No passport no student ID nothing with my name and photo on it except my COSTCO MEMBERSHIP CARD. At

The 3-series as common in coastal California as the Buick Lesabre is in Wisconsin. In SoCal, owning a BMW, any BMW, is a statement that says you’ve made it, or at least made it far enough to afford a cheap lease payment on a stripped down 320i. It’s the bare minimum for keeping up with the rest of stylish Los Angeles, a social point of entry that says “I have something” without having much of anything. Vanity for vanity’s sake.
Back in March, Ian and I flew out to California and pick up an E30 convertible for a business partner, acquired from an estate sale and mechanically refreshed by a shop in San Luis Obispo, California.
As I approached the security checkpoint at Lambert Field in St Louis, I realized I left my drivers license at the DMV, of all places, where I went to request a copy of my registration the week before. As I nervously snaked my way through the security line, I rifled through my bags and wallet looking for anything that might serve as alternate ID.
No passport no student ID nothing with my name and photo on it except my COSTCO MEMBERSHIP CARD. At the booth, I nervously explained my situation to the TSA agent. My Costco card had a blurry, heavily pixelated black and white photo from 2007 which was just enough to get me through.
After deboarding on to the tarmac in Long Beach, I immediately took notice of the stiff way Southern Californians walk, adorned with massive black sunglasses, the eyewear of choice among cokeheads and plastic hotels cincinnati surgery enthusiasts. Think of flamingos prancing around with breast implants and shades.
After collecting our luggage we wandered hotels cincinnati over to the Budget/Avis counter and ended up with a Kia Soul because Ian required a working XM subscription. hotels cincinnati I would have preferred something more comfortable or more interesting to drive like a Mazda 3 but I figured it was an opportunity to take a three hour nap.
Unfortunately, hotels cincinnati the Kia’s short wheelbase and California’s ill-maintained freeways hotels cincinnati interrupted my slumber, doing their best to remind us of how rough California’s highways were, as if Caltrans hotels cincinnati was competing with Michigan for a “Worst Pavement” hotels cincinnati trophy.
That night, in Thousand Oaks, I saw a Tesla Model S racing a Ferrari 458 at a stoplight. What blew me away wasn’t the scorching sound of the 458’s 4.5L V8. Rather, it was how a domestic hatchback with seating for seven was neck and neck with an Italian exotic, keeping pace without burning a sip of fuel.
This 26 year old BMW needed a bit of refurbishing, nothing serious, and was completely rust free. Through and through, it was a properly clean California car that was originally sold at a local BMW dealer in SLO. Pictured above are brakes, bushings, hoses, minor cosmetic bits, wipers, knobs, boots, hotels cincinnati o-rings, filters just about anything a car with 120k may need for a drive across the country. Later on we had some suspension work done to resolve some front end squeaking.
BMW’s M20 inline six is a stout little engine, compact and light with a reputation for doing hundreds of thousands of miles. I once owned a 1990 525i sedan, equipped with the same engine, running strong at 230,000 miles. Other than timing belts and oil changes, this indefatigable motor needs nothing.
We looked over some receipts and discovered that before the original owner passed away, he spent $6000 on Dinan upgrades including a chip and exhaust, bumping the 325i from 169hp to a hearty 175-180hp. It also came with a copy of a death certificate. This gentleman worked for PacBell for decades as a utility worker, back when being employed hotels cincinnati by a phone company came with exotic perks like a pension.
You first undo a latch at the header, then you fold back the front part of the fabric roof. Then, you pull a handle on the inside of the rear passenger hotels cincinnati seat area to undo the tonneau cover and pull another latch to release it completely. Once you open that up, you tuck in a section of fabric by pulling a metal bar and folding the top in, snapping the tonneau cover shut.
The E30’s styling lacks the quirky niche appeal hotels cincinnati of the Saab 900, the sporty wedge shape of the Porsche 944, or the upright formality of the Mercedes 190E. Rather, it takes on an almost Japanese appearance, hotels cincinnati boxy and efficient but highly refined with its creased beltline, flared wheel openings, tasteful use of chrome, and traditional round headlamps. hotels cincinnati The hood and fenders taper gently toward the quad lamps and kidney grilles, just enough to look purposeful.
The design fits into the 1980s without indulging in excess, a superb example of German restraint, the likely reason this basic shape has retained its appeal hotels cincinnati for three decades. Like Scandinavian hotels cincinnati architecture, the E30’s beauty is in its minimalism.
The once-trendy Borbet wheels installed on this car, however, do look a bit dated but complement the lines of the body well. Ideally, this would be equipped with a set of silver BBS honeycomb wheels.
