Felix

Great to perk up the day, as all that's going on.....LOL......Great it was a Lexus thou.....My wife always has me pick out a car for her, yea she does mention what model thou....When she really wanted a newer sts, to replace her '90 sts, I mentioned to wait a bit till the newer '98 model's came out, she was good w/ that, a few months later, I showed her the difference between the '97 & '98......So she liked the newer model which she was happy with. All this & at the time I worked at a L/M dealership.......

Carmaker1

This one brought a lot of laughs for me. Is that a facelift 4RX or pre-facelift?

Wow, LOL. Did she want a Windstar instead or something? One of funniest stories on here. Seems like you guys were a staunch Ford family pre-Lexus in 1997-98? Almost was that way for my family when we moved to the states nearly 30 years ago, but my parents moved on like yours did to Japanese and European.

Ford is a huge part of my life now and obviously my primary American brand, but I don't do favorites.


What my mother solely drove until 1997 and used as a late shift 3rd car/beater until 2000.


Family minivan (in Amethyst purple)


Even though my mother had to make do with an early 90s Mazda 626 ('80s holdover that rode on the same platform as the '89 Ford Probe) most of the 90s (later sharing a '97 Grand Caravan), I will never forget the utter shock on her face when my dad surprised her with a brand new 2001 BMW 740iL (E38) in her favorite color in December of 2000 for her 40th birthday. Even though I was a kid, my memory is still clear as day.

My mom, her sister (lived with us), and 2 of my sisters were not expecting that at all. Back then (pre-private practice career as a specialist), my father was very adamant about carefully spacing out major/vehicle purchases by years and he had just gotten a new Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas Supercharged that August (first luxury purchase).

From during his fellowship and fallout from early 90s recession, they were very modest.

My mom's B-Day being a few days after Christmas, has always been an interesting conundrum in terms of gift giving. She gets presents for both.

Apparently my dad used little-me as a sounding board (then a preteen car enthusiast) circa September 2000 via this brochure and then made close observations on things BMW, to deduce what she wanted ahead of December. Save for a new treadmill in 1999 (after a pregnancy lol), he never really spent that much on any gift. For X-Mas he trolled her with a Kitchen Aid set, hiding what he planned 2 days later at the local BMW dealer.


Being the daughter of a former old school grey market BMW importer (in Africa) and BMW fanatic, of course made it easier to know what she wanted.

Unfortunately for my dad, most of the 90s was a time of serious financial rebuilding, so he drove a Chrysler K car Le Baron beater (later alternating with Grand Caravan) and swallowed his pride until that Jaguar, so no one really saw that move coming. He said "no more new cars." Being a kid then, it wasn't clear to me that it partly had to do with the late 90s financial boom and him narrowly escaping the pitfalls of the Dot Com bubble burst, is why it became feasible.

The day that car arrived, on the snowy Texas night of December 26, 2000, was something memorable. Our garage opens (below my room), my dad's Jaguar drives in as usual, but WAY later than usual... In bed already with sharp ears, garage entry door opens and closes twice, then heard the start up of our Caravan and it mysteriously being backed out, and parked outside for the first time ever. Kept wondering what was going on this late...

Identical to my dad's car

Then seeing some blueish (xenon) headlights angle into our driveway and this unknown car with a V8 engine note unfamiliar to me, slowly pulling into the garage below me (I couldn't see the car from my old room back then).

After some time, a white last gen 3-Series sedan circles our cul-de-sac and speeds off down the hill. (Salesguy followed my dad in our 740, w/sales manager following behind apparently in that car)

Example of car I saw speed off from bedroom window.

Because of that 3-Series, I knew something BMW-related was going on and I now couldn't sleep out of intense curiosity, as I started guessing what was going on. However with home security being armed in quick succession, I couldn't even check the garage until the next morning of her birthday, which is when I heard my mother shouting in shock...

Identical Example (740i shown above not 740iL)


Identical to our 2001 740il Highline interior

I woke up and ran downstairs and then saw parked next to my dad's Jag in the garage, one of most beautiful sedans I had every seen in my life. A brand-new 2001 740iL Highline in Midnight Blue, of the best gen 7-Series ever, running with lights on and my dad smiling next to it. I was in utter disbelief.

