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      10-30-2020, 11:04 AM   #1
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What made you buy your first BMW?

Since my '18 M2 is my first BMW, and it took a while to get me there (I'm 50), I thought I'd start a thread about what finally pushed me over the edge, what did the same for you, and if there were/are any regrets.

It doesn't matter which BMW you have or when it was purchased, all that matters is that it was your FIRST one.

I've always been a Japanese car guy, the size, the look, the feel, and the quality/inexpensive maintenance were very attractive to me. So why did I buy an M2? The combination of the M2's more classically-styled (not quite as square) look, fantastic sound, power, reliability, and FINALLY more friendly interior were too much for me to ignore. My only regret was not getting one with less miles and PPF.

So how about you?

Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1:


Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2:
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      10-30-2020, 11:23 AM   #2
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Q1:
At the time (2018) for me literally no other car was anywhere near the M2 in the price range and class except sort of the RS3 but that proved to be too expensive for a dressed up Golf R.
For me the M2 was a game changer for smallish platform
JDM brands best offering was the 370z which is laughable. Don't even get me started on Nissan as a car manufacturer.

Q2:
Sometimes I wish I got the M3 for the 4 doors instead and even now I still mull it over.
Also wish I got the DCT instead solely for faster shifting. No complaints about 6MT on a daily but in the end I care more about the shifting speed
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      10-30-2020, 11:33 AM   #3
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Q1: It was 2008 and I decided on the 128i in a pretty basic spec, including manual seats. Decided to do German delivery and made a trip out of it with my dad. It was a nice change from my 3000gt. Lighter, smaller, a few more HP, and RWD.

Q2: No regrets at all. Do I wish I had gotten the 135i? Sure, but I couldn't afford that as a kid.
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      10-30-2020, 11:36 AM   #4
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Q1:
I had driven my friends E36 M3 and realized how poorly Audi's felt to drive. Abandoned my dreams of an Audi S4 and started looking at BMWs. First purchase was technically my E90 328ix but the car that made me love BMWs was the one after, an E30 318iS (which was t-boned by a lady running a stop sign in the rain).

Q2:
I should have bought an E46 and saved the money instead of a depreciating E90. When I later bought my E92 M3 I didn't anticipate how much it would take to keep her on the road in excellent condition (or the prevalence of the rod bearing boogey monster on resale).

I went to a Lexus after my E92 M3 and lasted less than a year before I got an M2. After flashing the steering up to the F87CS I can say I have no regrets... yet.

Last edited by m3username; 10-30-2020 at 12:29 PM.. Reason: syntax, typos
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      10-30-2020, 12:07 PM   #5
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Q1: a new 1971 2002

Q2: I wanted a 2002ti but couldn't find one. Tried a Bavarian but it was too big. I kept the 2002 for 6 years and sold it for more than I paid. It was a fun car.
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      10-30-2020, 12:21 PM   #6
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Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1: The first company I worked for out of college was acquired and I had some extra money. Bought a 1999 323i after I fell in love with the E46 design.

Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2: Upgraded to an E46 M3 a few years later, with every intention of being buried in that car. My biggest regret is caving in to nagging ex-wife to sell it.
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      10-30-2020, 12:29 PM   #7
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Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1: Always admired the brand and envied the young colleague who had a nice shiny black e36 318, in my first job after college. Also loved the original ZM Coupe. Fast forward a few years, married with first baby, wife convinced me to buy a BMW (not a lot of convincing needed), and we had our first family sedan, an e46 325i.

Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2: No, hell no! I'm still driving BMWs 20 years later and probably always will. My wife has moved on to MB and Audi and probably feels MB is best, as BMW is too "sporty" for her. I think the only thing that will make me move off BMW is a Porsche, or if BMW stops making cars like the M2. I'll also note that BMWs have been very dependable for me, no major issues.
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      10-30-2020, 12:33 PM   #8
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Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1: I moved to Germany for a 3 year work assignment at the end of 2018. Needed a car which is capable of doing 7:5x 'Ring laps with me behind the wheel, with a manual, and with a usable back seat for my kid. Also wanted to try and see what the "ultimate driving machine" hype is all about

Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2: No, while in EU I think this was a perfect choice. Also considered C63 and RS5, and I'm definitely glad I picked the M2 from that list.
But when I go back home to the US I don't think I will stick with BMW. I miss a V8, and there are American cars out there which are quicker around the track AND sound better. Interior quality doesn't really reside high on my list, so I think of it more like performance/$
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      10-30-2020, 12:50 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m3username View Post
After flashing the steering up to the F87CS I can say I have no regrets... yet.
I've heard of this, but haven't studied it. Can you tell me the major difference?
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      10-30-2020, 01:19 PM   #10
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I NEVER considered BMW at all until the M2/M2C came out. Had previously owned Japanese cars mostly and a couple of VWs and even some American made piles.

