[Kromans1]

Thanks all. Good advice, mostly. 😆

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by Kromans1

If you could go back to the time just before you bought your very first BMW, what advice would you give yourself about owning one of these Ultimate Driving Machines?
(Right now, this is that time for me.)

"Unless you REALLY wanna drive a BMW the rest of your life....Don't. Buying one of these is actually kinda like the first hit of crack for a crackhead. You know all your BMW friends who .blada blada blada best driving experience, blada blada blada yeah the costs are high but its worth it, blada blada blada you'll never go back. They're addicts. They can't stop. Remember how you never hit LSD or any of the other stuff because you were afraid you'd ruin your life? This is kinda like that. Kinda. Doesn't mess EVERYTHING up, but you will compare EVERYTHING to the current BMW you have. EVERYTHING. Even the 911 Turbo on your wall when you were 12. So, if this is it - say I DO. Otherwise....Don't"

Shawn

[M8Bimmer]

Try not to become the "snob" some guys turn into. For some dudes it's seems hard to believe they aren't better than folks who don't own a BMW. Imagine?
I'm sorry to say this but I've noticed a LOT of self centeredness amongst BMW owners.

[Kromans1]

Originally Posted by M8Bimmer

Try not to become the "snob" some guys turn into. For some dudes it's seems hard to believe they aren't better than folks who don't own a BMW. Imagine?

Interesting take. An acquaintance I know recently bought a 2018 X1 and told me to be prepared for people to treat me better. But more to your point, some of the contributers on some threads on here that I've read would look down me for for getting a new X1, and not something more unique/powerful.

[M8Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Kromans1

Interesting take. An acquaintance I know recently bought a 2018 X1 and told me to be prepared for people to treat me better. But more to your point, some of the contributers on some threads on here that I've read would look down me for for getting a new X1, and not something more unique/powerful.

I don't like to say much but some folks I've read here seem awfully self centered. Kind of like the attitude I seen by corvette owners. We used to say about those guys....they are the "biggest cock in town".

[540iSUP]

My parents bought a brand new E36 in '95. I still own it to this day and because of it I now have a G30. If I could do it over again, I would've done more research. I love my G30 with the B58, but have cars gotten bigger and more numb over the years.

[rebattery]

I've got 50 year bmw ownership history. In my 20's I would have told myself to buy a new 1973 TII and keep it for 10years and maint. the hell out it.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by nerdogray

At the end of the day, the only people that even see you are the other enthusiasts. It's like that meme where the guy fantasizes about being a bodybuilder and attracting all these women.. when in reality he just attracts other bodybuilders admiring his physique. I loved driving my M5, but no one gives a crap really. And that's here in TN. Down in places like Ft. Lauderdale, exotics well beyond the M5 are so plentiful it's like background noise.

Which is a good thing. And for our OP, remember....

IT'S JUST A CAR....

Many of us think that they're great. But they're just cars. They won't replace your relationships, or your ugliness, or beauty one way or the other.

And if you're smashed into by a semi at 70 mph, and the car is destroyed...YOU LIVED. Cars can be replaced. You cannot.

Shawn

[Vuu]

The blinkers do exist. They just emit a light that poor people can't see.

In all seriousness, get a PPI and don't settle for your second color choice.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by Kromans1

Interesting take. An acquaintance I know recently bought a 2018 X1 and told me to be prepared for people to treat me better. But more to your point, some of the contributers on some threads on here that I've read would look down me for for getting a new X1, and not something more unique/powerful.

Just be sure you know what you’re choosing. A current generation X1 is a FWD car with a transverse mounted motor and a transaxle, not a traditional, longitudinally mounted motor and transmission. It was designed that way. That’s not what BMW built their reputation on. They built their reputation on RWD platforms, which was the main contributor to being considered a true driver’s car. The current X1 is fine for what it is, but it’s not a traditional BMW. Also, you won’t be able to get an inline six motor. That’s the other iconic motor that BMW built their reputation on. The inline six is the very best engine design there is. It is an inherently balanced motor.

The X1 is a fine little car. Just know what it is.

[tturedraider]

To answer the question you asked I think I’d tell myself to get a BMW sooner. I first drove a friend’s E30 325i in 1988 or 89. It was so much fun and not like any other car I had ever driven. I was already a fan of BMW, but that really cemented my affection for them. After that I spent many years thinking of BMWs. The next time I drove a BMW was in the early 2000s at a BMW driving event called the Susan Komen Drive for the Cure to raise money for breast cancer research (which BMW actually started in 1996). I did that event for a number of years. In 2005 BMW did a special driving event to introduce the new E90 3 Series. After that event I decided I needed to go ahead and buy my own. I started with a 2000 E46 328i, then a 2004 E46 330i ZHP, then finally a 2006 E90 330i. I drove that car for over eleven years. Just last year I got a 2018 F30 340i. I wish I had started sooner.