All 3 of us kids were screaming in amazement and "jumping all over it", with the baby just giggling and confused. My aunt was wisecracking (in native language) and laughing in tears, while my mom became speechless, to the point of tears and spaced out spurts of joy. She wouldn't even drive it, claiming she was "scared" and "not alive", leaving my dad to take us all for a spin. Boy did that change eventually and she never shared that car with anyone LOL.

My father had already taken delivery of his Jaguar in August, while starting up a new business (private practice) and sorting out between his siblings restitution from a past dictatorship. Begrudgingly, he felt my mother deserved something special after a difficult nearly fatal pregnancy the previous year and a rough return to professional life.

He decided that it was time he got her a car she could truly desire the same and then secretly visited the local BMW dealer circa September 2000, to inquire. The car arrived on the morning December 26th, so it missed Christmas and became a surprise B-Day gift instead. He made it birthday tradition from that point.

Even though I drive a 7-Series today that is way more advanced than the '01 and doing well on my own, I will never forget that moment of utter shock like Christmas had come for the second time that week, as a car enthusiast. It finally felt like my immigrant family had achieved the American dream, after allegedly losing so much abroad, years of sacrifice after leaving England, and had regained it all back.

A lot of things in my life quickly started changing from that point (in 2000: for the better) and established where I am today.

E65 2002 7-Series Spy Shot (2000-2001)

Unfortunately, the next time BMW redesigned the 7-Series for USA in early 2002 to the ugly "Bangle Butt" E65, my mother gave him a heads up and explicitly said she didn't want a new car because of how ugly it was and to "spend wisely". He didn't dare, as she said this virtually every year through 2004.

I think as soon as they did a big corrective facelift in 2005 and the '01 was reaching 5 years old, she liked the LCI changes and he quietly ordered a MY2006 760Li for her 45th that December, asking ahead for my input on options/colors circa August-Sept 2005.

Since then, he just times the purchases accordingly, based on BMW refreshes and redesigns and next birthday/Xmas. She returned the favor in 2012/13, with an A8 to replace his '09 Jag.

Luckily for you that you got the Explorer Limited in the end, because I had wanted that 5 year old 740iL passed down to me as my first car, but they sold it in January 2006, a few months before I got my learner's permit and to a 20something young guy (stationed at the local base). I was really disappointed, because he looked like the flatbrim bro type who would slam it for drifting and hoon it. I got a Sonata Limited instead as my first car, which lasted only 7 months.

The one time these kind of "December to Remember" surprises almost backfired, was "downgrading" from her 2013 760Li to the next generation 2016 740i (I6) as a surprise in December 2015.

BMW had yet to introduce the 2017 M760i and he jumped on it too late, to special order a well-equipped 2016 750i in time for end of December. She wasn't upset, but became gradually annoyed at many concessions she had to make (equipment wise) versus her 2013. It was dealer-ordered versus special ordered, missing some options. I posted it on here I believe.

As soon as the M760i came out in 2016, she quietly went for a 2017 on her own by special order and broke the lease on the '16 740i. My dad was a little offended, so I had to explain to him why.

I jumped on the 7er bandwagon last year very impromptu, even though I really preferred the W222 S-Class, but couldn't justify anything V12 above S560 and really felt it was my last chance to get a pre-facelift G12. No matter how you slice it, the S-Class is always pricier at the same level. An equivalent 750i to your S560 would be $115k I imagine (vs impromptu $126k), while $200k+ for an S65 AMG was a stretch (my M760i was heavily discounted).

There is nothing wrong with such surprise gifts, as partners have to be very in tune with their spouse's or S.O.'s tastes all-around, before they ever make such a decision. In terms of buying expensive stuff, like an automobile or real estate.

Going to buy something you like for someone else (which I am very guilty of often), without checking with the other person their own taste, is relationship suicide.

mmarshall

Family minivan (in Amethyst purple)



Never thought much of Chrysler minivans quality-wise, but your family does have good taste in colors. Always liked Amythist myself.

Stroock639

that E38 is absolutely beautiful, and my guy pierce drove it in tomorrow never dies! gotta have those style 37 wheels on it too




the E65 on the other hand...

mmarshall

^^^^^ Looks like Britney Spears, but I can't tell for sure.

