What’s your E30 story?
Mine started before I was born in 1985 when my mom (only 24) won a brand new two door burgundy 318i thru a radio contest. Weeks before winning the car, my mom had to call in to the radio station when the right song came on and be the right caller to answer three questions about previously played songs. She was in her friend’s car when the radio signaled to call in and so she asked her friend to stop the car. She got out and ran to a random persons house to use their phone. She somehow got thru to the station as the right caller and answered the questions and was able to select 1 key out of 20 numbered 1-20. She asked if key #7 was still available and it was. Weeks later, all key winners were asked to show up to Harloff BMW in Encinitas on Halloween where the sponsoring radio station was recording the contest. Inside the dealership, you can hear in the tape the host asking each contestant to approach the car with their chosen key and to try to start the car. You hear each person try to start it but silence from the car and sighs from the crowd. Then they call my mom. She approaches and fumbles the key in the ignition and then you hear the signature e30 starter, a quick roar and then a stall followed by everyone screaming. Immediately my uncle was screaming and he called my mom his brother to the host 😂😂 and my mom was speechless but kept saying she couldn’t believe it started and that she didn’t know how to drive stick and that’s why it stalled. She came from a baby blue ford pinto so it was a huge upgrade.
Sadly, the car was rear ended by a drunk driver only a year later so she took the insurance money and bought a manual 1987 325 in luxorbeige. She had that car all the way up to 2014 and that was the one that carried my brother and I all through our childhoods. I learned how to drive on that car and feel super fortunate but cursed for having an e30 as a standard for what I think cars should drive like. I then bought my own 92 in high school and stupidky sold that in 2011 for cheap. I’ve owned newer BMWs, Audis, brand new jeeps, etc. and yet here I am dailying an e30 and just bought my 3rd. I can’t get them out of my system all because of that radio station’s contest well before I was born!
What’s your guys story??
Mine started before I was born in 1985 when my mom (only 24) won a brand new two door burgundy 318i thru a radio contest. Weeks before winning the car, my mom had to call in to the radio station when the right song came on and be the right caller to answer three questions about previously played songs. She was in her friend’s car when the radio signaled to call in and so she asked her friend to stop the car. She got out and ran to a random persons house to use their phone. She somehow got thru to the station as the right caller and answered the questions and was able to select 1 key out of 20 numbered 1-20. She asked if key #7 was still available and it was. Weeks later, all key winners were asked to show up to Harloff BMW in Encinitas on Halloween where the sponsoring radio station was recording the contest. Inside the dealership, you can hear in the tape the host asking each contestant to approach the car with their chosen key and to try to start the car. You hear each person try to start it but silence from the car and sighs from the crowd. Then they call my mom. She approaches and fumbles the key in the ignition and then you hear the signature e30 starter, a quick roar and then a stall followed by everyone screaming. Immediately my uncle was screaming and he called my mom his brother to the host 😂😂 and my mom was speechless but kept saying she couldn’t believe it started and that she didn’t know how to drive stick and that’s why it stalled. She came from a baby blue ford pinto so it was a huge upgrade.
Sadly, the car was rear ended by a drunk driver only a year later so she took the insurance money and bought a manual 1987 325 in luxorbeige. She had that car all the way up to 2014 and that was the one that carried my brother and I all through our childhoods. I learned how to drive on that car and feel super fortunate but cursed for having an e30 as a standard for what I think cars should drive like. I then bought my own 92 in high school and stupidky sold that in 2011 for cheap. I’ve owned newer BMWs, Audis, brand new jeeps, etc. and yet here I am dailying an e30 and just bought my 3rd. I can’t get them out of my system all because of that radio station’s contest well before I was born!
What’s your guys story??