Do You Buy A BMW For Status Symbol Or Real Performance - Page 4

SurreyF1 · 09-15-2011, 11:04 AM

Status Symbol lol... look at my $12k car

Award winning engine
Exceptional performance
Perfect balance of luxury and sport... leaning more towards sporty, but thats perfect for me
Reliable when maintained the right way
Timeless design
And yes, BMW is a "luxury" vehicle... i could have bought a TL or G35, but the bmw seriously drives better, and it is a BMW. German engineering is seriously like no other.

Brucifer325 · 09-15-2011, 11:15 AM

Probably a little of both. I remember Maddie Hayes' white 6-Series in 'Moonlighting' as well as Hawk's in 'Spencer For Hire'. Didn't think of them as 'BMW', more that I loved the lines of the car.

Fast forward 20 years and it was time to update the faithful '66 Plymouth Valiant. Drooled over a 635, but it had some issues and found out it was more of a tank than what I was looking for. Ended up with an '89 325is. After all the screaming and yelling the Valiant did at 35mph on a cloverleaf, the Bimmer did it at 50+ and looking for more.

More time passes and with a new house, I figure it's time to get a truck to help with fixing up the place.

'04 Dakota does it's thing for 7 years with nary a problem, but the mileage sucks. I want a car, but not just any car......something with the fun of my old E30.

Owtlaw333 · 09-15-2011, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MF325XI

German performance. Got sick of VW's, can't afford a mercedes so it was a Great choice! Started with an e30 in 03 and skipped to an e46 5 years later.

A C-class is the same price

EDIT: WTF... every time I quote this guy the quote gets screwed up

AlbertW 16 · 09-15-2011, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owtlaw333

Oh, and just to reiterate on the status thing in case some of you have sigs turned off...

I don't think so.... If I could justify the spend this is my next e46. M3 with 3k in miles. Sweet.
http://usedcars.kbb.com/detail/cars/...&kbb_zip=11050

Rob43 · 09-15-2011, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob43

Performance !

Because Race Car !

.BLinK. · 09-15-2011, 03:30 PM

A little bit of both..But moreso on the performance aspect. I've driven a 2001 GS430, 2004 Maxima, 1997 2.2 CL, 2008 M35, and my E46 feels better than all of them in terms of handling. Definitely not the fastest though, lol.

Owtlaw333 · 09-15-2011, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbertW 16

I don't think so.... If I could justify the spend this is my next e46. M3 with 3k in miles. Sweet.
http://usedcars.kbb.com/detail/cars/...&kbb_zip=11050

Gray interior, non-ZCP vert... no thanks.

FastHackem · 09-15-2011, 03:40 PM

Just wanted to try it out. Ive got two Porsches and love them, just wanted to see how BMW compares. They do well so far and much easier to work on.

DJ Reminisce · 09-15-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owtlaw333

Oh, and just to reiterate on the status thing in case some of you have sigs turned off...

My car is only 6 years old

new//M3fan · 09-15-2011, 03:53 PM

niether

Alex323Ci · 09-15-2011, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbertW 16

I don't think so.... If I could justify the spend this is my next e46. M3 with 3k in miles. Sweet.
http://usedcars.kbb.com/detail/cars/...&kbb_zip=11050

oh wow, that's about as new of an E46 that one can buy. and an M3 no less. nothing better than that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owtlaw333

Gray interior, non-ZCP vert... no thanks.

I think that M3 is a beaut. I'd take a manual 6 speed over the zcp package anyday. One can just add new CSL wheels and brakes like I did and reprogram the M traction control. only thing i don't like about the M3 cabrio are their different M3 seats and inability to put on the good looking CSL trunk

spank330ci · 09-15-2011, 04:18 PM

I didn't buy it to look cool,just wanted one for ages because they look stunning. After almost a year driving my 330ci convertible m sport tho I now realise what the famous badge brings to the owner. Performance,a massive grin every time you go full throttle with the roof down and lots of envious looks from other road users. Not intentional,but status symbol,Hell yeah,even if you don't mean it to be.. Best drive I have ever owned..

