What a Bimmer

Green. Yup, Oxford Green, to be exact. That was the color of the BMW 325i Executive Steptronic that I test drove recently.

As I gingerly settled on the driver’s seat, I thought to myself that green, too, (with envy, that is) would be the color on the faces of my friends when they see me in this Bimmer.

I called a friend and asked her if she wanted to join me as I test drove this beauty of a car.

Just think – five-speed automatic transmission, top speed of 237 kph, three-liter engine (gas was a little cheaper when I got this test-drive baby). And Steptronic transmission, which allowed me to shift from manual to automatic without the need for a clutch. Neat.

"Can’t join you today," my test-drive friend tells me. "Too much to do at work. What a bummer, huh?"

There was no way I was going to let that turndown get me down.

I drove around Metro Manila for the day and took the car to as far as Caloocan, Manila, Makati, San Juan and anywhere else I could think of driving to. It bugged me no end that I could not floor the engine because of those damn stop lights, and of course the over-zealous traffic cops who watched as I sped by.

The interiors, let me tell you about them. Leather seats, sports steering wheel (for better grip) wrapped in leather, electric seat adjustment that remembers just where you left it before you got off the car, a perfect sound system which allows you to play your CDs over and over again without

anyone else in the car complaining. And, of course, an air-conditioning system that cools when it’s hot and then adjusts to a lower cool when the temperature outside cools down. Cool!

I got up early the next day, it being a weekend, and decided that I needed to take this baby out of town and test its capabilities. Tagaytay was my destination – not too far away and a drive down the South Super Highway could not be missed. "Don’t speed" was my mantra for the day. And since it was easy to do so with a car like this, I kept repeating this to myself as I listened and sang along with my CD.

I won’t tell you how far I pushed the speed limits on this Bimmer. But let me just say that the harder I floored It, the smoother the ride became.

I love the thrill of speed, and with this car, there’s no cause for fear because the braking system, with its anti-lock baking system, comes into play as soon as you step on them.

The trip to Tagaytay was fun. Overtaking the slower-moving vehicles was a breeze because, in spite of the size of the Bimmer, the acceleration on this matic was superb.

I drove and drove, stopping only when I needed to get to a toilet. That is what happens when a driver like me gets into the driver seat — I see nothing but road (also stress relief for me) – and eating and all other things that humans need to do in a day can be left behind.

As I sped around Batangas on my way back to Manila (making sure to take the long route), I cleared my mind of all the mess that’s normally up there, let myself go and let the car take over. I was not disappointed.

There was nothing about that green Bimmer that was a bummer (except perhaps the gas bill). But paying for that gas didn’t cause me gas pains because driving the car was sheer pleasure.

I got back to Manila not the least bit tired and decided to head for the grocery. Parking, mind you, was not a problem. Being not too tall, I thought I’d have a bit of a difficulty getting into a tight space. But I had none of that. The Bimmer fit into the space I backed into.

And steering, no sweat!

But of course, it was a BMW – I didn’t expect anything less.

Got the groceries my mom asked me to buy, loaded them into the wonderfully large trunk and then sped back home. I know, I know. You must think that I’m a driver from hell. Truth is, when you get into a Bimmer, you somewhat turn into that kind of a driver: Forgetting that yellow means slow down, not drive faster. And that red means stop. But I couldn’t help myself. For the three days that I had this Bimmer with me, it’s as if I was in a trance, focused on how speed and smooth driving were the name of the game.

On the last day of the test drive, I decided to let my rational mind do the driving. This time, I took it slow. I drove as far as Pampanga and kept within the speed limits. The North Diversion road has so many obstacles since it is being fixed. But the beauty of it all was that no matter what my speed, the bumps on the road felt like little rocks, nothing more.

It was a Certified Pre-Owned 2003 BMW 325i Executive that Prestige Cars Makati lent me for this test-drive. Prestige Cars, one of the authorized dealers of BMW in the Philippines, has a program where BMWs, which are not older than five years, can be certified for resale after passing a super strict list of requirements, according to Neil de los Santos, sales supervisor at Prestige Cars Makati.

"We make sure that the cars are in mint condition because sometimes brand is more important than new," says Maricar Parco, Prestige Cars vice president for marketing. "These BMWs come from customers who are normally looking to upgrade their BMWs and would like us to help them sell their other car."

At Prestige Cars, what is important is the brand of the car. And a BMW is a BMW. Prestige makes sure that every detail of the car is examined and looks into what details need to be addressed when it comes to the car.

Every BMW Pre-Owned Certified car, regardless of age, offers the same combination of reliability and driving experience that is to be expected from a Bimmer.

The Certified Pre-Owned BMWs go through a certification process which includes:

1) That the Pre-Owned BMW must pass one of the toughest tests designed by the car company. BMW-trained technicians subject each car to a comprehensive 100-point checklist, including a full road test, after which any mechanical faults are corrected using genuine parts. As a result, all factory-fitted equipment are in full working order. Paintwork and trim are restored to a standard appropriate to the vehicle’s age and mileage.

Every BMW Certified Pre-Owned warranty is covered by a minimum of 12 months or 20,000 kilometers. Yes, all BMW dealers honor this warranty.

An unmatched choice of BMW Certified Pre-owned Cars is available at Prestige Cars in Makati and other authorized BMW dealers.

‘Nuff said.

And when it comes to this BMW, brand is definitely more important than new.

What a Bimmer!