[moveswiftly]

Hey Guys,

Just introducing myself! Name is Mohammad and I'll be moving from NJ to Charlottesville to study at UVA Law school in August. Just had a few questions for you guys!

Any good shops in the area where you go to get oil changes, maintenance, etc etc? I've got a pretty modified 135i and I've only trusted the one shop I've been going to for a while now!

Do you guys organize a lot of meets?

Are the speed limits on Blue Ridge really enforced?

How's life overall in Charlottesville? I'm coming from a small Surburban town in NJ. I'm used to being so close to the city and having everywhere I need to go within 15 minutes of my home.

PS: Here's a picture of my car.

[Myriad]

big rule anywhere in va is +20 or 81+ is reckless driving. if you are unfortunate enough to get caught breaking either of these, prepare to lawyer and pay because it is a class one misdemeanor in virginia. definitely more strict than nj or pa. I can't speak to specific enforcement out in charlottesville but these rules are good to follow in va

[moveswiftly]

Originally Posted by Myriad

big rule anywhere in va is +20 or 81+ is reckless driving. if you are unfortunate enough to get caught breaking either of these, prepare to lawyer and pay because it is a class one misdemeanor in virginia. definitely more strict than nj or pa. I can't speak to specific enforcement out in charlottesville but these rules are good to follow in va

do the officers use laser, radar or both? I know radar detectors are illegal.

[cotmfk]

Charlottesville is a 'nice' place. Fairly ritzy. About an hour and a half from DC, IIRC. For a smaller city, it randomly has a ton of traffic. There is a main road which has pretty much most of the stuff you would want. There are some good bars, and some good micro-brews. Lots of good wine nearby, if you're into that sort of thing. Some good looking college girls is always a plus. JMU is about 45 minutes away and has good parties.

For driving, there are lots of good roads, but you will definitely have to be careful. That reckless thing is no joke. Hopefully you can keep your NJ tags and license, as that should help lessen the enforcement on you (not to say it won't happen, though).

I liked Route 33, blue ridge parkway, route 211 (although that's kind of far from C-ville.

Good luck with your studies and have fun!

[steelersfan]

There's lots of hiding spots for popo to use on I64 coming into C-Ville from Richmond, if you just happen to want to try a little spirited driving on the Interstate. Be very careful. I've managed to be lucky enough to dodge them "for the most part" the last 4 years.

[Rennzenn]

Welcome to Charlottesville! All of the info about VA law enforcement is correct, and I'll add a bit more. The Blue Ridge/Skyline Drive are federal parks, so any infraction is a federal offense. They are great places for a bike ride or an easy cruise, but they are not spirited driving roads. Too many cops, tourists, campers, bikes, horses...you get the picture.
Around C-ville, particularly to the west are some very good mountain roads. I particularly like the ride on 250 from Staunton to West VA.
There are a couple of good BMW indy shops in the area. Blueridge Motor Werks comes to mind.
Werkstat is a shop geared more towards Porsche, but the owner, Kenny Shreeves, has worked for Flying Lizard and TRG and really knows what he is doing.
FWIW, I do all of my own work and have a side business doing maintenance on Porsches.

For meets, Richmond has a Cars and Coffee every other week. Let's do a road trip!

[moveswiftly]

Awesome info guys. Really appreciate it! Looking forward to coming down.

I might be in the area next weekend checking out apartments.

[Spydeputy]

Awesome looking Vehicle.
Black on Black on Black is the new Red.
The police have all the latest toys.
So be safe, and be careful.

[bavarian19]

Nice ride!


Route 29 (which is what most people take from DC to get to C'ville) is riddled with cops. Take my word, set cruise control @ the speed limit.

[Myriad]

Originally Posted by chesterfan1230

do the officers use laser, radar or both? I know radar detectors are illegal.

I run my RD and haven't had any issues. Staties use 90% Ka, they run mostly instant on and stationary. I don't often see troopers running moving at all. If they are sitting on the interstate and running radar, they like to face the direction of traffic they are shooting for the most part.

Locals are a mix of K and Ka in my area, mostly constant on. I don't see a whole lot of laser. In any case, the speeding laws make it pretty difficult to drive with really any speed. Just know that if you push 90, especially in Fairfax and Prince William, you are liable to go to jail. The rule is 1 day for every MPH over 90. Take a look and familiarize yourself with the other reasons that you can get reckless driving in VA as well.

[moveswiftly]

Originally Posted by Myriad

I run my RD and haven't had any issues. Staties use 90% Ka, they run mostly instant on and stationary. I don't often see troopers running moving at all. If they are sitting on the interstate and running radar, they like to face the direction of traffic they are shooting for the most part.

Locals are a mix of K and Ka in my area, mostly constant on. I don't see a whole lot of laser. In any case, the speeding laws make it pretty difficult to drive with really any speed. Just know that if you push 90, especially in Fairfax and Prince William, you are liable to go to jail. The rule is 1 day for every MPH over 90. Take a look and familiarize yourself with the other reasons that you can get reckless driving in VA as well.

Which detector do you have? I have a Valentine 1 but it apparently leaks frequencies so radar detector- detectors can pick it up.... Thinking of picking up an escort redline or a Bel STI Driver.

[Myriad]

Originally Posted by chesterfan1230

Which detector do you have? I have a Valentine 1 but it apparently leaks frequencies so radar detector- detectors can pick it up.... Thinking of picking up an escort redline or a Bel STI Driver.

I run an Escort 8500 X50. It's a few years old, I need to upgrade.

Yes it does. If you run it high and hardwired near the RVM, noone will bother you though. Just turn it off on the highway when you get a hit. Most state troopers don't have Spectre's (RDD's) and those that do are most often stationed at the borders of the state (think 95, 495, 77, 81, 64, 460 for the most part). Maybe I'm lucky, but I've been running my RD for ~4 years and ~20k miles and have yet to even have a cop look at me as a result, even when I've been sitting at a light next to one. I actually just got on a strip of limo tint this weekend above the AS-1 line (legal in VA) to hide it better. The ticket is 80 bucks anyway which is way better than a speeding ticket, and besides they CANNOT confiscate your detector permanently. They are allowed to take it for evidence, but it must be given back to you as long as you request the court and pay shipping to have it returned. Most just write down the serial number and give it back to you, from what I've heard.

[Ernerd]

looking forward to seeing you around grounds

[moveswiftly]

Originally Posted by Ernerd

looking forward to seeing you around grounds

Are you in the law school?

[Ernerd]

No, still an undergrad

[moveswiftly]

Originally Posted by Ernerd

No, still an undergrad

Sweet. Do you dorm or live in an apartment? Any good places you recommend.

[Ernerd]

I live on Jefferson Park Avenue, I don't know anyone in grad school living around this area since its far away from Darden and Law school. Where are you planning to stay at? My friend in the law school lives at old ivy road, not sure about other places.

[moveswiftly]

Originally Posted by Ernerd

I live on Jefferson Park Avenue, I don't know anyone in grad school living around this area since its far away from Darden and Law school. Where are you planning to stay at? My friend in the law school lives at old ivy road, not sure about other places.

I have no idea yet. I will be visiting in 2 weeks to figure that out. I'm trying to stay close to the school on Arlington Road though.

[Ernerd]

Good luck with finding a place, I'm not too familiar with that area lol. If you find a slightly modded SGM e92 thats me!