BMW Cars and General information Thread

HashSlinging

Think its time we had one of these as a reference to everything BMW, the board is swamped at the moment. :cool:

Seth Brundle

what kind of things were you thinking of?
Why just BMW? Why not Alfa - they are always being asked about?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

kbannon wrote:

Why just BMW? Why not Alfa

because its only BMW drivers that seem to have this intense need to tell everybody what they drive. ( as you can tell by all the BMW signatures)
Pathetic really, but. one has to try an get some value for money.

R.O.R

I looked at a BMW last week.

It was very overpriced.

milltown

R.O.R wrote:

I looked at a BMW last week.

It was very overpriced.

Excellent info! I can see this being stickied :rolleyes:

Seth Brundle

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

because its only BMW drivers that seem to have this intense need to tell everybody what they drive. ( as you can tell by all the BMW signatures)
Pathetic really, but. one has to try an get some value for money.

My sig doesn't mention what I drive - it refers to a forum!
Anyhow, my car was not overpriced when I bought it - it was quite reasonable. I could have gotten something newer - but smaller and with less extras! After two and a half years its still worth a fair bit of what I paid for it so I reckon it was good value for money!

Lex Luthor

I own a BMW and an Alfa....

I'm just letting people know cos thats what we do

p.s. The BMW passed its NCT today. Just thought I'd let you know. :cool:

\m/_(>_<)_\m/

kbannon wrote:

My sig doesn't mention what I drive - it refers to a forum!
Anyhow, my car was not overpriced when I bought it - it was quite reasonable. I could have gotten something newer - but smaller and with less extras! After two and a half years its still worth a fair bit of what I paid for it so I reckon it was good value for money!

oh sorry, so you don't drive a BMW. My mistake. I take the signature thing back, it just something typical BMW driver would do. my apologies.

so what is it you have?

Owen

Let me remind people that new BMWs are some of the cheapest vehicles to service. You can service a new 1 Series for 5 years for 700 Euro, a 3 for 5 years for 1000 Euro, a MINI for 5 Years for 250 Euro. They're not as elitist as people would love you to believe. People buy BMWs because they're cheap to maintain, have above average re-sale value, are safe, rewarding to drive, and are well built cars.

Seth Brundle

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

oh sorry, so you don't drive a BMW.

Did I say I did? You said that "its only BMW drivers that seem to have this intense need to tell everybody what they drive". I have no such need. To be honest I don't give a rats ass what people think! Can you tell me when I last mentioned my car's make/model on boards?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

My mistake. I take the signature thing back, it just something typical BMW driver would do. my apologies.

This is yet another ill informed sweeping statement from squiggle! What is a typical BMW driver? Most BMW drivers on here have no reference to their car in their sig! The link is in my sig to help boost search engine rankings for the linked site more than anything else! Does it offend you?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

so what is it you have?

Now you want me to tell the world what I drive! Make your mind up!

Fey!

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

because its only BMW drivers that seem to have this intense need to tell everybody what they drive. ( as you can tell by all the BMW signatures)
Pathetic really, but. one has to try an get some value for money.

My God, you're so witty and not like a broken record...

I have my car in my sig, along with a link to a BMW I contribute to. When I bought it, I had a choice between it and a much newer Mondeo. If I had bought the Mondeo, people such as yourself wouldn't make constant derogatory, sweeping statements about it and "Ford drivers". However, I choose my BMW because I prefered the comfortable drive.

It's such a shame that you have so many chips on your shoulder; anti-Garda, anti-decent cars, etc, etc, etc.

OP: There are 2 Irish based forums for BMW drivers which are very good.

www.bmw-driver.net

www.bavarian-board.co.uk (formerly bmwcarclubireland and bmw-board.co.uk).

Gatster

oh sorry, so you don't drive a BMW. My mistake. I take the signature thing back, it just something typical BMW driver would do. my apologies.

Hmm, I didn't have anything in my sig when I had one. And what is the typical BMW driver then? What do you drive, btw, then we can all make unfounded random generalisations? Plenty of people have their manufacturer/model in the sig, nowt to do with BMW's.

EDIT: Fey said it better, and before me

Mc-BigE

handy reference website:

www.bmwland.co.uk

Here's a BMW specialist garage in UK if your thinking of importing one,
i have no experience with this garage, just thought it was a good website.
don't like the "please ask" in some of the Mileage boxes

http://www.bigmotoringworld.co.uk/

here's a DIY site in US of A

http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e46

Sandwich

Idea for a postgrad thesis :

"The BMW effect and the correlation of car brand choice with the shallowness of their owners."

Could follow on to Ralph Lauren wearers, people who go to New York just to shop etc.

