So far from my experience, they have been neutral to negative (regarding random people on the street). Majority of the time I just see people staring. However, some times they are just rude.
For example, when driving, they will not let you into a lane, tailgate, beep their horns for the most random reason, etc. Park your car in a nearly empty parking lot away from everybody else...you come back, and somebody parks right next to you, making it difficult to open your door.
It might stem from jealousy or previous experiences with BMW owners. For example, some idiot kids that drive used bmws leaning back in their cars blasting music, showing off, thinking they've made it in life lol :rofl:. I can see why it might rub people the wrong way.
For the most part I don't mention at all the car I drive and where I live but when some old(or new) friends want to meet up and they see me pulling up in the BMW, or even see my house for the first time, they normally ask all kinds of questions and are genuinely interested, and have no negative feelings. It seems to be a whole different story for strangers. :dunno:
I think many people on this forum are right. 3's and 5's are just too common and 1's are falling into that same range. I have a 135 and all i see is 128 coupes and verts. I got the Peformance Stripes and Changed out the Rims to really make the Car stand out.
Most folks always saw us in a Rolls-Royce. ( Our every day cars from 1965 to 2012).
They seem shocked/surprised.
The 2012 750iX frankly surpasses the former cars as to looks. ease of geting in and out, price, DEPENDABLITY.
People really notice my Camry. 1994, Beige with Beige interior, GOLD PACKAGE. I think the gold package is what really gets them. They want to know where I live and see the inside of my house. The other day I was driving along and the hood flew open. I just kept driving looking between the hood and the cowl until I got to the next stop sign. You should try that some time in your BMW if you want to attract a little attention.
The other day I filled the radiator back up. I have a small leak that requires periodic attention. Then I went to the BMW center to see if the 4 series had arrived yet. When I pulled in the extra coolant appeared as steam coming from the crack in the upper part of the radiator. Once the BMW guys could see that the Camry's days may be numbered they all raced out to the lot hoping to be the one I would buy from.
Some of these BMW owners need to come to Iowa!!! In my 2-3 years of really avidly looking for BMW's everytime I go out driving, I have only seen 1 F-01 that wasn't on a dealers lot, I haven't seen more than half a dozen E65/E66 and I have only seen about 3 6er's. 3s and 5s are kinda common, and by that I mean I may see 2 a week(E46'S and E60's). Have yet to see my first F10 in Iowa. It probably doesn't help that the nearest dealership is an hour away from where I live and the largest city beside me doesn't even have a BMW dealership..
For those of us who think kids driving late model Bimmers are spoiled... this Ferrari 575M was being driven by a kid who couldn't be a day over 17. Same for his passenger and his buddy in the SL500 next to it.
Changed the appearance of my 750iX by removing the lettering on the right side of the (boot) trunk.
HAVE HAD AT LEAST 10 INQUIRIES AS TO WHAT "rare" EUROPEAN MODEL IT IS.
LOTS OF FUN
someone threw an egg at my car last night. Nice. Coulnd't figure out why there was yellow stuff on the door today. Then I saw the shell parts. I'm assuming it was while I was in in buying food late at night. Its apparently smart if you are going to do something to someone's car to do it on the passenger side where they likely won't notice for awhile. I don't think I pissed anyone off on the way into the store. Not sure what motivates people to do these sorts of things. Off to the car wash...
He, he, most people around these parts of Texas don't have an inkling what in the heck is a manual transmission. Oh, many have heard old cars trivia about old cars having a sort of contraction like that
Saturday night I had to give someone in a lifted Jeep the universal sign that he was number one. I don't know if this guy was drunk or just an idiot, but I was making a right turn and this guy came up out of nowhere and about rear ends me. He goes around at the last minute and passes me in a turn lane. If there's one thing I absolutely cannot stand, it's people that are too impatient to slow down for others to turn.
I went out tonight just to go for a drive and had two separate run-ins with asshats. The first one was a guy in a brand new Mercedes C-class. He decided that me going 5 over wasn't fast enough, so he passed me IN A TURN LANE in a residential area. I gave him the universal sign that he was number 1. He then proceeded to run a red light so that I wasn't stopped behind him. I eventually caught up to him and rode behind him for a couple of miles with my brights on.
My second run-in with stupidity was with a woman in a Durango. She decided she didn't want to be behind a BMW so she went flying past me going at least 80mph. She got stuck at a red turn arrow so I honked and waved as I passed by.
I took my 328i to the Farm and Home and hauled 40 lb of chicken scratch home in it. I also hauled plants, dirt, and etc.
It's an awesome driving machine AND mini hauling vehicle.
I live in an area where people like nice cars. No one is rich but everyone takes care of what they have. On my road, I am likely to have a John Deere tractor and a Bentley waiting for the same stop light. So far we have encountered no hostility.
People will come up behind me (in heavy traffic) then zip around, but that's their problem.
