BMW Owner Reputation

[Bimmer-Bob]

Since I bought my 1er recently, I've started to become aware of these preconceived notions some people seem to hold regarding BMW owners. I've mostly noticed it on internet forums, but have caught whiffs of it in real life. It's this notion that people who buy BMW's are primarily motivated by brand conciousness, and further, that BMW owners are inherently @$$holes. I've seen posts comparing 128i's with GTI's or C30's or whatever, and the conclusion is that the only possible reason one would choose the Bimmer is snobbery. Even when people concede the Bimmer offers superior driving dynamics. And I've literally seen people say things like "well, I thought about the 128i, but I didn't really want to be seen as the typical BMW owner (expletive)." Or this one was funny: "Subaru = performance, Lexus = luxury, BMW = brand." (Not a performance-oriented luxury brand, mind you, just a brand - whatever that means...). I've heard more subtle comments in person, but still - the implication is there. Are these people just jealous, or crazy?
I could really care less what random assumptions people are going to make about me out on the road because of the nameplate on my car, but I was just wondering if this was a common thing, as I wasn't aware of it previously. I guess I don't get why BMW is singled out - I don't hear people trash-talking MB or Audi owners, at least not to the same extent.
Oh, and the 1er seems to be particularly scorned. Some people seem to think we're just a bunch of folks who really wanted 3ers but couldn't afford one, so we settled for the cheaper 1er so we could at least have a roundel on our cars...
Thoughts?

[1ottawa]

drive that bimmer. Don't give a damn about what others say.

Face roll them when required.

[Why Knot]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Since I bought my 1er recently, I've started to become aware of these preconceived notions some people seem to hold regarding BMW owners. I've mostly noticed it on internet forums, but have caught whiffs of it in real life. It's this notion that people who buy BMW's are primarily motivated by brand conciousness, and further, that BMW owners are inherently @$$holes. I've seen posts comparing 128i's with GTI's or C30's or whatever, and the conclusion is that the only possible reason one would choose the Bimmer is snobbery. Even when people concede the Bimmer offers superior driving dynamics. And I've literally seen people say things like "well, I thought about the 128i, but I didn't really want to be seen as the typical BMW owner (expletive)." Or this one was funny: "Subaru = performance, Lexus = luxury, BMW = brand." (Not a performance-oriented luxury brand, mind you, just a brand - whatever that means...). I've heard more subtle comments in person, but still - the implication is there. Are these people just jealous, or crazy?
I could really care less what random assumptions people are going to make about me out on the road because of the nameplate on my car, but I was just wondering if this was a common thing, as I wasn't aware of it previously. I guess I don't get why BMW is singled out - I don't hear people trash-talking MB or Audi owners, at least not to the same extent.
Oh, and the 1er seems to be particularly scorned. Some people seem to think we're just a bunch of folks who really wanted 3ers but couldn't afford one, so we settled for the cheaper 1er so we could at least have a roundel on our cars...
Thoughts?

I had a 335i and traded it in on a 135i, which in my opinion is more a driver's car than the 335i, The people you worry about are just snobs in reverse. Forget their opinions and enjoy your car.

[Trowa]

Originally Posted by 1ottawa

drive that bimmer. Don't give a damn about what others say.

Face roll them when required.

+1

[Dackelone]

I think in the past(10 years ago) BMW cars DID attract the @$$holes drivers. Now all these @$$holes have moved onto Audi! lolol Audi is in with this crowd. I think even Top Gear did mention this too on one of their shows last year.

Its funny how certian drivers get attracted to certian types of cars. This "fatal attraction" knows no borders! lol

[BroDoze]

I knew when I purchsed my first in Dec 09, that I would be "signing up" for some hate. They did not disappoint. From the random jackarse flipping me off for no reason, to people cutting me off to coworkers giving me a hard time etc. None of this stuff happened with my STi or any of the other cars I've owned.

