[TheFifthElement]

Firstly, apologies for the long post, if you don't like a long read with a few pictures along the way then stop right here!

Following on from this thread - http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1325819 the time came to make the long trip from Aberdeen to Stamford to pick up my 335i.

I first saw the car online at SJames Prestige, an independent dealer (all makes really) and after the usual negotiations over the trade in price for my Boxster S, APR for loans etc. a deal was done early last week.

I had a private plate on my car, so had to wait for the replacement V5 to appear, but once that appeared I made plans to do the almost 900 mile round trip to pick up my new car. This isn’t the furthest I’ve travelled. I’m based in Aberdeen and have been to Norfolk before (TT), Farnborough (JCW Mini) etc. If it’s the right car and deal, I’m happy to make a round trip.

I booked the Travelodge in Gratham South Witham for Wednesday night, with the plan to leave work around 4 on the Wednesday, pick up my Dad in Arbroath (an hour south) and then continue on the route proposed by the nav on my phone, arriving at the Travelodge hopefully around 1 in the morning. I had an appointment to pick up my car at 9 on Thursday morning, and then begin the long trip back up, and I hoped to be home by around 7 p.m.

Wednesday night - The trip down:

A good start, I managed to get away from work at 4 on the dot. The Porsche was parked in a multi-story 5 mins away and I had ¾ of a tank, plenty to get me a fair way down the road. Sky was clear, not too cold so no frost on the road and I made good time to pick up my dad in Arbroath. A Quick cup of coffee, and we were on our way.

I think my Dad (he’s 72) was a bit apprehensive about sitting in the Porsche for hours on end. His fears were allayed quite quickly though, although the Porsche is most definitely a sports car, and doesn’t have PASM, it’s actually reasonable comfortable. The PDK is effortless when doing distance, and with BOSE and heated seats it’s a nice place to be. The only downside being it wasn’t optioned with the best of headlights, no Xenons or LED’s, just good old halogens. I was hoping for a dry clear night, and not the usual mix of rain and mist where visibility isn’t great.



So began hours on end of sitting in 7th around 75 mph, Glasgow came and went and we continued down the M74 towards Carlisle, onto Penrith and through a combination of misreading the nav (and Google maps suggesting a quicker route) we end up on the M6 (and not the A1M). No big deal though and we keep heading down past Kendal, Lancaster and eventually stop for a break at a services somewhere near Preston around 9 pm. A quick McDonalds, coffee and fill up the car. Still a fair way to go, but with the Porsche doing around 30 mpg, that’s the last stop we’ll have to make for fuel.



The rest of the way is pretty much a blur, plenty caffeine, some pro-plus to keep the eyes open and a steady 75 ish all the way down on motorways, a-roads etc.

This is where the Boxster is in its element, the sharp throttle response; PDK is lightening quick, keep it above 3.5k and it really howls beautifully. If the majority of my driving was like this, and I used the car more than 2 days a week, it would have probably stayed with me. Thankfully the weather stayed clear.

We eventually make it to Grantham South Witham around 1. Check in to the Travelodge and off to bed for an 8 am start. Don’t feel too bad for almost 9 hours in a car.

Not bad mpg for a 3.4 naturally aspirated petrol ..


Thursday – pick up day, and run home

Stamford is only another 15 miles or so down the road but Thursday gets off to a bad start. I get a phone call from the garage to tell me the trader that is buying my car (they’ve sold it already) isn’t going to appear at the garage until 11:30-12. He’s clearing the finance on the Porsche. So the 8 a.m. alarm clock wasn’t worthwhile, however we decide to head into Stamford for some breakfast.



After a full English and some porridge (it’s going to be a long day so fill up!) it’s no problem to head to the garage early. That way we can get a good look around the BMW to see if it is as described and have a poke around, familiarise myself with the iDrive, connect my phone etc.

It takes us a little while to find the dealers, hidden off a side street, and ideally we wanted to give the Porsche a jet wash before arriving. It’s a habit my Dad and I have had for years, we always like to hand over our cars clean and hoovered. They get well looked after when they are in our possession, so it would be a shame to hand them over filthy and full of junk. However we could only find an automated car wash so we park it up outside. I don’t think it’s ever been as dirty!



We’re met by the guys at SJames Prestige, apologise for the state of the car, and it’s quickly whisked off for a quick hand wash. While the Porsche is away we get out first glimpse of the BMW.



It’s as described, and after a really good look inside and out I can only find 3 minor marks. The front bumper on the LHS has been grounded at some point, so there’s a bit of rough paint underneath. The offside drivers alloy has a minor chip in the middle of a spoke. Inside there’s a very small mark on the drivers doon bin where your feet would catch it on the way out. Hey, it’s 3 years old and has done 32K so it’s it very very good condition for its age. The white leather has worn well but could do with a brush up once I get home.

