Why BMW, why your BMW?

[Sterling Roadster]

Hello everyone, I'd like to start a discussion here. I'm going through all the threads and seeing some common debates on reliability, performance and the general extra attention these cars require.

With a debatable reputation for expensive repairs and having less performance than other cars for similar money why BMW? why did you choose the vehicle you currently drive and what attracts you to the company in general?

[Asianoak]

I'll kick this off. I'm on my third and fourth BMWs and can't imagine driving anything else. Although I'm a bit afraid of the new turbos engines. When it comes to the Z it was love at first sight. I bought it while shopping for an e90 to replace my aging e46. The Z4 coupe was tucked away between two suvs and barely visible. I could barely fit in it, it hurt my back to drive it (I literally lost 30 lbs and started working out, stretching and seeing a chiropractor just because of this car) and it needed some work, but good God was it fun to drive. As for my daily driven e92... I couldn't find another car that offered the same build quality, material quality, gas mileage, interior space and driving experience in this price range.

As for reliability, I don't find them to be all that bad. And if you know how registering a vehicle overseas works and how often parts have to be replaced compared to in the US then it becomes easier to understand why some parts have to be replaced more often than their American or Japanese couterparts.

[NickyC]

My current Z4M is my eighth BMW. I'll make it is a simple as I can because it's the truth.

BMW doesn't do anything the best, but they do everything great. Their cars are a sum of all their parts.

[an3ony]

I've had three e9's, two e30's, an e92 and currently an e86. knock on wood, none of these cars have given me more trouble than any Audi I've owned... combined. In fact, the e30, the hood release cable broke and being the dumb kid I was, I ignored it for almost two years. couldn't open the hood.

So, for me, BMW's reliability has been pretty much impeccable.
As far as performance, the three 2002's I've had, ran circles around my VW beetle, and they handled far better than any watercooled VW (pre 1991). My E30 was a 91 318 is, that car was far more exciting than my previous Audi 4000 Q albeit neglected by me.

I ended up with a 2006 FSI A4 and legit, every other month it was in for service. Traded it in for an 09 328ix, that car was the MOST reliable car i've ever owned. the only mechanical issue I'd run into was the oil filter housing broke at about 60k.
Which brings me to the M coupe. this is the most fantastic, exciting car I've ever driven, a close second would be an '86 Porsche 911 with the mechanical clutch.

[David70]

My BMW is a Z4M and I bought it because when it comes to interesting coupe's I thought this was a good choice. Low production, high reving engine, good handling and power. I have owned it for over 3 years and only done general maintenance, no repairs, but also don't drive it a lot of miles.

I like BMW's but my daily driver is a Cadillac ATS.

[WickedNy]

Uniqueness and fun factor

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by Asianoak

I'll kick this off. I'm on my third and fourth BMWs and can't imagine driving anything else. Although I'm a bit afraid of the new turbos engines. When it comes to the Z it was love at first sight. I bought it while shopping for an e90 to replace my aging e46. The Z4 coupe was tucked away between two suvs and barely visible. I could barely fit in it, it hurt my back to drive it (I literally lost 30 lbs and started working out, stretching and seeing a chiropractor just because of this car) and it needed some work, but good God was it fun to drive. As for my daily driven e92... I couldn't find another car that offered the same build quality, material quality, gas mileage, interior space and driving experience in this price range.

As for reliability, I don't find them to be all that bad. And if you know how registering a vehicle overseas works and how often parts have to be replaced compared to in the US then it becomes easier to understand why some parts have to be replaced more often than their American or Japanese couterparts.

Well turbos are definitley another big part of the future, and they will get better although i'm not really a fan thus far (owned two turbo charged cars). Largely the debate i've been having with people outside of the forum is that the overall package is great, and it seems BMW gets grouped together with Audi and MB when I feel BMWs are completely different. We have similar reasons for buying our cars, performance difference aside.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by David70

My BMW is a Z4M and I bought it because when it comes to interesting coupe's I thought this was a good choice. Low production, high reving engine, good handling and power. I have owned it for over 3 years and only done general maintenance, no repairs, but also don't drive it a lot of miles.

I like BMW's but my daily driver is a Cadillac ATS.

That's interesting, why such a different car for a daily?