There's definitely some strong notions people have about that blue & white roundel. I find it amusing, actually. It is staring to get old though. It's as if driving a 1 series BMW has somehow magically propelled my financial status to that of something far beyond what it is. There's trucks and SUVs all over the place that cost a lot more than this thing did. Yet somehow, people don't feel the same thing towards those vehicles/drivers.

[onefastman]

It just spans from ingorance, people just dont realize that they are not that expensive of cars (especially the 1). I mean a loaded yukon is more than a 1. It suprises me that you dont hear things like this about mb though, I have several friends with older c classes and they say they get it all the time in a 10-15K car which I find very funny. All said, the other guys have the right idea. Just dont care about what people say, its your car and should it should not have to please anyone but you!

[onefastman]

Also it totally depends where you live and where you work. If you live in Marietta (Atlanta area) or Hinsdale (Chicago land) then people will not think twice but if you live in a cookie cutter neighborhood where moms drive mini-vans and dads drive SUV’s or trucks then you are sure to get some flack.

[Feyd]

I always liked how people gave me shit at work because I drove an "expensive" car. Litterally heard about it daily for the first few weeks of ownership.

The funny thing was that this was always coming from people who were driving LTZ tahoes, etc. which easily cost 10-12k more than my 1er. Unfortunatly there is a blindness associated with BMWs. People just "think" that they cost more, when in fact you can option a minivan out to cost more than twice what I paid for my car. *shrug*

I always shrugged it off, but when it got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore, I'd make complete fools of the people making fun of me. I'd usually wait until I was in a large group and without missing a beat, I'd say something like... "Quit your bitching, if you want to trade jobs and work 90 hour weeks I'd be more than happy to oblidge. If you don't, then put your ruler away and shut the fuck up, because no one gives a shit." It works best if you can maintain laser-beam eye contact with them while you are saying it.

People don't say much to you about it after you do something like that.

[jeremyc74]

You know, it's funny here. The vast majority of the people I work with are making a pretty decent living. Bottom wage for our shop guys is about $18/hr, but most of them are making closer to $30, and everyone else is an engineer. This being IN, the parking lot is FULL of trucks.

After I got the BMW, I started hearing comments from these guys about how I must be making a lot more money than they are, and stuff like that. One of them got so vocal about it that I had to point out to him that he's got a wife that doesn't work, two kids, a four bedroom home, while I'm single, live in a decent condo (that's very energy efficient) and he's still driving a pickup truck that cost damn near what my car did.

A lot of people think BMWs cost a lot more than they do, and a lot of them also don't consider what they're actually paying for the stuff they drive compared to it.

I used to hear this same kind of stuff when I was driving a 318ti that I bought used for $13k!

[deliberate1]

"I think in the past(10 years ago) BMW cars DID attract the @$$holes drivers. Now all these @$$holes have moved onto Audi! lolol Audi is in with this crowd. I think even Top Gear did mention this too on one of their shows last year. "

I recently saw an episode of Top Gear during which Richard Hammond was identifying cars and their likely drivers. He said something to the effect that everyone knows that all drivers of the Audi RS4 are "c*cks" (it was bleeped, so I did to). If so, I must be the biggest "c*ck" since I have an Audi A4 and
S4. To make matters worse, my wife drives a 530xi and I am on the prowl for a Series 1. I am a bad person or I have the biggest....

[rsjean]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Some people seem to think we're just a bunch of folks who really wanted 3ers but couldn't afford one, so we settled for the cheaper 1er so we could at least have a roundel on our cars...
Thoughts?

Particularly ignorant since the 135i fits nicely right into the 328 price range.

[BroDoze]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Some people seem to think we're just a bunch of folks who really wanted 3ers but couldn't afford one, so we settled for the cheaper 1er so we could at least have a roundel on our cars...
Thoughts?

Haha, I have gotten this a LOT as well. There's no amount of justifying it to shut up these people.

I wanted the absolute lightest new BMW I could find with turbos on it. Not much to say to that.