A number of years ago, I remember, she shaved her head bald.....looks like her hair has finally grown back.

Stroock639

yes the 2002 7-series is britney spears

Carmaker1

It was shockingly very reliable and we never really needed rental cars, in the 6 years we owned it. It was rarely out of service. Interior quality was good for this NS generation compared to GM's Dust Busters & Venture/Montana/Silhouette, as well as the Windstar we crossed shopped, as well as the previous gen K car "AS" generation vans. In fact, industry wise it was very good overall. Chrysler overall quality I guess doesn't hold up I guess in frostier climates, as we owned it solely in Texas. I still see many of them compared to GMs and Windstars.

I remember reading Lee Iacocca and Bob Lutz benchmarked Lexus in terms tolerances with panel gaps during development in 1990-1992, whereas Iacocca's replacement in Eaton tried to add in cost cutting and browbeat suppliers into lowering costs.






1994 Dodge Caravan

I think it was the dual sliding doors that sold my parents.

BTW LOL, I believe it was my older sister (not yet even 8 years old) in spring of 1997 who chose the Deep Amethyst Purple. As a little girl, she intensely fancied purple over pink. I was just happy to replace dad's old ASF Le Baron and mom's 1991 626 with something that felt more 90s (LOL) and not as 80s in origin.

Thanks BTW, as that is a rare color I now realize. Only Dodge seems to offer purple today in most cases, even though Lexus has sometimes in the past.

You can't imagine how I felt that day 20 years ago, OMG. Not just the car and new car smell (favorite thing as kid), but oooh the color, and in the early internet days of dialup, seeing this image of the ROW versions on the global BMW site, made me instantly have aspirations of being play-CEO in the backseat, while also pretending to be 007 while my mom drove. I'm a longtime Bond fanatic in fact and that the Brosnan flicks cultivated that.

BMW E38 Individual (Europe)

To my chagrin, I was annoyed (funny enough), when I realized that backseat of my dreams (above) wasn't even standard nor offered stateside and was the armoured Individual limousine, not a regular LWB E38 and her car couldn't be driven remotely like 007's.

It was a very sad day when that car left our stable and the LCI E66 (LWB) below took its place in 2005-2006. I will probably never forgive them for selling it when I wasn't home and later seeing the transaction taking place on CCTV DVR footage with the soldier dude. It was my older sister's fault for not getting back home sooner (and allowing me to stop the sale in progress).


Old Myspace Photo of Mom's 2006 760Li



E65 (2001-2005); 2001 Press Photo of Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


Although that original E65 was horrid trash, the facelift fixed some of it and is why I lost out when they traded up. I had hoped the day he surprised her with it on December 27, 2005, it meant the 740iL would be used to teach me how to drive. I only drove the E38 once, on January 2, 2006 when my parents weren't home and then it was sold days later.


Anyway, wasn't this Lexus' first December to Remember in December 1998? Or was there an earlier one in the mid-90s?

tex2670

James Bond driving any BMW is just ... wrong. Glad they fixed this travesty with Daniel Craig...

Stroock639

lol I suppose you’re right, in die another day pierce got the new V12 vanquish which I guess put things back in order

SW17LS

She wanted a Chrysler Town & Country. I was 14, so there was no reason to have a minivan. My mom is a creature of habit, and she gets very attached to things. Minivan was what she knew so thats what she wanted lol.

Yeah we had several Fords, my Mom had a Ford LTD II Brougham, then she had the 87 Aerostar, then we had the 95 Explorer. My dad had a 1990 Lincoln Continental and then he got a 95 Cadillac STS. He was in the commercial printing paper business and he did a lot of business with several labor unions, and he was afraid for along while to drive a foreign car. Before I was born he drove japanese sports cars, he had a 240Z and a 260Z, and an RX7.

Carmaker1

Haha. Well, Danjaq(?) or MGM had really no choice when making that contract with BMW in 1994 for the Goldeneye film, as no British brand was cooperative in terms new, iconic product. Production wanted something new for the 1996 or 1997 model year, by the time of release in late 1995.