Why? Mostly due to my own ignorance. I thought BMW was strictly a luxury brand for those who wanted to be seen driving one. And I thought the whole "ultimate driving machine" was complete marketing fluff.

I started looking for a new replacement for my GTI a couple of years ago.

Requirements:

Rear wheel drive
Plenty of hp
Under $70,000
Good driving dynamics
MANUAL
And ideally doesn't look like a rental car or something a teenager drives (looking at you Mustang!)

The M2C really ticked all of those boxes easily.


Haven't regretted it for one second!
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      10-30-2020, 02:18 PM   #11
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Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1: I bought an E46 M3 because I owned a Lexus IS300 at the time and I was on the verge of doing a 2JZ swap in it and I knew it would be a rabbit hole. The M3 had everything I was looking for and was already tuned to the hilt, so other than a tune and a few cosmetic mods I knew I wouldn't get too deep into modifying it.

Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2: I regret selling the E46 M3! On more than one occasion I considered trading in my M2 OG. When I went down the Pure Stage 2 path, it was that or take a huge depreciation hit and trade-in on a Competition. This last go around as I'm upgrading to a larger turbo, it was that or trade-in on a Porsche. I'll let you in a few months whether I regret the turbo upgrade. I'll be getting the Porsche in a few years either way.
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      10-30-2020, 02:24 PM   #12
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Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1: Had taken the safe, reliable Japanese 'sporty' manuals.
I was returning from a car show on a Sunday and on a a whim, stopped at a BMW dealer on the way back knowing nothing about BMWs, just thinking they were expensive. There was a white 2000 E46 323i in the showroom window. The next day I stopped for a test drive which clinched it. It was a manual 'stripper' (not loaded with options) making it very affordable at that time.

Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2: No, love the M2. I've owned two other 3-series since, but glad when the M2 came out since the 3-series were getting too big and no manual anymore.
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      10-30-2020, 02:38 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VisualEcho View Post
I've heard of this, but haven't studied it. Can you tell me the major difference?
The steering characteristics change and feel a lot less electronic and more hydraulic (closer to the E9x steering feel than any of the F's I've driven). The steering weight is heavier, it has more communication/feedback from the road, and it instantly increased my confidence driving the car.

Doing it relatively easy with a windows laptop and ENET cable once your ECU firmware is up to date but getting the firmware update can be a pain in the butt (my dealer charged like 2.5 hours labor for it which was BS but I don't have a good SA).
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      10-30-2020, 03:23 PM   #14
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Loved how they drove and how "solid" they felt compared to US/Japanese offerings. Also, their I6 engines are some of the best in the industry, you can just wail on them and they still last a very long time all while being so smooth to redline. Lastly, I wanted a project car so my first BMW was in high school, a `91 318is that I swapped an E36 M3 S50 in.

Many many BMW's later (and some other brands), definitely not. I'm sad in some ways where the company has gone but if they keep at least 1 or 2 enthusiast cars around (M2) then I will continue to be a customer.
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      10-30-2020, 06:16 PM   #15
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Q1: I have an '18 M2 I bought it because I didn't want the s55 in the M2C, but more importantly I couldn't get a GT4.

Q2: No, I've come to love the car and I don't think I would sell it to get either an M2C or a GT4, but I think I'll still buy the GT4 one of these days.
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      10-30-2020, 07:32 PM   #16
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the E46

and question 2 --no
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      10-30-2020, 10:09 PM   #17
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Great thread!

Q1: When I was a kid in the late 80s, I recall riding around in the back seat of my grandparent's friend's BMW. I don't remember which model/year, but I just remember the luxurious interior and sleek exterior styling when compared to the LARGE Chevy Caprice Classics in my family.

Always stuck with me. Then the E46 came out. Fell in love. Couldn't afford one but decided a bimmer was a goal. Finally bought a 2009 E90 and thought it was the greatest car ever. Loved how it handled and how that I6 sounded. Plus i could get one in a manual.

