Globe and Mail: ‘It’s kind of an addiction’

I’m a sucker for articles that praise our vehicles. Fellow enthusiasts will enjoy Scott Quigley’s passion of BMW’s and their Ultimate Driving Experience.  Follow the link to read on…..

When it comes to golf, he is ranked No. 84 in the world. But Brett Quigley’s drive isn’t only on the golf course.

The 38-year-old U.S. golfer has another obsession — cars. As a self-confessed “car nut,” he admits to owning four vehicles. But it’s hard to keep track — he changes them more frequently than his clubs.

His current wheels include an Audi Q7, a Honda Ridgeline and two BMWs, an M3 and an M5. A few months ago, he actually owned four Bimmers, but he just dumped two — a 745 and an X5. “It’s kind of an addiction. It’s my one addiction — I’m not really into anything else, except cars.

“It’s my favourite thing to do after a couple of weeks on the road. I come home and the first thing I do is clean all my cars inside and out and make sure they’re spotless,” he says a few weeks ago, standing in front of a BMW 750i at the Canadian Open at Angus Glen Golf Course in Markham, Ont. As sponsors of the event, BMW lent each golfer a Bimmer for the week.

“Six years ago, I got into an X5 and since then I’ve probably had four X5s. I’d never been a BMW guy, but once I got into the X5, I really loved everything about BMW — the way they drive and the way they ride. And ever since then, I’ve had a few. Right now, I have a 2005 M3 and a 2006 M5.”

He has no plans of parting with the M5 — it’s his favourite of the bunch, even though he’d prefer conventional push buttons for the radio instead of the iDrive system.

“That’s the car I go to the most when I’m home” in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“You can take four people to the golf course, go play golf and treat it like a normal car. But it’s basically a race car in the street, which is great. It’s got a great engine, great sound, and great transmission … .

“The thing I like about it is you can drive the M5 and it doesn’t scream ‘look at me.’ It’s just a very nice car. To a normal person, they’d say it’s just a nice 5-Series. It’s subtle. I have a grey one so it kind of blends in.

“If you have the room, you can drive it like a race car. You can take it on the track and really beat the heck out of the car. The car can take it,” says Quigley, who finished in the top 20 of the PGA Tour money list last year.

Make no mistake, he does let loose — on the track. “I’ve been to about 15 driving schools. I’ve done BMW days in Greenville, [S.C.]. I’ve done a couple three-day schools there with the M3.

“I’ve done a few with my father. We have so much fun. We’re competitive as heck, both on and off the golf course, and it kind of carries over to driving, too.

“They joke at the racetrack — speed is for the speedway and you drive normal on the road. After going to a bunch of the schools, you have a new respect for what the cars can do and certainly you’re a lot more defensive driving on the road, looking out for other people,” Quigley says.

Occasionally, he pushes it on the road, too. “I have been stopped for speeding.

“It’s funny, I got a speeding ticket about two months ago in my pickup. I was doing 78 [miles an hour] in a 65 in Rhode Island. I was actually on my way to the Hartford Open and the guy was a golf fan. It was 5 in the morning and he knew I was going there. He just said, ‘Slow it down a little bit,’ ” says Quigley, who turned professional in 1991.

On the golf course, Quigley perfected his driving skills. “I just grew up around golf, driving golf carts, working at a golf course. I’ve been driving probably since I was 12 — driving equipment, golf carts, tractors and stuff like that.”

But that practice didn’t pay off. “When I was 16, I ran into a fence down a dirt road. We were a bunch of kids just goofing around and we came around a corner too fast and just ran right into a fence.

“The car was an old Buick Regal worth probably 1,000 bucks. And I was actually on the way to a golf tournament and I ran it right into a fence. I popped two tires, smashed the side, and smashed the fence.

“I had to go to the guy’s house and apologize at 6:30 in the morning and pay for the fence. It was a good learning experience.”

Quigley’s first car was a Saab 900 he bought in 1991. As far as his other cars go, there are too many to mention. “You don’t have enough time in the day,” he laughs. “I’m bad like that — I keep it about a year.

“Actually the two BMWs I’ve had for the longest. I’ve had four X5s, a couple of S4 Audis, a bunch of Dodge four-door pickups, and a Honda pickup. It just keeps going on. I won’t get into the other ones,” he says.

Quigley prefers buying over leasing. “I’ve only leased one car in my life. I like buying because, for me, I can get out of it. I’m a little impulsive. If I need to get out of it, I like to have that option. It kills me to think I’ve got to have a car for three years or more at one time. I like being able to change.”

Whatever car he buys, it must have one feature. “Heated seats are the most important thing. I will not buy a car without it. It helps me. It loosens my back up on the way to the golf course,” says the native of Fort Devens, Mass.

Quigley is a bit territorial about some of his cars. His wife, Amy, is allowed to drive them, but prefers not to. “She knows I’m a little crazy about it. She says it’s too much pressure to drive my cars,” says the new father. Amy went into labour with their first child, Lily, in Florida during a practice round at his first Masters Tournament in Augusta in April.

Quigley says he will never buy an exotic car. “I’m not a big Ferrari or Lamborghini guy. I’d be afraid to take it to the grocery store.” Instead, he has his heart set on a new BMW 7-Series Alpina — it’ll be the perfect grocery-getter to add to his garage.

PETRINA GENTILE ZUCCO
From Thursday’s Globe and Mail