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by an3ony

I've had three e9's, two e30's, an e92 and currently an e86. knock on wood, none of these cars have given me more trouble than any Audi I've owned... combined. In fact, the e30, the hood release cable broke and being the dumb kid I was, I ignored it for almost two years. couldn't open the hood.

So, for me, BMW's reliability has been pretty much impeccable.
As far as performance, the three 2002's I've had, ran circles around my VW beetle, and they handled far better than any watercooled VW (pre 1991). My E30 was a 91 318 is, that car was far more exciting than my previous Audi 4000 Q albeit neglected by me.

I ended up with a 2006 FSI A4 and legit, every other month it was in for service. Traded it in for an 09 328ix, that car was the MOST reliable car i've ever owned. the only mechanical issue I'd run into was the oil filter housing broke at about 60k.
Which brings me to the M coupe. this is the most fantastic, exciting car I've ever driven, a close second would be an '86 Porsche 911 with the mechanical clutch.

Reliability aside, how would you compare the 328xi to the A4?

[an3ony]

Originally Posted by Sterling Roadster

Reliability aside, how would you compare the 328xi to the A4?

the A4 was faster off the line (1.8T) but felt heavier than the 328, and it felt like if i was pushing it, it was ALWAYS at the red line. The powerband on the 328 was just even. the A4 was louder, felt less solid. The shifting on the a4 felt like toyish in comparison.

[mcoupe5/6]

The z4mc was my first BMW...for me it was the polarizing design. I fell in love with the concept in high school and really wanted one if it made it to production. Of course when it finally hit the showrooms it was well out of my range... I even sat in one in a showroom when it came out. A few years later depreciation became my friend and I picked one up. Before I ever drove it, I knew I would love it. The engine was proven...and being the last na straight six was a big plus for me...but again that design! I have become an enthusiast because I really enjoy the car... And I have been enjoying doing as much of the work on it as I can.

I even got my wife into a 2011 328 m sport a few months after we got married we both really enjoyed that car. Then she really enjoyed driving... but after a year or so my wife wanted more power and we picked up a 2013 335 m sport, between that and the M coupe I don't want or need anything else!
Not to say I won't buy cars from other brands in the future but I really enjoy what we have right now!

[dc_wright]

In 2000 I went back to school to get my MBA. Part of the program was an international business practicum, and I spent part of the summer of 2001 at BMW in Munich. I got indoctrinated in their design approach and upon my return wanted to own a BMW. Got the chance when the wife decided she wanted a soft top again (she had an MG Midget when we first met) and we picked up a '96 328iC for her to drive for a while to ensure she really wanted to deal with the down side of convertibles. She drove it for about 6 months and then we picked up an '04 E46 cabrio for her and the E36 became mine. I spent about 5 years casually refurbishing it to near show room condition. In November 2013 a girl texting while driving plowed into the rear of the E36 and it was totaled. In my replacement search I looked at E36M3, E46M3, Z4MR, Z4C, and Z3M. Reasonably priced cars were generally totally trashed, and cars in good shape were way over priced, but I accidentally ran across an '06 Z4 3.0si Roadster in great condition, with full service history available, and at the right price and that's my current Bimmer. We've subsequently traded in the wife's E46 for a 2011 CPO E88.

[Twixboy]

I've only been driving for about 15 years so I'm still young enough to not have a loyalty to any particular make. I've owned a lot of different makes and body styles, but this is my first BMW and first roadster. It's more of an experiment for me as I'm still searching for a brand that I'm passionate about. Honda almost had me, but they have not developed anything new or exciting in many years and I don't like the direction the company is heading.

I also don't believe in spending a lot of money on a car - I have no problem spending $1 million on a house, but I just can't get myself to drop $50k on a depreciating asset. It's the conservative accountant in me. Other than the $45k we spent on my wife's Audi, all my cars have ranged from $6k to $25k. I'd rather own two $15-20k used cars than one new $30-40k car because I'll lose less on depreciation and have more options in my stable at the same time. This price point has generally limited me to domestics and Japanese cars. I pretty much stumbled on my Z4 by accident when I was looking to buy a Honda S2000. I never seriously considered German cars in the past, but I decided to take a chance on this when I saw the Z4 was actually a couple grand cheaper than the S2000 for the same year/mileage. If this used BMW holds up I will be more inclined to buy a BMW CPO in the future.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Sterling Roadster

...and having less performance than other cars for similar money why BMW?

