I participated in the BMW Ultimate Drive supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Tuesday at BMW of Towson. I drove six of the vehicles for a total of 93 miles and transported the X6 35i to Tischer BMW for a total of 34 miles. So my drive contributioned $127 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
I got to the dealership around 11:00am and drove the vehicles until 4:30pm. Although it was raining, the event was very busy. I wasn't able to jump out of one car and into the other right away, as I did last year. Plus the route was 15 1/2 miles (all backroads with lots of twisties), so each drive took 30 minutes.
There is only one fleet of vehicles this year traveling the US, and they are almost finished for the year. So, needless to say, the vehicles are pretty worn out. They all have around 50,000 miles on them.
The M3 wasn't there. The transmission went out a few weeks ago. During one of the recent transports, the driver of the B7 clipped a curb, and bent one of the rims. So the B7 wasn't available to drive, either.
1st Drive - 335i hard-top convertible. The 335i blew me away last year. This one seemed dead. I wanted to try out the 335i coupe later in the day, but time ran out.
2nd Drive - 650ci coupe. Best drive of the day. This car is just amazing. It had just started raining when I was driving it, and the orange triangle/exclamation point light came on a few times when I floored it. Still, an awesome car.
3rd Drive - 135i soft-top convertible. I was really excited to drive this car, but the noise from the engine was so unbearably loud, that it wasn't enjoyable. It does seem like a cool little car, though. (I'm wondering if this is the same car "LivinLoud" drove in the transport that ended up in "limp mode.") There was another 135i, and a 128i, but I didn't get a chance to jump in them to compare.
4th Drive - X5 4.8i. The only time I've driven the E70 4.8i was for about 10 minutes at SunFest in March 2007. I had just turned back in an E70 3.0 loaner on Friday, so I was able to compare the two pretty easily. The 4.8i really impressed me. I was very surprised! I only drove it because it was sitting there and I didn't feel like standing in line for another car. I'm very glad I did.
5th Drive - X6 35i. I love driving the X6. Especially around the twisties. The small rear window didn't bother me, but I never had to back up, so I didn't really have to use it. I'm sure it is a big problem, though. This is the same vehicle I transported to Tischer BMW. If I could get passed the fugly exterior, I'd love to have one someday.
6th Drive - 750Li. First impressions? "Oh my gawd, this car is massaging my ass!" LOL Yeah, it had seat massagers, or whatever you call them. Kind of creepy when you aren't expecting it. The 750Li was another that seemed worn out. It doesn't seem that big when driving it, until you look at the back seat and it's 10 feet away!
The transport to Tischer BMW wasn't as fun as last year's transport. Since the event was in the fall, it was dark. The rain and Baltimore beltway rush-hour traffic didn't help, but it was still cool. It must be awesome to see 22 BMWs marked with Ultimate Drive logos traveling next to you on the highway. The dealers say that it is an awesome sight when the cars arrive at the dealership, pulling in one after another.
I didn't take many pictures this year since it was raining, plus it got dark pretty early.
Some of the cars
The signature vehicle - X6. There were two of them.
Getting everything lined up for the departure
Getting ready to leave BMW of Towson
Paul! (X5world member and NCCBMWCCA Social Chair)
Arriving at Tischer BMW
The X6 I transported
