Santas Been :D

[OdinEidolon]

This was cheaper to lease over a Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport 2.2 TDCi Powershift Auto, it's only better on fuel, cheaper to tax, has better MPG, made better and drives hell of allot better.
And people wonder why 3 series are so popular.

Ah so this one's leased too?

Yeah, my Old man can do upto 40k in a year. Everythings covered in one package, insurance, tyres, all maintenance etc etc. All he has to do it put the fuel in.

This is the only way I'd have a BMW too. Tyres and maintenance is just too much, but this way it may be bearable, even it the lease price is high.

I'm still not a fan of the shape and the interior, but I' sure the performances make up for that

[rapport25]

I love it!!! I guess its personal choice. Since I moved from Peugeot to Vw. I would only buy german now.

As much as I love french cars inc Mrs Rappys C4 coupe for its quirky styling. You cant beat how solid german cars feel. And as for your mondeo. I still think like most Fords feel very cheap inside.

For me the best 4 door saloon in 1999 a pug 406 with the 110 hdi.

[lozz]

Dear New BMW Owner:

Congratulations on the purchase of your new automobile! We're sure that
it will provide you with the utmost in driving pleasure and lifestyle
enhancement.

However, we must inform you that there are certain minimum requirements
that a BMW customer must meet in order to retain ownership of his or her
vehicle. Specifically, as a first time owner, you must take and pass the
following classes, offered by your local BMW dealer:

* ARR 101 -- Arrogance
A six week course explaining the details of driving habits, posture,
clothing, and other details that all lead to the arrogant appearance
and demeanor that all BMW owners must present. $800/person

* AGG 101 -- Aggressiveness
Six weeks of hands-on experience in tailgating, rapid unsignaled lane
changes, speeding, and hard breaking. When you complete this course
you'll be able to merge your car into the tiniest available spot on the
freeway and cause everyone around you to know a BMW just entered the
road, even if they couldn't see you at the time. $1000/person

* BUD 101 -- Budgeting To Make Your Car Payment
Twelve weeks. $1500/person

If this is a second (or later) BMW, then our requirements include:

* ARR 102 -- Arrogance Refresher
Three weeks of refresher course on arrogance. $650/person

* AGG 102 -- Aggressiveness Refresher
Three weeks of refresher course on aggressiveness. $850/person

* BUD 102 -- Additional Budgeting Skills
12 weeks. This course covers additional budgeting skills including:
* How to buy your teenage child his or her first BMW and
still make the payment on your own.
* The home equity loan -- your friend.
* Selling your house to pay for your car -- you can do it.
* Paying for your BMW owner training classes -- yes, you have to.
$1500/person

These classes must be completed successfully during your first 3 months of
ownership, or we will be forced to repossess your car.

In addition, we offer other classes that you may be interested in taking.
These include:

* LIF 101 -- Living Where Other BMW Owners Live
How to find those neighborhoods where your fellow BMW owners already live.
Three weeks. $500/person

* MAI 101 -- BMW Maintenance
Four weeks. Basic training in how to open your wallet to pay BMW
mechanics seven times the going hourly rate to fix your car when it
breaks. $750/person

* MAI 201 -- Advanced BMW Maintenance
Eight weeks. Admission to this class requires instructor approval.
Hypno-therapy to ease the process of opening the wallet of really
tough customers.

Please contact your BMW dealer to enroll in your required classes, and
in any of the voluntary classes that appeal to you.

Once again, we appreciate your business! Happy Driving!

[Welly]

* MAI 101 -- BMW Maintenance
Four weeks. Basic training in how to open your wallet to pay BMW
mechanics seven times the going hourly rate to fix your car when it
breaks. $750/person

* MAI 201 -- Advanced BMW Maintenance
Eight weeks. Admission to this class requires instructor approval.
Hypno-therapy to ease the process of opening the wallet of really
tough customers.

[sirwiggum]

* LIF 101 -- Living Where Other BMW Owners Live

My last street was like that. Every other car seemed to be a bloody bmw or audi.

Was a shambles, we lived on the first corner and you would literally get tailgated by bmw drivers as you entered the development!

Yet I'm sure if I did 40mph round their end of the street they'd be gurning in case young tarquin got run over. Bunch of wannabe middle management gets.

[Welly]

Just thinking it must be complicated being a used BMW sales operative? trying to establish the spec of the car including suspension etc it's not as if you could say "that's an LX and that one's an L" is it?

I've had 2 BMW's; the first was a courtesy car from a garage and was a 318tds Compact it was quite a simple thing and I was in a hurry to get a car for her indoors (I crashed her other) so after driving it for 2 days as a loaner I bought it. It was a high-miler and a year later started having trouble with the main fuel pump (about 10 minutes after putting some injector cleaner in the system ). I sold that on pretty quick (had about 30 calls ).

The second was being sold by our Book keeper and was a W reg 318 SE in Silver and to be fair was a minter.....I drove it and quite liked it. Quickly found that it was thirsty (sub 25mpg) had a leaky gearbox, driveline 'shunt', and worn ALUMINIUM wishbones so tramlined all over the place and the Climate Control had a nervous breakdown......sold it on for £50.00 more than I paid for it 3 months before (also had about 20 calls)

Didn't bother with anymore after that and chalked these models up as being money pits. You would not believe how easy they were to sell one guy came to look at the Silver one and bought it on the spot, not even a test drive, it was in good nick and had a full BMWSH and the little torch and first aid kit were intact and that was all he wanted

[lozz]

One thing ive noticed with Bmw owners is,
most of them have a 2nd Motor,

when ibought the citroen xsara the chap had a brand new bmw,
ithought too my self whats he doing with an old 03 xsara when hes got that posh thing on the drive

it all makes sense realy, keep the mileage down and the multicar thing on the insurance,

[sirwiggum]

Reminds me of a fella I went to school with, his parents had a brand new Rover 214 (the 3 series of it's day). They also had a Yugo 45. They tended to use the Yugo most for going about and kept the Rover for going to church (ever notice how many expensive cars are parked outside churches? I digress).

[DaiRees]

Friend of mine has a 1 series company car, remember they change every 3 years so he's had plenty of experience of different motors, and he says this beemer is the worst built car he's ever owned. To be fair he had a 3 series a while back and said that one was screwed together quite well, but this 1 series is just falling apart, mechanical issues, electrical issues, bits of trim rattling loose and even the driver's seat collapsed and had to be replaced (no, he's not a big lad, only about 13 stone).

[sirwiggum]

The 1 series being the most basic "i need a bmw" variant, it doesn't surprise me that they're thrown together.
Yet the "german is best / most reliable" myth still persists and they still sell like hotcakes.
The Ultimate Marketing Machine in my opinion, they're right up there with Apple and audi in promoting their products as somehow 'desirable' and 'reassuringly expensive' when, as we've been discussing, in real world they're cheaper than the equivalent Ford.