Most Commented Automotive Blogs (377)

Maybe you've seen the TV commercials about BMW... the ultimate driving machine.
Long blog again, I've got a lot on my mind... ;-)

I checked with Google who reports the average age of a BMW driver is 57 years old. Perhaps, but the ones who come up on my rear bumper flashing their headlights are much younger.
Depending on my driving schedule, I'm doing 600 miles per week. I get on the road around 8:30am and return home around 8:30pm. That gets me after rush hour when traffic starts to clear. All of South Florida's highway system is under construction. The posted speed limit is 65 on most highways and there are times we are doing 80. Yes, we... I'm not alone.

I have a saying "It doesn't matter how fast I go, someone always wants to go faster."

Three years ago, the Department of Transportation partitioned off a lane designated as an 'Express Lane' where they charge a toll that the fee is determined by the time of day and amount of traffic. From Downtown to the northern most part of Miami is 10 miles and the toll start at 50 cents in the middle of the night and jumps to $10.50 for a Friday at 5:00pm ride during the month of September. Thankfully, I'm not around that part of Miami in my travels. The section I'm using is near Hollywood to Fort Lauderdale and is 50 cents. The normal flow of traffic is around 35-45mph and the express lane peaks around 65. The lane ends and typically traffic thins out so we can go faster.
One morning, I got to the end of the express lane expecting to speed up but the guy in front of me wants to shift right... but traffic won't allow it. I look in my rear view mirror and see a BMW right on my tail. He wasn't there two blinks ago and probably one car length from me now. He's flashing his lights like I'm holding up traffic. Within a second, this guy get so close that I cannot see his headlights! Oh, time for a video. I click my cellphone to movie mode as no one is going to believe this story. I'm actually forced to slow down to avoid the guy in front and I'm sure the guy behind is thinking I'm hitting the brakes intentionally to annoy him and he decides to switch lanes jamming the speed at the same time as the guy in front changes lanes.
Like a scene in the movie Mission Impossible this guy slips between us but he has enough time to 'shoot me a bird' like I was the one causing the problem.
I had a few choice things to say and was sure he had overdosed on a**hole pills that morning, typical of many BMW drivers.

Wow, I said all that. Now, back to the intended blog.
I see lots of car accidents, but this month, most of the serious high-speed accidents involved BMW's.
Last Sunday morning around 7:30 two BMW's collided on the Turnpike that back up traffic for miles. Although there isn't much traffic that early in the morning, I say they were high-speed racing, all lanes were closed and we were single file riding on the easement. It was no less than 30 minutes crawling to go two miles around the accident. I could see bumpers on the roadway, deployed side airbags, broken parts all around the wreck. I knew they were BMW's from the emblems on the wheels. The front of one and rear of the other... totaled.

1) say "I'll call you back later"
2) press the red button once
3) rest your cellphone on the passengers seat.

It cannot get much easier than that.

Today, I was behind someone leaving a parking lot and I'm waiting and waiting. No cars were on the main crossroad. Getting ready to blow my horn the car started started out going left. I also made a left and was behind the car again. Slow ride, but the driver hit the brakes as though they wanted to make a full stop. No other cars around... none. I got in the next lane and as I passed the other driver, I could see they had a cellphone pressed against their face. Ahhh... that explained it.

I spend a lot of time daydreaming. I can watch a movie but sometimes real life is so beautiful that replaying certain events is much better and happier. After all, the memories are real and mine.

One might argue with me that I have fallen in love. In a sense, perhaps I have. But, I am very aware that I am not his object of such daydreams.

This tennis playing relationship seems to try to develop into something of more substance. My solution is to not respond to his texts as normal. Typically I would jump to attention with minimal time to elapse before my response. I lack self control but I am very mindful of this delicate balance.

My body likes his body and my mind likes his mind. My heart likes him too. Life brings us such wonderful things if we are good to not abuse them.

What if there’s more than one kind of long term relationship? Like, even if the junk is superficial, it can still stand the test of time.

I also watched a few movies where the wife, not any husbands, suffered memory loss and had to reconnect with their spouses. What if we all had to reconnect intimately to a stranger? Could it be done? Can we make magic by the suggestion of magic?

