Ended up driving the 740i over the 911 for the 8 hour drive - results!

["Stephen Robinson" <stever@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well, thanks for all the great posts!  I ended up making my decision at
630am for comfort over handling, so I drove my 95 740i (instead of the 88
911 Carrera) from Wash DC to Pittsburgh today - taking the car on it's
first 8 hour trip.  I was surprised to get 23.5 mpg as a total average,
including bumper to bumper traffic at 430pm in Pittsburgh on 376 East on
the way home (lasted 30 minutes!).  I've averaged 15.6 miles per gallon
since buying the car 6 months ago (mostly city!).  My driving impressions
were - I was surprised how speedy this car is, how comfortable it was after
4 hours, how scary the Pennsylvania turnpike is (especially the 30 miles
after Breezewood with miles and miles of one lane road construction).  The
car felt great, although it seemed a little unwieldy (is that a word) on
the intense twisties and turns while going 75-80 mph, but I was probably
going too fast at those times.  I would pass trucks like they were standing
still on the uphill grades.  This car has incredible pickup for a behemoth.
 I think I understand the Porsche 911 Turbo ad alot better now - "Kills
Bugs Fast", as my entire windshield was covered, coated, completed in bugs,
bugs, and more bugs.  I used the cruise control for the first time and boy
is that sweet - especially the part on the steering wheel where you press
the + or - to go 1 mph faster or slower, depending on what the conditions
called for.  These engineers were really at the top of their game when they
designed these cars.  The only thing I pine away for now is the M7 (the
740i Sport!!!).  Saw an anthracite grey one at the dealer last month and
...whew.  I think I might have wet myself.  I looked at the new 2000 model
year S430 Mercedes the other day - they're nice, real nice, but for $5000
less you could have the 740i Sport.  It's nice not to have it all - now I
have something to look forward to when they become a 2 or 3 year old used
car.
Smiling in Silver Spring, Md
Steve Robinson
1995 740i (with a million dead bugs on the windshield and front)
1988 911

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