# Skiddy's ED Report



## mdsbuc (Mar 17, 2005)

joe321mrk said:


> That is a very impressive picture of the fog!


+1 And the one with the geraniums in the foreground is not bad either. Nice pics Skiddy. :thumbup:


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

Great thread....nice job Skiddy...love the photos.

I vote for London and Vancouver for great Indian food.:thumbup::thumbup:


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## The BoatMan (Apr 2, 2002)

Glad you enjoyed the Rosenvilla. The breakfast is very good there...they brought us mimosas, eggs to order and weisswurst in addition to what was out. Someone posted recently their room wasnt so nice and the lack of an elevator. I think the issue is that some of the rooms have been renovated and others have not. Anyway, we had a great time there. Enjoy the rest of your trip.


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## am_ver (Jul 12, 2005)

can we have some more pics please?!!


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

Skiddy said:


> We're off to Salzburg! ***8211; After a quick car wash, we set the GPS to avoid the Autobahn in order to take the scenic route. The trip took us a little over 2 hours and route took us through some idyllic small towns with traditional Austrian-style chalets and lush rolling green fields that reminded me of the California Cow ads for "Got milk?'. No cow porn unfortunately, or if it there was, it must have been by subscription only in the barn!
> 
> We finally arrived in Salzburg, driving through the city center on our way to the Rosenvilla Hotel, recommended by several others here, and I'd definitely add to that.
> While we were walking through the New Town, I caught sight of the rear end of one of the public buses. If you look closely at the photo you'll see that they apparently run on natural gas!
> ...


Apologies for the last post. Internet connection crapped out on us. The remaining photos were....

5 - The crappy weather over the Grossglockner
6 - The view from out hotel room in Lienz
7 - Salzburg's "natural gas" fart-o bus 
8 - The Rosenvilla Hotel's garden
9 - Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg

Finishing off Salzburg.... here's a few more...

1 - Some weird looking camouflage tree 
2 - Salzburg Alley Way
3 - Mr. Mozart
4 - A rare break in the clouds over the Grossglockner gives me a chance to snap the car. Still No top down photos yet... WTF :thumbdwn:


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## Bavar3 (Jun 19, 2007)

Great, please keep them rolling! Pictures sure add to the experience.


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

JSpira said:


> One question: are you dropping off on a weekend? (wondering why you went to Harms right after delivery)


Possibly after hours so we took the safe route and did the paperwork first


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## Alfred G (Apr 1, 2007)

Skiddy said:


> 4 - A rare break in the clouds over the Grossglockner gives me a chance to snap the car. Still No top down photos yet... WTF :thumbdwn:


Return to Munich! Here the weather forecast.


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## cvb (May 10, 2006)

Hey Skiddy,

I just got home (did not take my laptop on the trip and am about 1/3 of the way through my trip report). If you got to the ED pickup center at 8:30, we would have literally just missed each other (I was in the garage getting my walk thru until probably 9:15-9:30 ish). I saw your car in there I'm pretty sure!


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## turbonium (Jun 18, 2007)

I guess we missed you and cvb, tho I'm not sure how! Hope you're having fun...in Como now ourselves and loving it.


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## Kanuck (Feb 18, 2003)

Skiddy said:


> 1 - Some weird looking camouflage tree


I believe that is a plane tree. They are quite common in Europe. Leaves are similar to maple, but bark clearly is not. Are known as sycamore in N America.

This ends today's botany lesson.

Congrats on the car. Keep those pics coming!


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

cvb said:


> Hey Skiddy,
> 
> I just got home (did not take my laptop on the trip and am about 1/3 of the way through my trip report). If you got to the ED pickup center at 8:30, we would have literally just missed each other (I was in the garage getting my walk thru until probably 9:15-9:30 ish). I saw your car in there I'm pretty sure!


Yeah, I guess so. We got there a litlle later than I wanted to but the place was still fairly busy as we got called. Quite a few German locals in there to pick up their cars.

I hope you guys had a blast. We're in Tuscany now for four days so will get some great car shots taken and posted soon. Finally, the weather is being kind... almost too hot now.

We still have Cinque Terre, Cannes, Monte Carlo, and Lake Como/Milan to go


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

turbonium said:


> I guess we missed you and cvb, tho I'm not sure how! Hope you're having fun...in Como now ourselves and loving it.


Glad you're having fun. I enjoyed reading your Bimmerfest Book entry  Have fun in Como, it looks like we're following behind you as I believe you were in Tuscany also and We'll be in Como next weekend.

Cheers!


