[Lost Rider]

I finally took delivery today, so here's a few pics.
I'll comment more on the PCD after I get some rest.
It was amazing.

A Touring picked me up from the airport, here's from my room




M3's............................










Here's my Touring.











At noon today


rest stop#1




rest stop#2






Using the Nav I took a couple of detours to explore the twisty roads in the mountains with confidence



a fin for LEDZEP.




Tennessee



This on I-65 North. God I love the marketing.
Your BMW could be in there..................




At the end of the day and 751 miles of variable speed and gears later.



All of you were right that said it's worth the wait.

More pics, and experience based opinions to come. :rocks:

Thanks to all that helped entertain / educate me in the last few months.

[Krill]

Aaaaaahhh, a beautiful thang :rocks:
Congratulations and enjoy the ride!!

[Dante]

Finally, congrats!

nice trip, looks like lots of fun.

Awaiting pics of all the goodies put on the car!

Enjoy

[stressdoc]

Nice of them to provide a little snow too...
Great car!

[vant]

Aaahhh, isn't she beautiful? And exactly looking like mine (except for the rims which are 159's on mine - and currently even after market 16" (V-series from Alutec) with winter tyres... and the clear indicators of course )

Looks very sharp! Can't wait to see more pics, especially those with blacklines once they arrive!

[LEDZEP]

ChiTown - Thanks for the great photos, the great comments, and for letting us share your joy! Oh, and thanks for the fin!!

She's a beauty. Very cool that you got to take her on a road trip right off the bat. Congratulations!

[SCA]

Congrats ChiTown! Was it warm in Greer yesterday? What part of TN did you drive through?


BTW, I bet I know where rest stop #2 is. Midway through the Smoky Mtns on I-40 in NC prior to arriving in TN.

[KL2DC]

Awesome!! Beautiful car!..More! More! More!

Congratulations on the delivery...I have mine scheduled for 03/23/06...I am dying here (after seeing your post)

With the factory visit closed, what did they do to compensate? Thrill rides? Freebies? Were there a lot of folks for PCD that day? Highlights? How was the break in?

[longtran]

pcd?

[longtran]

performance center delivery now i know what it stand for, what is it?

[poldim]

hahahah

Thats awesome! I've never seen one of those...







Congrads on the grad, I'd like to hear what the PDC is all about...

[Lost Rider]

Thanks everyone. I'm also happy that I was able to spend some quality time behind the wheel. My schedule is getting crazy, I'll only be home 4 days in the next 6 weeks.


Sorry I don't have time to write a proper report now so I'm going to just write down some thoughts in no paritcular order, as my time allows.


This car is amazing.
It's real fun feeling the engine gaining power as it's broke in.
I don't really have anything but great things to say so far.
I was a little concerned about the aluminum trim at first, but after seeing it at night, I'm all good with it.
The interior is excellent, sport seats awsome, even after 12 hours.
Love the layout of things.
iDrive is AWESOME!
I'm sorry if I offend, but if someone can't figure it out, well, you're a dumbass or had an SA that's a dumbass. Very intuitive.
I love the cup-holders, perfect for red bull or water, and since I don't try to drink half gallons of soda I think they're perfect.
The paroramic moonroof.........WOW. Luckily for me it was warm enough to open it and it's very nice. The thing is HUGE!
It's also quieter than my old one, I was able to give voice commands at 80mph.
The trans and clutch is like butter, very sweet.

[longtran]

what is performance center delivery? is it like ED?

edit: i found it..

for those who dont know like me....here you go.


One of the most unforgettable ways to take delivery of your new BMW is at the Performance Center in beautiful South Carolina. When you purchase or lease a new BMW from your local authorized BMW or BMW SAV center, let your Client Advisor know that you‘re interested in picking it up at the BMW Performance Center. They will arrange all the details!

Your Ultimate Delivery Experience will immerse you in the BMW culture from the moment you arrive in Greenville, South Carolina. When you and a companion arrive at the airport, you will be picked up in a BMW and transported to a first-class hotel. You’ll enjoy a delicious dinner for two and an overnight stay that evening, as well as breakfast the next day. The hotel will transport you to the Performance Center to begin the Ultimate Delivery Experience.

During your day you will experience the BMW Manufacturing Tour where you will see first-hand the craftsmanship that makes BMWs world renowned for quality. While at the BMW Manufacturing facility, you will be able to visit the Zentrum and see the history of BMW from airplane engines to James Bond’s car to the Hydrogen car.

Your Ultimate Delivery Experience also includes time behind the wheel of a BMW similar to the one you purchased. You’ll experience the feel of your new BMW in a special new owner session with a professional instructor. Driving on one of the Performance Driving School courses, you will gain a better understanding and appreciation of the dynamic capabilities of your new BMW. The exercise will also help you develop and refine your ability to communicate between vehicle and road.

It wouldn’t be the Ultimate Delivery Experience if we didn’t teach you how every button and knob worked! You will spend 2 hours with a product specialist who will teach you everything there is to know about your new BMW. Whether it is iDrive, the radio functions or BMW Assist, the product specialist will make sure you are familiar and comfortable with the vehicle’s controls and functions.

Rather than heading straight home in your new BMW, we recommend that you explore some of the outstanding sightseeing and recreational opportunities available in South Carolina and the surrounding states.

Whether you plan a diversion or drive straight home, there is little doubt that you will have an exciting story to tell your friends and neighbors when you return home with your new BMW.

