Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

kos, I can't believe someone thanked you for that troll post. Anyway, the thread isn't really about BMWs. It's about Prius vs. conventional cars. The OP's old car could've been anything... although having it be a BMW makes it perhaps a bit more ironic. As a new Prius driver, I had much the same reactions as the OP, though I wasn't coming off a BMW. It was like, "Wow, everything I drove before this was crap."

I'm sure BMW, like a lot of companies, has since adopted many of the features that were, AFAIK, pioneered in the Prius. But they were new to me in 2010 (with my 2005 Prius), as apparently they were new to the OP in 2006.

Also... seriously, dude, get a sense of humor.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

BS...really. Of course you are free to purchase, keep, maintain any vehicle you wish.

But coming into a Prius website and proclaming how they are "Toy" cars??? Then applying a psychological profile to every Prius owner?

BS.

Go ahead, love your BMW. But if you want to accuse a group of being a dellusional narcissitic bunch? Well it's YOUR glass house and YOUR rock...but if I can make the mistake of applying a psychological profile to an entire group unfairly? I'd say most BMW drivers don't strike me as a humble, under the radar group of drivers either...

Personally I'd rather scream "Look at Me! I drive a Gas Saving Low Emmissions Hybrid" than I would want to scream "Look at Me! I drive a BMW and I'm an @$$-Hole!" but take your pick. I don't think it was total coincidence that James Sikes wore a Corvette Club Jacket either....

BMW builds fine automobiles. Not hybrids. They are designed to appeal to a driver looking for a different driving and ownership experience. I'm not going to sit in judgement of one choice over the other...

But I'd say, with growing population, urban sprawl, and a diminishing supply of fossil fuel...the landscape of the roaring engine and the open road is giving way to a greater embracing of alternatives and efficiency.

Someday, the ICE is gone. One way or another. No disrespect to what it is to drivers today, and yesterday. But if humanity stays on the road in great numbers? Someday that road will be populated with "something" that doesn't burn fossil fuel. It's inevitable. Better get use to these TOYS...they are coming out of the box.

 

I know this is fun and all, but maybe we could have a rule to only feed trolls on Saturday, or only for one day before suspending the thread for a week or something like that... cause this is already old after only a few hours.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

(As someone who has driven a number of BMWs including some Z4s and 3-serieses...)
Gee... weird that you'd come here to troll, suddenly. Your words come across like a true BMW fanboy. I've known the type and although some of their explanations are rational and logical, others are purely emotional and based upon the belief of "superior" German engineering and their marketing.

I do like the handling of some BMWs but I sure wouldn't buy most of them. BMWs reliability is hit or miss. From http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...eliability-findings/reliability-findings.htm: "While European reliability had been improving, momentum seems to have stalled. All Porsche and Volvo models are rated average or better. But Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are among the worst automakers overall. "

Efficient dynamics is just more marketing/PR fluff. Look how many times BMW has been fined for not meeting CAFE standards at http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rulemaking/pdf/cafe/Fines_Collected_112010.pdf.

My 02 Nissan Maxima GXE had Xenon lights standard and a fob to lock/unlock the car and open the trunk. Neither were optional and included even on the lowest trim (GXE). The Maxima was FAR cheaper than the cheapest BMW and more reliable too.

As for BMW recalls, here are examples of some in the categories you mention:
- brakes: BMW Will Recall 198,000 Cars To Fix A Brake Problem - Driver's Seat - WSJ
- airbags: BMW recalls 150,000 vehicles for airbag sensor fix | Reuters
- steering: Recalls - Search Results | Safercar.gov | NHTSA - the 01 BMW X5 is an example of a laughing stock with 10 recalls on it: 3 for steering and 3 for brakes.

 

And Porsche has been top for years. It just depends on the company and what kind of issues they are having. Personally, I wouldn't ever buy a VW because of reliability issues, but Audi has stepped up their game and so has Mercedes (after the Daimler Chrysler debacle).

But I'm a guy that likes BMWs and Prius for their own respective parts. And Kos, about half the stuff you're saying is just stupid. If you want to make a point, at least be honest.

 

If I want luxury, I want Lexus.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

the prius market is not so large in europe, like it is in the US. i must admis Kos said exactly what i would have said one month ago, and i'm still in love with my 2006 e60 525D...but after one of my friends bought a prius 2gen, i changed my mind. prius it's awesome! at first, all of us looked at the ugly prius, looking like a family station wagon...the interior of star trek enterprise...then i drove it...i was impressed i got off the car, i looked at it again, boy...it was beautiful on the outside, too
now i'm searching to buy a prius, after i red about it for almost a month. of course, first ideea was to buy the civic, it's more sporty on the outside, but after reading + and - about it, i changed my mind. i need a prius
in romania, we pay like almost 1.5 euro/liter, converted in US system, 7usd/gallon, and there are rumours saying that it'll become more expensive by the end of the year, because of the arab crisis...
so, kob, stop judging, and try one of these "toys" man, you'll be surprised

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

WOW. People like you still exist?!

