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Oh my god I lived...story

 
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New2theBMWs



Joined: 02 Apr 2003
Posts: 154
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:28 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

I was curious to hear your, oh my god I lived story about your e30. You know that time you went airborne and... I got an e30 story. I was doing 110mph on Route 1 in Maine, in the fog. Me and my two cousins, yea I know, that was stupid.. So anyways to get onto route 1 we take the costal connector which is straight for about a mile, enough time to go over 100mph. So we are flying and right about the time i see the Yellow caution 35mph sign my cousin says calm as could be
"uh-oh" I dont say a word, I just lay on the brakes. The turn is a gradual 45 degree turn with concrete barriers on each side, thank god. So im heading into the turn, way to fast i might add, trying to apply just enough brake pressure to lose it. It seems like we are gonna make it, when a bump in the road sends the back of my car whipping around. Some how, we are backwards traveling at still a very high speed, yet to hit anything. I scream out, I think we made it!! just then, the front tires which were turned and sliding, get grip. This sends the front of my 86 325e with the monster front bumper into the wall. It bounces off and the car finally stops. Well the cars that I passed like and a$$hole are all now coming up fast on this one way one lane ramp. The car stalled so I start i back up throw it in reverse and redline it down the rest of the ramp. When the ramp ends and it merges with Rt1 I flip the wheel and jam the breaks and the car spins around so its facing the right way, im yet to pull that stunt off again. When i got out i expected the damage to be far worse. The bumper was pushed up 6 inches, the fender was dented, and my alignment was a little off. When I got home i beat down the bumper with a sledge hammer and it looked pretty close to normal. The moral of this story, slow down you dumb kid..
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SaturdayNightBimmer



Joined: 15 Feb 2004
Posts: 443

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:35 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

quote:
Originally posted by New2theBMWs:
The moral of this story, slow down you dumb kid..


The last line is the smartest one. Lucky one or both of you weren't seriously injured or terminated, let alone hurting or killing others. Take the NASCAR driving to the track. The street is no place to showboat. Be glad you lived, and can still walk.
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board_nerd



Joined: 28 May 2002
Posts: 1015
Location: SE US

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 6:40 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

quote
Quote:
Lucky one or both of you weren't seriously injured or terminated, let alone hurting or killing others


Give him more time
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k1hb



Joined: 20 Nov 2002
Posts: 1239
Location: boston

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 7:17 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

What strikes me in this and every other "story" is not the last sentence, but the general underlying tone of triumphalism and spite at irresponsibility, culminating in "I have yet to do that again"; not quite mature prose.

This sounds more like a simulated AA meeting of barflies on the beach, or a quaker meeting.

Anybody who can look a kid in the eye after he has escaped the almost deadly one knows better: fear is what drives us and what limits us; it also humbles us. Shrinks call it anxiety, and treat it with drugs. Anxiety is the practical - or non intellectual - expression of wisdom.
Anybody treat charliehorses with psychotherapy?
Not much wisdom in the above.
But then, hey, I wasnt there to take the pulse.

No more phony showy sobstories puhlease!

Fred
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New2theBMWs



Joined: 02 Apr 2003
Posts: 154
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 7:30 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

That’s right, silly me, who am I to think that you have ever done anything stupid in your life. I am the first to admit that I am lucky to have not been injured in that accident. That being said, K1HB, why attempt to insult my intelligence? The post is not an attempt to impress you with my poor judgment; it was merely a chance to share stories in which we should have known better than to experience in the first place. I realize that you have children older than myself so this whole concept may be foreign to you. Furthermore Fred, if you don’t want to read the stories, ignore the post. Do you call your cable provider if there is a show on you don’t like or do you change the channel? Sorry, poor example since you’re an intellect. If the guy on NPR is arguing a ridiculous point, do you change the station or call in to complain that you shouldn’t have to hear it? I appreciate you input, and it definitely changes the “underlying tone” of the post. But with all that being said, what’s your story from your youthful days, which I am assuming you had…long ago. :>)
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Greenhornet84



Joined: 11 Nov 2003
Posts: 406
Location: Uper Darby PA

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:17 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

New2...
Simmer down. My kids are probably older than you too. But this board is mostly about fixing cars. So you get some purists'.
But it's also about sharing experiences. As in "Why isn't my car going faster? And the gut/gal will get 24 responses, spark plugs, valve gape, Vacuum lines etc.
Now you know these nifty little cars spin quite easily. What kind of tires are on the car and what shape are they in?
Biggest lessen learned should be: Large brakes and good tires.
Mark
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cogito



Joined: 04 Jul 2002
Posts: 294
Location: Oxford,OH

PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 8:30 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

What you consider "just doing something stupid" could have easily ended up with you being killed, or worse, killing or maiming someone else who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You said: "That’s right, silly me, who am I to think that you have ever done anything stupid in your life."

This "Rite of Passage" machismo bull**** is one of the key factors responsible for the high vehicular death rates among young men. The sense of "I'm young, therefore I'm supposed to do stupid stuff in order to find out it's stupid" is, well, stupid!

You also stated: The post is not an attempt to impress you with my poor judgment; it was merely a chance to share stories in which we should have known better than to experience in the first place.