I know there’s such a thing as chemistry. What a concept to meet a long time lover for “the first time”. Shit like this makes me wonder

If you ride a HARLEY-DAVIDSON motorcycle...
Happy Muthas Day to you.

She sat in the woven chair
A nest of sorts, she sat, sorting thoughts
Her earrings dangling, casting light back to the sun
He watched her, both contemplating
She, her desire to fly
Him, his desire for her sparkle
He came closer, drawn in by threads of light
She looked up, shielding her eyes
Grand wings, lofty in flight
She became intranced, a statue in the garden
He brushed her cheek with ebony feathers
Before plucking her earring,
That is the sting of love

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I’m learning all about people and sales. I went on a joyride In the backseat of a SS Camaro, unfortunately. The youngsters simply wanted to play with a toy. Since my associate was of a large size, I was nominated to chaperone. After pulling my pencil skirt up, I squeezed into the back seat. Windows down, Blonde hair flying, I crossed my chest as if I was Catholic. The driver manipulated the stick in a manner that didn’t sound good. I am inexperienced in the sound of a manual transmission but my gut was telling me, things could sound better. The youthful driver gunned that machine and then almost kissed the freaking bumper of the car in front. I said many “Jesus Christ’s “ but they could not be heard over the revving. The second passenger, of the same youth went on about the V8. This rang a bell and I asked if they had seen Mad Max. With my best Australian accent I shouted “the last of the V8’s!” Good old Ducky.

How NOT to make a good impression on your bosses boss.
One day years ago, 1973 to be exact, my company "Koni America" went to Watkins Glen as was our annual tradition, to service the Formula One race. We had our usual spot in the main garage where we entertained race drivers and crew members that came by to chat on various technical matters referring to suspension setups especially shock absorber settings and adjustments, and also test and set their shocks on our shock dyno as well. On this particular day a driver came by to chat and we formed a rough circle in the bay. There was my boss Ted M. to my right, between us was the driver, opposite to me was my bosses boss John Z., to my left was my co-worker, Bob K., another technician. I don't remember who the driver was, it could have been anybody. Normally an event like that would be engraved on your memory, however what follows is all that I remember of that moment in time.

So there we were chatting and my bosses boss John had a banana in his hand and was mindlessly trying to peel it while deeply engrossed in the conversation. I was trying to follow the flow of the conversation but the distraction of John and the banana made that nearly impossible. My focus kept shifting from his face to his hands and I was getting increasingly agitated. Ted was watching me watching John and he later told me that he could see my eyes going up & down as my attention shifted. He said he could also see my nostrils flare. My frustration grew to an unbearable level. I wanted to rip the banana out of his hand and peel the goddamn thing for him. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and I blurted out "YOU'RE PEELING IT FROM THE WRONG END". Well, Ted nearly had a seizure from laughing so hard. My first thought was OMG . what did I just do? Did I just make my bosses boss look like a fool in front of some big Formula 1 driver? Do I still have a job? Lucky for me John took it as a learning experience and flipped the banana over and successfully peeled it.

I have an issue with aggressive drivers using a merge lane. Yesterday, must have been aggressive driver Tuesday. In the morning on the way to an appointment, driving in a construction zone I was approaching a merge lane where two lanes merge into one.
There were lots of warning signs, traffic cones and plastic guard rails in a 30mph zone. Having passed this road several times before, I was already in the main lane and not the merge lane. Traffic was slow, but 2 drivers in Tesla's had to force their way into the merge pushing out other cars that 'gave-way' or be involved in an accident.
Usually, it's someone in a BMW doing a stunt like that.
I worked for a guy who had a truck with oversized bumpers and jacked-up tires. He always pushed into a traffic situation that forced the other drivers to stop, letting him in, especially when he tooted a horn as loud a train.
Last night was a close call. I'm on the interstate highway in the left lane that opens to the express lane. It's after 9pm and traffic is moving smoothy. There is a merge lane for people exiting the express lane that feeds back into my lane. Unexpectedly, someone shot out of the express lane and attempting to eclipse me. It happened quickly as I didn't see him accelerating. The warning light came on my mirror but there wasn't enough room for 2 cars. I shifted to the right as a white BMW passed me within inches of side swiping my car!
I like my car and though I'm shopping for a new one, I'd like the purchase to be by choice and not because my car was trashed by an aggressive driver in the merge lane.