Hey fellow 'festers -

I finally test-drove the 330i E90 today and placed my order! Very exciting, and a nice experience so far at Circle BMW, here in NJ.

I must admit that going in I was gung-ho on Monaco Blue as my color choice after studying the online pics here and the configurator on the BMW site, etc... Bear in mind, today was probably the most summer-like day of the year, with the sun shining brightly most of the day. Our CA took us out for the test drive in a TiAg 330i that online pix did not do justice to. Fell in love immediately.

Now I was conflicted. I was certain about the Monaco Blue for weeks while mulling over all the literature, and now I had a change of heart. Of course, I asked to see Monaco Blue version to make up my mind. When our CA took us around to the back lot, I nearly walked right past it because I thought it was black! There was a thin layer of pollen dust on the car which completely removed the sheen, and consequently any hint of blue-ness. I couldn't believe my eyes. I rubbed a few square inches of the dust off of the corner of the front bumper and suddenly there was no mistaking that the car was deep blue in that one little patch.

All I could think about was having to get real close with a detailer just to keep the car looking decent. I mean, I'm gonna be a nut about that to some degree anyway, but jeez, this was really bad.

So.. I went with the TiAg with no regrets. Won't get my production number until Monday and already I'm checking out the calendar 6 weeks from now!