Of all the cars I've ever driven, and quite frankly, I've driven more cars that I care to count, there are only one other brand in the world that consistently offers performance per dollar even remotely close to BMW.

So I don't know where you get that notion that BMWs have less performance than other cars for similar money.*

I buy BMWs because they offer the best performance per dollar ratio in my price range (as you can probably guess, the OTHER brand prices their cars slightly outside of my comfort zone, and I don't feel like stretching to own a depreciating asset).

I bought my MZ4 Coupe because there's nothing quite like it on the market except for the Cayman S at the time, and while the P-car was a better performance vehicle, the MZ4 Coupe was a better "experience". I bought our 335D because it is every bit the luxury sport sedan that BMW is known to build, with insane torque (425ft-lbs on tap) and sips fuel at an astounding 36MPG (that's hybrid range). By far the best performance, value, and efficiency I've ever seen in a car like this. Nothing comes remotely close.

* I know what you're trying to say. For the money BMWs don't offer a ton of performance in power. You're probably going to tell me that a base WRX makes 300 HP for less than $30K vs. a base 328i, which cost closer to $40. While that is technically true, and I'm not going to lie, I owned a WRX wagon for a while, I'm going to tell you that stock for stock, you'd be hard-pressed to keep up in the WRX to a 328i on technical tracks.

Performance isn't just about straight line speed and power.

[Huz-Z]

I was always a practical car guy until one day I saw pics of the E85 and something clicked. I just loved the look of the car so I had to have one. Its funny too if you think of all the initial criticism that you see when you google the initial reviews of the car concerning the Chris Bangle styling.

However, in view of the many times I've gotten great comments on the car, including the time a guy was so intent watching the wife drive by in it that he rear-ended the car in front of him (at low speed thankfully); and in view of the number of Z4s that have appeared in my town in recent years, I guess other share my view. Its particularly gratifying when my E85 turns the heads of E89 drivers. Which is only right!

[UntzUntzUntz]

Originally Posted by Sterling Roadster

...why did you choose the vehicle you currently drive and what attracts you to the company in general?

but then,


and that is what attracts me to the company.

[David70]

Originally Posted by Sterling Roadster

That's interesting, why such a different car for a daily?

Coupe for the weekend and small RWD sedan for a daily is odd?

I am in Sales and job requires a 4 door.

[Westersund]

I've been a BMW fan since I was a kid and saw the E36 M3's and the Z3 M Coupes for the first time. When it was time to get my first car I don't know what made me choose a Seat Leon 1.8T, but that's what happened. I guess the BMW's where too expensive. After high school I went straight for (the equivalent) to collage thus living very cheap for 5 years. As soon as I got a job I started saving money to buy a BMW. I looked mainly at E46 M3's and E39 M5's as they are 2 of my favorite BMW models of all time.
However there were 2 dark horses lurking in the shadows, the Z3 and Z4 M Coupes. I was scanning ads for probably a year before the right car came about, my Z4 M Coupe. A silver grey 06' with all black interior that stood at the dealer in Belgium for 2 years before it was sold to an EU politician in Brüssels. He had it for a year and drove it for about 25K Km before the second owner imported it to Sweden. This owner had it for about 13K Km before I bought it from him in 2011. I guess I fell for the oddball styling and the no bullshit concept of hydraulic steering and a manual gearbox. This is when the big time BMW addiction set in.

Since then the Seat Leon have been sold and replaced with an hellrot 97' E36 318 TiA compact that used to be my sisters. It's in good condition and have only been driven for 90K Km. A half a year ago I started looking for an additional car. I went a bit back and forth thinking about replacing the Compact with an E46 M3 but I didn't find any of my liking. Out of no where an 92' E34 M5 appeared, I've never been that big of an E34 fan but at first sight it was so cool. It had the right S38B38 engine and the standard interior with amaretta cloth and alcantara. It didn't hurt that it was 1 of 2 E34 M5 (S38B38) sold in Brocade Red in the world and the other was was scrapped in Denmark a few years back. As soon as I bought it I started to restore it and change parts to get it in top notch condition mechanically. That's where I'm at today, I've started to save a bit of cash monthly for the next purchase whatever that may be and how many years it will take I don't know.

