May, 3, 2006
This is Karl and me.
I've had Karl for two and a half years now. Karl is a 1975 BMW 2002 automatic, in original golf yellow color. My dad always talked about the 02ers ever since he first bought a BMW 3 series back in the early 90's. Of course, at this time, I didn't understand his passion until the day I was fortunate enough to inherit one myself.
I can remember one day back in 2004 getting ready for work in the morning. My dad was really excited because he had found my car on eBay and it was located about 5 minutes away from where we live in Australia. It was getting time for me to get my driver's license and be released from my learner's. My dad asked me if this was a car I would like to own. Judging from the experience of BMW's that my dad and sister both had in the past, BMW's didn't seem very reliable to me because once something broke, everything broke and then they would end up selling it. So in the end, I didn't really give my dad an answer on the subject, but when I came home that evening, I had my little yellow 2002 sitting in the driveway waiting for me. I guess he really didn't need an answer on this opportunity. Believe me, he got his share of driving it as well until he was tired of people asking him if he was having a mid life crisis!
It took some time before I actually began to fall in love with Karl. It wasn't until just about 2 months since I was able to drive on my own I had my first major accident.
This was a huge reality check for me. My car was off the road for exactly 2 months and one day. Unfortunitely for me, this accident happened the day after Christmas and here in Australia, that's still a public holiday. Having my car off the road was the worst feeling I could possibly imagine. It was horrible to think that I might not ever be able to drive it again, but the funny thing was, I hadn't actually realized how attached I had grown to Karl until this point in time.
When I finally got Karl back from the body shop, I knew I was going to cry because I was so happy to get my car back. So all in all, over the period of 2 months, I had had one of the sadist and happiest days of my life. Soon I had vowed to myself that I would make Karl the best he could be. Hence my obession began! I've learnt a lot about my car since the accident. 02ers are so easy to keep mechanically wise and I'm a female, I should know! So while I'm skipping college to go home and change my oil or build a console, my friends are talking about going out on Saturday night or going shopping after class.
Over the past couple of years, I have been able to do little things myself and I'm sure all of you know the huge impact the little things can have on the overall image and performance of your vehicle. Before I began talking to other 2002 owners around the world, I actually was beginning to think I was crazy over how much I loved my car and how I named him. Now I know that this is normal behavior when you own such a magnificant car!
I know that I have not had the privilege that other owners have had by owning their 2002's for such a long time, but I'm not planning on getting rid of mine anytime soon, even when it comes to starting a family a few years down the line.
My car may not be much to look at now, but to me, it means the world. My view on BMW's has certainly changed from now on. I hope other owners love and care for their cars as much as I do and never lose the bond. My only problem now is that every time I take Karl to get something fixed, I get very emotional as I'm walking away. Im not a fan of having him left somewhere over night. I'll have to be strong though because when things start to pick up he'll away for months at a time!
Update - January 16, 2007
What a year Karl had last year! Since creating this profile on him a lot has changed.
I joined the BMW club of my state late last year and since then, Karl has made lots of friends. Karl also got license plates that commemorate his name and model number. So now he's not registered to be the same as every other car.
He even won fourth place at the Show & Shine last year!
Got a caburettor upgrade - went from a stock Solex to a Weber 32/36 DGAV.
And then, in July, we got matching tattoos!
Karl even went to the body shop twice last year, so needless to say, he's looking really tidy these days. This year, I'd like to tackle the interior and go from tan to navy blue. More to come so stay tuned!
Update - June 23, 2006
Well, scratch the idea of Karl's interior getting done this year! In the end, Karl ended up with a full respray on the outside, same color of course, but according to the original BMW paint code, so now, he looks the way he should!
I also figured that since he looked so good, I'd ditch those square fog lights which I hardly ever used, and replace them with HID xenon headlights!
The kit that I got are to a brightness of 6000K and are absolutely perfect. When I have the lights on low beam, they are like a normal halogen light, but brighter. And on high beams, the xenons come on and I can see for miles!
Seeing as it will be me and Karl's third anniversary on June 29th, the headlights were his present. The paint job was his birthday present back on May 5th. Believe me, Karl has it easy!
What do you think of him now?
Before the end of the year, he'll have tinted windows and a whole new suspension. Then hopefully I can start thinking about the interior for next year! As always, more to come!
Update - March 12, 2008
Time sure flies when you have such a magnificant car like Karl!
Karl and I took many trips throughout the last part of 2007 to our favorite place in Australia - Cronulla Beach.
In August, Karl did indeed get tinted windows in preparation for the 2007 BMW Club of NSW Show and Shine.
Karl won 2nd place this time!
I got another tattoo before the show. I was too excited not to! Some of you guys might actually own the original keychain that looks like this.
Not much else happened during the rest of the year. For Christmas, I got a model of a 1973 BMW 2002 tii in golf yellow which I named Dieter.
I figured that can be me and Karl's son!
This year, I don't have too much planned for Karl. I still need to buy brand new shocks for him. I got all the bushings last year so as soon as I save up for the shocks, into the shop he'll go. Other than that, I think this year Karl can spend in a more relaxed state. He's looking really good now. Like the old saying goes - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
Update - June 2, 2008
Karl's 33rd birthday was on May 5, and now it has come and gone. This year I had gotten so wrapped up in work, I couldn't do anything for him. Our 4th anniversary is coming up too and this time, I am prepared! Karl will be getting his shocks, a return visit to the body shop, and what he doesn't know yet, is that he'll also be getting a brand new kidney grille.
I had a look at the picture of me and Karl together, and I realized that all of them are like 2 years old now! So, I decided to do some modeling with him wearing the legendary "2002AD" t-shirt. Here is a sample...
