Andy Wiest Autobiography

“It’s what non-car people don’t get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two-tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That’s all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities. You can develop a relationship with a car. And that’s just what non-car people don’t get.” Jeremy Clarkson

My journey into the BMW orbit happened much later in life for me than many BMW aficionados. I did not grow up as a “car guy” in general, much less BMW. At most I was a motorcycle kid and had Japanese versions of those (Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda).I had limited self-repair capability, even with those. I appreciated higher end cars of the '70s-'90s, but only to the extent of “that looks cool,” or maybe, the girl on the poster made it look cooler. I married at age 19 to my high-school sweetheart (and we are still together!) and we commenced building a life together, including five kids. Cars were a utility purchase for many years, but in the mid-2000s, while living in Hawaii, my neighbor was selling an “Island Car” (an Island Car is one that gets passed around for years because it is easier and cheaper to do that than ship them to the mainland when people move off island). It was a red 1993 E36 325i convertible with well over 100K miles and several minor mechanical issues. But he was only asking $2000 so I figured I’d take the risk as my oldest teenage son needed a car to learn to drive with and I knew enough about cars to know if he was going to crash, it would probably be safer in something German. But in driving it myself, I fell in love with how it 'felt.' I had never driven a “driver’s car” so this was all new to me and felt good. After we moved back stateside, this led to my second BMW, a 2003 E46 325iX Wagon that was my daily driver for a number of years. I ended up passing that down to my second son when I got my 2008 E93 335i in the early 2010s. I had a deal with him that if he ever decided to trade or sell it, I would get first dibs, but unfortunately, he loaned it to a friend one day who totaled it. I still miss that wagon!

The 335i is when I really started getting into BMWs more. I ended up joining the club in 2015 or 2016 to go to car events and do tours. Then, I got the “track bug” but, at the time, convertibles were not allowed in PNW BMW Chapter HPDE events (they are now, if they meet certain safety criteria), so I purchased a 2012 135i for that purpose, which is still my track car to this day. So now there were two BMWs in the stable.

In 2020, my job location changed, and I would be doing 60 miles round trip every day. With fuel prices high, I decided to dip my toe into BMW EVs. I had initially though the i3 ugly and a bit ridiculous when they came on the market…but after driving an i3s, I was proven wrong (well, maybe not on the ugly part). It drove like a BMW! And, to be honest, they are really fun to drive…I even took it on the track once and it was surprisingly composed. So now we had a trifecta.

In 2021, we found the X5 my wife had wanted for several years…a 2018 X5d. So that became her daily driver. Then there were four. I wrote an article on that car as well (https://bmw-club-psr.org/zundfolge/2022/10/on-the-road-again/ ).

When I got my 335i in 2011, I really started desiring the M3 version of that era…a Space Gray E93 M3 that “matched” my 335i, but could not afford it. So that desire went on the backburner…until 2022 when I found one with low miles and all the features I desired. Plus I could now afford it! So that became my summer fun driver. So now five BMWs were on the “lot.” I wrote an article about the experience here (https://bmw-club-psr.org/zundfolge/2022/07/the-reason-we-drive/ ).

Over time, for the past ~10 years, I joined and became very involved with this club, serving as a volunteer for events, and ultimately serving in multiple board positions, culminating in my tenure as Club President. This journey was satisfying and rewarding and forged multiple new friendships. I would encourage anyone reading…get involved in 'your' club! You will not regret it.