San Luis Obispo is a nice break from the cliche version of California, far north of the congestion, smog, and vanity of LA and far south of San Francisco’s weird, progressive culture. The “crazy Californians” we jokingly refer to back east are nowhere in sight, replaced by farms, wineries, beautiful coastlines, and friendly, down to earth people. If not for the ocean and mountains, this could be Kansas.
With a permanent population of just over 45,000 people hotels cincinnati (and 20,000 students at Cal Poly), this scenic town serves as a green oasis of mainstream sanity in a state otherwise known for cultural and political extremes. And just as I was beginning to enjoy this place, we had to head back to LA to return our Kia.
I took the long way back, stopping at beaches for photo opportunities and winding through fragrant farms (I mean the smell of vegetation, not manure) and small towns. Ian was annoyed that I didn’t meet up with him at the rental counter in time but frankly, I didn’t give a shit. This was a dream drive in a dream car and I intended to relish every moment.
While it isn’t exactly large inside, it’s still spacious enough for two adults (plus two midgets) to comfortably sit together. With thick side bolsters, ample thigh support, and an almost perfectly vertical steering wheel, the car forces you into a purposeful yet comfortable long-distance driving position, encouraging alertness and reducing hotels cincinnati fatigue.
Gauges glow in a shade of orange-tinted red that BMW enthusiasts seem to prefer, hotels cincinnati clearly marked and perfectly laid out for quick glancing. The center stack is driver-oriented, tilted to the left with easy access to climate and audio controls. The onboard computer offers fuel and trip information as well as a security code you can set to disable the starter. Clever stuff for the 80s.
Our 325 also included hotels cincinnati an original BMW/Motorola dealer-installed cell phone with a BMW mounting kit attached to the right side of the center console. We removed it for passenger comfort and placed it neatly in a cardboard box.
Aside from the lack of a cupholder, a problem primarily for Americans with drive-through dining habits, no feature was lacking. The unusually high level of control over ventilation, with separate sliders for windshield, panel, and floor ventilation, as well as a separate temperature adjustment for the top-center vent, seemed a bit excessive, but this was changed to a simpler configuration in later years with standard knobs.
On the header panel above, wedged between the sun visors is an array of warning lights. A “Check” button verifies that each red bulb is functioning. Just prior to taking off, a CHECK light flashes between the gauges, reminding the driver to look at the check panel above in case of warnings.
I took the scenic route back, skipping the 101 and taking the San Marcos Pass through the Santa Ynez Mountains. Without sunlight to see the ocean, I figured a winding hotels cincinnati mountain road was a better place to enjoy a sporty convertible.
This is the kind of place a driving enthusiast dreams of, winding left and right, up and down, breezing through stunning scenery with cool dense air that boosts engine performance . There were some two-lane sections that caused a backup of cars behind slow moving trucks but frequently available hotels cincinnati passing lanes granted opportunities for downshifting and steady acceleration.
The 325i isn’t exactly fast, even with its Dinan performance upgrades, hotels cincinnati taking what feels like 8 seconds to reach 60mph, but power comes on effortlessly with just enough torque for easy takeoffs and adequate passing. The slick 5-speed hotels cincinnati manual transmission and light, forgiving clutch reward hotels cincinnati you for your efforts, making this type of motoring a fully involving, pleasingly mechanical experience.
This is exactly what manual transmissions were made for, digging in with your left foot and making an assertive declaration with your right fist, resulting in prompt physical action. It s a physical declaration of your intentions and behind the wheel of the right car, it should respond accordingly.
For a moment I believed I was Eric Carlsson commanding a rally car in Finland, at least until I was passed by a Mini Cooper Clubman stuffed full of luggage. That’s how it went for most of the route, jockeying for position with a Honda S2000 and that packed-to-the-gills Mini, dancing through the mountains as I wandered toward the coast.
I took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air rushing by at 55mph, an awakening contrast to smoggy and congested Los Angeles. It was starting hotels cincinnati to get chilly so I cranked up the heat, rolled up the windows, and carried on no way in hell was the top going up, not with the sound of the M20 I-6 announcing hotels cincinnati itself through the Dinan exhaust hotels cincinnati behind my head. As I wound through the cliffs toward the end of route 154 I could see the lights of Santa Barbara shimmering in the distance, as if the starry hotels cincinnati night sky was reflected on the earth.
After getting back on 101 I pulled into a McDonald’s, bought a chicken sandwich, and checked my messages. [As a responsible motorist, I avoid taking calls while driving.] Ian left a couple voice