Owtlaw333 · 09-15-2011, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ Reminisce

My car is only 6 years old

Still a derivitive of a design from the 1990s

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex323Ci

I think that M3 is a beaut. I'd take a manual 6 speed over the zcp package anyday. One can just add new CSL wheels and brakes like I did and reprogram the M traction control. only thing i don't like about the M3 cabrio are their different M3 seats and inability to put on the good looking CSL trunk

I only threw in the ZCP comment because I couldn't justify that price for a pretty standard package (not the lowest obviously, but still...) On top of that, gray interior is the least desireable (and a complete deal breaker at any price for me personally)

Aaaaannd I'm not a fan of verts, lol

Great color though!

mkodama · 09-15-2011, 04:21 PM

I didn't want a front wheel drive car, the engine needed at least 200 horsepower for some reason, I didn't want a cheap plastic interior, wasn't bad to look at, and I had less than $18k to spend. I ended up being split between an FD RX-7 and an E46 330i.

spank330ci · 09-15-2011, 04:23 PM

Not a fan of verts?? Why is that out of curiosity?? Maybe the extra wind noise and chassis shake??

Owtlaw333 · 09-15-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spank330ci

Not a fan of verts?? Why is that out of curiosity?? Maybe the extra wind noise and chassis shake??

Hate the aesthetic of all softops and yes, wind noise is awful.

EDIT: I take that back... I think the Plymoth Prowler is the only car where I find a soft top works aesthetically.

mxli330ci · 09-15-2011, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DILLA

I like to wear pastel polo's and wear at least 3 at a time. That way, when I pop all my collars it looks like a pretty flower around my neck.

Iceman00 · 09-15-2011, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob43

Performance !

This.

And as far as performance goes, this brand is lacking. BMW as a whole is pretty much rubbish. I still love my car though, despite its many shortcomings.

Mr_325 · 09-15-2011, 05:11 PM

should have made a "both" category
however i selected performance

MTA330ci · 09-15-2011, 06:30 PM

Neither...
My neighbor drove home one night with what appeared to be a new BMW 5 series. It turned out to be a 4 years old. He said that his 3 series with over 350k started needing too many repairs so he had to retire it.

This is what inspired me to buy my wife a 1998 528i 9 years ago, a 2003 330ci 7 years ago and this year I purchased a 1999 323i (which I pulled apart and put back together will many new parts... mostly DIY) for my daughter. We still own these cars and drive them daily.

The side benefits... I like taking fast corners and looking over my shoulder as I leave it behind in a parking lot. My daughter is in love with her 323i... gets lots of compliments and had the time of her life at a high performance driving school at Summit Point Raceway.

View Poll Results: Status Symbol Or Performence
Status Symbol	44	20.56%
Performence	170	79.44%
Voters: 214. You may not vote on this poll

09-15-2011, 11:15 AM	#62
Brucifer325 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Gulfport, MS Posts: 84 My Ride: 2000 328Ci View My Garage	Probably a little of both. I remember Maddie Hayes' white 6-Series in 'Moonlighting' as well as Hawk's in 'Spencer For Hire'. Didn't think of them as 'BMW', more that I loved the lines of the car. Fast forward 20 years and it was time to update the faithful '66 Plymouth Valiant. Drooled over a 635, but it had some issues and found out it was more of a tank than what I was looking for. Ended up with an '89 325is. After all the screaming and yelling the Valiant did at 35mph on a cloverleaf, the Bimmer did it at 50+ and looking for more. More time passes and with a new house, I figure it's time to get a truck to help with fixing up the place. '04 Dakota does it's thing for 7 years with nary a problem, but the mileage sucks. I want a car, but not just any car......something with the fun of my old E30. __________________ "Love Us with Money, or We'll Hate you with Hammers!" - Milk & Cheese BMWCCA# 147961

