What's The Big Deal With "bmw Drivers"?

[japthree]

Not all BMW drivers are 'snobs' or 'arrogant' and drive too fast, etc so why do people have this 'view' of them? Some want to drive safely and stick to the rules of the road and just buy a Beemer because of the quality, handling, etc just like Lexus owners buy Lexus!

Also if you own a BMW or another prestige make it doesn't necessarily mean you are 'rich' cos you might have bought it second hand rather than brand new?

???

[sparkystav]

I think its just they were the most popular.

Not all young people drive Corsa's.

[DJ Wozza]

so why do people have this 'view' of them?

It seems fairly well deserved from what I have experienced on the road TBH, & it doesn't seem to

matter how old the car is either, but obviously there is a fair bit of generalisation with that opinion.

[Sagitar]

so why do people have this 'view' of them?

It seems fairly well deserved from what I have experienced on the road TBH, & it doesn't seem to

matter how old the car is either, but obviously there is a fair bit of generalisation with that opinion.

My daughter drives a BMW and she's pretty well balanced. She has owned a range of vehicles in the past including two MR2s and a Celica and the change to BMW was based entirely on practical considerations.

[Patch234]

I agree, just what is the big deal with BMW drivers? Common as muck!

[stuie]

its due to the general bmw driver, most people that own them (a lot have now got to audi mind) bought them as middle management sales reps who lets face it are cocks, why because they make very good diesels so are cheaper on the tax rate, as said a lot have gone to audi now instead

[Realitycheck77]

I think a lot has to do with ‘badge snobbery’ I am from an Indian background and there used to be this perception that if you are doing well financially then you must own either a BMW or Mercedes.

However that perception has changed because Lexus are considered to be the ‘top dog’ now.

I know a couple of business men who are related to my family and one has just exchanged his S Class Merc for an LS 460 and I got to say the LS looks very nice indeed, the other has gone for an LS 600hl over a Merc and BMW.

My ex-wife has just been given a BMW 120i as a company car and it’s what she wanted and trust me she thinks she’s all that wearing her sun glasses (regardless of the weather) etc.

So when I turned up at her work (not out of choice but necessity) I saw the look on her face when I pulled up in my just polished IS 300 Sport Aero Kit and all her colleagues, well most of them were like, “nice car man”, “don’t see many of them”, “what, is that a 300” etc

[Asi]

I think a lot has to do with ‘badge snobbery’ I am from an Indian background and there used to be this perception that if you are doing well financially then you must own either a BMW or Mercedes.

However that perception has changed because Lexus are considered to be the ‘top dog’ now.

I know a couple of business men who are related to my family and one has just exchanged his S Class Merc for an LS 460 and I got to say the LS looks very nice indeed, the other has gone for an LS 600hl over a Merc and BMW.

My ex-wife has just been given a BMW 120i as a company car and it’s what she wanted and trust me she thinks she’s all that wearing her sun glasses (regardless of the weather) etc.

So when I turned up at her work (not out of choice but necessity) I saw the look on her face when I pulled up in my just polished IS 300 Sport Aero Kit and all her colleagues, well most of them were like, “nice car man”, “don’t see many of them”, “what, is that a 300” etc

i am from a Pakistani background and all my faily and friends do believe that if you have a bmw or a merc it usually menas your are doing well financially.

[kam05]

I am from an Indian background and there used to be this perception that if you are doing well financially then you must own either a BMW or Mercedes.

Same here, I'm from an indian background. My bro-in-law has the same mentality- if you are financially well off then you must drive a BMW or a Merc. Anything else is not prestige in his eyes (not even Audi's). He has a 1989 420SEC (last of the proper Mercedes) in good condition.

I said to him one day: "You can't be that finacially well off if you are driving a 20 year old Mercedes? You also need to get a gold tissue/decorative box on the back shelf of the Merc for the authentic look!" He didn't like what I said

His comeback was "You drive a Toyota!!!". I said "So what?, your Merc is always in the garage being repaired! Where's the reliability? Lexus are owned by Toyota and Toyota=reliability"

[Asi]

I am from an Indian background and there used to be this perception that if you are doing well financially then you must own either a BMW or Mercedes.

