[tom.gnade]

I know this is purely subjective, so I want to preface this with the fact that I'm speaking in broad terms here, so no need to get pedantic.

Like many of you, I truly love to drive, and my BMW makes it a joy. I now drive an e92 328i primarily due to my apprehension about 335i reliability issues - a 335i broke down on me in spectacular fashion during the test drive. That pretty much drove home the point in a very humorous way that I was never going to buy the 335is I had been eyeballing.

The 328i is a great car, but we all know it doesn't have enough power. I've done a few simple things that really have made quite a difference. But, I spend a lot of time thinking about how I might extract the next bit of fun from the car. It quickly becomes a cost/benefit exercise.

I weigh the options, and consider whether investing several thousand more dollars into this car is really worth it. In 3-4 years, when I'm done paying for the car loan, I will probably buy a 997 911. It's an itch I've wanted to scratch since I was about 10 years old. But for now at least, I'll be driving my e92 328i for the next few years.

With all that in mind, I drove my car a lot yesterday. I dropped off my kids, went to pick up some chinese food, just normal stuff. The car drives beautifully. It accelerates well, not great, but well. In a few seconds, I easily double any posted speed limit in my area, including on route 95. I only rarely drive hard or quick because of traffic and a general sense of road safety. On one of those recent occasions, while not really even pushing it too hard (in my opinion), I got hollered at by a guy at the end of his driveway on the side of the road - "Slow the F#*( DOWN A#*(@)@#" he yelled. I laughed a bit, then slowed down. I would probably do the same thing if some jerk went blasting past my driveway at 50 or 60. Perspective is everything I suppose.

In any case, it got me to thinking. My car is probably at 210hp on a good day, and weighs 3400+ pounds. Even with numbers like that, the car really drives incredibly well, just an entirely different experience from most average cars on the road. It won't win a drag race, and it can't accelerate enough to make my heart race, or spin the rear wheels at take-off. It can't do any of those things - but, it can deliver a really excellent driving experience for 95% or more of all the real-world road conditions and speeds I will ever experience. I only rarely feel safe going "fast", and my paranoia of a deer or child, or a grandmother, or whatever, getting "in my way" is just too great. So, I slow down and enjoy the drive.

What the hell am I going to do with a 997?

So, how much power is really "enough"? Yes, I would love 300hp, I really think it would be perfect for this car. But when I'm thinking clearly, what I have right now is really, very good.

None of this will stop me from thinking about what I'm going to do next, but it gives some perspective about spending a couple grand on the car, rather than just enjoying what you have.