The tone of your post is not the least bit contrite. It is full of braggadocio and swagger. "Look what we got away with!" Your "moral" was "slow down dumb kid"? I'm fairly certain that most readers here had figured out: 1.)you were a "kid", 2.) you needed to slow down and, 3.) that you were dumb for driving at what would be an excessive speed in any conditions, much less in the fog, all by the end of your third sentence.

The rest of your post is a sorry attempt at showing off what a hot-**** driver you must be to have saved yourself and your passenger.

I lost a dear friend to a stupid punk like you who was running over 100mph in a 55 zone, crested a hill, and ran into the back of my friend's car as he slowed to enter his street.

I refuse to laugh smugly along with you.

I hope Fred is right and your story is a complete fabrication. I also hope you come to your senses and realize there is no possible rationale for that sort of behavior.
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 12:03 am    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

OK, I'll chime in here also. I've done stupid things that I got away with. I wish I would have been smart enough, mature enough 20 years ago that I wouldn't have done it in the first place.

I've also done stupid stuff that I didn't get away with. Fortunately I was the only one hurt.
I was doing 30 in a 20 on my first K75 bike, saw the light was red, hit the front brake a little hard just as I crossed a manhole cover, locked up the front tire, down she went. Bike slid, I slid. Glad I had my heavy leather jacket, gloves, boots, jeans, full-helmet on. Dislocated shoulder and some scratches and a totaled bike was my penalty.
What did I do stupid? I was in a hurry, on a city street, with a lot of crap on it (potholes, manhole covers) and pissed at myself for running late, trying not to miss the ferry. (markf, yes, it happened right in front of Coleman Dock)

OK, BMW repair angle. After looking at the BMW bike, we all said 'total it', and I bought the '87 K100LT instead of spending a lot of time and money on my beloved first bike. Then I decided I didn't really care for the heavier 4cyl bike, and found a perfect '92 K75RT _with ABS_ to help prevent me from having an accident again where I lock up the brakes... all too easy on a bike.

My take on a useful purpose of this thread:
'Most all of us have done stupid things once in a while, if all the people that have done it already regret it, will one 16 year old who hasn't done it yet learn from our stories?'
I sincerely hope the answer is yes. It's one reason why I instruct at drivers schools with the local BMW club, to try and give folks better control of their cars. Just teaching them how fast they can really stop in a modern BMW, with ABS, is always a real eye-opener for the novice.

Dale

[ 03-23-2004: Message edited by: dale ]
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guy325



Joined: 23 Oct 2003
Posts: 185

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 10:17 am    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

Playing with speed is meant to be done in a controlled, safe environment.
I've reached 125 mph in a ricer on Cape Cod, but only at 3 AM on an emty road, on which any oncoming vehicle would be visible for a mile.
On the other hand, I hit a guardrail at 85 mph and haven't felt the same about driving ever since. Yes, fear is humbling. Yes, speed is unsafe when combined with unsafe drivers. Our buddy Montoya makes lots of money by driving really fast - but with total control. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows the tolerances and behavior of every single part of his car right down to the circlips.
The guardrail story changes a few things: 1, I don't drive without having had at least 5 hours of sleep. Take a damn nap, be late for your appointment, don't die on the road. 2, excessive amounts of coffee works just as well as no coffee at all. Stimulants in moderation. 3, the passenger is no longer allowed to take a nap while I'm driving.
As for the wisdom of my elders... it took an EMT class to convince me that most motor vehicle accidents are deadly, no exceptions. I'd rather be dead than crippled, too. So hope for the best, expect the worst, and if you're in my jurisdiction I hope to never have to put you onto a spineboard...
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patrick66



Joined: 10 Dec 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Oklahoma

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 7:22 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

Regardless of the experience, if you learned from it and you did not achieve room temperature in the process, it was for the good!!!

This was 1977, and me and a buddy were going to a keg party in his mom's '72 Cutlass Supreme coupe (a slick ride!!!). We were out in the 'dobies (western Colorado desert, for those wondering what the hell a "dobie" is (adobe mud)) on a decreasing-radius gravel curve doing about 55 (should've been doing 25!) when we zoomed off the embankment and flew about 75 feet thru the air and lande 20 feet down a ravine. We were the only things intact (other than the radio!) after the crash. The cops were there looking for the bodies when we told them we were in the car. They were amazed that we got out with only a couple of bumps, one contusion, and my friend's broken left arm. Seat belts were the only thing that saved us that night, and I have worn them ever since whenever I get into a vehicle. Car totalled, lesson learned, lived to tell the tale. Guilty of being a 17-year old dumbass, certainly! Ces't la vie!!! Will I tell my kid when he gets his license? Good question - - - probably, yes...
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Arizona 85-318i



Joined: 08 Mar 2004
Posts: 274
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 9:41 pm    Post subject: Oh my god I lived...story Reply with quote

New2,
Forget about the Firebird raceway thing. I'm afraid you may hit me. Just kidding. Keep it safe!!! I'd like to see you on the track some day not in the obituaries. I would strongly take Dale's suggestion for the novice driving school. I'm going to look into it too.
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