Confessions of a car hoarder.

Brad B

New member
Well, at least that's what my wife calls me. I like to think I am organized. That everything has a purpose. Heck, anal-retentive is a badge I wear with honor.



The old girl got a bath today. That's what got me thinking.

standard.jpg




Case in point. I make binders for every car I own. I keep every document that crosses paths with the car. Receipts, articles, how-to's, marketing material, etc. I have things organized by year.

standard.jpg




My 1973 BMW binder, in fact, has every receipt since the car was brand new. (It seems the previous owner had the same affliction.) I actually find these to be fun reading. Here it looks like the car got some new shocks in 1974. Can you get Koni's for $27 today? And this was the BMW dealer price!

standard.jpg




I also save all sorts of BMW related stuff. Here are some newer marketing materials that BMW uses. They frequently call upon the heritage of the 2002 and I never tire of seeing this stuff. The keychain was sent to me by BMW in the year 2002 to celebrate the 2002. (German humor.) I also have several BMW Club calendars that my car has appeared in. And the plate that the car was imported with.

standard.jpg


standard.jpg




I also have many actual ads from the early '70's highlighting the 'new' BMW.

standard.jpg


standard.jpg




I also have the original factory service manuals for the car. Good way to learn a second language, too.

standard.jpg


standard.jpg




And there is tons of little stuff, parts, bits and doodads that I just can't throw away. They all get stored somewhere 'just in case'.

standard.jpg




And the obligatory model. Wish it only came in red.

standard.jpg




Are you a 'hoarder', too? Or are we just car folks? You decide...and please tell my wife. :)
 
I was starting to hoard actual cars and motorcycles. A few years back I had 8 registered vehicles, just insanity. Down to two cars and one bike now. I do hang on to some stuff but I've been really cutting back lately as it just creates a mess (and messes make me unhappy).
 
Brad, I think a lot of us "car guys" have this "15 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound sack" situation going on. I know I certainly do!
 
I'd just tell her, "It's either this or a mistress, take your choice!"

Of course,easy for me to say, since I was married three times and since the last one, have practice marital sobrity for 26 years!

Grumpy
 
RenuAuto said:
I might be a nerd, but this makes me absolutely salivate! LOVE THE organization and supporting memorabilia!



x2 on that! I'm not at the point where I can afford multiple cars, but when I think about what I would do with all of my extra income, I can't really think about anything but putting it into cars. Brad, just wondering, do you have a detailing binder too? It's something I've been meaning to do for a while.
 
Nice setup Brad. I thought every self respecting car guy did that. 73 Tii. Yummy. Wanted one since I was...nevermind. Lets just say a long time. Mostly because the wife said she'd never ride in it. Perfect!
 
Brad B.- You seem perfectly normal to me. Trust me, you can be a *LOT* more off the deep end than that.



But then, I go by "Accumulator" for a reason :o



Many of my older receipts have faded to "unreadable", but they're still in their proper place.
 
I just pulled one of my vintage BMW diecasts out of the collection for a sec here, I don't have a 2002 but I have a Luxus....



And the obligatory model. Wish it only came in red.



Mine's the same color. Looks like that's fairly standard issue for diecasts of BMWs from that general era. Would you consider doing a mini DIY paint job on yours with your paint equipment?
 
Brad B.- You have what, five vehicles now? How is that for the two of you? I'm down to that many that we actually drive (I don't really count the still-mothballed jag as a "vehicle", it's "an interesting mechanical device" that sits around serving as a time machine) and it seems like a pretty OK quantity for two people, though the S8 hardly ever gets used.





Bill D said:
.. Would you consider doing a mini DIY paint job on yours with your paint equipment?



That might be a bit of a job..."glass"-out/trim-off/etc. :eek:



And it'd kill the originality factor :think:
 
Accumulator said:
That might be a bit of a job..."glass"-out/trim-off/etc. :eek:



And it'd kill the originality factor :think:



No no! I mean painting the model red. Well I guess it would kill the model's orginality too, but it would match the real car.
 
Back
Top