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1972 BMW 2002
Firsts: 1st BMW While traveling around the Finger Lakes I found an old BMW 2002 for sale at a small dealership in Geneva that specialized in sports cars. Although I had never been a big fan of BMW in general or the 2002 in particular, the model did have a reputation for longevity and this one seemed to be in very good condition. I took it for a ride and found that despite it's advanced age there were absolutely no buzzes or rattles anywhere throughout the vehicle (a quality I must confess to have been lacking in all the Renaults I'd ever driven). Although this car was effectively rust-free, I knew that the model had a propensity to rust out badly. Still, seduced by something quaint and a little different, I decided to buy it. They wanted $3500 for it, which was not terribly high, but it did require refinancing my current car loan to include the purchase price of the 2002 and the remaining balance on the Alliance. This marked the first time that I had two cars on the road at the same time. From virtually the first day I bought the car I regretted it. I had to get a number of things taken care of in the first few weeks I owned it. And since the dealership was an hour west of Syracuse, I couldn't just take it back to them. I tried to get them to reimburse me, and they did so at what would have been their cost, which was a fraction of what I had spent. I soon learned that the 2002's reputation for longevity did not translate into trouble-free driving. Although the engine and drive train were strong, the car required constant attention in myriad other areas. It got to the point that I was driving it less than the Alliance for fear that more things would continue to go wrong. This completely defeated the purpose of acquiring the car in the first place. My strategy towards the car soon changed. I decided that rather than use it as my work horse I would baby it as best I could and try to sell it for as close to the original price as possible. But at this point Winter was approaching and it appeared that I would be moving to Ithaca. I decided to sit tight for the time being. I did, in fact, wind up relocating to Ithaca, and I moved both the Alliance and the 2002 with me. Fortunately I found an apartment that had a garage, and I was able to store the 2002 safely away for the winter.
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