Plus, in terms of context in the 1997 movie above, he was supposed to be in Germany as a banker and thus blend in with a domestic luxury sedan. When at home, he sticks to British brands in most cases. In early London scenes, he drove his traditional 1964 DB5 around before heading out. In Germany, he drove the "750iL" as a disguise.

Believe it or not, I have heard that after the 1989 film "License To Kill", sponsored by Ford, the next film in 1991 to be "Property of A Lady", might have had Lexus product placement using a prototype 1992 Lexus SC400 (introduced June 1991) and LS 400.

At the time in 1990, Toyota was developing the SC in Japan and would've used RHD Soarer prototypes (badged as Lexus) on the set of the 1991 Bond flick in Hong Kong, during shooting in 1990 and 1991. Just like the 2000GT prototypes used in 1966, in the film You Only Live Twice (1967) set in Japan.

In the end, the 1991 movie got held up 4 years due to legal battles and then became the franchise reboot, GoldenEye (rel. Nov 1995), with a new actor in Pierce Brosnan. Any Toyota talks died once the SC 400 was unveiled in May 1991 and no movie was in production.

BMW then negotiated use of 1996 Z3 prototypes (early 1995) and agreed to a 3 movie contract.

Jaguar (Ford) refused to lend any XK8 prototypes (1997 model) for early-mid 1995 shooting and Aston Martin's new DB7 for some reason didn't pan out, as it was already released and not an unknown entity as the producers wanted.

In 1997 and 1999 Bond producers were still under contract with BMW, which changed in 2001-2002 (free agents) and went with Ford Premier Auto Group, marking the return of modern Astons, which hadn't been seen since 1987 with the 80s Vantage.

If there was another Bond flick in 1993 before Goldeneye and Toyota had maintained product placement, wouldn't have been shocking if a 1993 MkV Supra was used for product placement, to advertise the car.

In fact, British brands have not always been used in every Bond film, as his choice vehicle. Many old 007 films don't even have Astons, until the Craig films made it mandatory above all to feature them.

Too bad No Time To Die is stuck in both production and COVID hell (filmed in 2019) and may not see release until 2 years after production ended.

He still drove the classic Aston in that '97 movie and at the beginning of his first flick in 1995, so pretending to be a banker in a "rented" German 750iL made sense in 1997 Hamburg. If he showed up in an Aston, his cover would be reduced, unlike with a convincing rental car.

It was the 1999 film, where he didn't drive his classic Aston at all nor a newer one, in favor of the Z8 and obscure Soviet stuff.

Interesting! The Aerostar was very popular even after the Windstar came along, but I'll admit (even as a car enthusiast), I can see why your mother wanted a Town & Country.

Those 1996 Chrysler minivans were a sight to be seen upon their 1995 debut and really leapfrogged the competition. Tastefully modern, yet not outlandish like the Previa. Toyota and Honda caught up though by the end of the 90s and the followup generation, wasn't much of a standout.

An Explorer Limited in 1995 was pretty pricey for the mid-90s, but an interesting choice your father made LOL. My mother wanted a Land Cruiser (80-Series) or Mitsubishi Montero, while my dad wanted a minivan.

That's very big business in the vast DMV area, so circa 1989-90 to 1998, his buying decisions make so much sense and were wise. I wonder what changed by 1998?

Lincoln wasn't perfection like Lexus, but the 1990+ Town Car and 1988+ Continental were great sellers and outsold imports for good reason until circa 2000 (when Lexus took over). Plus, innovative in some ways (safety) circa 1990, rivaling Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.

I am not quick to jump on the "criticize American" bandwagon, as my import-loving dad had big respect for them, which faded away as the Town Car turned into a clownlike blob versus a stately design.

That generation of Cadillac Seville STS was a great improvement and breath of fresh air, after the joke that was the Buick-Olds compact Seville of the mid-late 80s. Unfortunately for my dad, any Lincoln or American luxury car wasn't a sensible buy until 1999 and then he just got a Jaguar instead. Good taste.

What constituted "luxury" was very different 20-25+ years ago and the lines felt much less blurred than today, let alone surprising your spouse with one.

Very nice to hear your dad was more an enthusiast than mine with such a nice roster of 240-260Z/RX7 and obviously liked the driving fun side of the equation. Unlike my father, who has never personally owned a 2-door car, let alone a 2-seater and still hasn't considered it now at age 67. Always been a sedans and family vehicles guy.

