[imyourmaster]

Where did your love and appreciation for the BMW brand start? Which was your first BMW leading to your M2? Include a picture if you can and share your story.

My first was a left hand drive 1969 BMW 1600. Living in South Africa at the time where all vehicles were right hand drive made this extra special. My mom imported it from Germany in '69 and handed it down to me in 1991 when I left for university. It was totaled in 1994 when a bread truck ran a stop sign and I t-boned it.

Fast forward to a 335i followed by a 335d. Next up was a M235i which led to the M2.

This is where it started for me...

[imyourmaster]

Where it all began.

[OBXBMW]

1971: 2002 drove it for 323,000 miles
1980 : 323i grey market in US; 280,000 miles
1995 : M3
1997: Z3

2000-2014 : "the porsche and ford years"

2017 : M2

[IS+1]

1991 BMW 318is
1998 Audi A4 (Audi's answer to the BMW 3-series)
2004 Lexus IS300 (Lexus's answer to the BMW 3-series)
2011 BMW 135i (BMW's answer to the no-longer-compact BMW 3-series)
2017/18 BMW M2 coming soon...

So yeah, it's nice to come back to BMW.

[Pyrat 2]

Here's my sequence:
2001 E46 330i (sold to BMWCCA instructor who totaled his E36 M3 at the track)
2006 E90 330 (still own)
1997 E36 318is starter car for my son (sold)
2003 E46 323ci step up car for my son (sold)
2013 E82 135is (sold)
2014 E84 X1 for wifey (still own)
2016 F87 M2 (still own)
1999 E36 M3 bought as my winter daily driver and wifeys track car (still own)

[imyourmaster]

Originally Posted by Pyrat 2

Here's my sequence:
2001 E46 330i (sold to BMWCCA instructor who totaled his E36 M3 at the track)
2006 E90 330 (still own)
1997 E36 318is starter car for my son (sold)
2003 E46 323ci step up car for my son (sold)
2013 E82 135is (sold)
2014 E84 X1 for wifey (still own)
2016 F87 M2 (still own)
1999 E36 M3 bought as my winter daily driver and wifeys track car (still own)

You have too many garages sir! Well done

[bim2er]

Originally Posted by imyourmaster

Where did your love and appreciation for the BMW brand start? Which was your first BMW leading to your M2? Include a picture if you can and share your story.

My first was a left hand drive 1969 BMW 1600. Living in South Africa at the time where all vehicles were right hand drive made this extra special. My mom imported it from Germany in '69 and handed it down to me in 1991 when I left for university. It was totaled in 1994 when a bread truck ran a stop sign and I t-boned it.

Fast forward to a 335i followed by a 335d. Next up was a M235i which led to the M2.

This is where it started for me...

When there was a gas crisis in the US in 1967, my dad showed up with 1600, a tan over brown 4 speed. He showed us how to keep the low HP car moving with momentum. It handled great and was the most fun car I had been in because his previous cars were all large American cars.

[jtfields]

Me and my girlfriend (now wife) were driving to Galveston back in 1996 or 1997 and I saw a Z3 for the first time. We both were amazed (there was nothing like it at the time) so we hauled ass to keep up with it. I assumed it was a high end impossible to afford sports car. Then I discovered they were somewhat affordable but impossible to find (many were selling over MSRP with ridiculous waiting lists much like the M2). I lucked into a used one with 250 miles on it. The first year and a half I couldn't go anywhere without attracting attention. I remember walking out of Home Depot once and there were literally ten people circling and gawking at the car. Soon after it seemed every car manufacturer had their own roadster. But I was hooked. I loved driving that car. It was my DD for ten years until my second child was born at which time the wife finally said I had to get something with a back seat. I still miss that car and the joy it brought me was one of the main reasons I bought the M2, I wanted a fun to drive BMW again.

[Robin_NL]

I was more kind of a Mercedes/Audi freak back in the DTM and Gr B rally days(mid 80s), I was 16/17 back then. Then the 750i came out in '88 with a V12. I liked it because of the engine. Later on the E34 M5 came out in 89. Love at first sight.

Difficult to decide between the Benz 500E and E34 M5 wile driving an '81 Volkswagen Golf 1.1 4 speed manual lol.

But anyway, the E34 M5 got me for sure.
I bought my first BMW in '01 (330d E46 5MT)
And now I know something about BMW's brand heritage and all, being a car enthousiast...

E46330d/330i, e46 m3, 120d f87, 330i E90, 335i E90,E90 M3 6MT, 535i F10, 335i F30, 1M, M2


Cheers
Robin

[DivideBYZero]

<--- Garage list. (some are missing, but that's most and includes the oldest ones.)

[krizze]

well since im 23, my car history isn't so long but

in 2009 my first car was a : 2005 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Duratec - at 16 it would pull almost all women

2011 January: 2010 Audi A3 Sportback 1.4 tfsi ( called this the tank because it was just so heavy )

2012 : 2011 F21 116i In estoril blue ( the start of the BMW Bug ) i remember it snowing and rear wheel drive for the first time and the power only 120bhp was very manageable it was a dream!

2013 - 2016 : F20 125i Sport Auto which was to this day my favourite car ever always made me smile and took it all over europe multiple times i put 45,000 miles on it before selling.

