1989 BMW 735 iL
This is going to be a short one, primarily because I only have a few pictures of this car (it was before the digital camera age). I bought this car over the phone from a dealership in Austin without having looked at it in person. My parents had to fly to Austin for something so they drove it back to Wichita Falls for me. It was a pretty loaded car at the time, with things you didn't see back then like heated seats and traction control. It was in pretty good shape, but not perfect.
I bought it as a replacement for a Mercedes 500 SEL that I had owned because I thought it was a sportier luxury car. As soon as I got it I put 20-inch Racing Dynamics wheels on it which made it a completely different car. Sadly, I never took any pictures of the car with the 'rims' on it. I kept this one for a couple of years and it was my daily driver most of that time (this was back before I started to buy and collect cars as a hobby). It certainly wasn't trouble free, but it was generally a good car. The iL signified the longer wheelbase version of the 7-series and the 735 of course referred the fairly strong 3.5-liter six cylinder.
I sold this one by consigning it through a local dealership. I later found out that it was repossessed from the new owner and ended up with a local bank president I knew.
Should you buy one today? Absolutely not! Look, unless you just have some love affair with this particular generation of 7-series (which is 2nd gen by the way) there is no reason to even consider one. The subsequent generations are all better and just about as cheap as these. They're way too complicated and expensive to maintain to warrant consideration as a driver, and have zero value as a collectible (Alpina cars aside). I like them, but seriously if you want an older 7, go with a 3rd gen (or E38) car. They're a little better in just about every way.
100 Places To See (and take a selfie at) Before You Die:
La Sagrada Familia
Barcelona, Spain
La Sagrada Familia is the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the world and is interesting enough to be on this list as a stand alone, but really it's on here as the most iconic thing to see in Barcelona. Barcelona is one of those cities that you should really get to at some point. It's vibrant and touristy - all great reasons to visit (and equally great reasons not to live there).
A few notes on La Sagrada Familia:
It's under construction....and has been since 1882. The plan is to have it completed in 2032. As a result, when you visit there's going to be a construction zone feel to a degree. It doesn't ruin it, but it would certainly be better without the crains and noise.
There can be lines, sometimes massive ones, to get inside, but you should definitely do it. The inside is more beautiful than the outside. It's bizarrely designed, and like the outside there are oddities to view everywhere you look, but the beauty as the light passes through the colorful glass and reflects off every angle is undeniable. It's got to be the most unique of all the great European churches (technically it started out as a church, and then formally a cathedral, it is now officially a basilica).
Every square inch of the wonderful oddness of La Sagrada Familia is owed to its architect, Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi was a local and his influence is all over Barcelona, perhaps more so than any other architect on a given city. Part of that is due to volume, but it's also because his designs are so...unique - you can't mistake a Gaudi building. He's actually buried here in one of the chapels at LSF. He died in 1926 at the age of 73 when he was struck by a tram on a daily walk. He was mistaken for a begger and left before finally being taken to a hospital and given only basic care. By the time they realized who he was it was too late.
As interesting as La Sagrada Familia is, Barcelona is a can't miss city with or without it's most iconic landmark. Located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, this vibrant Catalonian capital has about 4.7 million people living in the metropolitan area. It's a big city, but if you stick with the touristy stuff it doesn't feel that big.
There are no shortage of things to see and do here, like strolling the fantastic pedestrian only Las Ramblas pictured above. Branelle and I spent a week here and didn't cover everything we would have liked to see. It has a warm but mild climate and if you avoid the busy months it can be quite pleasant.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Don't go to the Med for the beaches (If you're American anyway - the caribbean has much better beaches and water and it's much closer and cheaper). That said, if you must dip your toes in Barcelona can certainly accommodate you.
Even if you aren't a soccer fan you should visit the Nou Camp. Americans should recognize that soccer is more a part of the culture in a lot of countries than just about anything else you're going to go see. If you want the full Catalonian experience you can't get it without some F.C. Barcelona mixed in. See a game if at all possible, but at the minimum take the stadium tour.
There are also many day trip options nearby. Montserrat is one of the more spectacular ones. We took the train and it was a very pleasant and relaxing half-day trip. There is also a Formula 1 track nearby and a lot more outdoor activities than you might expect.
Barcelona is a city that you don't really have to have a plan for. We scheduled some things the last time we were there, but I think we enjoyed just walking around the different neighborhoods about as much as anything else. The subway system is clean and fairly efficient. Driving around the city is pointless so don't waste your time.
Another great reason to come to Barcelona is the food. Sometimes I think the "great food" description is overused in the travel world. A lot of places have a reputation for outstanding food that is undeserved (France - for example) but dining in Barcelona is actually quite an experience. The 4 Gats is one of the most famous restaurants in the city, but there are so many good ones it doesn't matter. It's tapas style, so you're eating late and ordering a la carte. It's a full evening, so if you're in a hurry don't bother. Nel and I usually just ended our nights with a 2-3 hour dinner late at one of the many outstanding tapas places near our hotel.
I usually end these "100 Places" posts by asking "So should you go?" I think you can gather if you've read this far that I do think you should definitely hit Barcelona. You're not coming here without visiting La Sagrada Familia, so yes to that too.
2006 Hummer H3
The Hummer H3 debuted in 2005 as a 2006 model and they started showing up all over the roads, at least here in Houston, immediately. I bought this one in 2005 with just a couple thousand miles on it at an auction. I'm always curious how some cars come to be at an auction, as this one was clearly heavily customized and hardly used.
I was intrigued by the H3 and I had a chance to inspect this one before the auction but had to go out of town prior to the actual auction itself. My girlfriend at the time Sheri was happy to step in and she ended up coming home with this H3......and a black H2.....and a nice little Mercedes! I assume she caught "auction fever", which can happen to the best of us. I initially thought she had overpaid for this one, but I hadn't really accounted for the added value of the extra "bling" and I think I may have even sold it months later for more than I paid for it.
This particular H3 had a really neat Pioneer aftermarket NAV system and stereo, a DVD player with screens in the back, the rims you can clearly see in the pictures, and a factory installed but custom ordered red/black leather interior. I'm not usually a "Pimp My Ride" kinda guy but I enjoyed the unique touches.
Sadly, it had been smoked in. I don't do smoke...at all! Dealers have gotten pretty good at masking the smell for resale, but it will always come back, especially when it heats up (and Houston is never hot, right?). I kept it for a few months before I got around to unloading it but smoke aside, I wasn't overly impressed with it really. It was just OK at everything and didn't do anything that would knock your socks off. Sheri didn't like it because it had a horrible blind spot. While the ride on the H2s is actually quite good, the H3 is more pickup truck-like, not surprising since it was built on the Colorado chassis. I'm not sure I would ever buy another one of these. They made them until 2010, but if you want the looks, go for the muck better (but much larger) H2.
