BMW E12 5 Series have become very rare to see in traffic. But seeing this one reminded my of how badly I wanted one at the time, preferably a Europe-only M535 with 210 hp. But even the US-spec 528i with a creamy-smooth 173 hp 2.8 L inline six was about as brisk as it got in 1978 for a genuine sport sedan. No, for me it wasn’t primarily a Yuppie status symbol; it was just the finest car of the type that I desired at the time. Actually, in 1978, I hadn’t yet become a Yuppie; that would be a couple more years. Actually, as a high school dropout, I could never really be a card-carrying Yuppie.
So what new car did you most lust after when you were 25?
1987 Cadillac Brougham! At the time though, I had a 1977 Buick Electra Limited, So, Close enough!
300zx Twin Turbo… For a 20 yr old male, it was the pinnacle of showroom lust!!
+1 I wanted that car wicked bad when I was 25, and I’d still happily have one today.
1994 Jaguar XJS. I was just going back to school to get my PhD and thought it would be the perfect car for a professor with a tweed jacket and elbow patches. Turned out I never used the degree to teach so it was just as well I drove a Mercury Sable in 1994.
….. And you really, really dodged a bullet by avoiding an XJS!
The problem was that the Sable was also a troublesome bullet that found it’s mark with me.
I owned one and it was POS.
1956 Packard Patrician. Still lusting for one.
There is a chance when people grows to 25, all the cars for the appetite have gone out of production. ( like when a youngman in the ’90s lusting a BMW 6-series. )
I couldn’t agree more! I would say that at 25 I probably lusted after a w124 Mercedes or an E34 BMW, the E34 I subsequently purchased and still own.
True, there’s quite a few cars I’ve never not lusted for going back to childhood, a majority in fact. There were a few cars I thought were cooler in my teen years than their successors too, most notably for me the raw 03/04 Mustang Cobra vs. the bigger, more refined, tech laden generations to follow.
“There is a chance when people grows to 25, all the cars for the appetite have gone out of production.”
I turned 25 during the 1996 model year. Then as now, I was an enthusiast of RWD Detroit iron (not necessarily muscle cars, but definitely in two-door form), and I felt little passion for new cars; they were just a means of transportation. The new car I wanted the most was probably a Mustang – not a GT, but a lower-line model – but it had little competition. I was lukewarm on the MN12 Thunderbird/Cougar and C4 Corvette, and actively disliked the then-current generation of GM F-body. Most other American RWD coupes had gone out of production in the late ’80s. Not that I could afford any of these, of course.
I was a year into the payments of my shriveled up Riviera (an ’87) and regretting having gotten rid of my ’82 Toro. Given the dearth of ‘real cars’ available in this period, I too was lusting after a Caddy Brougham. Unfortunately my SSgt pay would not support such extravagance. I ditched the Riv when I became “Mr” again on one of the Taurus based Continentals (used, an ’89) which ended up being a VERY pleasant car that gave no real troubles until it had Space Shuttle miles!
“space shuttle” miles! I’m gonna use that! In ’87 I was lucky to be in a 10 Y.O. Buick…..Some things haven’t changed! LOL!
Suzuki Samurai, which ended up being my first “brand new” car purchase. Wrecked my bike later that fall and spent ten days in hospital. Taught my wife-to-be how to drive a stick in the truck (I was in a hip-to-toe cast) be taking the passenger seat out and sitting in back.
Mine was and is a pontiac grand prix gtp comp g.
I have wanted a 1956 Thunderbird since I was nine years old. At 25, I still wanted a 1956 Thunderbird. I had to wait 57 years, but I finally got the car of my dreams.
Congratulations on the T-bird!!!
As a 50 something year old, my current “lust” machine is a Fiat 500. I imagine I would have the same machanical headaches as the ’83 Fiat Spyder that I lusted at when I was 25, but what the hell.
As per the 10CC song “The things we do for love!”
Not 25 yet, I’ll let you know next year.