I think you're in denial over the fact that the Prius is miles ahead of these BMWs with the ancient technology of which you speak about.

For example, BMW have only now started to put the 'stop-start' tech into their cars - well guess what.... the prius had that in its first iteration all the way back in 1997!

I suggest you take 5 minutes out of your life to read around the "steps manufacturers are taking to build green cars" and you will certainly find out which manufacturer comes out on top with what car - I'll give you a teeny hint - it's not BMW!

 

can i remind you all of the following before you go and save the world with your "low emission BS" , its along the lines of, the metal for batteries is mined in canada then off to somewhere else and made into the battery, then to japan factory to be fitted to car then from japan cars shipped to US or UK in the car. The C02/milege the materials travel from all that is epic, so much for a low carbon foot print

you claim that bmw builds fine auto mobiles, that is true but they do build hybrids. the hydro 7 for example. bmw built electric cars for marketing reasons many years ago in the early 80's. but the germans are smart enough to realise it is a dead end route to pursue the technology for use in cars and it is not a sustainable power source for a car in mass production. its only use is in short range cars, when the technology improves bmw will branch out to it firther. truth be it electric power affects the performance, and performance and speed is one thing man has always strived for since day dot.

while BMW has not been free from recalls, no manufacturer ever has, but BMW has not been at the centre of a multi million dollar law suit smeared in the press and media unlike honda.

the OP's post calling a BMW crude is very amusing, he never did say what year what model it was. My current e39 530i sport is arguably the best executive saloon ever made. but jumping into a new f10 five makes my car feel old, but hey it is. there will be always be something better.

this link has been put up on several bmw forums, the one its revived most attention on is the e30 zone, which is for a bmw model which is at its youngest 20 years old and the oldest hitting 30 years old.
do you know why people still drive these cars ? because they have spirit, they have a soul, they have guts and character. now, these are not just old polluting cars, in the cult following they cave people fit to them modern efficient engines, some run the their cars on LPG so are more eco friendly than they were since new, but at the same time we dont mind putting a big V8 in them and running sky high emissions in the quest for more power

the spirit and soul of a car is something which is very important to us Europe. the US market has always susceptible to marketing ploys and is not bothered with a mundane driving experience. where a US built engine needs a 7 litre engine to make 500bhp, the Europeans will do it with 5 litres and thats a naturals aspirated engine which is still fuel efficient compared to the US countepart, and while the US car will be confused on the first bend on the black top the european car thrives in such conditions.

while this may sound like an attack on US cars, its the US market i'm looking at. i'm a huge car fan and would like to own a late 60's muscle car, the driving experiences of them is pretty bland but its the numbers that sold these cars the power numbers, much like a Prius but for low emission figures rather than power fugues, hence why the US market like them. it is simply a marketing ploy.

here, they are not that well regarded. i have driven one and i have had more fun at the dentists having teeth pulled out. a Mute gives more feedback than driving a prius ever will, so before the OP goes an bashed a "crude" bmw, he is the one that really needs to remove his rose tinted spectacles

the car is a gimmik, a toy and mocked, its bought by eco warriors, people who want to make a statement or by people naive enough to believe the marketing BS toyota throw at you

here is some more of an insight

I don't see hybrids as a step in the right direction, but rather the other way. Just as they have banned two stroke engines which are now capable of producing more power with less emissions than four strokes, adding batteries to a gas cars just uses more resources than gas alone. Marketing, "the Green movement", has got people spending money for useless vehicles that do nothing to help the environment and in fact cause more problems. In addition to the normal mining of metal, refining of oils, etc.. in car manufacturing, now they must mine the nickel and other chemicals and elements to make the additional batteries and then ship them across the world where they can be installed and then shipped out. Financially and environmentally Prius batteries are wasteful. And electric cars will never prevail. Porsche's first car was electric and proved useless since it provided no heat, ac, or other accessories needed while driving through Europe. Hydrogen is the only way to go and to make H2 requires much energy which can only be acquired by going back to nuclear which is now the cleanest source of energy on the planet since all "waste" can now be recycled and there are no emissions. Solar requires panels that are expensive and their production is not very "green" and wind requires turbines that use petroleum products for lubrication in addition to the cost and environmental impact not to mention the thousands of birds they kill.


so i'd like to think BMW are heading in the right direction with Hydrogen power.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

BMW last month in the US sold 5763 3 series per BMW Group U.S. Reports January 2011 Sales.
Toyota sold 10635 Priuses last month per http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/document/January_PR_Sales_Chart.pdf.

Per The 3rd Generation Toyota Prius Hybrid, Prius MSRP starts at $23,050.
Per BMW North America, cheapest BMW 3 series MSRP starts at $33,650.

If your "CO numbers" are trying to refer to emissions, per Side-by-Side Comparison, the 2011 328i is estimated to emit 8.5 tons of CO2/year (given their driving profile) vs. 3.8 tons/year for a 2011 Prius.

