: Let me cut to the chase. I love this car. I look for excuses to go out and drive this car. I went out last night and picked up Chinese food, instead of having it delivered, just so I could drive the car. She was fresh off her second wash and second coat of wax in the past week, high-gloss tire dressing, and she glowed in direct sunlight. Flawless.

: 323i, steel gray, black leatherette, step, moon, fogs, cd. Compared to the modded, all-available-option luxo-toys many of you drive, she's practically the quintessential Stripper-Bimmer (tm). And that's the way I wanted her.

: Took deliver June 1, 2000. 595 miles. Two fillups; first tank got 17mpg; second got 19.5 mpg. She's my daily driver for commuting into NYC.

: I'll go from the most superficial points to the most substantive points, as I see them.

: Color. It was a toss-up for me between the two "steels." I love the gray, I love the blue. Either would have come with black interior. She is stunning. Two waxings, found no paint flaws. I caught some dude in a 540i swivel his head like someone had smacked him, as I passed him in the opposite direction yesterday on the way home from the Chinese restaurant. Love that.

: Standard 15" dual-spoke wheels. Best looking stock rims you can get on the 3. Could stand to be a *little* larger, maybe 16", but the wheelwells still look like they're stuffed full of silver. And the ride quality is superb with the fatter rubber.

: Standard radio/cd. Mind you, I'm basically an AM/Imus/news kind of guy. Just wasn't going to spend extra $ on the HK so I could hear Don Imus louder and clearer. Although now that I have a cd, I find myself spinning discs more and more. I think the sound system is just fine. I pumped up the bass and treble levels to fill out the sound, and them 10 speakers do the job to my satisfaction. The Dixie Chicks were kicking some butt yesterday evening. Like I said, a.m. drivetime means Imus in the Morning for me, so take my opinion for what it's worth.

: I am now the self-appointed high priest of the Church of the Leatherette. (1) Dead ringer for leather, IMHO, (2) cleans up with a damp sponge and takes no stains, (3) saved me $1400, basically paying for the moonroof and fogs. If you just gotta have hides in your baby, then God bless you, but I'm a big fan of technology, and as far as I'm concerned this particular vinyl is modern technology at its most useful. I parked next to an E30 325 the other day, which had vinyl. This new stuff is light-years apart from the old shiny vinyl seats. Maybe this stuff will look like that in 10 years, but I'm not gonna have the car in 10 years....

: Steptronic. Takes a litle getting used to, but now that I'm getting the hang of it, I am very, very happy with the tranny. The standard auto mode is fine for smooth cruising and saving gas, but it leaves you with your revs too low much of the time, requiring you to kickdown to get good acceleration. Perfect for heavy traffic; not perfect for an empty twisty road. Using the step, you can hold your revs in the sweetspot. Oh, hell, no reason to be so technical. For an amateur like me, the Step is better than a manual. Faster and smoother shifts. You don't need to take your foot off the gas to shift. It really is the best of both worlds; an auto and a stick. I love it.

: Powerplant. 170 horses and 181 ftlbs is more than enough in the real world. Admit it. It's true. I mean, even with the tranny in normal auto mode, this car is perfectly adequate in the acceleration department. And using the step, my Princess is a pocket rocket. The thing is, unlike some larger engines with surplus power leaking away to nothingness, with the 2.5L you need to ask for the peak power; you need to know where to find it. Keep those revs above 3000, and she will pop the back of your head into the headrest.

: the problem is, for another 600 miles, there just ain't much room between 3000 and 4500...soon, baby, soon....

: And the most important thing about a bimmer - the handling. The Bavarian Princess is sublime. Rides on rails. And, I fully acknowledge, she must be somewhat limited by having the standard suspension and fat rubber. I personally wouldn't want to compromise the ride quality of my daily driver by getting the sport package or aftermarket springs etc., but I can only imagine how the performance-tuned 3ers handle if my little girl does her thing so well.

: I don't want to call it telepathic, because that's what everyone else says. Oh, alright, I'll be a lemming. The steering is telepathic. It's like I'm in the "zone" every time I'm behind the wheel. I'm sure DSC has something to do with that, since somewhere in the back of my head I know I have a safety net. And trust me, I don't really push anywhere near the limits. I wouldn't know a limit if it bit me in the ass. All I know is that I can take the circular onramp to the upper level of the George Washington Bridge about 15mph faster than in any other car I've ever driven.

: Silly. Ass. Grin.

: Get yourself one. The car, I mean. The grin will follow. I guarantee it.