[Lost Rider]

The PCD was excellent. I was the only person taking delivery, that made it very nice. If you can go midweek, I recommend it.
They drove us there as 7:45 am (ouch)
I had about a 20 minute prep talk, then went out on the track with a 330i without sports package, I thought that was a little strange. But after thrashing it around all morning, I didn't make any difference to me. The non-sport felt great on the track, so for those of you without sport, don't worry, your car is still very capable of some hardcore driving.
First they had you do some emergency braking maneuvers, leading up to 65 mph, mashing on the brakes turning to avoid cones.
Then I did some small course maneuvering, slalom course, tights turns, not over 45mph or so. This is were I got my guest sick from throwing her around in the slalom. After that she rode with the instructor.
Then we moved on to a larger course that was a combo of slalom, and some sweeper turn. Hit about 90 mph here. This is also were I decided to turn off the DSC. Thats when the real fun began.
After that I went on the 360 degree skid pad. HOW FUN!
By the end of it I was able to drift the 330 all the way around the pad!!!!
That concluded my track time. I had about 2 1/2 hours of track time. Super fun.
I was then presented with my car.
The rep already knew I had owned a BMW before, and was very thorough, moving from one side of the dash to the other, explaining everything then around the whole car. We then paired my phone, took less than 1 minute.
He approved of my MT Touring and made me feel real good about everything. 1st class.
This finished at noon, and I was ready to get behind the wheel, so I passed on the Zentrum Museum, and started my trip home.
There was no factory tour available, but they welcomed me back anytime after it opens again for a tour.
I will be going back for M school ASAP, so hopefully the tour will be available then.
If you're considering a PCD, DO IT!!! it's worth the time for sure.

[shragon]

Originally Posted by poldim

hahahah

Thats awesome! I've never seen one of those...

Congrads on the grad, I'd like to hear what the PDC is all about...

same here! lol. bmw's marketing is awesome!

congrats on the new touring!

[KL2DC]

Fellow posters seem to recoommend doing PCD mid-week to avoid the crowds and to maximize your visit/delivery. It seems the days people most people prefer are Mondays (puzzling because its the beginning of the week) and Fridays (just before the weekend). FYI for the uninitiated, PCD is only available M-F.

I just scheduled my PCD for a Thursday (02/23) taking time off from work, I think that is ideal as you have the whole weekend ahead of you plus Friday ... this is my first Bimmer and I want the love affair to start off right...even if I have to endure the extra lead time until delivery (fyi my car's scheduled to arrive at the VPC 02/27-/2/29) but could only be fit into the 03/23 PCD time slot...so I certainly hope its worth it, as Chi-Town had exclaimed...

[Lost Rider]

Originally Posted by KL2DC

Fellow posters seem to recoommend doing PCD mid-week to avoid the crowds and to maximize your visit/delivery. It seems the days people most people prefer are Mondays (puzzling because its the beginning of the week) and Fridays (just before the weekend). FYI for the uninitiated, PCD is only available M-F.

I just scheduled my PCD for a Thursday (02/23) taking time off from work, I think that is ideal as you have the whole weekend ahead of you plus Friday ... this is my first Bimmer and I want the love affair to start off right...even if I have to endure the extra lead time until delivery (fyi my car's scheduled to arrive at the VPC 02/27-/2/29) but could only be fit into the 03/23 PCD time slot...so I certainly hope its worth it, as Chi-Town had exclaimed...

You did the right thing, it's worth it to have the place to yourself IMO.
I think it would have been a different experience if I would have had to wait my turn for the track, then wait for my delivery.
I think it would be real hard to not enjoy the PCD no matter when you go, like most things, the less poeple there the better

[Lost Rider]

More quick pics.
I had a zymol wax treatment done to it today since it's going to sit at the airport for 3 days.

[fakerlin]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

The PCD was excellent. I was the only person taking delivery, that made it very nice. If you can go midweek, I recommend it.
They drove us there as 7:45 am (ouch)
I had about a 20 minute prep talk, then went out on the track with a 330i without sports package, I thought that was a little strange. But after thrashing it around all morning, I didn't make any difference to me. The non-sport felt great on the track, so for those of you without sport, don't worry, your car is still very capable of some hardcore driving.
First they had you do some emergency braking maneuvers, leading up to 65 mph, mashing on the brakes turning to avoid cones.
Then I did some small course maneuvering, slalom course, tights turns, not over 45mph or so. This is were I got my guest sick from throwing her around in the slalom. After that she rode with the instructor.
Then we moved on to a larger course that was a combo of slalom, and some sweeper turn. Hit about 90 mph here. This is also were I decided to turn off the DSC. Thats when the real fun began.
After that I went on the 360 degree skid pad. HOW FUN!
By the end of it I was able to drift the 330 all the way around the pad!!!!
That concluded my track time. I had about 2 1/2 hours of track time. Super fun.
I was then presented with my car.
The rep already knew I had owned a BMW before, and was very thorough, moving from one side of the dash to the other, explaining everything then around the whole car. We then paired my phone, took less than 1 minute.
He approved of my MT Touring and made me feel real good about everything. 1st class.
This finished at noon, and I was ready to get behind the wheel, so I passed on the Zentrum Museum, and started my trip home.
There was no factory tour available, but they welcomed me back anytime after it opens again for a tour.
I will be going back for M school ASAP, so hopefully the tour will be available then.
If you're considering a PCD, DO IT!!! it's worth the time for sure.

Hmm I wonder if we have this in Europe? My dealer has promised me an hour with an M6, but I am reluctant. I would rather try something that makes my new car feel good

Thank you so much for sharing this experience!

[bimmer4me]

I agree fully. PCD is so so so so worth it! I definately would consider getting another BMW just for because of PCD alone!

[poldim]

Wow, that sunroof is huge....


Any shots of how it opens and how it looks open?

[BMW0]

Your sunroof is huge!! Cool truck!


And here's a Lamborghini Murcelago Delivery truck going down the Autostada toward Modena, Italy.