My g/f, son and I did the Komen event this year and had a great time. You schedule a time for the cars that you want to drive but when you are there you can put your name on a list to drive others. The people running the event are extremely nice, a real pleasure to deal with. No money is involved (except for BMW's donation).

I drove:

325i - step
325Ci - manual
X5 3.0
745i
330CiC - step

My g/f drove a Z3 manual.

Make sure you get to drive the 745i. I loved it. I'm really not sold on the look, but, the drive was great.

The event happened in the middle of the wait for my 325i. Thought it would help with the wait. Made it worse.

thanks, about the test drive itself, do you go out on the streets by yourself? or someone comes with you? how long do you have per drive? can you go on the freeway?

call the phone number listed on the invitation/website. The customer service people answering the phone can take a reservation for more than one car/time slot period. I believe online you can only register for 1. You can also register your girlfriend at the time, if she wants to sign up for a slot. The way it worked at my dealership (not sure if it's the same everywhere), you get the car with a 30min window. They provide a "prefered" route for you to go, but they don't care if you go your own way, as long as your back in a reasonable amount of time. I think the loop at my dealership last year was in the 10 mile range and was a nice mix of twisties, highway and stop/go.

JEC

mgs333 said:

thanks, about the test drive itself, do you go out on the streets by yourself? or someone comes with you? how long do you have per drive? can you go on the freeway?

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You are by yourself. :thumbup: Not sure if they have a requirement on the lenght of the drive. The event that I went to was about a 10 mile loop that included some Interstate as well as a little back road. A couple of interesting little curves, nothing to wild but fun none-the-less. They are VERY specific with the instruction to stay on the specified route.

We got there a few hours ahead of our scheduled time so we could drive more. The dealer had some food and drink there as well as a couple of the r/c X5's from the BMW catalogue for the kids. My son went nuts for that.

mgs333 said:

thanks, about the test drive itself, do you go out on the streets by yourself? or someone comes with you? how long do you have per drive? can you go on the freeway?

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Komen Drive for the cure

I drove for the cure about a month ago with a friend of mine. We drove a 745, 330Cic(Step), X5, and Z3(manual). Actually, I took the manual out 3 times.

It was a GREAT experience - everything you would expect from BMW. The people there were very courteous and helpful. There was a cookout with free food and drinks.

If you want to drive a few different cars, I recommend going early in the day. My registration was for a 330Ci at 11am but i got there at 10 and was able to drive all the other vehicles too. It got kind of busy around 11:30. It's kind of like an amusement park. When you get there early you have free reign and can ride the rides over and over again without waiting in line!

My trek in the city was an 8.2 mile stretch which had a good variety of conditions. They give you a map with turn by turn instructions. I think it's more so you don't get lost than it is to limit your driving experience. Also, they like to be able to know how long you'll be gone so they can keep the event running smoothly and not have people wait too long to drive.

I hope you have a blast!

Agree, get there early and have your pick of the litter.
The drive at Irvine BMW was towards Laguna Beach, but skirted the edge of Liesure (seizure) World. There is no fee or donation involved and you drive alone (unless you bring someone). They didn't even try to sell me a car afterwards. We were admonished to stay on the approved path, but who was checking?

We test drove a Z3 with the top down and as we left the parking lot "Who Are You?" just started on the radio. Talk about karma.

Don't forget to sign the car they give away.