BMW guys on FerrariChat?

I was considering getting a M4 over the summer but couldn't get any seat time in one. So I figured the best place to test drive one was in Germany. I had this m4 for the week. I got to do a mix of autobahn and nurburgring with the car.

I don't mean to offend anyone but I personally think it's the worst m3/m4 ever made. Sure the car looks amazing and is really quick but totally boring to drive. Electronic steering, paddles, E-diff, back fire noise, etc made me sick.

Speed limiter on the autobahn passing a cop was mentally confusing at first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=HD6cZjeEQG0&app=desktop

Some wet ring laps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=KAnmxMV0Fk8&app=desktop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRgVCBK3nW8&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop
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I agree, the car may look good, but the backfire is tuned, the driving dynamic is garbage. BMW has lost their minds, Benz makes better BMWs than BMW does with better balance and better feel to the driver. My X6M has everything I wanted from it, but if that was the same feel in a road car, I'd be livid.

agreed on all points. I almost bought a montecarlo blue with oyster M5, but I wanted the SUV experience. I still may get that or the sakhir orange before they release the 17's

 

Congrats on the M5, she's a beauty! Agreed with all of the above. I had a M3 for a bit this summer around Vegas. It was fun, but it didn't feel like a very 'connected' car--everything was shielded by a layer of electronics.

I'm told the F10 is very good, approaching the E39 (best 5 ever imo). Apparently the next one (g30) will be even better.

 

Dude...fantastic spec. Congrats!

 

Congrats!! I had a E39 and E60 M5, hands down the E39, best ever.

I have been tempted lately by the F10, might have to give it another look. Such sleeper cars!!

 

Also posted more recently by JoeZaff:

Well I just picked up my 3rd BMW this year ('16 535ix), which is weird because I haven't been a BMW enthusiast since the BMW E36 era. In fact, I swore off BMW about 15 years ago after becoming fed up with local dealers and the new styling direction. Yet this year when it came time to replace some of our cars, I kept comparing BMW to its competitors and I found myself preferring them time and again. So here I am now. I'm not terribly impressed with most modern cars and, with the exception of the I8, nothing that BMW is building today is game changing. Back in the days of the E36/E39 and even the beloved e46...BMW was doing something on a whole other level from the competition. These days, its a much tougher call, but I think BMW probably is offering the most well rounded products... at least IMHO.

However, the I8...the i8 is just fricken amazing.
12-09-2016 06:32 PM
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It appears that time heals all wounds. Either that, or someone finally dropped of some BMW keys at Mr. Zaff's door! Or maybe at long last Hell froze over!!

 

Jerry,

I'm not a convert by any stretch, but in the last 6 years since my old post, BMW design has gotten a little more grounded, I've gotten a little older, and it seems my needs and their products have converged once again.

Our reacquaintance started when I got a BMW X3 for my wife, because that was the only car she wanted.... when the salesmen learned I was an enthusiast, he urged me to take the i8 for an extended test drive...I took him up on the offer a short time later and after a couple of days, I realized it just fit me like a glove.. so that was BMW #2... Finally, by coincidence I had a BMW 535 loaner around the same time I was in the market for a new daily driver. The car matched my needs, the timing was right, and I had a good relationship with the dealer from my previous two purchases, so I pulled the trigger.


So, no revelation, no sudden epipheny ...I've played video games with more steering feel than my wife's X3 and my 535XI is a good car, but about 500lbs shy of greatness.

15 years ago I owned BMWs because I firmly believed their cars were dynamically superior. These days, my preference for BMW is born out of convenience and more of an indictment on the uninspiring choices in the marketplace, than anything special BMW is doing. Of course, having a dealership next door with exceptional customer service certainly helps.


I am, however, an i8 enthusiast... if the I8 was its own brand, I would definitely have the t-shirt and hat.

 

Lexus and Cadillac don't make a better car than them in every category. There is just a more compelling option in every category they compete in, and in some it's a Lexus or Cadillac product. The only thing they have going is a world-class 6cyl engine. But the chassis have really become subpar and interior still typically bland. Without a really great chassis the traditional BMW owner is left wanting and then others become better packages. Trouble is others are making better chassis too, unusually I think Cadillac (the clear benchmark) and Lexus are probably the two best right now not including Porsche. Merc is maybe better too. Drive a CTS or GS against a 5-series and you will be surprised. It's heartbreaking.

imho

M3: ATS-V
M5: CTS-V, E63
7-series: S-Class, CT6
5-series: GS, CTS, E-Class, Panamera
3-Series: C-Class, IS
2-series: GTI, Golf R
SUV: Cayenne, RR

 

I do like to tease you every now and then, Mr. Zaff.

Now with regard to our BMWs (of which we've each owned many), I still have the fondest memories of my 2.5 Z3 and I think you, too, similarly enjoyed your own Z3 (a 1.9 if I recall correctly)...so certain of our BMW experiences have been mutually among our best car ownership experiences. In fact, there are times when I wish that I still had the Z3 - BMW 6-cylinder engines are simply devine!

 

No one builds a straight 6 like BMW...

No one is even close.