It seems like I’ve been yearning for one of these for about two years now.
Well I’m only 23 right now but for the past 10 years the only thing I have liked/wanted to own have been jeep Cherokees and wranglers… As well as older zj grand Cherokees. I have owned far too many to count. I am at a happy place now though, I have a 99 wrangler, 98 grand Cherokee limited, and just acquired a 98 Cherokee to replace my recently totaled 97.
I’ve thought about doing a COAL series but it would be boring because it would just be all jeeps… Although every single one was unique and has boatloads of stories and was modified except for my first one.
In 1966 I thought I might possibly afford something in the $3K range, of which two were high on my Want List: Austin Mini-Cooper S and BMW 1600. The Mini would have to have the extra gas tank option for long-distance travel – we were thinking of leaving Alaska by road – which brought its out-the-door price to around $3200; the BMW was about $200 less. I was on my second Mini 850 by then and lusting for that mighty 75 hp, but that BMW was about the prettiest sedan I’d ever seen. As it developed we kept the old Mini, a station wagon, and shipped it to Seattle by barge, then flew to Sea-Tac and drove it down to California.
Fifty years later, I’ve had lots of cars, but never a new one.
1975. Citroen SM.
I still want to own one, as long as I have access to a mechanic who can competently work on it.
Barring that, any Citroen. Barring that, anything French.
Not sure where you live, but there’s a SM dude near LA: SM World.
I don’t remember being 25. I think I was too busy working.
Being in college at the time; and an English car nut; I didn’t have much folding money; so I wanted badly the “English Mustang” the ’71-’72 Capri in like new condition but a couple of years old; and Car & Driver had tested one with the super coupes when it was new. Got to drive one and it was a blast; but bought a ’67 Cortina instead; which was a great car; altho maybe not as fast.
When I hit 25 I don’t remember any new car in particular that grabbed my attention….we were well into “The Malaise Era”. Unfortunately, I had settled for a Pinto MPG when I hit 24 that managed no better than 22-23 mpg no matter how I drove it. (I can’t imagine what kind of gas mileage a NON MPG model got that wouldn’t have customers burning down their local Ford dealerships.) I wanted a Mustang II more than that Pinto, and a Monarch/Granada more than the II after driving a Granada.
In 1990, an mid 80s Porsche 911, or 924/944, or or the new 89-90 Taurus SHO 5-speed, or a ’90 Prelude Si…
but every time I opened up my 86 VW GTI on Southern Virginia’s back roads, I was happy! Came within 6mph of doubling the hated 55mph limit!
1994 would have been the Porsche 964 RS America, which in hindsight would also have been an excellent investment, of which Stevens Creek Porsche had a white one with black interior and red accent pieces that I was drooling over… On the other hand there was also the BMW M3 which I got to experience at a BMW Ride and Drive in Monterey and found to be sublime.
I was pretty smitten with these at the time:
When I was 25, that was one of the very few interesting vehicles out there. And I’m generally not really a big BMW fan either. Unfortunately not much interesting has come out the years since.
2015 Jeep Renegade.
A bold choice.
When I was 25, I was newly married, driving an ’88 Buick Century and in an outside sales job. I lusted after anything BMW and MB built in that era (mid-90s) but didn’t get any interesting cars until about 10 years later…worked in a large luxury bodyshop as an estimator, and bought several lightly-damaged MB and BMW cars, and rebuilt them after hours. 3x BMW 320i, 3 x BMW 528e, 1 BMW 535i(E28), 1 BMW 723iL (E32), 1 BMW 325i (E36), 2x MB W116, 1 MB 420SEL, 1 MB 560SL, 1 MB E320 (W124). Never spent over $1000 for the car, then cobbled them together, drove them for awhile and resold them. Generally made money on the resale…
Miura.
I’m with Paul Niedermeyer on this one: the E12 generation BMW 5 series. I bought a condo when I was about 25 and the seller had a light metallic blue 528i. It was a nice step up from my early Saab 99. Looking back, I now realize I wanted his car more than the condo! The E12 still a great looking and driving car over 40 years after it first came to market. If I had somewhere to keep it, I might have one now.