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## RoBMWED (Aug 3, 2007)

*Great BWM !*

 Skiddy, keep us green with envy.

Have fun, be safe - and take lots more pics and keep giving us spontaneous progress reports and insights about the trip !

Cheers


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

To continue the adventure, we wake up in the Parkhotel, Tristachersee, just a little outside Lienz to a stunning view over the lake (see previous post for photos). We pack the car up with our luggage and head off to fill it up for the first time…. Ouch… €58 and there was still a ¼ tank left.

By the way, you’ll be surprised just how much luggage you can pack into that convertible trunk. :thumbup: 

We head off through the Dolomites on route to Venice. The air was clean, clear and cool but a little too cold for the wife to take her top off… eh… I’m mean on the car 

As we head toward Venice the weather once again takes a turn for the worse as it clouds over and spots of rain start to fall. What is it with out trip and crappy weather?

Arriving in Venice, we head to the Tronchetto parking garage where we had reserved VIP parking although in all honesty they never asked for any confirmation. The guy was there to lead us in his little golf cart around to the VIP section which is right next to the ticket machines and the way to the vaparetto stop. We parked the car and they safely locked it behind large screens on wheels to prevent envious eyes even seeing the car. Given that the spaces were tight, we parked next to the wall and hoped that they wouldn’t squeeze another car in on the other side.

Venice itself was pretty much the tourist trap I expected but the whole point was to go there and "see it, do it". We stayed at the “La Calcina” pension right next to the Zattere vaparetto stop. Apparently, John Ruskin, the British art and social critic of his day stayed there at some point in time. A fairly small pension, but the rroms were reasonable and a 20 minute walk away from the main areas of St. Marks and Rialto.

We wandered around all afternoon and evening. Had some good food in the “Canaletto” made famous by the Sam Brown travel show.

Our Venice “drive-by” finished the next morning with breakfast on the floating terrace and then it was back to Tronchetto to pick up the car and head to Tuscany. Luckily, no other cars were parked beside us, so for the extra €5 for VIP parking, it was definitely worth the piece of mind.

1,2,3, A quick stop to allow the wife to get behind the wheel for the first time.


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## Bill-SD (Feb 18, 2002)

Sounds like you guys are having a great time! 

Funny you mention how much space you have in the vert trunk. After we picked up our coupe, we returned to the hotel for out bags. They fit fine in the E34 when we left the house, but I guess they were a little bigger than we thought :yikes: I was out in the rain cramming our bags into the trunk. I got soaked...but I got them in 

Enjoy the rest of your trip :thumbup:


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

Bill-SD said:


> Sounds like you guys are having a great time!
> 
> Funny you mention how much space you have in the vert trunk. After we picked up our coupe, we returned to the hotel for out bags. They fit fine in the E34 when we left the house, but I guess they were a little bigger than we thought :yikes: I was out in the rain cramming our bags into the trunk. I got soaked...but I got them in
> 
> Enjoy the rest of your trip :thumbup:


Thanks Bill.

Won't bother boring anyone with our drive from Venice to Tuscany, it was all Autostrade to make up as much time as possible. We're currently living it up just outside Siena and finally the weather has turned in our favor .

Will post some topless pics soon once I get her cleaned up a bit!!


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## Kanuck (Feb 18, 2003)

Skiddy said:


> Will post some topless pics soon once I get her cleaned up a bit!!


While we are waiting for the pics, we could easily spend the time posting witty responses to this remark. Who is first?


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## vmasaun (Jun 7, 2007)

Kanuck said:


> While we are waiting for the pics, we could easily spend the time posting witty responses to this remark. Who is first?


uhhh...huh...bathe her and bring her to me!


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

Currently enjoying ourselves in Tuscany right now. Here's a few more pics.

1,2,3 - Open Top Shots around Tuscany
4,5,6 - Our "pad" in Tuscany


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## cvb (May 10, 2006)

Very nice. On my next ED I will need to take a longer vacation.
My only solice is that I will get my car back home before you do


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

I thought I'd continue our ED trip report for you all despite the fact we're home now 

In my last post, we had basically driven from Venice down to Tuscany where we were settling in to a few days relaxation.

We based ourselves at the Castello di Serre, an exquisite boutique hotel/Castle perched at the very top of the small town, Serre di Rapolano, and around 30 minutes drive east of Siena. This would give us easy access to key areas of Tuscany we wanted to visit.

