Devil's Advocate

[gotaigo]

Hi all,

Please indulge me here:

When I do see Bimmers on the road, they're almost entirely late models. Why is that? Cars that are or perceived to be reliable (and of good value) are reinforced by the fact that there are many older models (for example, Hondas) on the road still running. Ah, but you say, well, it's because the profile of a Bimmer driver has a characteristic of short turnovers on new vehicles and therefore switches out Bimmers after 3 years of use; that maybe, but that doesn't explain away why there aren't older Bimmers still running around. Where have the older Bimmers gone to? I rarely see an old BMW! I have to rule out affordability(strictly purchase price) because you can buy a 6 year old Bimmer (I'm contemplating a 03 325i) for a lot less than a newer Honda Civic! So, maybe the values not there. In other words, bang for buck. Maybe the world perceives (including those Bimmer drivers mentioned earlier) whether true or not, that Bimmers are not a good value(cost of ownership, reliabity, etc.). WHY IS IT RARE TO SEE AN OLDER MODEL BIMMER RUNNING AROUND TOWN? Thanks!

[marti5]

Hmmmmm........ Well here in the UK we have BM's running around 25yrs old plus and also in Germany, Belgium........the whole of Europe basically, so I must presume you live in either Beverley hills or Dubai ???

[drz]

Go to any BMW forum and you'll find that most of the members are driving BMW's that are 10, 20, 25 yrs old and some with over 300,000 miles on the odometer.

[thekid]

I see E30's and E36's just about every day. I even see some older BMW's than that from time to time. I know several people that are driving 1970's 2002 around every day. Depending on where you live you might not see them in richer or poorer areas. You basically need middle class younger people to see the E36/E30 and older middle/uppermiddle or gear heads to see the earlier 80's and 70's bmws running around.

[johnnyBgood]

I agree with drz & The Kid.......my Bimmer is going to be 12 years old 4/09....My brother drives a 1991 mint 325is......I am in the middle of trying to purchase a 97 to 99 5 Series, & most of the cars I have seen are in excellent shape with over 150,000 on the O.D.
johnny,

[jimmythepie]

older bmw"s are the way to go,cheaper to buy,run etc and better built.Look after your car and it will keep going and reward you every day.My 1998 e46 328i is a superb drive and costs peanuts to run,excluding its fuel bill.I look forward to many more years of happy ownership.
New BMW"S =overpriced and bad build quality,a lexus is better built and better value.

[da_bull]

*raises hand* 19 years old and still going strong 160K+ on the odo...

[nukeduster]

You see the cars you choose to see. When I discovered I liked the merc sl500/sl55amg I suddenly started seeing 1, 2, 3 a day when I saw normally one a month before that. If you only like new cars, you'll only ever notice new cars and just let the older ones pass by un-noticed.

That said, volume. Honda civic sells 500k+ models yearly and have for some time. BMW 3 series for the e30 chassis only sold 2M total during the whole run. That, and most were in Europe, Africa, Asia. It leaves a smaller pool to choose from in the USA.

[johnnyBgood]

Originally Posted by nukeduster

You see the cars you choose to see. When I discovered I liked the merc sl500/sl55amg I suddenly started seeing 1, 2, 3 a day when I saw normally one a month before that. If you only like new cars, you'll only ever notice new cars and just let the older ones pass by un-noticed.

That said, volume. Honda civic sells 500k+ models yearly and have for some time. BMW 3 series for the e30 chassis only sold 2M total during the whole run. That, and most were in Europe, Africa, Asia. It leaves a smaller pool to choose from in the USA.

I could not have explained it better^^^.....with that said, that explains why I have been seeing so many e39 5 series, because I've been wanting to buy one lately.....
johnny,

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

here are like a billion here in the bay area (CA,USA)

[alexs0fly]

if you buy a new engine, would it be similar to having 0 miles on your odometer?

[witeshark]

Originally Posted by alexs0fly

if you buy a new engine, would it be similar to having 0 miles on your odometer?

Yeah, for the engine. But then there is the transmission and rear differential, suspension and the rest of the body to consider.

[alexs0fly]

gotcha

[german-speed-demon]

off topic much? lol.

That being said, my e30 is going through a rebuild as i type, and that is only because the PO hit a curb and dropped the bottom of the pan.

[Fivemanarmy]

Since I bought mine I see a ton of 90's E36's around now...you just notice them when you become familier with them...