[radiantm3]

Originally Posted by rsjean

Particularly ignorant since the 135i fits nicely right into the 328 price range.

A well-optioned 135i is more than a base 5 series. Food for thought.

[tbird]

First, I agree. The "c*ck" title has moved from BMW to Audi, and yes, Top Gear did say it and it does seem to be true now.

Second, coming from the #1 BMW area in America, known as South Florida, down here if you are not driving a nice car, you are considered "less". So, when you have a 1) premium car with 2) comprehensive warranty, 3) good reputation, and 4) great interest rates, you are going to get a lot of people who will do whatever it takes to buy the car.

80% of all new BMW's are leased. People don't buy BMW's, they lease them. Then a good majority of those people are spending up to 50% or so of their take-home pay on their car payment. The two cars you see most of down here are of course the stripped 328i sedan and the 650ci. The people making $30K a year will get the 328i, and the people who are doing well enough and should just buy a 1Series or a nicely appointed 3Series are putting all their money into getting a 6Series, so they can say "Hey, look at me!"

I get look-downs from the 3Series drivers all the time, and there is always some dumbarse in a 335 who thinks he can take me. Most can't even remember to turn off their DTC, let alone knowing the 5 Second trick. (Sidebar, another one of these type of idiots is with his wife and small kid in baby seat in an E-Class V8-Kompressor, and he stomped it off the line at me. I wasn't prepared, didn't do the 5 second trick, had a 3 car deficit, and still left him in the dust).

And, I totally agree with Jeremyc74. Those guys will spend all their money on trucks and then call us snobs! (Buzzer) Sorry, wrong, thanks for playing.

So yea, there are always haters, and as we see in the other threads, they will physically take it out on our cars. That's yet another reason why I don't mind driving my commuter car all over. Let alone that it is faster than the 328 and of course the Audi 2.0T

[AlBel1214]

Haha man I hear everyone...

When I had the 1'er I was called "preppy", a snob, richkid.. was even told "nice go kart" or "nice girls car" on occasion...

Now apparently I am driving a mid life crisis car(oh and I am 28 btw) according to some, or have even been asked when I became a meat head...

Screw everyone.. drive what you like!!

[titancrusher1]

I especially love muscle car guys attitudes. I love to watch them get REALLLY tiny in my rear view mirror

[tbird]

Originally Posted by titancrusher1

I especially love muscle car guys attitudes. I love to watch them get REALLLY tiny in my rear view mirror

Especially Mustang drivers!

[Judge]

The worst attitudes I've seen are on muscle forums like Camaro where a lot of people think if you buy anything other than red-white-blue you're a traitor.

However, I can certainly say some of the most miserable people I've observed have been middle-age women at the BMW service center getting work done on their SUV or 7-series. Their attitudes and the way they speak down to people are stereotypically spot on as BMW snobs.

[BlackFlash]

a 135i is an expensive car though, any way you look at it. I know most of the people on this forum own multiple businesses and whatnot, but for the average working joe, a 46+ thousand dollar car (Canadian) isn't cheap. I realize they are a bit cheaper in the States, but they are even more expensive elsewhere.

I want one pretty damn bad but I haven't been able to justify the numbers yet (maybe because I don't drive enough kilometers in a year). Base price of an F-150 is almost 25 grand. Base price of a 135i is almost 43. They really aren't even in the same ballpark.

I am sure if I ever manage to get one I'll be deluged with a litany of "I wish I was making as much as you were" comments at work.

[TMR013]

No doubt there is still some snobbery with some BMW drivers (but definately not from Addicts) And there will always be some perception, mostly driven by envy IMO, from the general public about Bimmers. But I think something I read in another thread is the best answer. When you face it, put it in DS, or drop a gear and watch it from your rear view mirror.
Problem solved.

[AntonV]

I'm on my 3rd BMW in 10 years, and I have one thing to say about the op.

What's the difference between a porcupine and a BMW? The BMW has the prick on the inside.

AntonV <----- proud prick