Terry is a retired school teacher, retired Army Reservist, and retired civilian Department of the Army Civilian working about half the time as a pilot and flight instructor. He has been flying since age 19, adding gliders in 2011. He's been an FAA certificated flight instructor since 2013.
I HAD THE chance to attend an eight-hour BMW driving course. I got to spin out in the most expensive car I’ve ever driven – several times. OK, “got to” is not quite correct since I didn’t really intend to…
A few months ago I discovered the BMW Driving Academy and decided to attend a class. I am very glad I did. I did it for fun, but there is really a lot of good safety and better driving information. Although I did the class in German, they offer training in English as well. I asked if they would take a VAT Form, which they had not yet heard of. It took a few weeks, but they agreed to do so, saving me 16 percent on the cost of the day.
You will see in the pictures and video that it wasn’t a beautiful day, but the weather cooperated enough that we never got rained on. But, just in case, they do the training in the rain as well.
The training was great. It included learning about how to position yourself properly in the seat, a tiny bit of “car physics” and why you can/will have understeer/oversteer problems and lose control, emergency braking, emergency lane changes, steering with maximum braking, and a timed slalom run at the end.
I’ll let the photos and video speak for themselves.
Hmm. Maybe I should retired and go to work for BMW…
The car I drove for the class.
A row of 330D’s. These were pretty amazing with their diesel engine.
A lot of positive words about driving.
Part of the BMW training fleet. This is about $500,000 in cars!
This is a solid, well-maintained, great running car. I purchased it a year ago and am selling it due to PCS in September. The car passed inspection on [anticipate 6 July, will update when passed]. It is a great, comfortable Autobahn cruising car. The air conditioner works. The cruise control works. Ditto for the sunroof. The electronics work. It’s clean. It doesn’t leak oil. It’s a comfortable ride. It’s easily the most solid car I’ve ever owned; if it weren’t German specs I’d take it with me. It can do 220 kmh on the Autobahn…
This model BMW is known for oil leaks when either of two gaskets exceed 60,000 miles. I replaced both. The plastic radiator bottle is known to crack. I replaced it. The coolant is new. The car has new ball joints and bushings on new steering control arms. The steering is tight with no play. The new battery has been in the car since November. The brakes are just several months old with new rotors and pads front and rear. The brake fluid is new throughout. The most miserable and expensive to repair vacuum leak has been fixed properly. The expensive moving parts in the intake have been replaced. All metal intake parts have been removed and cleaned. I replaced the power steering pump and the two belts. What else? A new valve cover gasket and spark plugs. New filters.
You can probably find a similar looking car for less money. But, you will end up paying someone to do this work. The “typical issues” on this car will likely not be a problem for your entire tour**. That will make annual inspections and eventual resale easier.
* Yes, there is some negotiating room there. 2003 325i’s with the same mileage on the German mark are selling for about 5,000-5,500 Euro. USAG Wiesbaden is not the German market, hence the asking price.
**Many older BMWs fail inspection for oil leaks. These leaks are often “fixed” by pressure washing the engine and chassis the day before the inspection.
German mobile: 0176 58587403 (Please text instead of leaving a voice message if you don’t get me.) Email contact form below the pictures.
Right side
Front quarter view.
Front close up
Hood emblem
Left rear quarter
Rear trunk/cargo area
Front seats
Back seat from right
Back seat from left
Radio, air conditioner controls, automatic transmission
Instrument cluster
Valve cover removed – you can see how clean/sludge free the engine is.