1994 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6. First year for the Modular and some nice tweaks to the front and rear ends.
In the end my first and to date only new car came at age 28 – a ’97 Grand Prix.
That’s so weird, Mark… I’ve had BOTH of those cars. Well, the ’94 4.6 LX ‘Bird was my ex-wife’s, but I also had a ’97 Grand Prix GTP. Cool cars. I traded my very last T-Bird in on that Grand Prix – a ’97 3.8 LX.
Suzuki Samurai, (I am a truck guy at heart) or Eagle Talon AWD, turbo of course.
This. Still would love one.
Nice choice!
I was in graduate school at the time (1984). 1971 BMW 2002 with a Weber carb. Maybe the tii (mechanical fuel injection). Small, maneuverable, fun, and can be fast. I was driving around in a 1982 Toyota SR5 longbed pickup (that was a practical decision since I anticipated correctly a lot of moving around on my part) that would last me until 1998 when it effectively rusted out from underneath me. Today I wouldn’t mind the classic, but would rather have a 1955 Bel-Air 4 door.
Well I’m not 25 yet sooooo… We’ll wait and see what the 2022 model year cars look like first.
1984, and I was one year from graduating law school. I went through several car-crushes that year, as I was driving a 77 New Yorker Brougham (which I liked quite a lot).
There was the Mercedes 300 CD, until I found out how much it cost. Then the BMW 325. Also the Audi Coupe GT. By the next year I had moved on to a Saab Turbo, a Mustang GT and a VW GTI. I bought the VW, which turned out to be the thriftiest of my choices by far. And two years later, I returned to my roots with a 66 Fury III sedan, and have never really been smitten with Euro stuff since. I guess it was a phase.
1988 Mustang LX 5.0L.
Forgot to add: 5 speed, and either a coupe or a ragtop. No hatches for me.
Then, as now, and when I was 14, a ’65 Stingray convertible, 327 FI engine, 4-spd, light blue with leather interior. Karl Ludvigsen’s amazing book, Corvette: America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car made me realize how desirable that model year ‘Vette was then (and still is) and it will always be my top pick for most lusted after car, no matter what age I am.
I was in the Air Force in San Antonio, TX and really wanted to buy a used black 1968 Porsche 911E. Fortunately, I came to the sane conclusion that I could not afford the car, insurance, or maintenance. But I sure wanted that car, and this post makes me want it again.
When I was 23 going on 24, I traded my Ford Fairmont Futura in on a new ’83 “Aero” T-Bird. It was just a nearly white (but very light grey) 3.8 L V-6 with a cloth interior as this was all I could afford, but fell in love with these cars after I had driven a new Turbo Coupe a week or so earlier in the same exact color. I was hooked for the next two decades on T-Birds, until they were discontinued in 1997… Man do I miss personal luxury cars…
Anyway, in 1985 when I turned 25, I saw a 5.0 version of the car pictured below that came out for the T-Bird’s 40th Anniversary. Wow, was I smitten. That unique color, that special trim color! But alas, my dream of owning a 5.0 ‘Bird would have to wait until 1990 when I got my loaded black 1988 LX/Sport… I say both as that ‘Bird had ALL the options.
The 40th Anniversary 1985 Thunderbird….
Wow…. I just realized my math was WAY off… and I’m an engineer, damn it!
Yeah, that would be the 30th Anniversary… lol.
Still, it’s a pretty car IMHO.
At 25 I already owned my 63 Valiant Signet. My parents asked me what sort of new car I’d buy. I told them a Plymouth Reliant.
At 30 I lusted for an M Body Chrysler New Yorker.
First new car I owned was a 99 Cavalier because I liked my beatdown 84 Citation II so much.
It’s a sickness.
