In My Opinion (3/2/12)

Well, lookie here! My first "In My Opinon" post. This will be switched off week-by-week between me and Shree.

Going a bit off-topic for a moment, so bear with me people:

So, I've been playing violin for six years now. The place where I go has a nice sized parking lot with a lot of cars on the night I go. A regular Friday will result in about 50 cars in the lot, mostly dreary Hondas, Toyotas, Kias, Suzukis, the regular boring monotonous Japanese boxes. Occasionally you'll catch glimpse of a (horrific) Honda Accord Crosstour or SmartCar (don't even get me started on that piece of...), and you'll wonder, "Who the HELL would be blind enough to even consider those cars???" And so, I leave every Friday, slightly worried about some people and their cars.

Today, however, was different. As I walked out, I noticed we were parked next to a BMW 535i Wagon. Now this got me thinking. Bear with me again.

People who buy BMWs are usually well off. They are also usually people who believe they can rule the world with their German machines and BlueTooth headsets. Now some BMWs represent utter driving brilliance, others.... (coughcoughcoughX3coughcoughX5cough).... don't. The M3, for example, is an amazing car. Period. There's is no denying that the baseline of all automotive excellence is based on BMW's miracle car. BMW makes so many other great cars, but there's no point listing them off, we know them already.

BACK TO 535i!
So, the car in sedan form is good. It's quick, a looker, shiny, and has enough space for your 1.3 children. But the wagon! A wagon is boring! It's for people who've given up on life! But BMW justifies that their wagon is fast and powerful. It probably is. In fact, it IS. With the exception of a few Audis, this might be one of the fastest wagons on Earth. But for Shiva's sake, why?! It may be fast and powerful but IT IS A WAGON.

Now there's the paradox, you see. People in the BMW 5-Series wagon think they're fast, powerful, and unique, but they're in a wagon--the eternal symbol of all that is sensible and slow.

I've been disturbed by this car to the bone. And I quote the ever-so prolific Juliet... "Wherefore art thou BMW 5-Series?  Deny thy maker and refuse thy wagon form!"

Or, at least, that's how I read the Shakespeare's play. Oh well, once a gearhead, always a gearhead...

Signing off for today, see you all next time!
AV