The Porsche appears all clean, and is driven in to the showroom. We all agree that it’s nice to see a car in Guards red, and the SJames guys are amazed at the condition of my old car. It really is immaculate, and I have a wee wobble, maybe should have kept it !



After sorting out finance, road tax etc. we finally get back on the road around 12. This time the BMW nav show it will take us up the A1/M up through Durham, Newcastle and then over towards Jedburgh and Galashields into the back of Edinburgh, then its roads I am more familiar with Perth-Dundee , a quick stop to drop my Dad off in Arbroath and then the final hour back into Aberdeen. I’m hoping to be home around 9 pm.

It’s a great route to get to know the BMW, dull motorway stuff, A-road and B-road stuff and I can take the coast road from Arbroath to Aberdeen which will give me an idea what’s it’s like when I want to have some fun.
So that’s basically the next 9 hours. The BMW didn’t put a foot wrong. It basically ate 450 miles. It’s quick, comfortable and an idea long distance cruiser.

First impressions, it’s quiet, seriously quiet. I loved the howl of the Porsche with the GT carnewal exhaust. This thing will need an exhaust at some point.

Throttle response is ok (even in comfort) and much better in sport.
My main worry was the steering as the Porsche was hydraulic and quite frankly brilliant. My previous S3 was terrible, either too light or too heavy with no feel at all. Thankfully the BMW is somewhere in between. It’s actually quite nice.

Suspension is comfortable but on a few A-roads there’s not too much roll or wallow. Again, it’s no sport car, but it’s pretty good for a heavy saloon. I can actually feel what’s going on, again unlike the S3.

Engine, its quick but disguises its speed as it’s so quiet. There’s no thrilling crescendo though and it tails off higher up the rev range. You can make effortless progress keeping it under 4k, that’s just where the Porsche was coming alive. Both cars nailed, I think the Boxster would have it. On give and take roads the low down torque of the BMW would be hard to beat.

Surprise of the trip, the adaptive lights. Not an option I would have considered in the past. They are brilliant. Quite mesmerising when they do the whole light show, and when it got dark around 4 o’clock on the roads towards Edinburgh I was amazed how well they lit up the road ahead. Awesome. It was a crappy night too, the BMW took almost all the 5 litres of screenwash when we stopped on the Edinburgh bypass. The lights helped the trip be a very relaxing one.

Not bad for a 3.0 turbo petrol ..


Sitting on the driveway the next morning:



First wash:





A better look at Citrin Black Individual:

[russellh]

Very nice! Love the interior.

[d4springer]

Excellent read! Both cars look great! I see you managed to avoid driving through most of Fife (my neck of the woods) and therefore reduced the overall muck coverage by 50 percent! (too many tractors about this time of year)

[CazuaLLUK]

Stunning cars man!

[scotgc]

Great read - car looks fantastic!
Bet the worst part of the journey was through Dundee.... bloody speed camera city.

[73henny]

Nice write up, and congrats on the new car.

[225]

Originally Posted by TheFifthElement

Firstly, apologies for the long post, if you don't like a long read with a few pictures along the way then stop right here!

Following on from this thread - http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1325819 the time came to make the long trip from Aberdeen to Stamford to pick up my 335i.

I first saw the car online at SJames Prestige, an independent dealer (all makes really) and after the usual negotiations over the trade in price for my Boxster S, APR for loans etc. a deal was done early last week.

I had a private plate on my car, so had to wait for the replacement V5 to appear, but once that appeared I made plans to do the almost 900 mile round trip to pick up my new car. This isnt the furthest Ive travelled. Im based in Aberdeen and have been to Norfolk before (TT), Farnborough (JCW Mini) etc. If its the right car and deal, Im happy to make a round trip.

I booked the Travelodge in Gratham South Witham for Wednesday night, with the plan to leave work around 4 on the Wednesday, pick up my Dad in Arbroath (an hour south) and then continue on the route proposed by the nav on my phone, arriving at the Travelodge hopefully around 1 in the morning. I had an appointment to pick up my car at 9 on Thursday morning, and then begin the long trip back up, and I hoped to be home by around 7 p.m.

Wednesday night - The trip down:

A good start, I managed to get away from work at 4 on the dot. The Porsche was parked in a multi-story 5 mins away and I had of a tank, plenty to get me a fair way down the road. Sky was clear, not too cold so no frost on the road and I made good time to pick up my dad in Arbroath. A Quick cup of coffee, and we were on our way.

