What's so great about the BMW?

Is it a quiet ride? A smooth ride? I just want to know.

Honestly, some of them are just a badge on the front.

and I am serious, I think it is THE perfect car.

When someone asks "what's so great" about something, I immediately think...compared to what? It has a prestigious badge. A BMW would just about never by my first choice for just about any price point. Are they nice? Sure. Well engineered? Absolutely. Fast? Some are outrageously. Worth the money? Usually, no.

?

and such a status symbol (oh, yeah, that's BECAUSE they're expensive.)

Just curious... I'm satisfied with my Toyota.

It is really hard to explain to someone that has never driven one.

They are great, in my estimation. There is no one thing I can point to and say thats it, rather it is the totality of the engineering of all the details, big and small. Their engines are works of art, as well as powerful and efficient as can be. Their suspension systems are in my opinion, the BEST engineered and set up suspension of all the (mainstream) car makers. There are just so many small details that add up to a very impressive total. There is also a lot of technology in the cars, some that is so cool, you never even realize it because it is so well integrated and works so well.

I own one. I think it is pretty damn great. They have their quirks for sure, the higher the performance of a car, the more you push the limits, the more you will have glitches from time to time. And push them they do, in both power and technology.

Most people do not care what they drive, and they will drive anything as long as it fits their needs. I think BMWs, more some than others, are for people who do care what they drive and enjoy the drive as an event in itself instead of just a way to get from one place to another.

And my other car is a Porsche. :rofl:

I'll buy you some beers.

It depends on the beer.

:P

How much is a Maß these days? Last I was in Munich a place like Augustinerkeller was about DM 10,50. Although on the walk to Theresienwiese I had seen bars advertising a DM 8 Maß. Is there a place with a 5 euro maß?

I live in the US of A.

lack of reading skills...

:rofl:

to continue the theme going, I will have to retaliate exponentially. This whole thing will get WAY out of hand and both of us will get nothing. How about we just go have a beer instead?

I thought YOU were going to be doing the buying?

:P

where the hell are you anyway?

LOL.

Of course, in the future, I may be in Germany...

I will certainly buy you a beer as well.

:rofl:

What kinds of beer do you like to drink?

Me, I like the darker beers and Ales.

Although Export, Helles, and Pilsner are all wonderful.

"Most people do not care what they drive, and they will drive anything as long as it fits their needs."

That's me. :-)

:P

Seriously though, thats why we have variety!

As long as you are happy, thats all that matters I guess.

Break My Windows.

Beached Mammoth Whale?

along with the quality engineering of course. In Europe, BMW makes solid midrange commuter cars - good gas milage, low maintenance, nice detailing/extras - not cheap, but not too terribly expensive. Pretty akin to something like the Camry.

They could make them for the American market too, but:
1) They'd be trying to break into a very mature and competitive market AND

2) Having a bunch of average Joe commuter cars on the market would likely dilute the perceived value of their luxury car brand in the US, which is very profitable for them.

So it's just not worth it to them economically.

the newest models are actually made in the USA and shipped to Germany because of the currency situation.

and that is because we are the biggest consumer of those models. Both of them are SUVs, the X5 and X3.

are made in the US and shipped back overseas because it is cheaper with the euro so strong. Life sucks over here, I tell you.

that would be 3 models. I thought they started making the Z4 elsewhere.

X5

X3

and

Z4

Also, the dealership is the worst place to get accurate info.

in München tomorrow, I am sure someone there can confirm or deny. :hi:

I am sure they can...

I am just yanking your chain tonight. Watching the EuroCup game, having a beer and feeling obnoxious.

No hard feelings, eh?

this is the lounge after all.

:thumbsup:

:toast:

I don't know which model, though.

kthx

I would not mind having one of the previous gen M5s. Those were pretty bad ass and not as but ugly as the new ones.

I never thought I'd meet anybody cheaper than a Guzzi rider until I met a BMW rider.

(I'm a Guzzi guy!)

IIRC It was a Durex study that found BMW drivers got the most and Porsche drivers got the least.

no pun intended.

are STONE ugly, especially the 5- and 7-series with that big old bustle butt on their trunk.

