[Inline_Six]

Something to cheer you addicts up:

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by elincali

(I worked for a shipping line for years so you can imagine the overkill of those puns)

Was it the one that has a presence in Oakland - APL ? I interned with them for a few days many years ago.

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by 1ChrisRuck

I'm also tracking my car

Another pun for ya !

[Inline_Six]

Close

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Now I'm getting excited ... for real

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Yo baxley,

[baxley]

Originally Posted by InlineSixTwinScroll

Yo baxley,

SO CLOSE!

[Inline_Six]

She has slowed down to 11.4 kts and changed her heading, to head towards San Diego !

Approx 20 miles from San Diego currently ... I'd say ETA around 4 am.

[baxley]

Feels as though it moved much further today than any other day, perhaps it's a relativity thing...

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by baxley

Feels as though it moved much further today than any other day, perhaps it's a relativity thing...

Yeah, I think it might be because we've zoomed in quite a bit on the maps today, so progress is more noticeable.

[Inline_Six]

She's in American waters ! Almost there, y'all !

[Inline_Six]

Captured on San Diego's live cam ! That's her ! (webcam timestamp is behind one hour, because of the time change - "spring forward"). Honest to God, this was just by an enormous stroke of luck. I just Googled "San Diego live cam", came across this site, opened the page, and there she was !

We should see better/clearer images in the sunlight. Go to http://www.sundiegolive.com/

[Inline_Six]

A couple more shots ... it's the Metis Leader, confirmed ! See where it says "NYKLine" in one of these pics.

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Looks like she has docked ? Check out the traffic

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by elincali

Yes, yes, the Autobahn with no speed limit! Don't let my choice of a 228 fool you. In my heart I wanted the M235 but decided I didn't really need it. 15 years ago it would have been a different story, no doubt. The other reason is I had an old 911 for years--it wasn't modified but it stilled seemed very fast to me The top end was higher, but it wasn't as fast 0-60 as the 228 is, so I figured that would be fast enough.

...and then on the other end of the spectrum was the diesel rabbit I once had. 0-60 in a stupefying 22 seconds.

I admire your self-restraint in deciding against the M235i ... seriously. It is SO easy to decide you "need" the better performance and sign a piece of paper and a check, esp. when you know you have the money for the more expensive car. It takes serious self-restraint to decide against it. So, I applaud you on that !

And, by the way, there is a thread on here about 228i vs M235i. It was such a heated discussion that people started attacking each other and a moderator had to step in to restore harmony ! Anyway, what I gathered there, from 228i owners, was that the performance of the 228i is more than sufficient for driving enjoyment, and, in fact, some felt that, for the chassis of the 2 series, the 228i engine provides just the *right* amount of power. They feel that the M235i engine may be overkill for the chassis. That particular point can be debated, but what I got out of it was - the 228i is a very enjoyable car to drive, providing more than sufficient driving pleasure. Add to that the fact that you live in sunny California and your car can be driven without a roof, and a $5k to $15k savings, heck, it's a pretty wise choice !

I was faced with a similar predicament when having to make my decision. Truth be told, a year ago, I would never have dreamed of spending $50k on a car, when there are $25k cars, these days, that provide more than "enough" fun and all the tech goodies n such. But, I decided that I wanted to reward myself, for having worked inhumanly hard all those years through college and in the workforce, and for having reached a point of financial security and stability. I decided that fun cannot be put a price on.

I'm stepping up from a 2013 VW GLI Autobahn, the engine of which, produces 200 hp and 208 lb-ft of torque. So, the 228i would not be a HUGE step up for me in terms of just power.

And, given the 228i vs M235i decision, my logic was - if I'm gonna spend a lot more than I would normally spend on any car, I might as well ensure that I get complete satisfaction out of my purchase, with no regrets or ifs and buts. And, when I compared my 228i build vs the M235i build on the BMW website's car builder, it came down to a choice between spending $47k (228i loaded the way I would want it) and $52k (M235i the way I want it). 47k and partial satisfaction (for ME) vs 52k and complete satisfaction ? Haha, easiest decision I ever made.

So, yeah, this M235i, for me, is a reward from myself I cannot tell you how much I look forward to road trips in this thing !!!

[TBro2002]

What vehicles get dropped off in San Diego from Europe? Is there a VPC there?

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by TBro2002

What vehicles get dropped off in San Diego from Europe? Is there a VPC there?

Good question. Not sure

[Supernaut]

Woohoo, landfall! I had to show my wife these last posts to prove I am not the only nutcase on here. San Diego has a park right behind where the Metis Leader is moored. You can watch the cars come off the boat. Anyone know what offloads here?

[Supernaut]

Originally Posted by TBro2002

What vehicles get dropped off in San Diego from Europe? Is there a VPC there?

Since we're all thinking along the same lines: as of 2007 - Acura, Audi, Bentley, General Motors, Hino, Honda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso, Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW. I assume all BMWs for SoCal come off at Port Hueneme now, right?