2017 : VW Golf TDI Variant 1.6 ( work car )

2017 April : BSM BMW M2 ( the dream realised my first M ) !

in the attachment i put in the 125i i had when it was in all its glory just from a deep clean somewhere in the Czech Republic!

[gmzanatta]

I've always liked the cars since I saw my first E30 M3 when I was a kid. I jumped on the BMW bandwagon as soon as I had the chance.

2007 E86 Z4 M Coupe
2016 F87 M2

[Corinne]

2002 330D Touring, bought new and I've still got it. It looks pretty much the same apart from a bit of rust on the front left wing (due, I suspect to a paint defect). It now has 321,000 kms.

[King_Slayer]

When I read the post title before entering I thought you were referring to what my age limit for girls I would date or how old would I go

I've had a few cars before getting my first BMW, they were all across the board, Jetta, mustang, 325i, Land Rover. But my first M car was a 95 M3 in hellrot color which I fell in love with, was basically waiting for BMW to make something in the E36/E46 size, hence the M2

[calbears]

First job out of undergrad, worked for a small litigation consulting firm. The boss had an E31 850csi. That was actually the first BMW I ever drove. And holy shit that was fun to drive. I had a 1995 Honda Civic at the time, so driving a V12 was intoxicating.

Next one I drove was my immediate superior's E36 M3 sedan. That was also fun, but it wouldn't be until 2010 until I got my own: E90 328i 6 speed. Replaced with a 2013 F10 535i 6 speed which I still have while the M2 is currently being built

[mssVT98]

My first set a pretty high standard...



Sold it in late 2007 and drove a Saabaru as a DD until I picked up the M2. Still have the 9-2x for the snow and salt and hauling the dog. It's a fun car too, but the M is obviously on a totally different level.

I loved my E30, but I'm enjoying the M2 just as much, if not more. It's easier to have fun with on a daily basis, IMO. After two straight small-displacement, 4 cylinder cars that need revs to really shine, it's nice to have some actual torque. And compared to the 9-2x, the M2 has zero lag.

Overall it's great to be back!

[McGary911]

My 2nd car @ age almost 17 was a 1979 bronzit 320i. Man that was an ugly color, but the car ran great and handled pretty well. The following years saw a bunch of Porsches, a couple of Mercedes (430CSL was very nice) and even an old fox body Mustang GT convertible for a bit. I was torn between that Benz and an E36 M3, but the deal I got on the 430 made it impossible to walk away.

Then I moved to Florida. The Benz was getting older and it was black\black, which sucks in the FL sun. That M3 itch never went away and I picked up my current E46 M3 convertible. I really love this car. That led me to order my M2 just before Christmas. I just got my late Feb build date and the car should be here in April. I can't wait. It may be a touch longer if I choose to do the performance delivery up in SC.

Lots of German in my past and the M2 will be my 3rd BMW.

[garage queen 335is]

I think, I'm a real BMW lower.
When I came to the US 36 years ago, I had a dream of owning a used BMW one day.

My first one was 1976 530I.

The rest is history:
528I
633CSI
Mitsubishi Starion (sorry for this one)
535IS
e36 328IS
e46 330CI Brand new from now on
e46 E46 M3
e63 M6 and 328I Wagon
e93 335I Hartop
E36 M3 racecar (used of course)
E46 M3 race car, still racing!!
I8 - Garage queen taken to the track on a few occasions

Currently: M2 in manual (euro delivery, Nurburgring driving)

[gmzanatta]

Originally Posted by garage queen 335is

Mitsubishi Starion (sorry for this one)

I think you are literally the only person ever to have bought one.

[SoCalRob]

VW Rabbit
VW Golf GTI
Acura Legend Coupe
Dodge RAM Truck (for home in Colorado, still own)
E36 M3
E46 M3
E53 X5
F10 M5 (sold after 9 months)
F25 X3 (still own)
F87 M2 (still own)

-scr

[andrettifan]

My first BMW was a 1970 2002. The picture of it in my signature line below was drawn for me by my dad before he passed away a few years ago. He worked from an old photo I had. My first wife wrote off that 2002 in a head on collision with a Camaro Z28. I divorced her, but not because she wrote off my 2002. I loved that car, really loved it. I didn't own another BMW until my 2013 135is which was promoted by BMW as a born-again 2002. It wasn't that, but it was a great car. I would have kept the 135is forever but when the M2 was launched, I felt like a young boy in love all over again.

Oh ya, my wife (second and last) has a 2008 3 series wagon that she will almost certainly drive 250,000 miles before she lets me trade her up (the car, not her!).

[Aronis]

My first BMW and the first car I bought myself. 1994 235is, 5 speed manual, Mtech suspension, traction control, Dinan Chip, Smoke Grey Metalic (was a special order for a graduate who picked the Benz instead, color only on the 850 if I recall)

1997 M3 Luxury 5 speed manual.

Both great cars, but I jumped ship for an AWD full sized sedan. BMW did not offer such a thing at the time (2000) and I did not want an SUV. The 325ix at the time was very pricy and could not get a deal on the build I would have gotten. Got a great deal on an "On The Lot" A6 4.2 sport.

Mike