Is it bad then when I read this (before I saw your location) that I thought you'd be pretty close to me? The same applies here, but perhaps to a lesser degree. A Bentley would be pretty rare to find around these parts.
I don't have a BMW.....yet...... but plan on having one by the end of the year, I'm waiting for the 14's to come out. There are quite a few Bimmers around here, and I have had friends that have owned them for many years in this area and they say that they don't notice anyone reacting differently to them than they would to anyone else in our area.
Missourian? Me too! I live just outside of st. Louis. This Saturday I counted 8 bmws , bunch of audis and saabs , jag or three, many Benzs and VWs. plus the usual faceplates AND some Saturns plus an AMC Eagle!
Noone much frets over brand as much as condition. I have had my previous cars marked "wash me" in parking lots.
LOL When some of these SUV owners follow me too closely, or other car drivers have their high beams on, I simply lower my rear view mirror so there is no glare in my face, and go about my business.
I agree. There are so many BMWs out there I think they are scene as an upgraded Honda. They still carry the panache of driving one. But I don't feel any more exclusive. One of the trade offs with being successful and gaining a larger market share
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Here's the weirdest reaction I ever got: I was driving the 325 to work one morning, and noticed a nice little E46 M3 up ahead, so I caught up, smiled, and gave him a thumbs up. Driver smiled back, and waved. Fast forward a couple of months, I'm driving the same route in my 335, and pull up next to the same guy at a light. I look over and smile, and he glares back at me and looks away. :dunno:
Not sure what it was about, but I sensed some douchery coming from his direction.
I was on a two lane highway on MOTHER'S DAY. It's a 55, and cops can hide. I never cross 79, people in the area just know not to crack 80. I glance in my rearview and see a Camry coming up on me fast and he instantly signals over to the right lane, so I did not hold him up and there was no traffic in the right lane. As he does this, he honks me, and gives us a dirty look (my wife and I flipped him off of course) and he then signaled and got back in the left lane. We were impressed, as it was totally unnecessary, I mean the road was empty he went around us, there was no slow up, but he felt the need to honk?
We of course wind up getting off at the same exit and he got slowed by cars up ahead and rode their asses. So he did not even make it any farther or any faster. I am glad we did not wind up next to each other at a light, I feel as though I would be hard pressed to keep my mouth shut. Not sure if the car I was in had something to do with it or just that this guy was unhinged.
I was on a two lane highway on MOTHER'S DAY. It's a 55, and cops can hide. I never cross 79, people in the area just know not to crack 80. I glance in my rearview and see a Camry coming up on me fast and he instantly signals over to the right lane, so I did not hold him up and there was no traffic in the right lane. As he does this, he honks me, and gives us a dirty look (my wife and I flipped him off of course) and he then signaled and got back in the left lane. We were impressed, as it was totally unnecessary, I mean the road was empty he went around us, there was no slow up, but he felt the need to honk?
We of course wind up getting off at the same exit and he got slowed by cars up ahead and rode their asses. So he did not even make it any farther or any faster. I am glad we did not wind up next to each other at a light, I feel as though I would be hard pressed to keep my mouth shut. Not sure if the car I was in had something to do with it or just that this guy was unhinged.
I find that it is a good idea to have some songs ready on the playlist just in case someone starts hating on you just cause you driving a bimmer. Here is a handy list to have ready just in case someone starts hating. Play any of these songs real loud in the event of any haters:
Still, at the end of the day, I have the BMW and they have a POS Camry or whatever inferior piece of junk they drive. It is interesting that we have yet to see someone in a Porsche or Ferrari overtly hating on a Bimmer....
if theres no one around and im in the passing lane, and some ass decides that instead of passing on the right, he's going to ride my ass and honk/flash beams just because "those are the rules" he can **** right off. just pass on the right, theres no one around... people can be such pricks
Pretty much. That is not even so bad, if he rides my ass for a bit as a indication and even a quick flash, yeah it's dick'ish, but this guy with the honk was on another level. I can be pretty tolerant of douchey behavior, this one was on another level.
Well whatever happens, just remember to keep your cool. It's out of anger that majority of crimes, assaults and murder occur. It's best just to ignore the situation and person....it's never worth it in the end.
Best driving practice is to drive on the right and pass on the left. Once done passing, go back to the right if it's clear to do so. I do it and expect others to do the same.
I also flash those who don't seem to undertand that the left lane is for passing only. "Dickish" or not, I think it's more "Dickish" to stay in the left lane after done passing.
More times than not-that is true. On this road and this particular instance, I would have been going in and out as the right lane was going more often 50(under the speed limit) up to 65.
So to stay in the right lane and move over every 8th of a mile is a bit much.
I think people are Monday Morning Quarter-backing when my particular situation does not apply to overall practices. The key was this GUY and this road at that time.
We travel up through Oregon and Washington every summer to visit my daughter, and these States also have these laws in place, but I've never seen them enforced. Most residents will eventually yield the lane to you, some begrudgingly. The idea was that left lane hogging incites road-rage. (TRUE)
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