2005 Toyota Avalon, preferably a XLS or Limited, nearly a decade later a friend of mine bought a 2007 Toyota Avalon Limited and I love riding in that car
A Buick Riviera, the revised second-last version. Those were beautiful. I noticed them in the US and they caught my imagination. In contrast I also wanted an Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon. Chalk and cheese, I know.
When I was 25 I bought a second hand VW window van, which I used for the summer while working in rural Nova Scotia. Those were the days when the federal government hired students during the summer to do almost anything imaginable – in my case, it was photographing and documenting all pre-1880 houses in rural Colchester County, north of Halifax. Armed with large scale survey maps (showing every rural house as a separate dot) and 20 or 30 rolls of Kodak Tri-X b&w film (this was the 1970’s), I left the the city on Monday mornings, slept in the van for the week, and returned home on Friday. That fall I did a tour through the US northeast, sleeping most nights wherever I could pull off the road.
The van suited my lifestyle perfectly at the time. What I lusted after was a new Westfalia.
That would have been 1991 for me. I only had eyes for the 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP.
Hell, I’d still take one. In blue, please.
At age 25, I thought the way I’d want to stand out would be in a Cadillac CTS-V. That being said, I’ve only been 26 for twelve days.
When I was 25:
The bad boy side of me wanted to buy a Miura, actually shopped and came real close to biting the bullet, that was when Miura’s value was at the bottom for being an over the hill sports car with design faults ………… but the good boy side of me hit the panic button and stopped the train, ration that at 25, one should focus on working hard. An over the hill sports car must be a money pit, and it wasn’t good image for a charging young businessman.
35 years later:
My bad boy toy would have added $1mil or so to my bottom line, and god know how many more chicks ….. My good boy is hiding under the table.
I feel your pain…
Thanks Paul, I am quite sure that if you KNEW back in late ’70s early ’80s that one day, a Miura will worth over million $, you would find a way to buy one too. It wasn’t cheap but certainly doable for lots’ folks.
same one i lust for today at 58. 1969 BOSS 429 Mustang. these were actually pretty affordable when i was 25 but still a little beyond my paycheck. now, only a trust fund, inheritance, or a powerball payout will get you one.
I was 25 in 1986 and a dyed in the wool Chevy guy, so the Monte Carlo SS or an IROC Camaro would’ve been near the top of my list of new cars.
Then, as now, my used car dream pick would be a nice ’69 Camaro in dark blue metallic. blue. (Possibly restomodded to fuel injection, overdrive, disc brakes and A/C.)
The Datsun 240Z first came out in 1969 when I was 25. It was so beautiful it hurt.
9 years later, I bought a brand new 1978 280Z. The wait was worth it.
ha we had the same year and model 280z, I remember the steering to be a bit heavy ….
Same here… a BMW 5 series (e28) in ’87(age 25). I finally got one when I was in my 40’s. A $200 stock ’84 533 that I freshened up a bit with an 86 535i drive train & other essentials.
I finally sold it last year, along with 5 other old school Beemer’s I’d acquired & restored over 20 years. Too many cars to (drive &) keep up with maintenance.
I was 25 in October 1982, I wanted (& still do) a Bristol 603/Britannia. A Camaro or Firebird was also on my wish list (with a pair of leather pants & a white flying V guitar).
Flying V ,eh? I finally got my Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty about 10 years ago, at age 44(?) Not cheap! All my cars I’ve ever bought, all added up, does not equal what my Les Paul was! lol
Got a flying V for Christmas 82 but not the real McCoy. I still have it
I turned 25 in 1987 & just graduated law school. I also finally got my license that summer (I spent the past few years either commuting or living in Boston for school). I wanted to have the Mustang LX 5.0, but ended up w/a 1985 1/2 Ford Escort, which I was actually very happy with until it started rusting from the inside
Corvette ZR1 1994 C4.
I turned 25 in 1979 and I lusted after the Mazda RX-7.
I wanted a Cummins powered Dodge. No, not that one. I wanted a ’74 CNT 900 with a Super 250. Long story……….