Same here, I'm from an indian background. My bro-in-law has the same mentality- if you are financially well off then you must drive a BMW or a Merc. Anything else is not prestige in his eyes (not even Audi's). He has a 1989 420SEC (last of the proper Mercedes) in good condition.

I said to him one day: "You can't be that finacially well off if you are driving a 20 year old Mercedes? You also need to get a gold tissue/decorative box on the back shelf of the Merc for the authentic look!" He didn't like what I said

i bet you hurt his feelings

[Saraj]

agree with that my bro owns bmw and i did own an is200 we both were seen as rich by family which is normail from a pakistani background

[kam05]

i bet you hurt his feelings

He had it coming :)

[Realitycheck77]

I am from an Indian background and there used to be this perception that if you are doing well financially then you must own either a BMW or Mercedes.

Same here, I'm from an indian background. My bro-in-law has the same mentality- if you are financially well off then you must drive a BMW or a Merc. Anything else is not prestige in his eyes (not even Audi's). He has a 1989 420SEC (last of the proper Mercedes) in good condition.

I said to him one day: "You can't be that finacially well off if you are driving a 20 year old Mercedes? You also need to get a gold tissue/decorative box on the back shelf of the Merc for the authentic look!" He didn't like what I said

His comeback was "You drive a Toyota!!!". I said "So what?, your Merc is always in the garage being repaired! Where's the reliability? Lexus are owned by Toyota and Toyota=reliability"

LOL, that's the ONLY comeback they have "you drive a toyota" my response to that always shuts them up... it's as follows...

Well then Shumacher won 5 of his 7 world champs in a FIAT, and I really like that Audi, not sure why it's got a Gallardo badge on the back though and finally you know deep down a Lexus is not a Toyota is it" the response I tend to get is .. oh F~~k off"

[kam05]

My neighbour (also indian) also has the same mentality.

He has a 03 Mercedes C220 cdi with rusted wheel arches/doors/bootlid. He still thinks his 03 Merc is better than my 2000 (X) Toyota...I mean Lexus IS200 which is now almost 9 years old with 120k on the clock and rust free (sadly not stonechip free).

I want some of whatever he is smoking...

[Asi]

I want some of whatever he is smoking...

[Realitycheck77]

Some good points there guys.

When I had my IS 200 my neighbours were curious about how it drives and what its like, intrigue.

By the way one has a Merc and his wife an Audi and the other across the road has a BMW 325i.

However, when I purchased my IS 300 Aero, I was washing it on one of the weekends and both Merc and BMW owners were all over it and it turns a lot more heads than my previous 200.

But I got to say I know quite a few people who are badge snobbery and would actually prefer a Lexus now as apposed to BMW and Merc.

Oh, the 325i owner, wanted an M3 as his next car, but he saw a Black IS F on the motorway and in his lingo said man that car looked “dirty man, evil, how much do one of them cost” I replied there are only 150 in the entire UK and brand new about £51,000.

He’s now thinkling of getting a used one in the Black colour, when I asked about him buying an M3, his response was “It’s all about the IS F, it looks mean man”

[Realitycheck77]

Oh I’ve been wanting to post this since I came back from the USA.

It’s the first time I have been to the US, and you all probably know the saying “if you make it in the US, you make it anywhere”

Well, no word of a lie, the amount of Lexus there is amazing, the corporate plc peeps are driving the latest LS versions, I saw 2 parked outside Bloomingdales I believe they were the L’s. A lot of RX’s I saw one of the new RX (which looks absolutely sh~t) Lexus f….d that up good and proper.

And from everyone and I mean everyone I spoke to the Lexus badge holds more ‘status’ then a BMW and Merc.

