[Lynn_228i]

MmmTwo35, I really appreciate your input so much. Now I am thinking that I should add this feature.

I tested over 22 cars to be sure I wanted to stay with BMW since when I first tested the new BMW 228i car, I tested one with the sport suspension and the vinyl seats and I was not sitting high enough so I thought I would not like the 2.4" bigger car that is a little wider than my BMW 128i car.

I finally found two dealers with the BMW 228i with no sport line to test and the 10-way power seat and I love the car and nothing compares to the way the BMW 228i handles for me.

I tested the BMW 325XI but it was a little too big for me. I sat a little bit lower and I wished I was closer to the foot rest but it was still better than almost every other car I tested. The Toyota RAV4 SL AWD fully loaded was the only SUV that I could rest my foot on the floor with the power seat but I could not back into a space and it did not handle as well as my BMW so I am staying with BMW as I love the way the car helps me drive better with no blind spots and I feel confidence pulling in and out of tight spaces. I also love the folding powered mirrors for when I am parking or pulling into my garage that has to me is a tight fit as I do not judge as well as taller people.

When I first priced the car, I added almost everything to it, and the options sure made the price so high so I started to take off what I did not need.

But now I am questioning some items that I feel I need to add back on to make me feel safer and because I am offered these safety features which I am blessed to have offered on a small car. I sure wish there were side sensors offered on my car.

I do drive with the flow of traffic but I love the feature on the Garmin telling me how fast I am going and how fast I should be going that I use as well as looking around me to be sure I am not driving faster than anyone else or slower than everyone else or I will be hit in Northern NJ on the highway. I learned that if everyone else is doing 85 MPH, I better not be driving less than 80 MPH. I learned that if there is not a lot of drivers on the road and the fastest one is going 70 MPG on a 65 MPG highway, I prefer to stay at the speed limit as I do not want a ticket.

I had a terrible experience years ago buying a car too big for me (the MX6) and hitting the car next to me pulling out of a space. I had to have my neighbor pull the car out of the tight space for him as I hit his car twice. He could not believe I would buy a car that I could not see the side of the other car in the back. I ordered the car without the leather seat on the advice of a boyfriend not realizing it would not have the power seat that I need that I tested the car in. I had to take my losses and sell the car and then I leased a Honda Prelude that I loved so much.

I have learned to test a car several times for going around jug handles and curves to be sure I stay perfectly in the lines without much thought and for pulling in and out of tight spaces as well as seeing if I can parallel park in the car. I am very petite and I need to feel safe. I never had a problem with my BMW 128i and I love my car but wish it has a back-up camera so I do not have to ask others to help me out of tight parallel parking spaces when someone pulls up too close behind me. I have the rear sensors on my car but I must have a back-up camera in my next car.

I love the BMW 228i as it has the low windows like my car has now that when I am sitting up high, I see the sides of the cars next to me.

I tested the BMW X1 and I can't get close enough to the foot rest on the floor and I am sitting up not as high as I want to as the windows are high so I can't see the cars as well that are on the sides of me. Even the bigger 3-series was more comfortable for me than the BMW X1.