[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Elk

Most common acknowledgements are when I am on one of the Ducati Superbikes. These can elicit a hardy wave.

Agreed! When I used to ride street, my Duc received a lot of attention. Now that it's a track/race bike.....

....it still receives a lot of attention because it's pretty.

[CLittle]

One car length is plenty of space depending on where you are. I would say slow 25 mph downtown traffic warrants a bigger gap since you never know when the car will park or pull into a driveway but if it's 55 mph and there's a nice caravan action, why leave space? Is a magical deer going to sprout out of the asphalt?

Here in irvine, bmws are like Honda civics so no one cares except I drive the speed limit in town and you get a lot of confused and angry tailgaters. Mostly Prius drivers actually.

Anyone notice that when you park your car and come back to it, there will usually be another bmw parked next to you?

[Elk]

Not surprising, where "BMWs are like Honda Civics."

[btbossman]

My BMW tends to do the insulting.

[puma1552]

Originally Posted by CLittle

One car length is plenty of space depending on where you are. I would say slow 25 mph downtown traffic warrants a bigger gap since you never know when the car will park or pull into a driveway but if it's 55 mph and there's a nice caravan action, why leave space? Is a magical deer going to sprout out of the asphalt?

Good luck with that, if you are one length off my ass at 55 You might piss me off enough not to just give you a polite touch of the brake pedal to make the lights come on but a real brake check where your heart jumps into your throat as your coffee spills all over your balls and scalds them for life.

Seriously, "why leave space?" You probably shouldn't have a license if you think its cool to ride people dangerously close at high speed. I'd hate to see the rock chips on your front end, but that will be the least of your worries when an animal does run out or the person in front of you does need to slam on their brakes for a legitimate reason.

[CLittle]

Originally Posted by puma1552

Good luck with that, if you are one length off my ass at 55 You might piss me off enough not to just give you a polite touch of the brake pedal to make the lights come on but a real brake check where your heart jumps into your throat as your coffee spills all over your balls and scalds them for life.

Seriously, "why leave space?" You probably shouldn't have a license if you think its cool to ride people dangerously close at high speed. I'd hate to see the rock chips on your front end, but that will be the least of your worries when an animal does run out or the person in front of you does need to slam on their brakes for a legitimate reason.

Please take into consideration that different parts of the US warrant different driving behaviors. Where I live, there are no large wild animals darting into the roadways and heavy traffic conditions has desensitized people to what others may consider as tailgating. To tailgate someone in SoCal, you have to get within a foot or two. Sorry if that bothers you.

[ny325]

Never. I've gotten compliments on the look, and condition of my car.

[rayg]

Originally Posted by CLittle

Please take into consideration that different parts of the US warrant different driving behaviors. Where I live, there are no large wild animals darting into the roadways and heavy traffic conditions has desensitized people to what others may consider as tailgating. To tailgate someone in SoCal, you have to get within a foot or two. Sorry if that bothers you.

If you're in anything other than normal traffic, riding behind a car at less than a car length is most definitely tailgating and is extremely annoying. I've done my fair share of commuting on the 405, I5, and in the Bay area and yeah you can't help it in traffic, but when the road is more or less clear, tailing a foot or two behind is completely absurd.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by travelbro

I drive like a nerd. Speed limit at all times. Slow on turning until it is 100% safe, I hold my door while exiting so it does not hit another car, signal lights while getting out of a parking spot, i never pass anyone... etc..

You are my kind of guy! The world would be a lot nicer if everyone drove like you. Let the nerds rule.

[EB_F30]

Originally Posted by pazzo

Sometimes, but the one that I enjoy the most...
My boss, when finding out I got a Beemer... "must be nice".

I said it is nice and I
a) save money to buy it cash
b) fortunate enough to have a wife that supports and encourages me to have fun
c) be relatively young to have already raised my children into productive adults, no more having to support the free loafers

Jealousy is a very ugly trait and he made his choices.

So yes it is nice. Very nice indeed.

Pretty much the same for me except I have little ones. I get comments here and there. I'm enlisted Military but I make decent money (been in 14 years). Anyway, I save and I am smart with my money.

[rich100]

Originally Posted by RichReg

You think that's bad?
Try driving right at the speed limit on a one lane road.....
...see how much respect that'll get you while behind the wheel. Seems to be O.k. for any other car,
but for some reason it necessitates tailgating when you're driving a BMW.

Unfortunately, you just can't win....

Experienced exactly this on two or three occasions. Not sure if it's the car, the colour or both that attract people to tailgate and drive like morons.