[whatcubed]

Originally Posted by Westersund

I've been a BMW fan since I was a kid and saw the E36 M3's and the Z3 M Coupes for the first time.

We have similar stories, lol.

I, too, got into cars in the e36 M3 era. However, my starter car was a '96 Ford Contour (I believe the called them Mondeo in Europe). My mom wrote that off, and I ended up in a hand-me-down Camry. After working for a while, I had saved up to get a car that I actually wanted, and ended up in a nice e46 330Ci.

A couple years ago, I decided to start looking at an M car to replace it. After looking at e46 and e90 M's, I started to notice just how many I saw driving around. I decided I wanted something a little less common, and after looking around, decided on the M Coupe. A little more searching, and I ended up in my '07. I kept the 330Ci, and between the two cars, I haven't really had to do anything other than maintenance items (brakes, oil/filter/fluids, etc.).

I've always been a bit of a BMW fanboy, and I am really satisfied with what I have now, but we'll see what happens with the M2 (2-series M?) comes out...

[HEY32G]

Why my Z4?
Class - I live in the land of rednecks and pick up trucks.

Style - I love the Z4's design, very unique, very German. Classic roadster look.

Performance - other cars can outperform it, but to do it on the street you're an idiot.

Reliability? I bought mine with a CarMax 50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, therefore not an issue.

Also had a 335i, which I loved. There's something about the way BMW's drive. My wife has a Mercedes - it's just a little too stale, non-emotional. I've had two Audi's and they were too numb feeling, and one was a TTS.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by mcoupe5/6

The z4mc was my first BMW...for me it was the polarizing design. I fell in love with the concept in high school and really wanted one if it made it to production. Of course when it finally hit the showrooms it was well out of my range... I even sat in one in a showroom when it came out. A few years later depreciation became my friend and I picked one up. Before I ever drove it, I knew I would love it. The engine was proven...and being the last na straight six was a big plus for me...but again that design! I have become an enthusiast because I really enjoy the car... And I have been enjoying doing as much of the work on it as I can.

I even got my wife into a 2011 328 m sport a few months after we got married we both really enjoyed that car. Then she really enjoyed driving... but after a year or so my wife wanted more power and we picked up a 2013 335 m sport, between that and the M coupe I don't want or need anything else!
Not to say I won't buy cars from other brands in the future but I really enjoy what we have right now!

Fair enough, while i'm turned off turbos right now, it's pretty incredible what the new turbo BMWs can do with very little effort.

[Sterling Roadster]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Of all the cars I've ever driven, and quite frankly, I've driven more cars that I care to count, there are only one other brand in the world that consistently offers performance per dollar even remotely close to BMW.

So I don't know where you get that notion that BMWs have less performance than other cars for similar money.*

I buy BMWs because they offer the best performance per dollar ratio in my price range (as you can probably guess, the OTHER brand prices their cars slightly outside of my comfort zone, and I don't feel like stretching to own a depreciating asset).

I bought my MZ4 Coupe because there's nothing quite like it on the market except for the Cayman S at the time, and while the P-car was a better performance vehicle, the MZ4 Coupe was a better "experience". I bought our 335D because it is every bit the luxury sport sedan that BMW is known to build, with insane torque (425ft-lbs on tap) and sips fuel at an astounding 36MPG (that's hybrid range). By far the best performance, value, and efficiency I've ever seen in a car like this. Nothing comes remotely close.

* I know what you're trying to say. For the money BMWs don't offer a ton of performance in power. You're probably going to tell me that a base WRX makes 300 HP for less than $30K vs. a base 328i, which cost closer to $40. While that is technically true, and I'm not going to lie, I owned a WRX wagon for a while, I'm going to tell you that stock for stock, you'd be hard-pressed to keep up in the WRX to a 328i on technical tracks.

Performance isn't just about straight line speed and power.

Yeah people tend to compare numbers and decide which car is better before they even drive either of them. So numbers are what attract many people to many models. AWD vs. RWD, forced induction vs. NA. So f you can ignore the numbers, I was wondering what else people like about BMW.