The way I saw it there’s more Lexus, 2nd is Merc, 3rd very few BMW’s and then very little Audi’s also you get the Infiniti brand which I would say slots in beneath Lex and Merc.

[el_gencer]

I think the audi drivers are taking away that badge of disgrace from beemer drivers. Most the off the trouble i find on the roads is some one in a VW group car, and it's always a 1.9/2.0 tdi :arrrggg-matey:

It's like there was a mass migration of muppets from the bmw to audi over night. (Except for 318i M-Sport owners, i still have trouble with them)

[Anees]

Nothng wrong with BMW drivers - they are wonderful human beings. Always indicate, good observation and drive somewhere around the speed limit. :) They are too busy smiling enjoying there car since it is the Ultimate Driving Machine.

Audi drivers generally seem to be c*cks as top gear says. Saying that I do know a good Audi driver (Gord) so that must be the exception that proves the rule.

Re the status thing. My uncle who know sweet FA about cars but thinks he is an expert won't go anywhere near a Lexus because its a "WHITE ELEPHANT" and not a proper prestige car like his Merc ML is. The Lexus is a "JUMPED UP TOYOTA". Put it this way, park his new 08 ML 280 that he claims cost him over £50K :o next to my mums RX300 with the private plate on it that cost like £9K and the Merc it certainly doesn't look like a car worth over 5 times more!!

I honestly belive that if he saw some dog poo on the floor but it had a Merc badge on it he would love it!!

[hawk77]

Nothng wrong with BMW drivers - they are wonderful human beings. Always indicate, good observation and drive somewhere around the speed limit. :) They are too busy smiling enjoying there car since it is the Ultimate Driving Machine.

Audi drivers generally seem to be c*cks as top gear says. Saying that I do know a good Audi driver (Gord) so that must be the exception that proves the rule.

Re the status thing. My uncle who know sweet FA about cars but thinks he is an expert won't go anywhere near a Lexus because its a "WHITE ELEPHANT" and not a proper prestige car like his Merc ML is. The Lexus is a "JUMPED UP TOYOTA". Put it this way, park his new 08 ML 280 that he claims cost him over £50K :o next to my mums RX300 with the private plate on it that cost like £9K and the Merc it certainly doesn't look like a car worth over 5 times more!!

I honestly belive that if he saw some dog poo on the floor but it had a Merc badge on it he would love it!!

What if he finds that dog poo in his car? I think that he would think that his Merc is falling apart>>>:))

[Parthiban]

BMW was a victim of its success, it's partly because the car's so good that it attracted so many tw*ts! But on the other hand, as on Top Gear this has been shifting as of late and it does seem that Audi is gaining this reputation instead of BMW............at the end of the day it's a numbers game, the more owners there are, the higher the chances that they're idiots!

It's similar to Lexus in the USA, it's very popular, and has the same reputation over there that BMW/Audi have over here........

[jsj24uk]

There might be a couple of reasons why the BMW marque seems to be perceived as badly driven.

One reason I think is for it's popularity. Correct me if I'm wrong but the three series BMW outsold the Ford Mondeo so there are more of them out on the roads than ever before. This would increase the chances of these people being spotted driving them badly.

The other reason, and this kind of ties in with popularity of the first reason, we tend to be on the look out for bad drivers when we ourselves are driving. Our natural hazard perception means we are constantly on the lookout for cars being driven "badly". As the BMW three series is a far more popular choice, you will, more often than not, see a BMW being driven badly.

You might just find though, that there are alot of BMW's out there being driven rather well, but it is human nature not to spot this.

As a driving instructor, it seems, more often than not, that women tend to drive right up the rear of my driving school car than men. This is due more with spatial awareness than anything else, but men tend to be far more agressive when it comes to overtaking and cutting in than women. It doesn't matter what marque of car that is doing this, as it seems to be all of them.

In my opinion, and laws of averages, it doesn't matter what it is, it's going to be driven badly by these people.

Jim.