[Jackson743]

It's probably a NY thing. And, in the NY area maybe people think a BMW 3-Series = douche bag.

[drob23]

Anyone playing GTA5? It's funny how quickly the cars change around you depending on where you are in "Los Santos" lol.

[newoldbeemer]

In Cali Bay Area this thing is the new accord - everyone and their mom has one. Still, a couple of times people have overtaken me very fast showing a finger and stuff like that. Other than that, people just generally move over and make way when I accelerate.

The difference was obvious when I drove a rental ford focus for a couple of days. I was still trying to drive fast but no one would move over they way they would for my f30. And trucks/SUVs kept cutting me off in my focus.

[F32]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

In Cali Bay Area this thing is the new accord - everyone and their mom has one.

Yep...I bought my mom one. LOL

[///SAL]

I get the everyday!! Ppl sometimes dont know how to drive, i ask myself do ppl sometimes get their license in a cereal box?. I love the ones when they got a 4inch tail pipe making so much noise but not pushing more than 200hp those are the best. Im not gonna lie i speed every moment i can i didnt modded my car to drive at the speed limit lol. I piss ppl off then i speed off and will have a good tag game

[Benstuck]

Down here in Houston, it's all these idiots with there jacked-up trucks. They drive like they own the road, love to tailgate me, rev their engine at me, etc. It's not wise to generalize, but a a good majority of these guys are dicks.

[Presario]

Maybe it's that pointless blue bmw drivers are the rudest article that was circulating a little while ago. "Oh, there goes a blue BMW!" Insert the bird here.

[sparc]

My wife believes that people get in front of her and drive slower on purpose while the lane they were previously in is clear.

[vader1]

Still waiting for mine to get to the dealer from ED so I have no US experience yet BUT...........

I usually have a sports car and a daily driver. When I am in the sports car, people around me seem to behave differently. I get soccer moms who want to race from a stop light and cut me off and some guys who have the pickups like to try to show you how fast their trucks are and tailgate. I virtually never get that when I am in the daily. I had a wagon that people pretty much don't notice you, in the sports car I don't know if it is jealousy that they don't have a toy or what but people can act like dicks. I try not to mess with people, or tailgate. Pass people in the sports car, they speed up and ride your butt and then try to pass you back. Pass them in the wagon, nothing happens.

I also have a maxi-scooter. Yes the epitome of dorkiness. Was on it once passing by a bar in a strip mall and a chubby woman shabbily dressed hopped on a Harley. She chased me down and ended up next to me at the stoplight. She yells to me "Why don't you get rid of that foreign piece of sh*t and get a REAL BIKE!"

I flipped up my helmet and said, "I considered a Harley but don't like the kind of classless whores they attract."

That kind of stopped her in her tracks with her mouth agape. The light turned, she went right, and I giggled to myself through the intersection. Never would have said anything to her, but just take a shot at me out of nowhere and out comes the burn.

[mattu]

Originally Posted by StealYourFace

I drive an 8 yr old 330i with 130,000 miles on it. Granted, it's well kept and looks better than a lot of cars that are only 2 yr old, but people around here look at me like I'm a millionaire. I had a collegue at a meeting the other day see me in the parking lot... he got out of a new chevy truck and he made a comment like I must make a ton more money that him... I told him his truck was probably 15 grand more than my car he looked at me like I was nuts.

This is SO true. My favorite are the people who spend $40k on a new 4x4 truck so they can pull their fishing/speed boat, and then act like I'm a rich asshole for driving a BMW 3 series. My co-workers hang shit on me for driving BMWs, especially when I drive the E90. They all know I didn't buy them brand new, but that doesn't make any difference. One of them recently bought a new Fusion and said something to the effect "I can't afford a BMW like you"...I responded with the fact he spent nearly as much on his Fusion as I did on the CPO off-lease E90, and twice as much as I did on my ZHP.

On the road, I do occasionally seem to get cut off on purpose to make me slow down. The more common occurrence are people who are driving like 20mph over and get pissed at me because I'm only doing 9 over while passing in the left lane...I must say though, a fair share of those instances were driving BMWs themselves lol.

[Blubaron79]

I even light a guy merge in front of me last week. He then slams on his brakes, gives me the finger. I then proceed to pass him so he swerves into my lane. At a later stop light he catches up and starts yelling. I say: "I let you merge, what's the problem?" He says: "You think you're so cute in your baby BMW!" I then just kept waiving my hand to tell him to pass and put my window up. Luckily I was on Xanax and way too relaxed to be angry..