Q2: No regrets, other than trading her in too soon for an F30. I love that my childhood experience ultimately lead me to the M2!
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      10-31-2020, 12:32 AM   #18
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Q1: What made you buy your first BMW?
A1: 1) Customizability of bmw's
a) From the coding available on bmws allowing for the car to be tailored to an owner's liking down to the very small details
b) Mods being hugely abundant from intakes, suspension, engine builds, fuelling, aero, aesthetics and for a pretty good price compared to things like mercedes, audi, porsche and the GTR.
c) tuning is readily available with multiple options that are hugely competitive which drives development forwards. This means quality tunes are available with features like flex fuel, map switching, anti-lag, and most importantly OBD2 tuning. The tunes are also pretty cheap too which is great.

2) Front engine rear wheel drive and manual transmission, aka excellent handling dynamics bmw's are known for. I also like having a turbo charged car from the factory as it eliminates boost creep issues and tuning issues of adding forced induction on an NA car - AKA ewg boost control is SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANY PNEUMATIC system. All you have to do is dial in a boost level and no need to mess with waste gate springs, mac solenoids and leaking vacuum hoses. Also for someone living at a high altitude forced induction helps alot. It aso doesn't hurt to have a factory turbo car as insurance is easier to get if aren't adding turbos.

3) Maintence: for such a high performance machine bmw makes it really easy to maintain from having ISTA readily availble and never having to guess how to fix or diagnose a car with crap generic equipment, to the parts ETK (real oem) making it easy to find parts. Also the N55 is quite a reliable motor compared to older bmws and other performance machines.

4) Engine and drivetrain stoutness, if tuned and modified properly these engines and drivetrains are fricken unbelievably strong stock. This means I do not have to worry about building drivetrains and building engines even when doubling horse power which is nice as built engines are expensive (it sucks that GTR's have transmission issues after FBO and E85) and forged internals do not last long before the expansion and contraction of cold starts causes tolerance issues.


5) The cars are actually quite affordable for what you get.


Q2: Do you have any regrets?
A2: Bought my m2 too early, I should have waited until the wait list phase was over so I could negotiate the price even further. Otherwise nothing at all.
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      10-31-2020, 07:30 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by windnsea00 View Post
Loved how they drove and how "solid" they felt compared to US/Japanese offerings.
The M2 is the first BMW I've ever driven that gave me this feeling in spades, and remains one of my favorite things about the car. It's amazing how solid it feels.
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      10-31-2020, 03:45 PM   #20
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In 1974 my Dad gave me a 2002Tii Touring he got in some deal. Currently I am on muber 29.
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      10-31-2020, 09:42 PM   #21
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I stated it hear before, late 80s my Dad bought an 87 325i and I jokingly called him a yuppie at Thanksgiving that year. He said shut up and threw me the keys.
E30 325 4 door dark blue tan interior 5spd. I drove for about an hour and came back a changed kid. Was always a car guy and the 911 was my dream, but the E30 was just everything I ever wanted before I knew what I wanted. I went home that next week and traded my new 91 Isuzu Stylus (don't judge it was the Lotus edition and all I could afford at 21), for a black / black 86 325es with 99k on it, loved the torque hated the what 4500? RPM redline, I was always bouncing off that. Have mostly owned BMWs 15 since.

Not really any regrets. I wish they had stayed more true to their roots as drivers cars and not try and be all things (luxury, sporty, economy, etc...). I thought they had lost me for good until I drove an M2.
Each gen, E30 to E36, to E46, to E90, etc.. they got bigger more complex, softer, less driver focused.
At some point here as I close in on retirement I will probably try and find an E30 that I can build into the car I see in my head and daily drive my Tacoma and stop buying other cars... Or maybe another nice 911SC that needs work... There is a reason my wife has diagnosed me with APD ( automotive personality disorder).
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      10-31-2020, 10:14 PM   #22
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Q1-This, this is a screen grab but when I was 15 there was a car identical to this but with black BBS instead of silver that was running around in my “hood” and I was like, WOW. Classy and sporty in equal measure. My first car (at 16) was a POS 320i in vomit light metallic green and I didn’t GAF, I was on top of the world.
Q2-don’t regret it at all, my M2 has all of those styling characteristic in tact. Round headlights, shoulder line, hoffmeiister kink, chrome tailpipes, rear spoiler, blacked out trim, and big wide wheels, factory flares and the option to lower the car using OEM parts (MPS which I have) to boot. All stock. It’s like a restomod from the factory. It’s all I need and ever wanted.
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