A big coincidence, and an even bigger grin on my face..

Soldato
Joined
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Cheshire
It's been a long while since I posted in here, but I thought I'd post a little story of my day yesterday that some of you might appreciate if you remember me form many moons ago.

So, I was getting a lift home from the football yesterday and I we drove into my street I noticed a different car on my new opposite neighbours' drive. They usually have a blue E34 3 series and an E60 5 series, but sitting there as we drove past was a dark grey E39.

The bootlid was open, but as we drove past I smiled at the colour, then I clocked the 4 tailpipes and the rounded mirrors and though "hmm.. that looks like an M5". I then noticed the standard shadow chrome wheels and thought that *is* an M5, and a Sterling Grey M5 with blacked out "drug dealer" rear windows at that. It couldn't be.. could it?

As I got out of the car there was a guy looking in the boot so I wandered over and asked a rather odd question: "excuse me, do you mind if I take a look at the number plate". He obliged, and I couldn't believe my eyes as he pulled the bootlid down and not only did I recognise the registration, but I recognised the plate itself as the one that had been sat in my airing cupboard for many years while my personal plate was on it.

It was "my" M5, my pride and joy from all those years ago that I hadn't seen since I sold it to PeterNem back in 2008. My M5 sat not 6 feet away from where it used to be parked on my drive for the 4.5 years or so that I owned it..

m5.jpg


Needless to say I was gobsmacked, as was the current owner who'd driven up from Birmingham with a friend of his to see my new neighbour. He could have come in a different car, he could have come on a different day or time when I wasn't there (he was only popping in), but no, he came in that car on that day on that time when I was coming in. Bananas.

Anyway, I looked around the car and spend probably well over an hour chatting about the car, and cars in general when he says "why don't you take it for a spin?". Well - it would be rude to refuse wouldn't it? So, not only did he let me take it out, he let me drive it in a "spirited" manner.. I don't think I've grinned as much in my whole life :D

Turns out after Peter traded it in it was bought by a guy in Wales, and this guy from Birmingham bought it off him about 6 months ago.. and he's currently looking to sell it to move back to something smaller..

.. so not only have I had chance to see my old car, which is still in excellent condition, and got to drive it in "one last hurrah", I'm now wondering if I should just buy it back off him.. must resist! :)

Scary coincidence and unbelievably cool. That was yesterday, and I still haven't stopped grinning about it.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
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159,534
Wow, that must have been awesome! It's a stunning car.

It seems to be being passed around a lot since Peter had it though :( He traded it in for an E60 exactly a year ago - it popped up on a dealers website a month or so later (still displaying Petes private plate) and was there for what must have been a good 4 months. So the guy in Wales can only have had it for a month or two before selling it to the new guy who is now selling it himself :(

A shame.
 
Soldato
Joined
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NJ/NY, USA
Huge coincidence!! It is a shame that it seems to have been passed around so much since I had it. The trader who was selling it was asking an unrealistic amount of money for it so I'm not surprised it took him so long to sell!

Did this guy say why he was selling it? One of the reasons I decided to move on after 3 years was that it had started throwing fairly random error codes and sometimes feeling down on power. I'd had a few vanos niggles previously as well as hot start problems which I'd sorted and had three mainly trouble free years. I decided I'd bow out gracefully and with good memories rather than spend loads of time chasing random faults and throwing money at it replacing sensors on the off chance it might help.

IMG_2412.JPG
 
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Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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12,645
Noticing the date and wondering if thread is a wind up.

If not, talk about small world ! I'll never forget the first time I went out in Pete's M5, absolutely awesome. The noise was bloody amazing when he had the different exhausts on it :D
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Nov 2004
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North Beds
I think might have taken the photo in the op! I was 16 of 17 at that point lol, first ever ocuk meet id been to at oulton park.

Great story and coincidence there Steve :) awsome.
 
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Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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21,047
Wow - cool story !!

I think might have taken the photo in the op! I was 16 of 17 at that point lol, first ever ocuk meet id been to at oulton park.

It was one of the first meet ups - according to my EXIF info it was 7th May 2005. I remember Beepcake giving us a lift to the pub where Dangerous ordered most of the menu :D

Also, I have a photo from almost exactly the same angle :)

BMW-Oulton-2005-02.jpg



A couple more photos.

BMW-Oulton-2005.jpg


BMW-Oulton-2005-03.jpg



Check you two out comparing focal lengths :p

Oulton-2005.jpg
 
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Soldato
OP
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Location
Cheshire
Lol, some nice blast from the past photos there :)

No, this isn't an April fool, but I did think it sounded like one when I wrote it this morning.

As for the post Peter history - it sat at that dealer for quite a while, was then bought by a guy in wales who fitted braided hoses and EBC pads for taking it round the ring, then when he got back bought a 911 instead (alright for some). Current owner bought it, replaced the camshaft sensor and took it round the ring, then decided he wanted to go back to an M3.

So the camshaft sensor is the only "remedial" work that's been done since you've had it I think Peter, and it's been hammered a fair bit since then :). The garage that you sold it to lost most of the paperwork though apparently - the service book is there but nothing else, so I filled him in on a little bit of history. The two guys that were there are in the trade, one being a car electrician type of guy, the other a mechanic, and my new neighbour deals in diagnostic equipment so I think it's hard a decent look over.

It's done just over 140k now and apart from a scratch on the back seat and a small amount of rust starting next to the filler cap it still looks superb inside and out.

I was genuinely tempted to buy it back as a 2nd "classic" car and let it age gracefully with me.. but if anything major went wrong it might taint my memory of the beast, which wouldn't be good.
 
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