From the BNSF railway site about the port: Current import automotive customers:
Acura, Audi, Bentley, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Lamborghini, Lotus, Mazda, Mitsubishi Fuso, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

Current export automotive customers:
Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors

[ellincali]

Originally Posted by InlineSixTwinScroll

Was it the one that has a presence in Oakland - APL ? I interned with them for a few days many years ago.

No, I worked for Matson, who was in SF for many years but moved to Oakland in 2004, very near APL. There are lots of former APL people at Matson, though, including Matson's president.)

A few days only? You made up your mind fast it wasn't the place for you!

[ellincali]

Originally Posted by InlineSixTwinScroll

I admire your self-restraint in deciding against the M235i ... seriously. It is SO easy to decide you "need" the better performance and sign a piece of paper and a check, esp. when you know you have the money for the more expensive car. It takes serious self-restraint to decide against it. So, I applaud you on that !

And, by the way, there is a thread on here about 228i vs M235i. It was such a heated discussion that people started attacking each other and a moderator had to step in to restore harmony ! Anyway, what I gathered there, from 228i owners, was that the performance of the 228i is more than sufficient for driving enjoyment, and, in fact, some felt that, for the chassis of the 2 series, the 228i engine provides just the *right* amount of power. They feel that the M235i engine may be overkill for the chassis. That particular point can be debated, but what I got out of it was - the 228i is a very enjoyable car to drive, providing more than sufficient driving pleasure. Add to that the fact that you live in sunny California and your car can be driven without a roof, and a $5k to $15k savings, heck, it's a pretty wise choice !

I was faced with a similar predicament when having to make my decision. Truth be told, a year ago, I would never have dreamed of spending $50k on a car, when there are $25k cars, these days, that provide more than "enough" fun and all the tech goodies n such. But, I decided that I wanted to reward myself, for having worked inhumanly hard all those years through college and in the workforce, and for having reached a point of financial security and stability. I decided that fun cannot be put a price on.

I'm stepping up from a 2013 VW GLI Autobahn, the engine of which, produces 200 hp and 208 lb-ft of torque. So, the 228i would not be a HUGE step up for me in terms of just power.

And, given the 228i vs M235i decision, my logic was - if I'm gonna spend a lot more than I would normally spend on any car, I might as well ensure that I get complete satisfaction out of my purchase, with no regrets or ifs and buts. And, when I compared my 228i build vs the M235i build on the BMW website's car builder, it came down to a choice between spending $47k (228i loaded the way I would want it) and $52k (M235i the way I want it). 47k and partial satisfaction (for ME) vs 52k and complete satisfaction ? Haha, easiest decision I ever made.

So, yeah, this M235i, for me, is a reward from myself I cannot tell you how much I look forward to road trips in this thing !!!

I'm looking at the time of your posts--did you stay up all night watching progress?! That's dedication!

I appreciate the logic that took you to M235, especially the part about the hard work and the reward to yourself. I'm onboard (haha...another vessel pun) with that. There's a balance between saving and spending and if you work your butt off you need something to balance that, too.

Maybe I would have ordered the M235, too, if I'd read your post BEFORE ordering my car. The Estoril Blue with oyster seats in a convertible look gorgeous.

You might not admire my self-restraint if you knew where I started with this. This is primarily a commute car for me--50 miles/day and we drive the X3 on weekends. I was seriously considering something very inexpensive and practical...like along the lines of a Kia Soul, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I thought a VW GTI (had one years ago), then moved to a VW Beetle convertible. I took a big leap one night after getting fed up with traffic and was considering the i3 just to get into the HOV lane. The limited range made me nervous, but now I've already spend >$40K in my mind so I considered the X1, then the 228 coupe, finally landing on the 228 convertible. I more than doubled my original intended purchase price. Oops.

There were many others considered; I won't bore you with it, but you get the idea. Since I do tend to get obsessed with cars, my poor husband has been suffering with this whole thing since November.

I've come across some of the 228 v 235 posts, which brought me to the realization that (in a forum like this, with people passionate about their cars), it's like talking about politics or religion--criticism is taken SO personally and is like insulting someone's mother.

(...and no wonder there's no hope for world peace when all the BMW enthusiasts can't even get along!)

I look forward to video posts once you get your car!

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by Supernaut

Since we're all thinking along the same lines: as of 2007 - Acura, Audi, Bentley, General Motors, Hino, Honda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso, Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW. I assume all BMWs for SoCal come off at Port Hueneme now, right?

From the BNSF railway site about the port: Current import automotive customers:
Acura, Audi, Bentley, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Lamborghini, Lotus, Mazda, Mitsubishi Fuso, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

Current export automotive customers:
Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors

I think I know which auto brands get offloaded in San Diego. I can think of two:
1 - IDontReallyCareWhichOnes Motors
2 - NotBMW Motors