I think my Dad (hes 72) was a bit apprehensive about sitting in the Porsche for hours on end. His fears were allayed quite quickly though, although the Porsche is most definitely a sports car, and doesnt have PASM, its actually reasonable comfortable. The PDK is effortless when doing distance, and with BOSE and heated seats its a nice place to be. The only downside being it wasnt optioned with the best of headlights, no Xenons or LEDs, just good old halogens. I was hoping for a dry clear night, and not the usual mix of rain and mist where visibility isnt great.



So began hours on end of sitting in 7th around 75 mph, Glasgow came and went and we continued down the M74 towards Carlisle, onto Penrith and through a combination of misreading the nav (and Google maps suggesting a quicker route) we end up on the M6 (and not the A1M). No big deal though and we keep heading down past Kendal, Lancaster and eventually stop for a break at a services somewhere near Preston around 9 pm. A quick McDonalds, coffee and fill up the car. Still a fair way to go, but with the Porsche doing around 30 mpg, thats the last stop well have to make for fuel.



The rest of the way is pretty much a blur, plenty caffeine, some pro-plus to keep the eyes open and a steady 75 ish all the way down on motorways, a-roads etc.

This is where the Boxster is in its element, the sharp throttle response; PDK is lightening quick, keep it above 3.5k and it really howls beautifully. If the majority of my driving was like this, and I used the car more than 2 days a week, it would have probably stayed with me. Thankfully the weather stayed clear.

We eventually make it to Grantham South Witham around 1. Check in to the Travelodge and off to bed for an 8 am start. Dont feel too bad for almost 9 hours in a car.

Not bad mpg for a 3.4 naturally aspirated petrol ..


Thursday pick up day, and run home

Stamford is only another 15 miles or so down the road but Thursday gets off to a bad start. I get a phone call from the garage to tell me the trader that is buying my car (theyve sold it already) isnt going to appear at the garage until 11:30-12. Hes clearing the finance on the Porsche. So the 8 a.m. alarm clock wasnt worthwhile, however we decide to head into Stamford for some breakfast.



After a full English and some porridge (its going to be a long day so fill up!) its no problem to head to the garage early. That way we can get a good look around the BMW to see if it is as described and have a poke around, familiarise myself with the iDrive, connect my phone etc.

It takes us a little while to find the dealers, hidden off a side street, and ideally we wanted to give the Porsche a jet wash before arriving. Its a habit my Dad and I have had for years, we always like to hand over our cars clean and hoovered. They get well looked after when they are in our possession, so it would be a shame to hand them over filthy and full of junk. However we could only find an automated car wash so we park it up outside. I dont think its ever been as dirty!



Were met by the guys at SJames Prestige, apologise for the state of the car, and its quickly whisked off for a quick hand wash. While the Porsche is away we get out first glimpse of the BMW.



Its as described, and after a really good look inside and out I can only find 3 minor marks. The front bumper on the LHS has been grounded at some point, so theres a bit of rough paint underneath. The offside drivers alloy has a minor chip in the middle of a spoke. Inside theres a very small mark on the drivers doon bin where your feet would catch it on the way out. Hey, its 3 years old and has done 32K so its it very very good condition for its age. The white leather has worn well but could do with a brush up once I get home.

The Porsche appears all clean, and is driven in to the showroom. We all agree that its nice to see a car in Guards red, and the SJames guys are amazed at the condition of my old car. It really is immaculate, and I have a wee wobble, maybe should have kept it !



After sorting out finance, road tax etc. we finally get back on the road around 12. This time the BMW nav show it will take us up the A1/M up through Durham, Newcastle and then over towards Jedburgh and Galashields into the back of Edinburgh, then its roads I am more familiar with Perth-Dundee , a quick stop to drop my Dad off in Arbroath and then the final hour back into Aberdeen. Im hoping to be home around 9 pm.

Its a great route to get to know the BMW, dull motorway stuff, A-road and B-road stuff and I can take the coast road from Arbroath to Aberdeen which will give me an idea whats its like when I want to have some fun.
So thats basically the next 9 hours. The BMW didnt put a foot wrong. It basically ate 450 miles. Its quick, comfortable and an idea long distance cruiser.

First impressions, its quiet, seriously quiet. I loved the howl of the Porsche with the GT carnewal exhaust. This thing will need an exhaust at some point.

Throttle response is ok (even in comfort) and much better in sport.
My main worry was the steering as the Porsche was hydraulic and quite frankly brilliant. My previous S3 was terrible, either too light or too heavy with no feel at all. Thankfully the BMW is somewhere in between. Its actually quite nice.

Suspension is comfortable but on a few A-roads theres not too much roll or wallow. Again, its no sport car, but its pretty good for a heavy saloon. I can actually feel whats going on, again unlike the S3.

