Freude am Fahren

My grandfather once told me that “a car is an appliance that gets one from point A to point B and nothing more”. He gave me this advice as I was showing him the new Acura Integra I had just purchased. To my grandfather, whether or not a car was fun to drive played no part in the purchasing decision. Every 7 to 10 years he’d pickup a used Toyota from a local mechanic and drive it until my grandma urged him to upgrade.

Each time I’ve purchased a car I’ve thought about my grandfather’s advice. If a car is merely the device to get from point A to point B then nearly any old car will do. Just find a reliable used Camry or Accord and call it good for the next 10 years. According to many personal finance books and magazines like Consumer Reports this is sound advice, especially when you consider that most cars depreciate at such a swift rate.

But here’s my dilemma: I enjoy driving. In fact I enjoy it so much that oftentimes I don’t have a point B to reach. When I first moved to Seattle, I traded in a red Mazda Miata (spare me the “chick car” emails) for a new VW Passat GLX with sweet VR6 engine matched to a 5 speed manual. This car was an absolute blast to drive and become the only car I ever reached 100 MPH in while driving from Salt Lake to St. George, UT. When I think of this car I recall so many good times driving home late at night from Redmond over the I90 bridge cranking “Champagne Supernova” till my ears hurt.

But the Passat also turned me on to German cars and their impeccable road manners and driver involvement. I’ve had an Acura Integra and Subaru Outback that were more reliable and less costly to maintain. But they didn’t put a smile on my face during a down shift around a sharp corner like the Passat would. They were practical, reliable and just not very exciting. I never found myself looking to take the long way home. They were all about getting to point B.

Well, this week the fun is back as we purchased a BMW 325i sedan. I test drove a number of cars many of which had more room, more power and more features. But none were as outright fun to drive as the BMW. Everything about this car is geared toward the driver. I love how the dash it angled towards the driver. I love how the only knob on the door is to adjust my outside mirrors. I love the *thud* sound the door makes when closed. It’s as if a bunch of driving enthusiasts got together and created a serious driving machine and intentionally excluded any features that took away from the driving experience. I’m surprised it has two cup-holders.

If my grandfather were still around I’m sure he’d be giving me the point A to point B speech. Then again, he never had the opportunity to throw a BMW hard into a turn and try to wipe that grin off his face.

-Link to BMW history