New Daily Driver

During the past months I hardly ever drove my 996 as we've moved temporary to Pittsburgh. My almost 3 year old son had to get a heart transplant and we just got him out of hospital and try to get back to a "normal" family life back here in Northern Virginia - but that's another story. Suffering from Porsche withdrawal symptom I convinced my wife that we need a new family car/daily driver as our '04 BMW X3 already had 40k miles and I can't see my DD to have higher mileage than my 996 (42k). Phil - can you let me know your therapist's name? So I got myself a Certified 2007 328i Touring with almost all options (premium- , sport- , cold weather package ...). Only downside of the wagon is that it's not available in the US with the 335tt engine but compared to the E46 3 liter n/a engine, the new one has much more torque at the low end; just like a modern diesel engine. This makes it very pleasant for street driving; the car is just great! It's so easy to drive fast and all the modern technology like Bluetooth for the cell, integrated garage door openers ... sweetens ownership even more. I now got a set of nice aftermarket wheels (Beyern Mesh 19') with non run flat tires (man these RFT are a pain in terms of comfort and noise) and thought I let the Rennlist family have a look at my new reason to let the 996 stay in the garage when I decide in the morning which car to take to work. One pic shows my son Jonas (he's more car freak than I am) - finally back home after 3 months hospital.

sweet...we used to have a 528I Touring with Sport Pkg...smoothest car I ever drove!

Nice ride but more importantly I am glad your son is doing well!

Forget the bimmer - Post more of your P-Car pics. You do have the best looking color to ever roll out of the factory.

Glad your son is out of the hospital! Nice DD too.

Hey Harold, Welcome home and very happy to see that Jonas is doing better. Congrats on the new car. Looks very sweet!

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I have to agree with you on the color!

hwk, Congrats on the new DD, looks great. I think a wagon is so damn practical for those few times you actually need it. Whenever I have to buy something large, we either have to pay for delivery or rent and SUV, a wagon would certainly fit the bill. Awesome to hear your son is home. I too heard green is the new silver for Porsche... lol Mine is rainforest and I also like having something slightly different, Car looks good.

lookin' good Harold... great that Jonas is back in action terrorizing northern Virginia

Believe me, YOU don't need a therapist. You have your priorities and heart in the right order, and your son is #1. I'm thrilled to hear he's home, doing well and that his heart is clearly in the right place, too!! I think you made excellent choices on your cars - your DD is great (my wife loves her 328xi). You, of all people knows that life is/can be short. Enjoy everyday of it - family is first, all the rest is just "stuff." Love Wimbledon Green BTW!

Good to hear your son is doing well - that whole ordeal must've been very trying. Cool wheels on the Bimmer!

i'm so happy to hear that your son is home where he belongs...wish you and the family the best of luck. for sure life is short so enjoy it everyday!!!

Hwk, I'm glad to hear your son is home. I can't imagine what you and your wife have gone through. Everything else pales by comparison. He is a cute little guy. We ended up keeping our BMW. It is a 03 330i with the steptronic trans. It gets great gas mileage and is a blast to drive. I just took my boys (13 and 15) out for a driving lesson in the BMW...way more relaxing for me than the last lesson in my 6-spd 996. Your new wheels on the BMW look great. I have been looking for wheels for ours. I can't believe how inexpensive mods are for the BMW compared to the Porsche.

Nice car - and I wish you and your family well.

The car looks great--I've always liked the 3-series wagons. I'd kill to get a hold of an M3 wagon, but it's not being brought here. Good luck with your son...glad to hear he's doing well!

That is great news about your son...... really GREAT news! As for the cars, who cares, your son is home!

Harold, We missed you aroud here. Our heartfelt wishes to you and your family. Best,

Thanks everyone of my Rennlist family for the kind words! Yes, sometimes life is tough and the challenge is to make the best out of these situations. As an Expat family on our own in a distant land we just learned to appreciate each other even more during the past months. I'm proud of a wonderful wife and 3 great kids! It's also comforting to have the financial and social backing to go through things like this; my employer was very flexible, we've good insurance and enough cushion to survive these times so we are able to concentrate on the essential part of this journey. We met a lot of special people during the past months and the whole thing did enrich our life and thinking. Unfortunately not everyone that goes through similar issues has the same starting point.

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Exactly Tim. Hope all is good for your boy. He looks like a great little trooper, you must be so proud of him. Plus he's a car guy. Nice 3'er wagon, I've had a couple Passat wagons in my day, but RWD is nice too. Take care and best wishes on your little guy....

Super daily driver ... I'm a Bimmer owner as well and I have to say I find myself more emotionally attached to my 3 Series than to my 911. They're superb cars. Great to hear that your son is doing well.

Man, I'm glad everything worked out ok for your son. Nice choice of rims on your new Bimmer... How about gas mileage?

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... gas mileage is between 17 and 28 mpg, about 5 better than my old X3 3.0i (same engine size and hp); the AWD, SUV effect and engine generation make the difference.

What the hell is wrong with you? Why in GOD'S name would you buy a BMW? Oh...wait!! Nice car!

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I'm thinking of the same car for the wifey...I'll check back in a few weeks and see if you still like.

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I have it since >2 months - already drove 5k miles; still love it! It's my 6th BMW and they get better with every generation - amazingly!

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Ya, i'd say the same about mine, but we ALL know it's simply a case of Post-Purchase Rationalization!!

Hey all, I too am digging the new GTI. We sold our Boxster daily to move into a gray 4-dr with the 6spd manual. I had dismissed all of the glowing reports, expecting another bad VW, until one came in to SCI and blew me away. For a fun daily, it's pretty tough to beat -- great seats (esp. with the leather, as they're different seats), great refinement, awesome steering, great utility, and big grins when the mood strikes. Great value, too. Only hangup was finding a non-DSG car with all of the other options. Super rarity. Cheers -- and enjoy those 996s. One may be my next 911...just don't tell the 997 guys! pete