SuburbanTDI
Veteran Member
It is quite easy with a brand new low end BMW or MB to find yourself stuck in the passing lane as a faster car magically appears and needs to brake while you complete your pass while floored at the governed 116 or 126 mph, even in the 135 mph models. It's also a ticketable offense and many German drivers will take your plate number and report you if you're abusing the lane in their eyes.
I've never been stuck passing too long, but I've had a number of cars appear out of nowhere at over 150 mph and way above. Stop at one of the rest stops off the autobahn between Frankfurt and the direction of Austria/Switzerland and you will see, and hear, engines screaming at levels little different than a race track in most every weather/light condition. Amazing.
I spent a decade on the continent living in four different countries and the most remarkable thing road wise was how dramatically different each nations driving habits were. German autobahn driving was the best, few other nations drivers would be disciplined enough to pull off unlimited speeds on those stretches (fewer and fewer sections are unlimited each year by the way).
The difference between most every car in America and much of high-speed Europe? In America our wrecking yards are filled with rusted body's and widely available, pullable engines. In Europe, the opposite, very little rust and tired motors. (part of that are the "safety inspections" seemingly written by new car dealers in which, as in the Netherlands, a little bit of surface rust near a headlight will fail you - and don't even think about perforation anywhere...)
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