4 ms·

That's fair, but it's funny because that's how I always felt about BMWs. My buddy loves them but I always felt like they were so... sterile. Unless you are at a

That's fair, but it's funny because that's how I always felt about BMWs. My buddy loves them but I always felt like they were so... sterile. Unless you are at a track or love cutting off people in traffic it feels really hard to have any fun in one.

JPws_Prntr_Fngr 4y ago
Sterile compared to what? Is there another manufacturer of acceptably-tuned rear-drive sedan chassis out there at a semi-reasonable price point that I should know about? (I'm talking about pre-2010 BMW here; I would totally agree with most new ones being sterile)
- johncalvinyoung 4y ago
  As a current owner of a 90s Jaguar and an 05 Volvo, I've been looking at low-mileage E90 era BMWs for my next daily driver. Not too scared of moderately expensive maintenance, but would like it to be more reliable than the Volvo has been.
  - JPws_Prntr_Fngr 4y ago
    As a former E46 and current E83 owner, my advice is go for the earliest chassis code you can find while keeping mileage low. You need to find a unicorn at this point. (Unless you like turbos - then you have to go E90 or newer.) BMW really ramped up the electronic complication starting with my E83, and that shit wears out right alongside all the typical flimsy BMW plastics and rubbers. Plus the delightful parasitic drains from tfa. They also ramped up their maintenance-unfriendly designs around the E46 era. On an E39, a rear spring swap is easy. Try it on a newer one, and you will regret the attempt.
- legitster 4y ago
  I mean, I guess if you are limiting yourself to that exact style of car then yeah I guess. (Although the Mazdaspeed6 was 90% of a BMW with 10% of the maintenance bill).
  - throwawayf37jg 4y ago
    I agree it may be 90% as fun to drive (which is subjective), but you're comparing FWD to RWD. I'd much rather have a 80's-90's Nissan or Subaru, especially built, than a modern BMW, though. Much more soul in vintage cars imo. Some vintage BMWs were pretty reliable, a lot of modern Nissans have awful reliability.
    - BoorishBears 4y ago
      It's AWD, but the MS6 has about 100% the repair bills of any old BMW, this person just has no idea what they're talking about. Maybe they owned one when they were new and doesn't realize what long term reliability is like
BoorishBears 4y ago
> My buddy loves them but I always felt like they were so... sterile. I'd love to know which specific model you found sterile (wouldn't happen to be some 4 cylinder would it?) People who drive boring cars love to parrot magazine reviewers... not realizing their definition of sterile is relative to a 911, not their Accord. > Unless you are at a track or love cutting off people in traffic it feels really hard to have any fun in one. I track my cars, but it's not hard to enjoy pleasant driving dynamics without resorting to being an irresponsible driver in a well-sorted car. I'll defer to you on how fun cutting people off in traffic is though?
vGPU 4y ago
Agreed - the last 5 that felt good to drive was the e39, and the rest probably peaked with the e90 or e8x. I felt the same way with the corvette - my c5 was the most fun to drive. C6 was an upgrade in comfort but significantly number, and the C7 was horrific. I took a C7Z for a spin and it felt slower and more boring than my c5 despite having 2x the HP.
- deleted 4y ago
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JPws_Prntr_Fngr 4y ago

Sterile compared to what? Is there another manufacturer of acceptably-tuned rear-drive sedan chassis out there at a semi-reasonable price point that I should know about? (I'm talking about pre-2010 BMW here; I would totally agree with most new ones being sterile)

johncalvinyoung 4y ago
As a current owner of a 90s Jaguar and an 05 Volvo, I've been looking at low-mileage E90 era BMWs for my next daily driver. Not too scared of moderately expensive maintenance, but would like it to be more reliable than the Volvo has been.
- JPws_Prntr_Fngr 4y ago
  As a former E46 and current E83 owner, my advice is go for the earliest chassis code you can find while keeping mileage low. You need to find a unicorn at this point. (Unless you like turbos - then you have to go E90 or newer.) BMW really ramped up the electronic complication starting with my E83, and that shit wears out right alongside all the typical flimsy BMW plastics and rubbers. Plus the delightful parasitic drains from tfa. They also ramped up their maintenance-unfriendly designs around the E46 era. On an E39, a rear spring swap is easy. Try it on a newer one, and you will regret the attempt.
legitster 4y ago
I mean, I guess if you are limiting yourself to that exact style of car then yeah I guess. (Although the Mazdaspeed6 was 90% of a BMW with 10% of the maintenance bill).
- throwawayf37jg 4y ago
  I agree it may be 90% as fun to drive (which is subjective), but you're comparing FWD to RWD. I'd much rather have a 80's-90's Nissan or Subaru, especially built, than a modern BMW, though. Much more soul in vintage cars imo. Some vintage BMWs were pretty reliable, a lot of modern Nissans have awful reliability.
  - BoorishBears 4y ago
    It's AWD, but the MS6 has about 100% the repair bills of any old BMW, this person just has no idea what they're talking about. Maybe they owned one when they were new and doesn't realize what long term reliability is like

BoorishBears 4y ago

> My buddy loves them but I always felt like they were so... sterile. I'd love to know which specific model you found sterile (wouldn't happen to be some 4 cylinder would it?) People who drive boring cars love to parrot magazine reviewers... not realizing their definition of sterile is relative to a 911, not their Accord. > Unless you are at a track or love cutting off people in traffic it feels really hard to have any fun in one. I track my cars, but it's not hard to enjoy pleasant driving dynamics without resorting to being an irresponsible driver in a well-sorted car. I'll defer to you on how fun cutting people off in traffic is though?

vGPU 4y ago

Agreed - the last 5 that felt good to drive was the e39, and the rest probably peaked with the e90 or e8x. I felt the same way with the corvette - my c5 was the most fun to drive. C6 was an upgrade in comfort but significantly number, and the C7 was horrific. I took a C7Z for a spin and it felt slower and more boring than my c5 despite having 2x the HP.

deleted 4y ago
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