The older 7-series were damn handsome cars, though, as were the prior-generation 3-series convertibles.

Redstone

That's my '88 735i, the last of the U.S.-spec 7s available with a manual transmission (very rare - only 500 or so were imported). It is very, very fun to drive.

mikey_the_rat

have you done any mods to it?

That's it.

mikey_the_rat

I wonder why they don't offer those more in the 7. I guess they have priced themselves out of the market that would actually want one.

Congrats on the cool car.

Each vehicle had to be certified for each transmission - that is, the whole EPA certification, stem to stern, just because the car had a manual transmission. It cost millions to do this, and only a few of us Yanks wanted the manual tranny. Hell, and it was even a $1,000 delete (discount) option - get the manual, save a grand!

mikey_the_rat

:mad:

you know what I could never figure out. When Porsche came out with the 996 gen GT3 911. It was awesome etc.. but you could not get it in the US because it was not considered safe, while at the same time you can drive down the road in some car you made at home with an engine as big as the entire car, without seat belts, crumple zones, bumpers, etc...

What kind of fucked up regulation is that?

I know which I would feel safer in that's for sure.

about 100 years ago, anyhow i still think that is one of the best bmw's. I test drove the 3 series coupe and the sedan before i bought my vw and they were both pretty nice and handled well but they weren't for me. After my bug goes to my daughter i think i'm going to get a mini coopers, it's about as useful as the car i have now but it's a little smaller.

a front drive BMW...

they are cool too, I want one every time I see one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukAhlxl4hmM

Funny stuff.

I don't own one, but have driven a few. Wonderful ride. Almost perfect response to driver input. Smooth power application all the way through the rev band.

Really beautiful cars too, in and out. I came very close to buying a used 3 Series last year. No regrets that I didn't, because I like the gas mileage I'm getting in my Mazda3S. But still, it would have been nice to own a BMW.

It is my favorite car of all time, other than a way out there car like a Ferrari or something.

I think it is THE perfect car.

I fear they left the best one, the 1 series hatch in Europe and brought the worst one, here.

I would buy the 1 series hatch, but not the coupe. For just a small bit more money you can have a 335i and have a car that is better looking, handles better, is more useful, etc...

They'd rather just give you a one-series car for a three-series price. I can get a 335i sedan for less than a loaded 135i coupe - WTF?

I'd really love the 120d (diesel) four-door hatch, but again, "nein."

mikey_the_rat

but NEIN! and I dont get why.

the 120d would not only be a blast to drive, but be economical too...

take one for a spin...

Not only that, any young single guy can attest to how quickly a lady's clothes fly off once they get in the passenger seat (or so I'm told)

yes, the M cars are AWESOME...

Especially the M3.

As for the rest of it, I will plead the 5th...:evilgrin:

I will have to agree.

It's also smooth (especially the stick) and fairly quiet.

Mine has been modified for speed. I had another one but sold it. I have a green one now.

As damn near everyone here (Germany) seems to own either a BMW or Mercedes, it's not a big deal owning one. It's about like owning a ford or chevy in the states. Well, VW is the biggie...but still...if owning a bmw or mercedes is a status symbol..then everyone seems to have a little slice of status.

But I still love it.

Sometimes I think everyone here owns one too because there seems to be so many of the smaller 3s and 5s around.

BUT...the better performance makes up for it. Mines a 4 door 5 series..a sedan gone wild. LOLOLOL

I have an M3 Sedan, the new one.

It doesnt really need any mods to be fast.

Happy driving!!!

although it had a glitch on Saturday, It appears to be nothing so I am happy.

They have smooth, powerful engines and great handling.

I really like my Mercedes much better than the BMW. We just got another BMW and I don't like it at all. I won't even drive it.

I am curious to know why you dont like it as well?

It's a 328xi. I could never get used to all the features and settings. (Like having to open the door handle twice--it's just annoying!) I also think the seats are really uncomfortable. I drove it to work for a couple of weeks and couldn't get all my teacher-stuff that I have to drag around with me in the trunk.