09-15-2011, 03:40 PM	#68
FastHackem Registered User Join Date: May 2011 Location: Richmond, TX Posts: 650 My Ride: 2002 330i View My Garage	Just wanted to try it out. Ive got two Porsches and love them, just wanted to see how BMW compares. They do well so far and much easier to work on. __________________ The Mind Is A Terrible Thing. 2004 Cayenne S 2005 Impreza WRX 2002 330i 1983 944

09-15-2011, 03:53 PM	#70
new//M3fan Registered User Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Reston, VA Posts: 2,535 My Ride: 78' 924 87' E30 View My Garage	niether __________________ F-BOMBS IN SIGS Bilstein HD's \| E30 M3 FCAB's \| H&R OE Sports \| FR strut bars \| Self tuned 027 chip \| KoseiK1's on R888's \| +crazy OCD things

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09-15-2011, 11:04 AM	#61
SurreyF1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Nowhere Posts: 17,690 My Ride: BMW View My Garage	Status Symbol lol... look at my $12k car Award winning engine Exceptional performance Perfect balance of luxury and sport... leaning more towards sporty, but thats perfect for me Reliable when maintained the right way Timeless design And yes, BMW is a "luxury" vehicle... i could have bought a TL or G35, but the bmw seriously drives better, and it is a BMW. German engineering is seriously like no other.

09-15-2011, 03:30 PM	#66
.BLinK. Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: MD Posts: 69 My Ride: 2005 325i View My Garage	A little bit of both..But moreso on the performance aspect. I've driven a 2001 GS430, 2004 Maxima, 1997 2.2 CL, 2008 M35, and my E46 feels better than all of them in terms of handling. Definitely not the fastest though, lol.

09-15-2011, 04:18 PM	#72
spank330ci Registered User Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: kent,england Posts: 10 My Ride: 330ci sport cabrio View My Garage	I didn't buy it to look cool,just wanted one for ages because they look stunning. After almost a year driving my 330ci convertible m sport tho I now realise what the famous badge brings to the owner. Performance,a massive grin every time you go full throttle with the roof down and lots of envious looks from other road users. Not intentional,but status symbol,Hell yeah,even if you don't mean it to be.. Best drive I have ever owned..

09-15-2011, 04:21 PM	#74
mkodama The one and only. Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 30,885 View My Garage	I didn't want a front wheel drive car, the engine needed at least 200 horsepower for some reason, I didn't want a cheap plastic interior, wasn't bad to look at, and I had less than $18k to spend. I ended up being split between an FD RX-7 and an E46 330i.

09-15-2011, 04:23 PM	#75
spank330ci Registered User Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: kent,england Posts: 10 My Ride: 330ci sport cabrio View My Garage	Not a fan of verts?? Why is that out of curiosity?? Maybe the extra wind noise and chassis shake??

09-15-2011, 05:11 PM	#79
Mr_325 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Chwk, BC Posts: 832 My Ride: 2005 BMW 325i View My Garage	should have made a "both" category however i selected performance

09-15-2011, 06:30 PM	#80
MTA330ci Registered User Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: MD Posts: 82 My Ride: 2003 330CI View My Garage	Neither... My neighbor drove home one night with what appeared to be a new BMW 5 series. It turned out to be a 4 years old. He said that his 3 series with over 350k started needing too many repairs so he had to retire it. This is what inspired me to buy my wife a 1998 528i 9 years ago, a 2003 330ci 7 years ago and this year I purchased a 1999 323i (which I pulled apart and put back together will many new parts... mostly DIY) for my daughter. We still own these cars and drive them daily. The side benefits... I like taking fast corners and looking over my shoulder as I leave it behind in a parking lot. My daughter is in love with her 323i... gets lots of compliments and had the time of her life at a high performance driving school at Summit Point Raceway.