Don't Miss Oktoberfest 2000

For the last month or so I've been without my BMW. I have been touring the country side of Northern California in my father's Chevy C1500 extended cab pickup truck and 2.6 E190 Mercedes Benz. The V8 power of the truck is great, but only in a straight line. Understeer is severe on mountain roads, and throttle steer just doesn't get much quick response with this beast. Negotiating parking is tough, too. The Mercedes is a great cruiser, and does pretty good on mountain roads, but with its heavy weight and stock suspension, I just don't want to push it very hard. Very different than the nimble feel of my 2002tii!

Hey - I really enjoy my BMW! It handles great, responds quickly to driver input, and is easy to park! And, not only do we have a great BMW club, but BMW NA is cooking up some great perks for us and BMW owners in general. The rebate program continues this year, with a rebate of up to a $1500 for BMW CCA members, depending on the model.

While I was on the plane flying out to San Francisco for the Holidays, I saw an ad for BMW NA's new BMW Performance Center. This place is really cool! They have a variety of driving programs available, from the driving skills course included with your M5 purchase to a number of different levels of driver training available.

Oktoberfest 2000 in Spartanburg will be a great time to check out BMW NA Performance Center! Also, according to BMW NA, the new X5 will be featured in the Ultimate Drive this year. For those of you who didn't get a chance to do it in 1999, the Ultimate Drive is an autocross-style program designed to teach participants to become safer, more confident drivers. More info will be available on the BMW NA web site, www.bmwusa.com.

Speaking of Oktoberfests, some of us are already gearing up for O'Fest 2001, which is currently being planned for Waterville Valley, NH. Unlike previous O'Fests, where one or more Chapters organized the whole thing with some help from National, this will be the first O'Fest fully managed and administrated by the National offices of the BMW CCA. National's concept is to have certain "cornerstone" O'Fests that occur in the same place every few years, with other O'Fests sprinkled in. Waterville Valley is being viewed as a cornerstone site, based on the success of the White Mountain Chapter O'fest in 1997.

National's plan is to have the Boston, White Mountain, and Connecticut Valley Chapters and others assist with specific events at the 2001 O'Fest. To learn more about the National level of the BMW CCA see the National Board Meeting Minutes and the monthly "News From National" update on the National BMW CCA web site, www.bmwcca.org. If you want to assist with Boston Chapters effort for O'Fest 2001, give Director Joe Marko a call!

February 2000 BIMMER

Behind the Wheel: Don't Miss Oktoberfest 2000 by Fred Beck

Under the Hood: The Trash Hole by Greg Scott

February 2000 New Members by Barry Tarr

Turns To Take: Like A New Car by Maria Anggraeni

Ethyl, The tii, and Bear Trap Road by Jonathan Porath

This Is Not Your Father's E21 by Justin Hughes

The Driveway Mechanic: E30 Door Brake Repair by Greg Scott

Dan's Castle Hill Photo Gallery by Dan Mull

Ron's Castle Hill Photo Gallery by Ron Sisco

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