Car Stories: Walter Reil

Currently at age 67, and nearing retirement from the electric power construction and generation industry, I have been waiting for over 20 years to obtain my 1997 BMW Z3 Roadster. In September 2019 I found a potential candidate via the Internet in the San Francisco Bay area (a four hour drive from my home in Atascadero, California).  I was super excited to have found it as it looked spectacular from photos.  This generated precious memories of riding in my father's Z3 around 1996.  Sadly, I got to spend some one-on-one time driving his Z many years later as he was battling cancer, driving to and from the hospital, soon losing him to the disease.  My mother had already passed away years earlier to cancer.  As it turned out, his Z3 went to my brother in the mountains of Idaho. 

Since then, a Z3 has been in my fond memories until I stumbled upon the potential 1997 Z3 in the Bay Area. Potential buyers that week had just declined because they were too tall to fit in the car.  I immediately drove up to meet with my daughter and the two of us visited the Z for the first time.  It was GORGEOUS!  39,000 miles!  Everything was 100% original, including the immaculate Atlanta Blue Metallic paint, soft-top and parts.  We took it on a top-down test drive on the freeways around the Livermore area and I was solidly hooked.  Back at the sales shop, my daughter and I spent the next couple hours going over the car in detail inside and out, using a long checklist of items of interest, testing everything, checking for wear and tear (of which we could not find any, other than the 7-year old tires).  Seals were in excellent shape. The engine bay was super clean. The 1.9L manual 5-speed engine and transmission operated beautifully.  As it turned out, the Z had been garaged for most of its mileage, and apparently was not driven in the rain or on wet roads.  

After sealing the deal and bringing it home, it was thoroughly inspected and serviced by my local BMW dealer shop, taking a couple days.  A few parts were replaced and all fluid systems were drained and flushed several times.  Then it received a professional paint correction and ceramic coating.  Several months later I found a hard-top for sale (extremely difficult to find hard-tops) in New Jersey and had it shipped to California, and then professionally painted to match my Z.  I am elated with my Z3.  The small 1.9L engine is a gem, providing a very gentle and smooth ride, and plenty of pep to enjoy.  I do not have the use of a garage at present, so it stays fully covered in the driveway to protect from our intense sun.  I am a happy camper!