Lex Luthor

Mc-BigE wrote:

http://www.bigmotoringworld.co.uk/

Thanks....this will come in handy

Gatster

"The BMW effect and the correlation of car brand choice with the shallowness of their owners." Could follow on to Ralph Lauren wearers, people who go to New York just to shop etc

Are you in the same 'chip' club as \m/_(>_<)_\m/ ?

damo605

ned78 wrote:

People buy BMWs because they're cheap to maintain, have above average re-sale value, are safe, rewarding to drive, and are well built cars.

HA HA - Might be cheap for you mate 'cause you work for a dealer but in reality the only BMW that's cheap to maintain is one that's under warranty :rolleyes:
A complete lack of reliability on a new car is just annoying but when it's outside of warranty: it's bloody expensive!
Above average re-sale value: I'll agree with that one.
Safe: my h0le - talk to the dude I know whose brakes failed everytime he went over a bigish bump and 2k to silversp didn't fix it or my e34 whose brakes (full new discs, pads, etc from main dealer) would fade out if you used them too much, ie. tried to slow down from over 60 more than once.
Rewarding to drive: Agree, on a very smooth road, a very low mileage & well cared for 6 pot bmw is excellent in this regard.
Well built: I built a kennell for my dog and I reckon it would have a better chance of doing 20k miles without going wrong that a bmw would!
And before the beemer bridage start that's just from personal experience.... Oh yea, and the experience of anyone I have talked to who has had or currently has one.
Don't believe everything you read on t'internet

unkel

damo605 wrote:

Don't believe everything you read on t'internet

Agreed. Starting with your post

maidhc

damo605 wrote:

And before the beemer bridage start that's just from personal experience.... Oh yea, and the experience of anyone I have talked to who has had or currently has one.

I have 2 uncles who each had e36 BMW 520i. Neither gave any trouble in the 7/8 or so years they had them. One uncle did (and still does) massive miles in France (where he lives), the other used his one as a tractor/quad/pickup/LandRover.. it even carried a sick calf down half a mountain. It was totally destroyed by the time he sold it on, but was mechanically sound.

damo605

unkel wrote:

Agreed. Starting with your post

I knew that line would be fodder for the beemer brigade :rolleyes:
I posted my experience of bmw being crap, so you post your experience of them being great and that evens it out....
I think they are sh1te, obviously many other people think they are the bee's knees so, as with everything, it's important everyone gets to read both sides of the story!
I only posted because I, and many others, know that Ned is in the business and I'd fear that people would read his post and take it as gospel because of his position.
Good and bad experiences - that's what should be posted.... Not the allmighty snigger 'cause it's "so obvious I don't even need to counter just instead knock the negative post"

Owen

damo605 wrote:

HA HA - Might be cheap for you mate 'cause you work for a dealer but in reality the only BMW that's cheap to maintain is one that's under warranty :rolleyes:

Why does it matter if I work for a Dealer? It's FUD like what you're bandying about that still has the public believing premium cars are expensive to own and drive. FFS, you can have a new 316 for 399 per month! How is that expensive, and service it for 5 years for less than a grand. Yes it's one of those 'finance deals', but it's still the same price as an Avensis. Anyway, I digress, the new Service Inclusive packages from BMW cover servicing for 5 years to bring costs down for the end user, making them happy, making them buy another BMW down the road. Why would they have it work any other way?

Comparing a new Beamer/Merc/Lexus to one 10 years old isn't a fair comparisson either. Of course a 10 year old car/6 year old car is going to be more expensive than a newer car to maintain, as old cars deteriorate faster, and more and more components age and need replacing. It's life! And yes there's horror stories, but they're more good than bad. And that's my opinion as a person, not an employee.

damo605

maidhc wrote:

I have 2 uncles who each had e36 BMW 520i. Neither gave any trouble in the 7/8 or so years they had them. One uncle did (and still does) massive miles in France (where he lives), the other used his one as a tractor/quad/pickup/LandRover.. it even carried a sick calf down half a mountain. It was totally destroyed by the time he sold it on, but was mechanically sound.

e36 is 3 series, 91 onwards but I get what you're saying.... Have heard a few stories like that meself, even know a few with very high mileages but I honeslty know a lot more who have broken people's hearts (& wallets)....

Owen

For the record, I post here, on Motors as an enthusiast. Never as a Dealer unless someone specifically asks for advice, I'll knock a poor BMW the same as anyone else! You'd swear Damo605's post "I, and many others know Ned is a Dealer" would imply I'm trying to hide it. I'd say Sherlock Holmes is ****ting himself

legs11

BMW make a fine car, goddammit.........

get over it....!:D

Owen

Back ON TOPIC, if there is a BMW Forum setup, I would be happy to offer advice on warranties, etc. It's the least I could do. I'm generally too damn busy with MINI stuff anyway :eek:

damo605

ned78 wrote:

Why does it matter if I work for a Dealer? It's FUD like what you're bandying about that still has the public believing premium cars are expensive to own and drive. FFS, you can have a new 316 for 399 per month! How is that expensive, and service it for 5 years for less than a grand. Yes it's one of those 'finance deals', but it's still the same price as an Avensis. Anyway, I digress, the new Service Inclusive packages from BMW cover servicing for 5 years to bring costs down for the end user, making them happy, making them buy another BMW down the road. Why would they have it work any other way?

