Quote:
Originally Posted by demosthenes
Well said. On a recent trip to my dealer, a SA told me he had about 200-300 cars and only 2 or 3 were sticks and the couldn't sell them! I don't want to start another stick vs auto war, but this is an indication of where things are going. When I test drove my first 1600 and 2002 in 1970, most of the cars the dealer had were sticks.
The trend is clear - the percentage of BMW buyers that are enthusiasts is declining and probably will continue to decline. BMW has to pay attention to the luxury factor or they won't sell many cars. I think they've got the performance/luxury balance about right. The car has the luxury fundamentals covered, but the emphasis is on performance, which is what enthusiasts want. I'd hate to see BMW start trying to compete with Lexus on luxury.
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In 1978 most Honda Accords were sticks, in fact they may have ALL been sticks.
BMW competes very well with Lexus on Luxury. I have owned both.
I also think BMW has the performance/luxury balance about right (except that there is some room for improvement in the way they handle bad surfaces .... and oh yeah, the RFTs suck.
Luxury vs. Performance. One does not necessarily preclude the other.