I can't praise this place highly enough. It wasn't cheap but was worth every Euro. The place was absolutely gorgeous. As we walked in we found ourselves turning in circles as we admired the beautiful view of the hilltop overlooking the Tuscany valleys. The castle buildings (some dating back to the 11th Century), swimming pool, terrace, and bar area certainly lived up to the rave reviews we read about. We stood in awe as the owners came to greet us and take us for a tour of the castle. This also exceeded our expectations as we were led through vast public rooms and narrow stairways, to the top of one of the castle buildings where our suite awaited us. For such a huge expanse of land, there are only about 15 rooms and we were lucky enough to be staying while there were only 3 other couples there. It almost felt like our own private resort and the owners continuously went out of their way to pamper us.

The next day was designated a "lazy day" with which we spent laying by the pool and did absolutely nothing! It was perfect and just what we needed after what seemed to be a lifetime of driving, not that I was complaining in anyway about our new ride.

Florence was our next port of call and the drive from our hotel took us about an hour. If you're going, I'd recommend you park at the Piazzale Michelangiolo. Parking is safe and free all day. It's effortless to get to and the views from the parking lot looking down and across the city are absolutely stunning. A short 10 minute walk takes you down into the heart of the city. Florence itself lived up to and exceeded our expectations.

The next day we meandered over to Montepulciano, another small hilltop Tuscan town where we visited the Piazza Grande, Cantina Redi (amazing underground wine cellars) and stopped in at the Poliziano, a traditional Italian Café. Here, we also bought some Pecorino cheese, made from sheep's milk which is made and much enjoyed here in Tuscany.

At this point we realized that we were fast approaching the end of our stay in Tuscany but felt somewhat surprised that time had gone so quickly. We clearly hadn't spent enough time here to relax and enjoy this immensely beautiful part of Italy. Our itinerary had us scheduled to head to Cinque Terre before branching out to the south of France (Cannes, Nice, Monaco).

This had always been a struggle for me in the planning of the trip as to whether this was just too much given the time we had. It didn't take us long to realize that we should skip the "France" leg and save it for another trip and really do it justice. Given our hotel was booked using points it was easy for us cancel those reservations and push out Cinque Terre by a few days. That's exactly what we did!

So, with an additional few days in Tuscany we used the time to visit and have dinner at friend of the Hotel owner's vineyard, visit Siena where we understand filming had just finished on what will be the start of the next James Bond movie based on Siena's "Il Palio" races. We topped off our stay with a beautiful drive around the Chianti Classico country (Radda, San Gimignano, etc.)

more to follow...

Photos:
1) Collage of photos from around Montepulciano/ Pienza
2) This sums up our time in Tuscany. Rows of Cypress Trees in Chianti Region 
3) Siena's Piazza del Campo
4) More Chianti Classico
5) Our 335 looking up to Montepulciano
6) The view from Piazzale Michelangiolo across Florence


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## cvb (May 10, 2006)

Awesome!


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

*Pisa and Cinque Terre*

With our week in Tuscany over, we resumed our plan to head to Cinque Terre with a rapid "drive-by" in Pisa to take in the Leaning Tower. If you're heading that way and don't plan staying long, there's little street toward the back end of the tower where you can get available parking while being very close to the Tower itself. We stumbled on this by accident but for €1.50 for an hour, it was all we needed.

Our drive to Cinque Terre was uneventful until we passed through La Spezia and got into more tight and twisty roads leading up the mountain side. Once up and over the top we found ourselves amidst a Mediterranean paradise of breathtaking views and fabulous, but narrow roads leading to the 5 towns.

We dropped down into Manarola, parked in the Car Park outside of town, and walked down to find our small hotel. The afternoon was spent exploring the town and walking along the pathways that linked the towns together. We didn't hike far though! That night we watched a spectacular sunset over the Mediterranean before heading for dinner and few more glasses of wine in a small pub&#8230; a perfect end to an evening.

More to follow.

Photos:

1) Collage of Pisa and Cinque Terre


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

*Como and Milan*

The next morning after breakfast, we continued to wind our way through the roads of Cinque Terre taking in more of "that scenery" before hitting the Autostrade toward Milan and onward towards Bellagio. Driving up the east side of the lake we were again met with narrow, twisty roads littered with bikers, cars, and motor homes. As each turn opened up more of the stunning lake views we found ourselves instinctively breathing in as each vehicle attempted to squeeze by us in the opposite direction. As if breathing in would somehow make our car narrower!