Comparing a new Beamer/Merc/Lexus to one 10 years old isn't a fair comparisson either. Of course a 10 year old car/6 year old car is going to be more expensive than a newer car to maintain, as old cars deteriorate faster, and more and more components age and need replacing. It's life! And yes there's horror stories, but they're more good than bad. And that's my opinion as a person, not an employee.

Ned - I didn't mean any offence, my remark was meant more in the way that your opinion/post would be respected due to your standing (and previous posts) as opposed to suggesting that you were a dealer incognito
Anyways.... Please don't get me wrong, I would never turn someone off a premium brand because of 'running costs, etc. (As I personally believe that a larger top of the range model will probably last and age much better than a mickey mouse model and be much cheaper to maintain in the long run) and I'm not comparing an old car to a new car either but I no longer consider BMW (Or Merc for that matter) a premium brand.... I know they have a premium image but that's as far as it goes in my mind ;-)
I have driven new & newish 3 & 5 series BMWs & heard of the problems and seen them broken down at the side of the road very often but fair enough, I have not owned one, so can not comment as an owner.
That 5 year servicing thing is pretty cool but is there a 5 year warranty to go with it?
I personally feel that BMW are living off a reputation they earned off the E30 & E28 and, like many of the German manufacturers, they are having trouble getting abreast of the new electronics required in todays cars (Nearly yesterday's cars at this stage).

Owen

Oops, my bad then too Damo. Your sleuthing skills are most powerful!

Owen

damo605 wrote:

I personally feel that BMW are living off a reputation they earned off the E30 & E28 and, like many of the German manufacturers, they are having trouble getting abreast of the new electronics required in todays cars (Nearly yesterday's cars at this stage).

Those were some mighty BMW's. The E30 was a beast of a machine, and the E36 captured a lot of that driver's essence. I personally get the same excitment seeing an E31 8 Series as I did when I saw it first as a child. The transition to E46 added luxury to the equation, but more advanced technology too. The only things I see regularly going on an E46 are coil packs (Not expensive), Oxygen Sensors, and on the high mileage Diesels - Turbos. Not bad, especially seeing as the E46 sold in such huge numbers.

The new E90 funnily enough has a great record. We (When I saw we, I mean my Dealership, not BMW) haven't had a breakdown yet. As has the 1 Series. The E60 5 Series had issues with *some* auto boxes at the start, and the few affected required a firmware update, but other than that, they're reliable as hell, and if one does go, the car is advanced enough to put itself into limp home mode, so you're not stranded.

To answer your question about the Warranty, new Beamers get a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty, and three years of road side assistance. Both are applicable European wide.

BMW are at the cutting edge of tech, HUDs, Night Vision, Voice Control, the most advanced safety tech you can get, and the odd time new tech needs recalls. But so do mobile phones, laptops, ipods, etc. And I know people will say you're life doesn't depend on an ipod, but a BMW/Merc/Lexus/Audi will not allow it's tech to compromise your safety. They're all still putting your safety first, pleasure second - and long may that last.

redman

I used to be a BMW man, but switched to Alfa and haven't looked back.

Nicest one that I had of all of them was a 530d, but heavy depreciation in my view relative to the brand, cost and supposed resale value, also too many around....

unkel

damo605 wrote:

bmw being crap

damo605 wrote:

I think they are sh1te

That's your opinion based on owning a knackered E34 (introduced nearly 20 years ago)? There are probably 10 times as many E34 BMWs alone on the road in Ireland today for any single Peugeot of that age...

damo605

unkel wrote:

That's your opinion based on owning a knackered E34 (introduced nearly 20 years ago)? There are probably 10 times as many E34 BMWs alone on the road in Ireland today for any single Peugeot of that age...

Knackered yes, not from age, abuse or high mileage.... At the time 100k warranted miles, about 6 years ago...
As for Peugeot I had a '93 605 and it was a gem, odometer broke at 83k miles (And that was the only thing that didn't work when I got her) and put 50 to 60k on that car without a major problem, most expensive minor problem cost 75 euro and I could trust that car to drive down to San Tropez and back in 40c heat without a worry (And I did!).
Don't take things personally Unkel but I must say I have driven (Fair enough, I haven't owned) 02 and 03 3 and 5 series beamers and they have rattled and banged their way down the road so I get the impression that the newer models ain't much better than their predecessors!