Hey all,

Posted this in the PacNW forum too, but I figured there may be some S owners from Portland in here. I think the title pretty much says it all as for my intentions.

I was born and raised here in Phoenix, but I've spent every summer since I was born in Portland and Hood River. I've visited in the winter too a couple times, so I know mostly what that's like......

I guess what I'm asking for are some opinions about the Northwest that aren't from either my family or close friends.

Currently I'm working for BMW in sales, but I've been trained and certified as a technician (tho I haven't worked a day as a tech since I graduated at the end of '05).

Anybody have any suggestions about local dealers, local housing, etc? I like Phoenix but I need to move on I think. I've always loved it up there, and I'm pretty sure that now is the time to do it.

Thanks in advance for the consideration,

Graham

 

Hi Graham, I don't have any contacts or know anyone from BMW dealerships, but I would like to welcome you to the Pacific NW. You'll love it here, the best place to live in my opinion. And it doesn't get any friendlier than the S owners in Oregon and SW Washington.

 

Hi Graham,

Yes, you will be warmly welcomed here in the N.W.!

There are two BMW dealers in the Portland area - Kuni BMW and Rasmussen BMW/Mini. I don't know about Kuni, but Rasmussen has a great reputation.

By the way, you MAY be required to have your car re-painted red before you come up here. We are way over-quota on silver and under-quota on NFR.

Larry

 

My wife and I moved from Arkansas to the Vancouver, WA, in March. I've not spent a lot of time in Arizona and only been through the airport in Phoenix, but I think the biggest difference you will find is warm and dry versus cool and damp.

It doesn't exactly rain here all the time, but the sky is often overcast and the ground is usually damp. When it is 'raining', it's not enough to keep you indoors or demand an umbrella. Basically everything stays green and we get excited about blue skies (:

My opinion of the northwest? We visited twice and decided there was too much to see and do on short vacations so we just up and moved.

As far as the S2000 community goes - these people are amazing. My group in Arkansas were good people, but disorganized and certainly a different mentality about driving and cars. The Oregon group is highly organized, has regular meets / drives, and are as friendly as any group of people sharing a hobby as I've ever been a part of. I'm told the PacNW / Seattle crew are pretty good, but not as well organized as our community leaders.

Now then, if you could paint your car New Formula Red before moving, we'd appreciate it. There are already several Silverstones in our group and we seem to be lacking the red flavor

 

Hey Graham,

You already know how beautiful it is up here so that is one good reason to move up here.

As far as dealerships go, I might be able to line you up with Gresham Nissan/Subaru if that is of any interest to you.

As far as BMW dealerships go, I don't know anyone there except my current CA, but Kuni BMW in Beaverton is a great dealership and have treated me great. This was after canceling my order at another BMW dealership because I did not like the way they did business.

Hope to see you here soon

Brandon

 

Sometimes the rain CAN get to you, but you'll develop a truly heightened appreciation of the days that are clear & blue & sunny. (When that happens we're always all walking around with silly smiles saying, "Isn't it a NICE day?!")

One of my friends has a significant other who works at Rasmussen BMW. He's been selling their pre-owned cars for years. He's a good guy, would probably give you the inside scoop on BMW dealerships in this area - may even know about job openings. PM me if you would like to pursue this contact.

 

It always cracks me up when people complain about the rain here.

I used to live in S.E. Alaska. Our annual rainfall was 202 inches - that's 16 FEET of rain per year! The clouds hovered about 50 feet off the water and it pretty much rained all the time.

Since it rained so much (and on your days off), the hospital that I worked at had a policy that if it was a "sunny day" (that meant if the sun came out even for a short time) that the department heads could take the day off.

When I moved back to Oregon I marveled at how "dry" it was here! My sinus's dried out!

So, it is all in the perspective you have. I'm sure that someone coming from Arizona would think that Oregon is very rainy. And realize why Honda sells hardtops for the S.

 

Personally, I love it rain here. It's why we are so green and places like the desert is not. I celebrate the rain. My favorite is driving with the top down when it rains in the spring and summer, just go faster and you won't get wet.

 

Wow, this is good stuff. Thanks everybody for their input! Keep it coming!

jimbur, i really appreciate the offer, and i may have to take you up on that.

i'm actually kinda leaning towards Seattle for now purely because i have some close friends there that i could room up with, and it would of course be MUCH more cost effective for me. I don't think i have the kind of income neccessary to be able to afford a house or condo or anything like that by myself (being 24 and having no college degree tends to limit your options lol)

Of course, if there are any opportunities in Portland for someone such as myself to get into an apartment within the city for about 500 or so a month, I'm all for it.

 

It doesn't even rain in the PacNW. It's mist/drizzle most of the time. The only real downside to the moisture here is that roads tend to be damp a lot of the time.

My hometown got 6" of rain in 2 hours last week. That is rain.