It's my husband's car. He LOOOOOVES it. But then he picked it out. He's the BMW-fan in our family. He also selected the other two that we used to have. I don't remember what models those were, though. I just remember that they were terrible in the winter. I don't understand his "loyalty" to BMWs at all. "German engineering, blah blah blah....." :shrug:

I dont get that either, it is a bit odd. it can be frustrating at first when you just want the door to open and it isnt opening... :rofl:

how much stuff do you carry around? Does yours have the folding rear seats? that would increase space a bit.

Does that have iDrive? You would know because it has a big metal knob in the central console that you push and turn to move through menus on the nav screen. iDrive takes a lot of getting used to, it demands some desire to learn it... :rofl:

All that being said, tell your husband to go here: www.tirerack.com and get winter tires and wheels. The BMW is awesome in winter. yours is all wheel drive, it should be even better than mine which is only rear wheel drive.

Additionally, I am glad you have found a car that you like, that's what is ultimately important.

I don't recall the iDrive, but I'm not going back down to the garage to check. :rofl:

I have a LOT of stuff because I travel between four buildings. I really appreciate having the roomy cargo area of an SUV, believe me. (I know, SUV's are becoming "unpopular" now.) Plus, I have to have a 4WD with our lousy back roads here.

Yes, I know the BMW is all-WD. I insisted on it because the other two (older ones) we had would fish-tail all over the road in the winter. I think he was waiting for BMW to come out with an all-wheel drive before buying this model. He probably knows about the winter tires, but thanks.

I know he would love discussing BMWs with you guys! :hi:

make sure to tell him, if it was fishtailing he most likely was using way too much power or does not have snow tires on it.

I drive a very high performance BMW, and I am sure it will be fine in winter. I know this because I have had other high performance BMWs and all were fine in winter. I live in Minnesota, I know about winter.

...BMW makes cars?? :rofl:

:rofl:

Terrific car. Drives incredibly smoothly very quiet with the windows up (not so much with them down. You can get a great deal on used ones if you keep your eyes open. People who own them tend to baby them, Mine was garaged by some guy who put a total of 15,000 on it in 5 years.

in wet weather. :dilemma:

you havent seen exciting. Ride with me on a wet day when I turn the stability control off...

:rofl:

I did that the other day, there are two black streaks on the road where I tried it. I was looking down the road through the passenger window when it was all done.

:rofl:

if I had not used so much power...

:rofl:

The thought of wrecking my expensive new car though kept me from going further.

German engineering is second to none. 'Nuff said.

he's so homely he is cute :)

edit to add: this is a stock photo. The ride looks like mine. The rider is much younger/thinner than me.

Don't they have some kind of roll-bar or heavy duty frame that won't let the inside of the car get crushed?
When I was in a wreck a few years ago I was riding in my friend's BMW and my family's always said that car is the reason I probably lived. We were on the highway and collided with three transfer trucks and the car was unrecognizable but we were alive. I'm pretty sure if we'd been in just about any other car I'd have been WIPED OUT :o

and the passengers were fine. I know someone that bought another one after his wife was in a wreck because the car protected her so well.

it is one reason I bought one as well.

I just know that's why I lived.. the car was hardly recognizable as a car but my friend and I both made it :headbang:

I iz happiez!!!!!

i mean, any sex is sex, right?

great sex? bad sex? its all just sex, right?

that is what is so great about the bmw...

burgundy wit a tan interior and a convertible to boot. Sure beat my oversized hydroplaning boat (1991 Corvette).

BMW drivers on the other hand are some of the biggest assholes on the road esp in New England.

the behavior of most BMW drivers around here. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to drive one.

i bought a cherry 1987 325is in california back in the early 90's.

its was a very popular car in the 80's. but you know california. style changes fast. the lots were full of them. nobody would be caught dead divining a 325 then. omg! kinda like a suv today, but for very different reasons.

but i did.

great car.

i am not cool...

those Germans sure know their cars.....

my favorite...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_ow0mreVA