Engine, its quick but disguises its speed as its so quiet. Theres no thrilling crescendo though and it tails off higher up the rev range. You can make effortless progress keeping it under 4k, thats just where the Porsche was coming alive. Both cars nailed, I think the Boxster would have it. On give and take roads the low down torque of the BMW would be hard to beat.

Surprise of the trip, the adaptive lights. Not an option I would have considered in the past. They are brilliant. Quite mesmerising when they do the whole light show, and when it got dark around 4 oclock on the roads towards Edinburgh I was amazed how well they lit up the road ahead. Awesome. It was a crappy night too, the BMW took almost all the 5 litres of screenwash when we stopped on the Edinburgh bypass. The lights helped the trip be a very relaxing one.

Not bad for a 3.0 turbo petrol ..


Sitting on the driveway the next morning:



First wash:





A better look at Citrin Black Individual:

Lovely car (s)!
Is it just the camera angle or is there quite a large wheel arch gap in the porker?

[DarrenL_007]

Great write up. Love the individual leather.

[Mr Burt]

Thank you for taking the time to write that review, really enjoyed it.
Great looking motor, but please look after those wheels, great looking but pigs to keep clean and in good nic.

[matt@stratford]

Love the look of both cars. prefer the look of the instrument cluster on the porker

[....,,,,..,,..]

Excellent write up, one of the most readable we have had on here TBH.

Lovely Porsche and yes must have been tough to give up.

The lights are excellent, really make a long night drive pass easily.

Very used to the trip you did, wife is from Aberdeen and lived just south of Stamford, great since they removed the roundabouts from A1, however it's still a long bloody trip lol.

[isleaiw1]

Thanks for the story, really good read. You referenced in passing in the story but any real reason why you traded the Boxster?

I used to drive Aberdeen to Chesterfield a fair bit with work..... Long way whichever route you take. I used to go A66 from Scotch Corner to Penrith and up the M74 as I hated the route north of Newcastle - but I was invariably in a Volvo that didnt like corners!

[TheFifthElement]

@[225] yes the Boxster had a pretty big wheel gap no PASM which makes a difference. I did think about dropping it with some new springs but the handling was so good I didn't want to spoil it (or say goodbye to the Porsche warranty).

@[isleaiw1] There were a few reasons I traded the Boxster. I'm a serial car changer, can never seem to settle on one car and get bored easily. I walk to work most days and I had thought I would use the Boxster at weekends more, but never seem to have the time or I have my daughter for the weekend (and the wife has a stupid dog). That and the fact it was costing me an amount per month I considered too much for a car that hardly moved.

I'm really enjoying it so far, but it's SOOOOOO quiet. I parked up in the multi story today, wound the windows down and gave it a few revs in neutral in Sport. So it does sound ok, and you get a few pops and burbles. However with the windows up, and even when giving it the beans you can't hear any of that even the wife's 208 GTi sounds better on the inside ..

[MashinBenzin]

Great write-up, I really enjoyed reading it.

A very nice way to change cars too - memorable last journey and first journey in each motor

[Rukka]

Excellent write-up. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and congrats on the new car.

Nice to see the individual leather holding up well.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by TheFifthElement

@[isleaiw1] There were a few reasons I traded the Boxster. I'm a serial car changer, can never seem to settle on one car and get bored easily. I walk to work most days and I had thought I would use the Boxster at weekends more, but never seem to have the time or I have my daughter for the weekend (and the wife has a stupid dog). That and the fact it was costing me an amount per month I considered too much for a car that hardly moved.

Cheers. I am looking for a sporty car for weekend use after my house purchase finally goes through (have a car for dogs and kids / grandkid!) but one of my concerns is it just wont get used enough.... I am pretty certain it needs 2+2 seating to give me a fighting chance of using it enough but even then I worry I will notice the payments more than the fun of the car!

[Skello]

I love these threads, it's like reading a road novel. Lovely car, colour is beautiful, enjoy

[kzg1969]

I did something very similar last weekend Aberdeen - Sheffield to pick up a 335d.

Enjoy that new motor of yours!

[dopper99]

An interesting read of your journey! Congrats on your new car.

[simon.]

Nice cars OP & thanks for posting up the trip report

[TheFifthElement]

Originally Posted by kzg1969

I did something very similar last weekend Aberdeen - Sheffield to pick up a 335d.

Enjoy that new motor of yours!

Same goes for you fella, enjoy the 335d .. it's probably what I would have gone for if I did more than 5,000 miles a year

[Hoppy_70]

Great write up, i do think citrine black may make my favourites list!

I love a good car adventure and once flew to Aberdeen to buy a Range Rover. Took me 8 hours to drive it home! That place isn't near anything but the sea