Did your dad ever get another, newer sports car after the 1998 LS 400 as a toy?

Stroock639

yea he rolls up to MI6 in the classic aston after he finished "brushing up on a little danish" lol

and good point about the german banker disguise but i'm sure that was just a coincidence, either way it makes sense that he's pulling up to the hamburg headquarters in the new BMW "seven hundred and fifty" as desmond called it

"what sort of banking do you specialize in mr. bond?" "hostile takeovers..."

it's one of my favorite scenes when he trolls carver about the satellites, that's just asking for an appointment to be made with mr. stamper lol

SW17LS

Yeah and what made it worse was my aunt (my fathers sister) got a brand new 1996 Town & Country not long after we got the Explorer lol

Yeah that refresh Explorer in 1995 was a really nice vehicle. Air suspension in the rear, lots of gadgets and features, nice leather and interior, all body colored trim. I think it was $36k or so which back then was a lot you're right.

He had wanted an LS400 since they came out in 1990, each time they were just a little more money than he wanted to spend and he was concerned about the optics with the unions. Finally in 1998 he just said screw it and did it anyway lol

Yeah that Lincoln was a great car, nice riding, spacious, nice inside.

I am not quick to jump on the "criticize American" bandwagon, as my import-loving dad had big respect for them, which faded away as the Town Car turned into a clownlike blob versus a stately design.

Nope, he never did unfortunately. Always thought about it but never pulled the trigger. I've always thought about it too and never pulled the trigger LOL

tex2670

True, but I was pretty partial to the Lotus days.

Very interesting historical notes on the behind-the-scenes product placement negotiations!

Carmaker1

. Many "Bond experts" said that movie was cheesy and a little too "Roger Moore", but yeah I lived for all those little things!

He really wasn't trying, to not be obvious. A great time when BMWs were BMWs and not the ultimate poser machine. After G12 production ends, I'm never buying or leasing another BMW.

Oh, that explains it in terms of the unions. LOL

I know up in Michigan and also Ohio that matters a great deal in many cases today (I am not allowed to park at work in my BMWs in core staff lots, so I use my Fords), but it never occurred to me that would be an issue down in the DMV.

Then again coming out of the 80s, mindsets still were probably still protectionist in such industries. Japanese luxury being mostly a new concept in 1989-90, i5 probably would've been an issue in most areas of the USA.

I'm glad he realized after 8 years it's not worth the stress and said "F it, I'm getting mine!"

As for the aunt, haha, that just rubs it in. In terms of inflation, yikes! But your family was doing very well, so why not?

Well folks don't care for minivans in most cases unfortunately, but I definitely recall those being well thought out and in retrospect, had good interior finish.

In addition to big family SUVs, as I was definitely envious (at 4-5 years) of one family friend who had a new T&C back in 1995-96 (alongside a 993 Turbo), as my dad finished up his fellowship and began working as a full-time physician again (now stateside at least), but was still in his K car. My mother really just wanted an SUV, while dad and kids were just crazy about a van. What a flipside, because in the end she drove it primarily for 2.5 years, until the BMW.

I really, really never cared for the original Explorer and was very smitten with those newer 1995+ (released January 1995), as little as I was. From the onset of car enthusiasm, I knew "rounded & body colored"= 90s as in "newish/new" and boxy & or big chrome bumpers = old. Today, that can no longer be used to automatically differentiate between new and old. Didn't like that ugly 1996 Taurus though.

At Ford, they say we used to make about $6,000 in profit per UN105 generation Explorer and maybe $12k per Limited in that generation! The original 1990-94 was very crude by comparison.

It's too bad he never indulged in another sports car after so much hard work, but very likely might've he felt newer stuff drove a bit more numb. Anyway, enough of my long-winded, off-topic posting.

Ah, I see. Lotus... I got that from a date during my JLR days, who their dad worked for the team in charge of both Property of a Lady (due 1991) and GoldenEye (1995). The rest, was from 007 trivia and old news archives from the 90s and early 2000s, plus newer stuff in the Craig era.

In that case, they should've used the Lotus Elise (new in 1995-96)? Too bad LOL!