With the help of "Daniel", our Garmin Nuvi, we found our hotel 2-3 km just outside Bellagio, high up on the hillside overlooking Lake Como. Il Perlo Panarama was a basic and pleasant 2 Star hotel that suited our needs for a couple of nights but what a view from the terrace! After parking the car safely in the free and spacious parking lot we decided to walk down into the main part of town. That in itself was an adventure as we were instructed to walk down roads that were nothing more than grass/dirt tracks and boulders. I'm glad we didn't take the car down that route. Once we got to the "main road" we found we had to share those narrow roads with both sets of traffic, and being a Sunday, it was congested with day trippers. We gingerly navigated our way into the central part of Bellagio where we had a well deserved beer or two before exploring the town further. That night we ate dinner in Baga Yago where the pizza was great with good wine from Montepulciano, a place we visited back in Tuscany. Conveniently, the restaurant provided a free taxi ride back to our hotel.

One interesting event on the morning we were leaving Il Perlo was spying a White 335 convertible parked next to ours in the Car Park as we ate breakfast. Curiosity got the better of me and I went out to check it over. Low and behold, it was another ED! The owners turned out to be a couple from the Sacramento, CA area who were frequenters of E90post but not Bimmerfest&#8230; yet!

We left Bellagio and drove the short distance down to Como once again encountering narrow, twisting roads. Daniel, our GPS certainly had fun with us directing us down what must have been pedestrian only "roadways" in Central Como as we struggled to find our Hotel. Still, it was great way to show off the car despite the occasional "_what the hell are you doing here with that thing_" type of looks!

Eventually, we found our hotel, Albergo Del Duca. Strangely, having recently read Dolfstar's ED report, it appears that we not only shadowed much of his itinerary, but they also stayed at this hotel in Como. I can certainly second his comments about the hotel parking, the narrow gate and even tighter parking spaces in the back. Navigating your way in through that gate was like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded. Needless to say the hotel staff wasn't overly pleased at me not letting them park the car for me. I figured, if it's gonna get scratched, I'm going to do it myself! Still, for €5 per day, it was worth it to get it off the streets and out of sight. Anyway, it was great little hotel, very friendly staff who even made us breakfast at 5:30am on the morning we left for Munich.

While we were in Como we took the train from to Milan one day. There's not much I can say about Milan other than the Duomo is spectacular, the Shopping Center place was a nice to see but I'd sum it all up as "_Been there, done that_".

We also dipped into Switzerland one evening to visit some family members in Lugano. At the border crossing, we got stopped for Passports going in, and coming back to Italy later that evening, we got the full "_park over to right, passports, car documents, and vehicle search_" treatment. Fortunately, that was only time we ever encountered any interference in relation to the car itself.

Photos:
1) View from the Il Perlo Panarama Hotel
2) "Brother" and "Sister" side by side and only 100 apart on the Zoll Plates


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

*The Road Home*

I had previously posted looking for advice on whether the trip from Como to Munich was doable given that we had flight reservations that same evening. I wasn***8217;t overly concerned but decided we should get an early start anyways. After our quick and early breakfast at Del Duco, we left Como at 5:45am. We headed onto the Autostrade into Switzerland, through Liechtenstein, a quick dip into Austria again before hitting the German border. All in all, the drive was effortless and we completed our trip to the outskirts of Munich in about 5 hours where we took a longer stop for a more leisurely, late breakfast and a few liters of gas to get us to the Drop-off Center.

Munich greeted us with heavy rain so my planned exploits on the autobahn were curtailed somewhat due to weather and traffic. Still, I managed to get a taste of what she***8217;s capable of! Given we had made such good time, we thought of spending some time in Munich but the weather was so miserable we decided just to take the car to the Car Wash and then back to Thomas at MADA.

With the car all cleaned up and in perfect condition, we scavenged the front plate, first aid kit, toolkit, etc. and it was time to say goodbye and head for the airport. Again, due to the weather we just splurged on the taxi, whose driver was sitting in Thomas***8217; office when we arrived.

From Munich, we flew to London for an overnight stop before heading back to San Francisco, via JFK, the next day.

So, 1740 miles later with an impressive average of 23.7mpg our trip finally came to an end. All in all, it was both a memorable and trouble free trip, fortunately. The car performed beautifully, the flights were pretty much all on time, and our whole trip was deemed to be one of the best vacations we***8217;ve ever had.

So, what did I learn from doing ED? Here***8217;s my Top 12 in no particular order:

1. It truly was a unique experience and I***8217;ll probably never buy another new car off a Lot in the future.

2. At first, when I was ED ***8220;buy-curious***8221; I thought I wouldn***8217;t be able to handle the lack of ***8220;instant gratification***8221;. Despite the months of ***8220;foreplay***8221; it was well worth the wait.

