[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

No, actually it couldn’t. You draw a false equivalency.

No, I think you are. What you think is the “best” is your opinion.

[Hydrostream]

Had a whole thing typed out. Deleted it.

I've had some fun cars throughout my time driving. E46 M3 was the era that I started driving, and was the object of lust for 16 year old me.

I love my G82, hands down. Love the tech, love the way it drives, love the looks. I don't find it to be numb, even compared to my stripped down bugeye WRX.

No, it's not a BMW of years past. But in my opinion it shouldn't be. If you want one of those go buy one to restore and maintain.

[NickyC]

I have high hopes for the next M3. BMW cleaned house on their design team, and they simply cannot do worse than the current iteration so hope springs eternal in my case. I'm on the BMW buying sidelines until then, I'm enjoying my current car enough to last to 2028.

[Efthreeoh]

I'll sum this up...

Current BMWs are ugly and most don't come with a manual transmission.

Boomer Joe.

[cooolone2]

Basically how I feel about the buck tooth ridiculous style changes...

[jwmFcreek]

All I can say my xm label makes the range rovers and GLS ‘ and Escalades I had in the past look and drive like toys compared the xm label I have now … that’s a driving machine . Would not trade it away for anything

[wtwo3]

If i had a dollar for every one of these "BMW is going downhill" threads.... pretty sure these threads pop up multiple times a year every year.

[ShocknAwe]

Plenty of older BMWs around to buy fix up and enjoy. Older cars are not inferior. They're visceral raw and imperfect. Things can also be retrofitted including nearly entire interiors. A lot of potential in a 20-40k car when you then have let's say 50k to spend restomodding it. Speed is cheap these days.

Obviously doesn't apply to folks who lease cars.

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

If i had a dollar for every one of these "BMW is going downhill" threads.... pretty sure these threads pop up multiple times a year every year.

That's a bad sign.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

That's a bad sign.

Been a "bad sign" for probably the past decade and a half. Meanwhile BMW's been busy having the greatest sales years in its history and overtaking the crown for top selling luxury brand.

People will complain about anything and everything.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Been a "bad sign" for probably the past decade and a half. Meanwhile BMW's been busy having the greatest sales years in its history and overtaking the crown for top selling luxury brand.

People will complain about anything and everything.

True, and the apparent "quality" has improved too , but none of the cars and SUVs they offer these days are appealing in any way to a lot of us Bimmer aficionados (Boomers) from the 1970s and 1980s before BMW got cool (i.e. post late 1980s YUPPIES).

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Been a "bad sign" for probably the past decade and a half. Meanwhile BMW's been busy having the greatest sales years in its history and overtaking the crown for top selling luxury brand.

People will complain about anything and everything.

From BMW's perspectives, sure it's a good thing. More sales more money right? But they also got there by digging deeper and deeper into less expensive models..

At the end of the day, BMW exists to make money, not make diehard fans happy. As of right now, they're still able to replace diehard fans they lose with new buyers who are just glad to be in a BMW. Maybe this trend will continue, maybe not. I don't have a crystal ball, all I can say is most of their new designs are ugly.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

From BMW's perspectives, sure it's a good thing. More sales more money right? But they also got there by digging deeper and deeper into less expensive models..

At the end of the day, BMW exists to make money, not make diehard fans happy. As of right now, they're still able to replace diehard fans they lose with new buyers who are just glad to be in a BMW. Maybe this trend will continue, maybe not. I don't have a crystal ball, all I can say is most of their new designs are ugly.

But we've heard that so many times in the past. I guess as someone who likes modern BMW, it does get a bit tiring to hear. IDK maybe I'm different. I'm not a fan of the iX design, or the XM, or the 7 series. But I haven't made it my life's mission to tell everyone that I think they're ugly every opportunity I get.

[reallymarkedup]

I do find it amusing that everyone in favor of BMW's modern styling all own an X of some type. Souped up minivan owners represent!

[Canuck335]

The ‘B’ in BMW currently stands for barf. At least for me.
Looking forward to the neue klasse, though. Hopefully they won’t screw it up.

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by reallymarkedup

I do find it amusing that everyone in favor of BMW's modern styling all own an X of some type. Souped up minivan owners represent!

The irony is that the X series models have been the last ones that look good. X5 and pre LCI X7 still look good. X3 (until this newest version) looked good. X1 still looks good. 8 still looks good and F90 5 looked good. 4 looks like trash, new 5 is ok at best, and 3 looks good if you don't get an M3. Z4 still looks nice too.

Go back to like 2003 and the entire BMW lineup looked great. Even into the Bangle era the cars looked good, maybe they were a bit too radical at the time, but they still looked good. This new stuff just... Doesn't.

[Hit_Apex]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

If i had a dollar for every one of these "BMW is going downhill" threads.... pretty sure these threads pop up multiple times a year every year.

Right? It's a weird narrative about BMW 'losing their way' by a despondent minority (see record sales). What has been missing from the conversation is what these souls are buying instead, what products out there resonate with them the way BMW 'used' to. A lot of complaining but no one offers a solution other than to say BMW should reverse course which ain't happening.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by reallymarkedup

I do find it amusing that everyone in favor of BMW's modern styling all own an X of some type. Souped up minivan owners represent!

what's amusing about it?

[Tacoma]

Originally Posted by jwmFcreek

All I can say my xm label makes the range rovers and GLS ‘ and Escalades I had in the past look and drive like toys compared the xm label I have now … that’s a driving machine . Would not trade it away for anything

I noticed your photo shows only the back & side views of the car but not the front. The front looks like below and that giant snout (and it glows too, ugh!) protrusion is the reason many people can't get past its look.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by VicWip

I see this forum is still lousy with Luddites! Lol! "Holy bitchin' Boomers, Batman!!! Why did they get into bimmers in the first place???" Was it to agonize endlessly over the ……...

[reallymarkedup]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

I noticed your photo shows only the back & side views of the car but not the front. The front looks like below and that giant snout (and it glows too, ugh!) protrusion is the reason many people can't get past its look.

That's the thing about the G chassis. There's always that one angle that looks good and you start to think ohh I get what they were going for, maybe this isn't that bad. Maybe I was wrong.

Then you move an inch in either direction and it all falls apart.

[Tacoma]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Been a "bad sign" for probably the past decade and a half. Meanwhile BMW's been busy having the greatest sales years in its history and overtaking the crown for top selling luxury brand.

People will complain about anything and everything.

The problem with the 'record sales' defense is people are buying more and more vehicles across the board. Lexus has had record sales. So did Audi, Porsche, etc. Even Volvo and Hyundai have announced record sales. I have a friend who works in finance at Toyota and he said it's insane! It's not something that individual car manufacturers have done in particular but that people are buying more cars the world over in general.

Originally Posted by wtwo3

If i had a dollar for every one of these "BMW is going downhill" threads.... pretty sure these threads pop up multiple times a year every year.

And that tells you something! If so many people are seeing smoke, the odds are there's a fire.

Frankly, I've gotten used the the looks already and now they're no longer fugly but still not good looking cars IMO. Also, from some angles, it's still fugly.