Ask the Car People.SM


BMW 5-Series Sedans

12737 messages,  Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 11:05 PM

You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Sedan

Messages Page 560 of 1275

#5583 of 12737 Splitting the hair... by shipo

Feb 13, 2003 (10:25 am)

Hmmm, to me, I like driving a car that is highly capable, first and foremost. That said, I also like driving a car that is not as ubiquitous as the 1998 Green Metallic Dodge Grand Caravan Sport that I am currently driving. Given that my old house in New Jersey was less than a mile from BMW-NA, and that 3’s, 5’s, 7’s, X’s and Z’s were about as common as our Caravan, clearly exclusivity was not my first priority. On the other hand, given that I might see one other E39 a day around here in southern New Hampshire (if that many), I really am enjoying (or, at least was) the exclusivity aspect of my 530i.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#5584 of 12737 Shipo by hicaira

Feb 13, 2003 (12:01 pm)

Thank you for steering this topic back to the 5 series. I learned long ago that you cannot debate with those who have rigid mind sets: there is no debate; they are right and you are wrong. Fortunately, OCD is treatable, for those who seek it. Besides, anyone who is more hung-up on their preception of their car's "Prestige" (and the definition thereof) than they are on the driving experience needs a psychiatrist a heck of a lot more than they need a BMW.
 
Now then, anyone know how often (and how reliable) the data is on the BMW Owner's circle web site? (for cars in production) I have come to the conclusion that it is not updated anything close to real-time.
 
HiC

#5585 of 12737 hicaira by seivwrig

Feb 13, 2003 (12:05 pm)

OC is not very reliable

#5586 of 12737 RE: Shipo by hicaira by snagiel

Feb 13, 2003 (12:15 pm)

seivwrig is right. Owner's Circle is nearly worthless as far as being up-to-date, and otherwise a half-baked idea that could be so much more. I haven't looked at it in months, but somehow I doubt much is new. About the only thing there I do like is the ability to view/download manuals and various BMW publications.
 
To get the (real) status of a car in production, call BMW NA at 800-831-1117, select option 3 (I think), and give them your VIN or production number. They're usually able to give estimates on delivery as well.

#5587 of 12737 Funny thought by mseals

Feb 13, 2003 (12:21 pm)

Hey kdshipiro and seivwrig, it is funny that one of you lives in the Houston area and one of you lives in the So. Cal. are. I think in this country, those are the denses populations of BMW's. Seriously, I think the highest percentages of BMW's in this country are in those two cities. That being said, I don't think BMW's are as common in other areas, even those that are more affluent. I hope I spelled that right, does someone have a dictionary . Any way, I live in the Metro Detroit area, and I am not sure if it is still true, but Oakland County is/was the richest county in the country per capita. That even surprised me, but I guess the big three execs are making a lot of money and they are hiring their friends as well. Anyway, due to being the home of the big three, BMW's are not that common, or at least not as common as in Houston or So Cal. If you are thinking of exclusivity based on numbers then think of it this way. If you count all the BMW's sold in America, and compair that number to say, All the Dodges or Chevrolets or Fords sold in the US, then you have an idea that the car is not as common as you might think. I am not sure what BMW sales numbers are, I saw them once but didn't pay too much attention to them since it was no where near the number that scrolls on a bill board here in downtown Detroit which shows the number of cars produced by the big three in the US. Just a thought on this whole subject.

#5588 of 12737 snaigel by hicaira

Feb 13, 2003 (12:26 pm)

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
 
HiC

#5589 of 12737 Hicaira by shipo

Feb 13, 2003 (12:27 pm)

Back when my 530i was being produced, there seemed to be a latentcy of anywhere between a day and a week regarding the "Current Production Status". Then again, once the car hit our shores (I took delivery here a month after I dropped it off in Munich), it seemed like they just stopped updating the status, by that I mean that as of last September, my was still showing as being at the VPC, even though I had been driving it here for four months.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#5590 of 12737 mseals by kdshapiro

Feb 13, 2003 (12:56 pm)

I live on the east coast but have a working knowledge of So. Cal.

#5591 of 12737 OC Updates & BMW population by joatmon

Feb 13, 2003 (1:47 pm)

My wife is getting an X5 delivered at the Spartanburg Performance Center on the 28th. The OC info was updated up as soon as it was produced and gave us the VIN. Maybe Spartanburg does a better job of this.
 
I live about 6 miles from the US factory as the crow flies. BMWs are REALLY popular here.

#5592 of 12737 Prestige, etc. by pap5

Feb 13, 2003 (2:18 pm)

Prestige may be something that varies with your demographic. Without going out on a limb, though, it's easy to say that BMW, MB, etc. are prestigious marques in the minds of most Americans. That's a function of relative rarity, relative high cost, and Marketing Dept. footwork, combining with some degree of actual product merit, to produce a common cultural perception. Even in locales swarming with high rollers, does the no. of BMWs on the road at any one time really outnumber any combination of 2 of the Big 5 (Big 3 Detroit + Big 2 Japan)? Also, even though I don't have the data to back this up (do you, Riez?), I would venture that a 3-series stripper goes for at least 20% more than the average new car sold in the U.S. Even we who own BMWs for the "right" reasons (quality + driving experience) occasionally decry those who own them for the "wrong" reasons (prestige).
 
It's interesting to see how the marketing dept. deals with a prestigious brand going downmarket (3 Series compact, C Class, etc.) to attract lower-end buyers. Quite a balancing act.
 
Shipo -- I never got very far into DME, VOR, etc. I've mainly done informal right seat/back seat training courtesy of a buddy with a license keeping up his hours. Mainly local VFR day and clear night work, with occasional cross-country jaunts to Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay or the NC Outer Banks. He belonged to a flying club based at MCAS Quantico. The club had a couple of old Marine-surplus T-34s, which were a blast to fly compared to the Cessna 172s. Alas, he has since retired and moved back home to NC.

Messages Page 560 of 1275

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement