What makes BMW so special?

[BimmerzE36]

Put it simply, a honda is a honda and a lamborghini is a lamborghini..its about prestige, class but mostly the feel and plesure of driving it...

you can go as fast as you want, make any car as fast as you like if your pockets are deep enough...nothing against evos but evos have a small 2.0L 4 cylender engine with a huge turbo, m3s make close power out of their na engines


just tell him BMW's are made by god...

[bmwjuggalo]

Just look at the 3 Series:

The E36 is great, and the 3 series seems to improve with every generation, plus or minus some aspects of the design. Also worth noting is that the 3 Series is still on Car & Drivers' 10 Best list (for 19 years now). Why do you think most major car magazines and and shows like Top Gear look to the M3 as a benchmark for comparisons?

Like a lot of you said, It's all about the balance!!! (literally and figuratively speaking)

[GunnerNell]

As others have said, it's a driver's car. That and like when you're going through a parking lot and some woman yells, "Nice car, Man!" Someone asked this question a few months ago, and like another poster here, my answer was "balance."

I've just bought a "new" one (2009 128i). Test drove the new Muskrats, and they're not bad; with their redesigned front suspension, they're certainly light years better than they were as recently as last year. But there is just no comparison to this car. I can't figure out why other car companies cannot seem to build a car that has this wonderful BMW feel. How tricky can it be?

[Jetblack2000Ci]

They are an all around package, power, timeless designs, luxury, sportiness, great drivers cars.

I think you hit it right on the head there. These machines are truly timeless in design. These cars just don't look their age.

I remember once a couple months back I did a good afternoon's worth of washing, waxing, and some interior detailing. That same evening I drove down to a friends house for a dinner. I was shocked when I was asked by some of the guests if I had gotten a new car (or at least a newer used car). Granted, these people don't know much about BMW but I think it says something when someone can mistake a 10 year old car for something maybe half its age or less. I think it being so glossy looking probably had something to do with it but I'll leave it at that.

[Goon]

I was big into the import scene when I was at school. When it came to buying my first car, I looked at Supras, Soarers, Skylines, Cressidas etc. Test drove them all and was in the process of deciding when I came across an e36 in a dealership lot. It was in the price range so why not. Test drove it and I became a BMW lover overnight.

When I looked to my next car, I wanted a change, so I thought I would check out some other European marques, expand my horizons and experiences a bit so that meant VW, Mercs, Audi. Again, the lure of BMWs brought me back. They are just the right package for me and suits my style to a T.

BMW does great overall packaged cars. They do well in a whole variety of areas without sacrificing much at all. Plus all the motorsport history and aura of the brand helps.

Next car will be something different! I promised, but we'll see

[Matt Cramer]

I was asked by a friend why I thought BMW s were so great. The ever so popular m3 was slower then an evo. And it got me thinking. Why did you choose BMW?

Many people have heard the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none," but few know that the saying ends with, "Though often better than a master of one."

I went with an E36 BMW because, while I wanted something that was fun to drive and sporty, I also have a long (over an hour) commute. There's a lot of stop and go traffic to it. So I wanted something that was also comfortable and luxurious, didn't break down too often, and would be reasonably straightforward to fix when it did.

I've owned cars that cornered better and accelerated harder. I've owned cars that got better mileage. One or two cars I've owned may have been more dependable. I've had cars with more comfortable seats for long trips, by a narrow margin. But many of those cars have fallen into the "master of one" category - a Corvette with way too many miles on it to use as a daily driver, appliance cars that got good gas mileage but had no power, a total beater that just happened to have great seats, etc. The BMW is quite a fun to drive car (not quite as good as the Corvette), does everything fairly well, and has few drawbacks other than the back seat being a bit of a joke.

[sickdeathshappe]

i like bmw because theyre the best. The parts are pricey, but we only live once. I own a trans am too, but it doesnt compare to "balance" of Bmw someone mentioned earlier. Sure bmw isnt the fastest but it can be, the handling is amazing.

[gary88]

Because they're so balanced. No one feature overshadows another, they all work together to bring you a truly unique driving experience.

[Realbadbimmer]

That tactile feel that connects you the road. That steering feel that gives you precise cornering ability. That nice smooth acceleration when you step on the gas, it all adds up, not to mention the superior german engineering.

Best of all, you don't have to sacrifice practicality for performance. Even a bimmer daily driver like the 3 series 4-door family sedan has the performance of a sports car, you just can't beat that package.

[Tantive]

Just after I got married my wife and I were looking for a new car. She'd always wanted a BMW but I'd never been a fan. I tested an X Type, C Class and a Saab 95 and then relented a tried a 320. The others completely paled into insignificance after that and we are now on our fourth BMW. Why?

1) Nothing else feels like a BMW. It's smooth, solid and yet you can feel the road.
2) No one else builds engines like BMW. Powerful and responsive when you need it to be, smooth and quiet when you just want to cruise.*
3) Rear wheel drive. Try driving a fwd car after driving a BMW and see if you can honestly tell me it's the same feeling.
4) They last forever. I love the fact I'm still seeing plenty of cherished E30's on London roads. When was the last time you saw a cherished Audi 80?
5) Timeless design. I saw a 2002 parked in the high street recently and it was still turning heads after 40 years.
6) There is no just going from A to B with a BMW. I drive my Bimmer five days a week and am so pleased I do every time I get out of it.

Yes there are better cars out there, but not many that will keep you as happy as a Bimmer.

[robmpulse]

Ǽthetics.


I buy what I like, I don't care what you like or what your friend likes. If you don't like a bmw, I don't think you should buy one regardless of how it compares to another car.

Now that you have that out of the way... can you explain to us why YOU bought your car.... just like what the OP asked.....

[Charlie]

The badge matches my shoes and it has awesome cupholders.

-Charlie

[GunnerNell]

The badge matches my shoes and it has awesome cupholders.

-Charlie

Wow. I gotta see those shoes.

Uhhhh, on second thought.......

[Bimmernovice]

BMW is a kick A$$ brand! Allure-Style-Soul. No other manufacturer has it the way BMW has it. It all started me 30 years ago when I bought a 2002. Ran like it was best 4-seater around at the time. I've had over 15 cars since then. Now I have an e36 vert and two e30's, an 88 325iS and a 91 4-door. Both e30's evoke the same A$$ as the 2002! Its like a beautiful woman...you gotta love that A$$!

[MIMI1]

The way the girls play with your private parts when they see what you drive.

[honeydew]

Why did my family choose a BMW? Because there is no Jaguar dealership in my town or anywhere close. We would be driving in a Jag XJ instead of an e38 if there were a Jag dealer.

Wow, did you ever dodge a bullet there.

E46 330i is probably my favorite. It handles so incredibly well, it's interior is beautiful and as a 4 door, it's a car you can keep as your family grows. Also, as JetBlack200ci says, my friend's think the 2001 is brand new. Timeless looks.

The Z3 Coupe is just awesome. Wish I had one.

I am not a fan of the recent styling of the E90's and the E60's. I can actually mistake these for other cars and vice versa, whereas before if it was a BMW there was no doubt. IMHO

[DreadLoxXx]

If you don't 'know what makes a BMW special, you can't be told.

Sure you pay a premium but there are so many bonuses too it. For example. When my mom first got into my girlfriends X5 should couldn't believe how heavy the door was. Ok in fairness she is in her 70s but that also means she has gotten in and out of more cars than most of the people on this forum. Strong door = safety. And how about the non obvious reason. Some of us are extraverts and our car must complement our personality. The sheer looks of envy and jealous alone is worth the price. Now if you are not a 'show off' don't buy a BMW. Don't like people look at you at a 4 way stop? Don't buy a BMW. Because in the end, people equate it to more than the sum of its parts. Its a symbol. We didn't make it that way, THEY did. (The ones without a BMW)

One last point. The M3 has been a benchmark for all sedans for the past 28 years. Its not because it is necessarily #1 in any category to rate a car, but because it pretty much comes in at #2 in everything. For the price, you are fair fetched to find a vehicle as well rounded.

I have said my peace.

[montaillou]

The sheer looks of envy and jealous alone is worth the price.

[MIMI1]

4 year old thread ...

[ezbmr]

Because the EVO was too fast for me.

[XOjustin]

Comparing an M3 to an Evo is comparing apples to oranges. Are you seriously asking why someone would choose a BMW over a Mitsubishi?

Drive both. There's your answer.

[shiftmygears]

Can't afford a Porsche, Mercedes are boring and can't afford an AMG, Audi doesn't appeal aside from the R8, so ended up with BMW.

[325bob]

As others have said, it's a driver's car. That and like when you're going through a parking lot and some woman yells, "Nice car, Man!" Someone asked this question a few months ago, and like another poster here, my answer was "balance."

I've just bought a "new" one (2009 128i). Test drove the new Muskrats, and they're not bad; with their redesigned front suspension, they're certainly light years better than they were as recently as last year. But there is just no comparison to this car. I can't figure out why other car companies cannot seem to build a car that has this wonderful BMW feel. How tricky can it be?

Good question, apparently, very tricky, since the lesser marques have targeted BMW's attributes for 25 years, and still don't get it, albeit, they're getting closer. Don't feel too bad, my"new one" is a 99!,

[Gator325525]

As others have mentioned, they are as close to the total package as you can get in an automobile. If I had to put my finger on one thing, it would be the design and manufacturering ethos that BMW engineers into its cars. They are consistent and familiar. BMWs all have the same DNA in their make-up, no matter what kind of chassis, body or form the car/SAV may have, it will always possess certain inalienable qualities that make it a BMW. Other manufacturers do not adhere so religiously to this kind of automobile building philosophy.

I believe it is this consistency of its genetic make-up that distinguishes a BMW car from everything else. No other automaker, with the possible exception of Porsche, maintains such strict fidelity to its principles of design, construction and performance. The 50/50 weight distribution, the short overhangs, the long hood, the setback greenhouse, the hoffmeister kink, the kidneys, etc., etc. Because all BMWs share certain principles of their genesis in common, they all possess those wonderful qualities that make it the Ultimate Driving Machine.