it was mine. Again, sight unseen. Needless to say, I was a nervous as hell about that... and the 1700 mile trip home.

At this point it's just a matter of them sending me the purchase agreement with all the fees/taxes/etc that get tacked on. That takes a few days to get to me and I wait until Friday (8/14) to send it back out to them after being signed. Apparently they had so much heat on this truck that they actually had to run my credit to verify I could qualify for a loan with them even though I already had solid financing in order with USAA and had sent proof of verified funds. They said it was "just in case" so that they could guarantee holding the truck for me. And I kind of believe them because the salesman I was dealing with (big thanks again Skipper) said after he pulled it from the lot he had 5 inquiries himself and multiple other salesman come up to him looking for the truck to show it. Oh well... so I have 2 credit pulls this month instead of 1...

They get the paperwork back the following Tuesday (8/18) but I had already been making plans with a buddy of mine who would be traveling with me. We have done this before on one of his car purchases... he flew me to New York with him to drive an M52 swapped E30 convertible back to Texas. LOL that was interesting. We were unbelievably drunk, drank from 8PM the night before until 6AMish when we boarded the flight. Hah, he was hurting and had one of the worst hangover experiences ever probably. Anyway, back to the story at hand. So I had booked us a couple of flights for Thursday (8/20) on Southwest. So I had a pretty anxious 8 days before we flew out to actually go see the vehicle for the first time, let alone drive it.



Let me preface this next section with... I HATE FLYING. I'd rather spend 3 days driving cross country than 10 hours making that same trip. I've flown plenty in the past... lived in Hawaii for 8 years, so it was a requirement. I just don't like it. I'm 6'8" so it's not comfortable. People are usually rude (though this trip people were surprisingly helpful). And depending on the weather, the feeling of helplessness can get pretty bad.

Finally, Wednesday rolls around and I drive one of my e30's (the last one in the pic above) from San Antonio over to Houston so we can fly out the next morning. Please excuse the e30 pic whoring... I have a bad e30 habit obviously. I wanted to make the trip as easy on my buddy as possible since he was already giving up a couple of vacation days and his weekend to help me out. Gives him a chance to drive it to and from work for a week anyway as he is think about buying it. Well, turns out I booked a flight leaving from the airport on the opposite side of town as his house... lol oops. So we have to wake up at 5AM so his wife can take us before she has to be at work at 6AM. Fun. Well, we get there really early... and then the waiting game begins. Our flight was at 8:35AM, but was delayed 20 minutes because the flight crew was late. Not sure if they were coming in on another flight or what. Sooooo in that 20 minutes the heavens open up and a huge lightning storm erupts. Now we are delayed another half hour or so before boarding. So finally we board... and then get delayed another hourish on the tarmac, with no AC. Oh and the obligatory group sitting behind us who complains through the entire flight. About literally everything. Service (which was fine), the flight (meh okay that one I'll give them), the AC (fine after leaving the tarmac), crying kids (they're babies, they cry... especially after sitting in a hot tube for an hour+), etc. Seriously... complained about everything.

Okay, so the flight itself. I've been on worse, so other than the delay it wasn't terrible. But my friend had not experienced real turbulence like that before and it wasn't a fun endeavor. For at least the first hour of the five hour flight we had a decent amount of turbulence and it really messed up his stomach. Wouldn't be right again until we were almost done driving back home. Of course we didn't get much sleep what with the jostling of the plane and the whiners behind us. We'd catch 20 minutes here or there. Anyway, about a half hour from landing I ask one of the stewardess' about the flight to San Jose. We were supposed to fly into Orange County and then fly to San Jose on the same plane before all the delays. Minimal layover, no plane change, great plan, etc. Ahhhhh... such a great plan it was. Well, she informs me that they sent another plane on to San Jose... WITH OUR FLIGHT NUMBER!!! What! LOL, the salesman is supposed to pick us up from the San Jose airport on his day off and the flight is going to show that we are landing in San Jose ON TIME!!! Of course we're in the air so I can't even let Skipper know that we aren't on that flight. So as soon as we hit the tarmac I call him and of course he's wondering where we are. I fill him in on the details and tell him I'll update him as soon as I can. He takes the news well and tells me to just let him know. Here's an obligatory shot I took out the window though... nice weather and scenery over California.



So now we're in Orange County @ 1PM local time. We were supposed to be in San Jose @ 11:55AM local time. Nice. All the passengers from our flight who were supposed to continue on to San Jose rush over to the new gate where another flight is scheduled. Now my buddy and I are beat... we're tired, hungry, and want no part of standing in a long line at this particular time. We go grab some food and decide to check in with the status after. Now, there are worse things to be doing than watching the "scenery" go by in a California airport... but I was getting anxious to get the X5 and my buddy was tired of being in an airport. So finally we go to the next flight's gate to check in and of course it's full... we knew it would be. But actually, the next 3 flights to San Jose were full. Hmmmmm... "When does that one leave?" I ask. Not until 5:20PM the hostess responds. Okay, if that's what has to happen... then so be it. I ask if it's common for something like that to happen with another plane being assigned our flight number and sent on it's way. "Extremely uncommon" she responds. Now, this all seems about par for the course for our luck, so I just take it in stride. I am going to be driving an imola red 4.8is X5 later after all. Can't lose sight of the prize right? Well, as luck would have it the next flight is delayed as well until 6:20PM. I'm shocked (read sarcastically)...

Okay this section is getting rather lengthy so I'll try and finish it quickly. We land finally @7:35PM local time in San Jose and meet Skipper at the curb within 15 minutes of landing. He pulls up in a dealer inventory silver cadillac and we throw all our crap in the trunk to get the hell out of there. LOL. Skipper is pretty positive and very accommodating throughout the purchase process and the pickup... lol did I mention it was his day off and he doesn't live in San Jose? We're grateful for this as I already feel bad enough not being able to reach him to inform him of the delay and flight number change. Anyway we have a short 15 minute drive and make conversation about the trip, weather, and the truck. You know how it is. Then we pull into the lot and they have the X5 out front detailed... well as detailed as a make ready on a used vehicle gets. They did compound it though as I found some residue in places.

This was my first look at the truck... , and the smile hasn't left my face since.





My daughter just woke up and we have to go to the grocery store so I'll have to leave it here for now.

TO BE CONTINUED...