I HAVE OWNED four BMWs, one of which I still have. In the process of owning these cars, I’ve become an avid tinkerer on them.

The first was a 1992 525i Touring (Station Wagon/Estate Car, depending one where you call home). I was recently arrived in Germany and needed a car. One of the guys in the office had committed to buying a car from someone who was leaving. His family didn’t like the car, so he needed to find a new buyer. I became the owner of a then 19-year old gold car. I paid $2,000 for it. It needed work.

I ended up having much of the work done, though in retrospect, had I known then how much DIY info is available online, I could have done a bit more. All in all, I was happy with the car. When I left Germany in 2013, I sold it for $2,400 as a much better car then when I bought it. It’s my understanding that at least as of early 2017 the car was still seen in action around Patch Barracks in Stuttgart Germany.

In 2015 I was back in Germany. I needed a car. An Army friend was leaving and had a 1999 318i Touring to sell. I bought it for $1,300. It needed work. Lots of work. I did all of it myself. After about a year, Melissa and I stumbled across what was going to become the next car. I bought number three. Number two several weeks later sold for $2,000 as a much, much better car than when I bought it.

Number three was a 2003 325i Touring I bought for $3,500. It needed work. Again, lots of work. It ended up being the nicest car I had ever owned at the time. I put many long weekends and evenings into fixing problems and replacing worn parts. One of the guys at the base Auto Skills Center laughed once when I told him what I wanted to do. Really. When I was done changing the crankcase ventilation valve, I told him if I ever suggested anything that painful again to stop me before I started! I put just over $1,700 in parts into the car. The labor was pretty much just my own sweat.

I was getting ready to leave Germany and found myself wishing I had purchased a US specifications car. With all the work I had put into it, I would have gladly brought it home with me. I found a US model 2004 BMW X3 that had lots of potential, but the seller/owner and I couldn’t come to terms on it. I sold the car for $4,200 as a really, really, really nice car and put the money in the bank.

Two days ago I got an email from BMW inviting me to test drive a new, 2017 X3. I had to laugh because I was on the way home with a 2006 X3! It needs work. Not a lot of work. It will allow me to tinker and improve another car. This one I will likely drive for a number of years.

None of the first three cars was intended to be a “flip” car, but it worked out that way. This time, I expect I’ll drive the X3 for a few years. This blog will be the story of how it gets better. I hope you enjoy reading about the projects as much as I expect to enjoy doing them!