 

+1 I don't like BMW's magnetic steering. I've driven several new MBs including the E, CLS and SL and they all feel pretty lifeless too.

 

I loved the cars forever.. for many years it was the only marque I would purchase... I lost interest when the cars got Bangelized. The dealers near me were also crap and I got sick of the arrogance. However, I do have some very fond memories! I had both the 2.5 and 1.9 z3 and I definitely preferred the 1.9. It just felt better balanced and more nimble... that being said, of the dozen or so BMWs I have had... my favorite was definitely my first... a 1995 BMW 325is.

And I agree with the other poster, nobody makes a straight 6 like BMW. They are marvelous engines.

The i8 is incredible, but it is still a modern sports car... I know many will disagree,but the e36 and e39 are still my
Gold standard

 

For the Alpina fans out there, two E30 Alpinas are going to auction in Arizona later this month. The cars are surprisingly similar to a Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 that is also going to auction - well at the very least, they all have inline sixes and identical auction estimates. I wrote about it on my blog at
John Wiley Cars: Showdown in the Desert

Anyone care to guess which car will do best at auction?

 

Alpina, the R32 is cheap on the import sites.

 

Agreed, it's hard to get excited by anything coming out. I was considering a Focus RS as a daily driver and ran into the same situation. They were so dam close to having a perfect car and the steering feedback was a big thumbs down for me even with the 19 inch wheels with pilot sport cups. The backfire noises also turned me off. Unless it's a clown shoe viper or a 930 turbo it shouldn't make all that commotion.

 

What are some good import sites?

 

I am using carfromjapan.com to get a few things. my buddy and i are looking at getting a few kei cars

 

Having owned a few cars...
Honda Civic(s), Accord(s), Prelude
Mazda RX-7 (2nd gen NA and 2nd gen turbo)
Porsche 996
BMW (E36 M3, E60 535i, F10 550ix, F82 M4)

With all but a few of the early (honda) cars, the rest were all mildly to wildly modified and I say that the M4 is a good-great car. I generally don't have a daily driver for more than 4-5 years and I can't imagine getting rid of my M4 in 2 years. Note that it is quite modified and on higher octane fuel will put down over 500rwhp and rwtq which honestly was very simple to do (a couple $k and 3 labor hours). I love the DCT, it's now programed to the GTS specs (faster shifts). It's a high tech wonder but not nearly the racing car/souless feel for a Nissan GTR.

I had the 550ix and it was too fat and adding HP was more difficult than it should have been. The M4 is WAY faster and much lighter which makes it more nimble especially with 285's in front and 305's in the rear (still not enough grip). If I could change anything it would be the exhaust note. I have the Mperf exhaust but that didn't help enough. I like the F1 sound and so I'll probably have to get an F355 with a capristo to fulfill that need. It would be a 6 speed because why have the F1 when my other car is DCT but otherwise I don't generally care whether manual or paddles as long as there is no torque converter.

 

In have always loved BMW's. I've owned 13 of them over the years from 2002's to CS's and 850's. Wouldn't buy a new one for love nor money. Still have my old M3 Evo and still love to flog it around the backroads.

Gordon
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bbs {drool}

 

From the peak BMW era:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkAWgB0voZ4[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqqMWofj3ys[/ame]

 

I'm in the same boat as you sans the E30 M3... (Racing Dynamics E32 5spd). The current products are just not that inspiring and I find myself wishing I still had any number of the vintage BMWs I've sold.

 

This z8 was one of my favorite BMWs. It has that e39 drive train and was just a nice cruiser. Got an Italian car bug though so it had to go. Have had a long string of performance oriented bimmers starting with an e39 6mt, e39 m5, e46 m3, e92 m3 and an m4. Like most modern cars they became more and more digital and less and less fun. I think the e39 m5 and the e46 m3 were the sweet spot.
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Great looking cars Rob and Bradan!
What color interior on the 6 series?

While I wait to see if the Tesla 3 is good enough to follow through with a purchase or cancel and get my $1000 back, I'm occasionally toying with the idea of either getting an E91 (328 wagon) and either putting a 330 3-stage intake on it for 270hp, or even a 335i motor easily modded/tuned for 400whp, or just driving my E38 740 Sport until the timing chain guides crap out then dropping in a E39 M5 motor. There's a guy in NC that'll do it for ~$10k, just have your E38 dropped off and a month or two later your M7 is ready for pickup.

Your comment about E90/E91s being "too heavy" needs to be considered comparatively.
A 3500lb E91 328 is just about the same size inside (except for the extra space behind the rear seats) and outside (E39 has longer overhangs) as a 3500lb E39 528.
Sure E39s are all-time greats (I have a 528), but the E39 M5s are close to 4000lbs and the steering box isn't nearly as nice as the 6-cylinder's rack and pinion.

Anyway, a guy that just had an S62 M5 motor (with ESS supercharger) put in his E38 just posted this pic of his interior, which started out beige and was re-dyed to the E39 M5 caramel brown.
BMW should have made this leather color available in all of it's cars.
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I often think about jumping on another steel blue E38, should one come up. That swap is so attractive to me.