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Performance Delivery
I am thinking about doing the Performance Delivery in Spartanburg, SC. I live in DC. Is the long drive bad for the break in period?
For those that did it, is it worth it? Is it the same as the Autocross driving event at the Ultimate Driving Event that BMW puts on?
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Quote: I am thinking about doing the Performance Delivery in Spartanburg, SC. I live in DC. Is the long drive bad for the break in period?
For those that did it, is it worth it? Is it the same as the Autocross driving event at the Ultimate Driving Event that BMW puts on? | ok, this is kinda long...
i live in northern virginia, but bought my car from a dealer in new york, so instead of trekking up to ny to buy it, i decided to take advantage of the performance center delivery. i have to say, i had a great experience, and if i were buying another bmw, would probably do it again if i couldn't do european delivery.
on the morning of delivery day, the shuttle bus drove a small group of us from the hotel to the spartanburg plant. you can imagine my delight when i saw my car in the glass enclosed delivery bay, top down, looking very very pretty! after a brief introduction of the day's activities, the group split up. i went to take delivery of my car, and the rest of the group went out to the various track activities.
taking delivery of my car first would prove to be a key factor in why i had such a great experience. while i was listening to the bmw rep talk about the features of my car, the rest of the group was out learning about bmw's handling, wet-braking, panic manouevers, and its traction control systems. they split their attention with the one driving instructor assigned to our group.
when it was time to swap places, i was the only one out on the track with the instructor, so i had him all to myself. he sensed that i was more of a driving enthusiast than the others, so he proceeded to teach me some racing techniques, which i thought was very cool! since he didn't have to hop in and out of the car to tend to other drivers, he spent a good amount of time teaching me all about how to visualize the turns, how to react, and what to look and feel for. also, the private tutoring session also allowed him to really criticize my driving, and how to correct it.
it's been a while, but i believe the various courses were a handling course, a braking-while-steering course, a wet road course, and a skidpad. through it all, the driving instructor was really good about telling me how the car was going to react, and of course, why bmw's systems are better than any others. i bought a convertible 330 5spd, but they put me in an automatic 325 convertible. still, it gave me a really good idea about how my car was going to perform in sort of extreme conditions. plus, the weather was beautiful, so i had the top down for a bit.
after the track session, the whole group got back together for lunch. when i went to sc, it was around the time the e46 m3's were just hitting the street, so the lot was filled with them. since i felt like i got a little personal with the instructor, i asked if i could take an m3 out for a quick spin during lunch. he said he wasn't allowed to let me, but he was willing to take me out on a hot lap while he drove. that was perfectly fine by me. halfway through lunch, i sorta looked at the instructor and he gave me the signal to head outside. he tore through the slalom course like a proper professional. maybe i shouldn't have taken that ride, because my 330cic was a little underwhelming after that! 
after lunch, some of the group took their cars and headed home, but a few of us stayed for the factory tour and museum. they basically give you the keys to a bmw, and you drive yourself down the street to the factory. going there i drove a 330ci, but coming back, i drove an m-coupe. the other option was an x5. the tour was interesting enough, especially seeing the x5 and z3 models destined for overseas. the museum was also cool, but i felt like they gave us way too much time at the museum. they came back for us a little bit later and we headed back to the delivery center.
at the very end, they gave us a small gift and sent us on our way. i had an 8 hour drive back to virginia in my new baby. i forget what time i left, but after the full day of activities, i arrived back in virginia around 11.00pm or so.
they say that for break-in, you'll want to vary engine speed, so i tried to do that as much as possible on the ride back, but overall, i don't think it's bad for break-in. plus, by the time you get it back, you'll be like 500 miles into the break-in! i haven't been to the ultimate driving event, but i'd have to say, if you have the option of doing performance center delivery, i say go for it. it's free, minus the plane ticket, a whole lot of fun, and you'll be done with enough time to make it back to d.c. at a reasonable hour.
at least that was my experience.
-james
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 I think I will do it. Thanks for the reply.
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Wow, sounds like you had a great time
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I live in Nothern Virginia too and I plan to do the Performance Center Delivery  in October  ! I am concerned about the break-in on the way back, but if I don't have the perfect break-in or even I poor break-in, life is still good. I don't plan on having the car for more than 10 years anyway. Thanks for the complete write-up.
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Is there any Performance Delivery in Canada?
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