As someone else mentioned, be prepared to be ruined to any other brand and to become a little bit addicted. And as others have mentioned keeping up with maintenance is a must. You can’t drive these cars with no upkeep the way you can a Honda or Toyota.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Just be sure you know what you’re choosing. A current generation X1 is a FWD car with a transverse mounted motor and a transaxle, not a traditional, longitudinally mounted motor and transmission. It was designed that way. That’s not what BMW built their reputation on. They built their reputation on RWD platforms, which was the main contributor to being considered a true driver’s car. The current X1 is fine for what it is, but it’s not a traditional BMW. Also, you won’t be able to get an inline six motor. That’s the other iconic motor that BMW built their reputation on. The inline six is the very best engine design there is. It is an inherently balanced motor.

The X1 is a fine little car. Just know what it is.

Call them and they will come....

X1 in U.S. is only available as an AWD car.





Both Icons of BMW's. NEITHER is a inline 6.

OP, unfortunately we summoned the "BMW is only a BMW if it's - THIS - crowd". Sorry. This is what the above was referencing.

Shawn

[Dinosoar]

Originally Posted by Kromans1

If you could go back to the time just before you bought your very first BMW, what advice would you give yourself about owning one of these Ultimate Driving Machines?
(Right now, this is that time for me.)

Don't buy a Ford!

[Max Caviar]

i dunno. i observed BMW owners for a long time - - most of them perfectly delightful with a few turds. the wife drove a couple over the years (325i & Z3) and incidentally i came to realize how well they stuck to the road & cornered. but i haven't really seen some horrid contingent of BMR owners around here (South OC, CA). what i DO see is epic jackassery from the Tesla drivers. each is out to prove the internal combustion engine is inferior. puke.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by shawnhayes

Call them and they will come....

X1 in U.S. is only available as an AWD car.





Both Icons of BMW's. NEITHER is a inline 6.

OP, unfortunately we summoned the "BMW is only a BMW if it's - THIS - crowd". Sorry. This is what the above was referencing.

Shawn

I never said there weren’t iconic BMWs that had four cylinder motors. Regardless, the motor that made BMW a standout was their inline six. The fact of the matter is the current 2.0 liter B46/48 four banger makes the same horsepower and more torque than my 3.0 liter inline six 2006 330i. I’ve driven the 3er (and the X1, X2, and the 2er Gran Coupe) with the B46/48 and in spite of the performance numbers that motor does not deliver its power in the same silky smooth way my 330i did. Even so, it turns out the F30 320i is one of my favorite BMWs. That car is a lot of fun to drive. I love how you can wind it up and use all of its power and it’s actually quite a quick little car.

X1s in the U.S. are technically AWD. But, the xDrive system in the X1 does not operate in the same way it does in the RWD based cars, where xDrive is always engaged and varies the power front to back in an infinitely variable distribution. In the X1 (and X2 and 2er Gran Coupe) xDrive does not engage unless wheel slip is detected at the front wheels. In normal, day-to-day operation these cars are 100% FWD. And, though it’s pretty well controlled, they can exhibit torque steer that doesn’t occur in other BMW models.

Kromans1, just one more little tidbit, just last week at a BMW driving event, I drove an X2 M35 as well as an X3 M40i. I was a little surprised that while the X2 had a very BMW feel to it, its ride was substantially harsher than the X3. Enough that it had begun to cause rattles on the interior.

[No one]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

in the RWD based cars, where xDrive is always engaged and varies the power front to back in an infinitely variable distribution.

"Back to front", perhaps. AFAIK it's RWD-"biased", engaging the front wheels only to the minimum necessary. And that must make a difference to the FWD based, indeed.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by No one

"Back to front", perhaps. AFAIK it's RWD-"biased", engaging the front wheels only to the minimum necessary. And that must make a difference to the FWD based, indeed.

The default condition of the power distribution is 60% to the rear and 40% to the front.

[Entropy89]

Shop around and don't get the first one you see, don't be afraid to hold out for the model and options you actually want.

[cityofgod312]

Originally Posted by ntg44

My hindsight advice to myself before I ordered my M3 would have been:

- Get a longer test drive. I would have known a lot more about the suspension and traction control intervention.

- Just bite the bullet and splurge on individual paint. It was my first and most likely my last brand new BMW for the foreseeable future, and while I liked Mineral White a lot, in hindsight, I should have opted for something really unique like Twilight Purple.

I can't think of anything else that may have swayed my decision, but I did learn to take better test drives going forward and to not talk to the salesman during the drive - Just shut up and take time to feel the car out. A salesman is just a distraction on a test drive for a sports car.

Totally agree with this. First purchase I wish I would've done a longer test drive as well with the suspension.

[Herrkie]

Definitely stick with a dealer/garage specialized in BMWs. It might be a bit more expensive but you won't get any unwanted surprises...

[Marky67]

Once you make your first mod, you're not stopping anytime soon 😭

[Piper1]

Originally Posted by Marky67

Once you make your first mod, you're not stopping anytime soon 😭

So true. Prefacelift E85 Z4s suffered from rear springs breaking. A set of 4 eibach springs was cheaper than 1 oem and that did it in for me