Been a BMW fan pretty much all of my life (in my mid 30s now) even though none of my family members cared about cars. It all started with the E30 and E31. Those were my dream cars in 1st grade. When the E39 came out, that was a car that made me love BMW even more.
After graduating college from Virginia Tech in 2008, it was finally time to buy a car (we didn't need one in Blacksburg VA). I immediately gravitated towards either an E46 or E39. I needed one pretty soon because I was starting a job the next few weeks in SC.
Ended up finding a 2000 BMW 328i sedan, with 5MT (did not want automatic) with sport package. It had a grey interior with walnut trim. Looked just like this:
Learned so much about how to maintain cars. Cooling system, window regulators, bushings ect...
Eventually I added an 1989 E30 325i convertible, also 5MT. Enjoyed working on it too, but this is where I really fell for top down motoring.
I sold both cars to get my dream car, the E92 M3. I remember skipping class on a Friday morning to watch its official unveiling online. Anyone remember this concept? I'll never forget hearing it rev on the stage and telling myself one day I'll own one:
In 2011, I made that dream happen. This is what the car looks like now and I hope to never sell it, even though I'd love a Porsche at some point in my life.
Then the bug hit me, and got an E36 M3 locally, and then a Z4M Roadster because I miss being able to drive with the top down and wanted to experience the S54:
Only BMW I'd consider now is the M2C with a 6MT, but don't really want to get rid of any of my current cars for one. I picked up a 2016 Tundra last summer as my daily driver, so now my M's are pretty much all weekend or nice weather cars. They're all in need of something, whether mechanical or cosmetic as they're all ageing.
Sorry for the long post! I really do enjoy checking out everyone's cars' as well.