3. Now that it***8217;s over, I***8217;ll need to ***8220;cuddle up***8221; to the ship tracking web sites before I can get my hands on it again***8230; it***8217;ll still be worth the wait!

4. Scan Bimmerfest for tips and tricks on everything you need to know. It***8217;s a wealth of information***8230; Thank You, Bimmerfest!

5. Plan ahead but don***8217;t over do it***8230; some of the excitement is in the unknown!

6. If you think you***8217;re travel plans are too aggressive, trust your instincts as they probably are. You need time to take it in and relax.

7. He who takes up the most space on narrow roads wins***8230; most of the time!

8. To get an Italian to slow down, drive a 335 convertible conservatively. As they pass you they will bestow you with admiring glances, or just plain old jealous glares 

9. Pray daily to the ***8220;door ding***8221; and ***8220;wheel rash***8221; Gods and they will prevail

10. GPS is a MUST but paper maps are pretty useful too for the bigger picture

11. $3.00+ a gallon isn***8217;t that bad after all!

12. German beer tastes better in Germany: Italian wine tastes better in Italy: McDonald's tastes crap in any country... and no, I didn't!

Photos:

1) ODO reading at the end
2) All cleaned and ready to come home albeit a little wet
3) Parked next to another lucky 335 convertible


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## joe321mrk (Jun 5, 2007)

Very nice! Great information. Now if we could just forget about it for a month or so.


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## Northcar (Sep 21, 2005)

Skiddy said:


> So, 1740 miles later with an impressive average of 23.7mpg our trip finally came to an end. All in all, it was both a memorable and trouble free trip, fortunately. The car performed beautifully, the flights were pretty much all on time, and our whole trip was deemed to be one of the best vacations we've ever had.
> 
> So, what did I learn from doing ED? Here's my Top 12 in no particular order:
> 
> ...


Great report. Loved the collages (wish I could flip the individual photos around to see the parts that were covered), and thanks for the insights on your ED experience.

We drove about half the miles on our July ED as you did and only went as far as Venice into Italy. I see we are going to have to explore more of the Italian countryside next time. Interestingly our miles per gallon computed 24 point something (within one mile per gallon of your reporting) with the same car (E93 335i) so looks like the EPA ratings are honest.

OH - as to the McDonalds they actually are better abroad and travelling with kids had no option but to try it out on a thankfully limited basis.

One of our ED meals (with the kids pictured) NOT at McDonalds:








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## Northcar (Sep 21, 2005)

*Same car, same mileage!*

Our wait finally came to an end. Pictured is the car on re-delivery day last week.








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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

Northcar said:


> Great report. Loved the collages (wish I could flip the individual photos around to see the parts that were covered), and thanks for the insights on your ED experience.


I'll post them separately for you in a bit as some of them aren't really done full justice in a collage. I was just trying save some space and be a little "artsy" at the same time.

Oh and Thanks for tips a few months back on the suitcases. We eventually went with Eagle Creek Tarmac ES 22 and stuffed them full. Still got everything in and the roof down to the surprise of many, including our CA!


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

*10 Year Thread Bump!*

10 Years later....

I still own this awesome car. 55,000 miles and it's still looks as good as the day I picked it up in Munich.

Overall, it's been pretty good on the wallet in terms of upkeep. Mostly new rubber and brakes. The biggest cost has been the dreaded valve head gasket replacements, of which I've 2 within the last 2 years 

Still... I hope all you new and seasoned Euro Delivery enthusiasts are enjoying the fun and anticipation.

Cheers,
Skiddy


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Wow.

I remember when your car was just a glimmer in your eye.


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

JSpira said:


> Wow.
> 
> I remember when your car was just a glimmer in your eye.


:thumbup:


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

JSpira said:


> Wow.
> 
> I remember when your car was just a glimmer in your eye.


Indeed. Not sure how those years slipped by so quickly but good to see some familiar names still around the forum.

I think it's time to get on this ED merry-go-round again


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## pawarrant (Jun 15, 2006)

Yes it is good to see familiar names. This forum has a cyclical lifespan for me. I've leased since 2003. I am usually on here on the final year of my lease looking at which car I should get next and planing my next ED. Once I take redelivery, I usually disappear again until the cycle starts over at the end of the second year of the lease.


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

Jon - good to hear from you. I still remember using my Garmin with your SD card .


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

chrischeung said:


> Jon - good to hear from you. I still remember using my Garmin with your SD card .


Indeed!


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## Skiddy (Apr 12, 2007)

chrischeung said:


> Jon - good to hear from you. I still remember using my Garmin with your SD card .


Ah yes... the good old days!


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