[BMW786]

Originally Posted by moocow

put a merc badge on you325...
"Dude, he's got an AMG 330cxi..."

Nah, I think only Benz drivers are only dumb enough to do something like that. (j/k)

Someone did put a CLK AMG badge or something on their C-class sedan though (I read it in this thread somewhere).

Re-badging is just tacky...they're only fooling themselves.

[Petercat]

Originally Posted by cosmosblau

I would bet that HALF of all the folks who bought a 330i (including many who post on this list) chose to buy it ONLY for the badge!

It's the perceived prestige of the BMW brand and the "I spent more than you, which means I'm better than you" attitude which is the real debate here.

Great point Cosmos... This is very much the feeling I got here several times while reading this outrageous thread.

I got some heat when I debadged my 325, like I was pretending that I really wanted a 330 (both great cars). Now that I've got a 530, I must be godlike compared to my previous 325 status.

I'll post the pics when I debadge the 5er.

Seriously, some like it debadged, some don't... Don't get all Freudian and over-analyze anyones reason.

[shragon]

as of tonight, my e90 is officially debadged.

[lknbimmers]

Even though I had the dealer write it into the sales order... NO dealer badge, the badge was still present at time of delivery. Had the dealer remove it before I left the dealership. The salesmen took two screwdrivers to it, I couldn't watch.

Debaded my 325xi the same day I brought it home.

[BE.EM.VU.]

"...I know what you're thinkin' punk, did he de-badge a 325 or a 330? ... But you've gotta ask youself one question: "Do I feel lucky?"... Well, do ya punk? Do you feel lucky?..."

"Hey mister....I gots to know..."

"...Who cares punk, it's a BMW ..."

[parafrog]

Originally Posted by BE.EM.VU.

"...I know what you're thinkin' punk, did he de-badge a 325 or a 330? ... But you've gotta ask youself one question: "Do I feel lucky?"... Well, do ya punk? Do you feel lucky?..."

"Hey mister....I gots to know..."

"...Who cares punk, it's a BMW ..."

i gots to know! freaking awesome line...great movie.

[StewtheBassman]

Someone should start a vasectomy thread to complement this one....

"Semen-less as of today, and feeling a whole lot sportier"

Took the doctor 16 minutes....2 needles, a burning smell....I couldn't stand watching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[kermit101]

sorry to say there is no real difference between the two other than the 330i gets 3 car lenghts away from the 325i. If you would like to try it out bring your car to Germany we can run it on the Autobahn. 155mph and i do every bit of it ..................

[luckystrike]

we dont have the same attitude of you guys in the US, here in europe, cars are mostly debadge whether its and audi A6 or a bimmer 318 bec. were not really particular about strong engine in fact most cars here have lower HP even the most expensive ones (maybe due to tax) anyways dont see anything bad about it (debadging)

[luckystrike]

and by the way most of the people dont know the difference of your BMW to another BMW ., only car enthusiast mostly have those knowledge.

[kermit101]

Well Luckstrike you have giving ower US friends in here a little in sight. over here its not only the horses but the after market stuff and yes a BMW is just like having a Honda over here in fact if you have a Trans Am you will turn more heads than if you have a fully loaded BMW

[kermit101]

i just came back from the BMWdealer here in Aschaffenberg Germany and got the badge removed i must say it does look cleaner.

[uhaulball]

all you people saying that the removal of the badges is because the 325 owners are trying to hide the fact that they didnt shell out the extra cash for the 330 are correct. but the fact is, unless the person is a car enthusiast (the 10% of us in the population) people can't really tell, they just see that BMW logo and nod.
It is also true that the car does look cleaner without the badge, I have a 330xi and i still want to debadge. but because the first statement is true and the second statement is true, they balance out and i decide they stay on. especially since i have a lot of friends that are car enthusiasts. when i first got my car my friends asked right away "325 or 330?" so this is not a false statement, they have to see the badge to believe it, there is shame/deceit involved in the debadge, though not exclusively.

[luckystrike]

yup hes right 330 are hurt because people wont know the difference anymore between the 325 and 330 lol

[txusa03]

Hey, I shaved off my badge...so clean back there now. I saw another member's car without the badge and I like the clean look so I did it.

[Hawkshaw]

Originally Posted by cosmosblau

I would bet that HALF of all the folks who bought a 330i (including many who post on this list) chose to buy it ONLY for the badge!

It's the perceived prestige of the BMW brand and the "I spent more than you, which means I'm better than you" attitude which is the real debate here.

I can't speak for all 330i owners, but I certainly didn't buy it for the badge. I wanted the extra power (as a driving enthusiast), bigger wheels, and more standard features.

Here in Canada we have the 323i, in addition to the 325 and 330, and quite frankly I don't really care what trim level other drivers have bought - they all still got excellent cars. And although there may be a loose connection between one's income and their badge, I'm certain there are lots of 323 and 325 owners who make a lot more money than 330 owners, myself included. It's just a matter of how much value one has for various features on the car.

[tkochh]

Originally Posted by kermit101

i just came back from the BMWdealer here in Aschaffenberg Germany and got the badge removed i must say it does look cleaner.

Even though I had heard this before, when I was in Germany and Austria doing a ED a few weeks ago and notice a large number of vehicles do not have badges on them (regardless of make). So many, in fact, that I started to get a little annoyed that I could not determine the model on a large number of cars. So...some conclusions:

1. It is very popular to either order a car without a badge or have the badge removed in Germany/Austria

2. Regardless of me complaining that I couldn't determine the model on what seemed like 1/2 of the cars in Germany/Austrai, they all look MUCH better without a badge, regardless of make.

[kabhatti]

I can see it now,

Poll: How many people debage

[voyager]

I've never thought to debadge until I started reading this thread a few months ago. I remember when one of the letters fell off my Hyundai a few years back, I felt like I was loosing my identity. Then I observed the photos here of without the badge and the car looks soo much cleaner, I've debadged my old 325i and now my new 330i is also debadged!

[txusa03]

when I had my 323i I never thought about debaging it or felt like I was driving a inferior car. It did not bother me if someone else will have the 335 later...

[luckystrike]

hahaha now you know why are we in europe are wondering why are you making soooo much fuss about it., where here we dont really care if your car is debadge or not as long as its a 3 series we know its enginered to perfection : p

[Mr. BMW]

I like the clean look of a de-badged BMW, so I have always de-badged my cars.