Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
I'm fine with that. The F30 is a great car I'm sure as most 3-Series have been. It doesn't have a N/A I6 anymore, so I have no interest in it. Based on BMW's track record of unreliable gas turbos, I'll stay away from the N20.
What I can't understand is the unbridled affection for BMWs from members on this Forum. If BMWs were perfect, then sure I could understand it, but come on, if you can't see the poor reliability and subpar build quality of some BMW models, then you have your head in the proverbial sand. I've owned a 3-series since 1988; probably longer than a lot of the posters here have even been alive, so I know the cars pretty well and have gone back to the BMW trough twice for new cars.
Ninety percent of current BMW owners have no ability to appreciate the attributes of what BMW once owned the marketplace with. Now BMW has morphed into a Lexus-like luxury brand full of a bunch of badge-whores who wouldn't know a good driving car if it ran over them. Sorry, that's just the way it is. BMW has changed, you can see it in the dealership experience, the owner's manuals, and the luxury crap added to each model that takes away from the driving experience. It’s okay that BMW has changed, they are competing against other brands in the marketplace and that what it thinks it needs to do. It doesn’t mean owners like me, who remember BMWs from the 70’s and 80’s, and appreciate a good driver’s car need to accept it.
The ATS 2.0T with a manual transmission and sunroof option is my ideal ultimate driving machine, and what the 3-series used to be. The ATS I have in mind is about $6K less than a comparable F30 Sport Line and handles and brakes better.
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You might want to wait on your manual ATS. It's being redone due to quality concerns:
http://wot.motortrend.com/exclusive-...ed-280959.html
As for "classic BMWs" they're not going to interest the younger demographic. After a point it just sounds like people complaining about losing the good old days. Nostalgia tends to color things in a rosier light than they deserve. Just as I have no interest in watching Citizen Kane or Casablanca to feel like I appreciate good films, I don't expect everyone to take automobile appreciation lessons before buying a car.
In the mid-nineties the 3 series was selling 50,000 in the US, the past five years it's averaged double that. Their product strategy certainly seems to make their cars attractive to more consumers. It's entirely possible that new models are just as much drivers cars as the "classic" models, just in different ways. People evaluate cars under different criteria than they did 40 years ago. Not everyone will be happy with the adaptations, but there are other options on the market for those who feel the product isn't what they want.