Poll BMW Automobiles

SeeRockCity wrote:Sure, they're nice, but do they really deserve the hype they get?  

Dealerships don't seem like very friendly places (at least the front ends) and forget about finding a "deal".  Seems like there are plenty of options out there that give you more for the money.

What say you?

Turtleneck wrote:Here is the right choice...

WCS wrote:I am a BMW owner...I'm going out shopping next week for another car. I'm looking at Audi, Lexus, Cadillac, and BMW...but I'll be surprised if any of them rise up to the level of BMW. BMW makes an excellent vehicle.

There is the Masaratti Ghibli that I'm very very interested in...but I'm staying away from that right now. There are a lot of very good brands out there. Porsche, Maseratti, Bentley, are very very good brands. I haven't heard anything about Tesla, but their brand is growing in popularity at the moment.

SBSpartan wrote:I am not a car guy at all but they are nice rides for sure. That said I am of the belief new cars of any brand are a total rip.

Turtleneck wrote:

???

SBSpartan wrote:

Turtleneck wrote:

???

That's a used horse and carriage not a car.

SeeRockCity wrote:

I think he was pointing out the red Chevy in the background.

SeeRockCity wrote:Sure, they're nice, but do they really deserve the hype they get?  

Dealerships don't seem like very friendly places (at least the front ends) and forget about finding a "deal".  Seems like there are plenty of options out there that give you more for the money.

What say you?

green night wrote:

SeeRockCity wrote:Sure, they're nice, but do they really deserve the hype they get?  

Dealerships don't seem like very friendly places (at least the front ends) and forget about finding a "deal".  Seems like there are plenty of options out there that give you more for the money.

What say you?

My opinion, go with a 2 - 4 year old luxury vehicle in excellent shape.  1 owner and miles from the driver to and from work.  25-40% off sticker ... drive it for a 5 or 6 years and do it again.  

I recently picked up a 3 yr old jag xf ... the deal was too good to pass up. .... so glad i did and I absolutely love it.  I like the BMWs though, quality vehicles.  

gHost Spartan wrote:

I agree. Right now I'm tossing around garaging my Rubicon and picking up a daily driver. I'm looking at a used A4 or 3 series, maybe about 10 years old, single owner, maintenance records. I'd rather pay 8k on a used BMW with 75-100k miles in excellent condition than buy any brand new car under 25k. In fact, I'm looking more in the 5k range.

Chitown_Badger wrote:I just bought my car not long ago, and was seriously considering BMW along with Infiniti, Audi, and Mercedes. But when I was comparing what I would get for the money, BMW didn't offer the same value, and of course there's always the maintenance costs. I also wasn't too impressed with the interior styling. So I ended up with the Infiniti M37. Love the styling, refinement, and power, plus I was able to get more bells and whistles at my price point than with the BMW, Mercedes, or Audi. And maintenance costs will be much lower. Only had it for two weeks thus far, but so far I'm happy with my decision.

I don't doubt that a lot of people get a BMW because they are a status symbol in addition to being fun to drive, and there's nothing wrong with that.

SeeRockCity wrote:

This...

I tend to avoid the German cars though due to fear of cost of ownership issues.  Audi is not as bad, but BMW and Mercedes are brutal.  Freind of mine has a slightly used 5-something and estimates about $2500 per year in maintenance costs.  Ouch.

Currently tooling around in a 2012 G37 prem/nav I recently picked up.  Before that I had a Saab 9-5 that I got 8 years and 100k miles out of.  The Saab cost me $14k with very little maintenance which puts it at around $145 /mo.

I looked at getting a 3 but it just seemed like a ripoff to me and it was tiny.  The 5 series would have been sweet and I found a few in my price range with the right miles, etc, but after a long talk with my trusty mechanic who basically confirmed my maintenance cost fears and I dropped them from the list.  As far as driving experience, the 3 didn't drive that much better than the G in my limited test drive.  Seemed to have a LOT of lag on take off which I really didn't like.

Heat Miser wrote:

My mother has an Infinity and it's been a maintenance nightmare. I have a BMW and it's been virtually maintenance free.

Ass Dan wrote:As an admitted shill for American cars, I just can't see how having a bmw compares to owning a Cadillac. In my mind a Cadillac is as impressive a drive as any, usually car reviews back that up.

I just would rather have a Cadillac, a car which costs way less to maintain, over a more expensive car that I couldn't see more value in

Turtleneck wrote:Here is the right choice...

Chitown_Badger wrote:If you never keep a car that's not under warranty it's not really a problem. When it becomes an issue is if you do.

And pointing to one type of car you had one time and using that as proof that said car model or manufacturer is or is not reliable is like pointing to the weather on one day and using that as proof for or against global warming.

It's a calculated risk taken based on cumulative data for thousands of cars. Based on that, Lexus tends to be the best, and the German cars don't fare particularly well. The whole "German engineering" thing does not exactly translate into excellent reliability.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/are-german-cars-reliable-myth-german-engineering.html

"In Consumer Reports last five annual reports, the last time these German brands have been above average in reliability was back in 2007. Since then, they’ve all slumped below the average in the industry."

Phil McCrackin wrote:

Yeah, but they go around corners really well.
I've never driven a 4 door car that handles as well as a BMW 3 series. I just wish the 335i didn't cost so friggin much or I'd own one. By the time you add sat/nav, leather, cold weather package, etc the car is like $50k.

I had a 1991 BMW 318is for a while about 10 years ago. Really fun car. Not much power, but my god could that thing turn.

I've casually looked for E30's over the past few years and have toyed with the idea of buying one just to mess around with. Most need a lot of work though and I don't have time for that these days.



E30s have a cult-following. There are a lot of them out there that are also in excellent shape, well modded and cared for, etc. but yeah, they are going up in value. The E34s (535s and 540s especially) are doing the same thing. E36s are not bad but they tend to have pretty flimsy bodies and cheap interiors. They handle great and still get fantastic mileage, though.

The fun part of the used BMWs is that they tend to all have followers and you can get a ton of good advice on fix-ups and modifications. That, and the fact that they all have their own personalities and variances unique to their body (ie E34, E32, E30 E90 etc) The cars in general just hold their age very well, style wise, so there are a lot of interested buyers as they age. I guess that's what they mean by "timeless" design

The smartest thing BMW did was to develop a car that was fun, first, as it grew a generation or two of people that are extremely loyal and they get addicted to the cars, old and new. It developed race series and clubs, track events, local concourse events and National ones, etc. The enthusiasm grew their brand to the point of it being watered down somewhat nowadays, but then again, all cars are morphing into being very very similar. They also were smart to keep them rear wheel driven, as that only adds to the mystique and sport of the cars.

If the time spent in the garage is not your thing, I can see why you'd just stay away, though. Cars can keep you busy for as many hours as you want to spend..it's not for everybody.