I think I figured out why. If one does a Google search for bmw crude, this thread comes up as the first hit. I guess we're going to see an influx of BMW fanboy trolls. I wonder if Google Algorithm Change Targets Content Farms - Search Engines - News & Reviews - eWeek.com has anything to do with it.

 

I mean...the thread is 4 years old. The OP probably doesn't even post here anymore.

BMWs are great cars...but the type of person a Prius would appeal to probably wouldn't understand the appeal of a BMW. The comparison of the two and this argument over which is "better" is meaningless. Your assault on the Prius as being a "toy" car or a "gimmick" is just as ignorant as people saying a BMW is "crude"...

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

cwernda

look at the emmissions of a 320d efficient dynamics, not a 328i if you want o compare, make it a fair comparison, and when you do its not far of a prius, at 109co2/pm and the prius is at 89 i believe

we look at the figures per mile, not per year of average mileage
a Prius on the road price is circa £20 to £26,000 and the bmw is £22-£28,000

approx 11,000 prius were sold in the UK , compared to 42,000 bmw 3 series

 

We're not in the UK.

And we don't have a 320d here. We have a 335d which starts over $10,000 more than a fully loaded Prius.

The Prius and the 3 series have nothing in common, and are in completely different price classes.

 

kos keep trying to make yourself feel better.

You want a prius and you know it. We won't tell your BMW forum friends.

 

By any chance are you Jeremy Clarkson?

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

Here! Here!

I think you've squarely hit the nail on the head

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

This is one of the goofier internet threads that I have seen in quite a while....and I actually visit the Huffington Post.

It may not occur to some in the BMW "driving circle" that there are plenty of Prius owners who retired from BMW. I have had several BMWs over the years including the E39 mentioned by kos. You know what my impression of that POS was? I kept ALL service records up to the 149K mile mark when I got rid of it. The total? Just under $13K in maintenance and repairs...many of which I performed the R&R on like leaky steering pump lines, cracked hardwood trim pieces, dozens of tail bulbs, wheel rotors, Xenon headlamp ballasts, etc.. The car though nimble and quick was a tire manufacturer/service mechanic's dream. The most recent and final BMW was an X3, which drove very nicely for a small SUV, but had a lot of cage noise and again was hard on the tires. I actually sold that one before the warranty was up so I don't know beyond that whether or not it was a money pit. Oh. And every one of them had the quintessential electrical glitches. Some of us used to joke about why the Germans never saw fit to hire a couple of Japanese to design their control systems.

Now, ask me about the trouble I have had with my Prius. NONE.

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

its a shame you dont have it, its a very very good car.

as for different classes, you're right about that

however the both fall in to the small family category

Family Cars

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

my e39 has now done 134,000 miles, what problems have i ( or the previous owner encountered who i bought it from, he's a family friend and had it since new)

just one cam inlet position sensor

brake rotors are service parts as are bulbs. ballasts, its still on the original ones and original Xenon bulbs. its has front TCA bushes and ARB link rods which after such mileage is acceptable, yes it like to use rear tyres, but it is a heavy car with a reasonable amount of power. the build quality of a BMW for sure supersedes any japanese car. how many 20 year old japanese cars do you see on the road? not many thats for sure. there is an e36 that i know of thats close to 500,000 miles. for a passenger car thats insane mileage.

so your $13k, thats about £8,000. in how many years did it cost you that ? i've looked at my records for my car, and service costs are about £500 per annum all at a main dealer, plus a few extras. not too bad for driving a real car in the real world.

i did read somewhere that the life expectancy of a prius is 100,000 miles, hardly a lot.

from what i have seen, i do not know one person who has moved from a BMW to a prius, unless they have become soft with old age. the guy i bough e39 from is 66, and has up graded to an e60 M5. his opinion of a prius would offend you all.

here's an interesting fact for you, toyota used a german company to develop the legendary 2JZ engine

as for me wanting a prius, i'd rather take london public transport. the only time i buy a prius is to burn it in a mountain of tyres. imagine the pollution that would create lol

 

Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

2JZ was one of the only bullet proof engines Toyota ever made.
The Celicas, Rav-4s and other models that used the vvti engines calved nearly without fail at 50-60K for a period a few years ago and while we are talking about emissions....

Friend used about 2-4L of oil in his Celica every couple of months! Never even needed a proper oil change though I suppose to be fair to it.




My E30 does better mpg than a prius under normal driving and its 20 fooking years old!
And a hell of a lot more entertaining and nicer to look at too!

Well... maybe the prius would do better if you drove it like a right hippy but you'd annoy everybody else on the road by holding them up!


Crude? Maybe in one or two ways... I've never had the "pleasure" of being in a prius while the ugly piece of shit was whirring along...

But maybe the BMW is crude if your the kinda person that thinks driving is a chore and much prefer to be at home calculating your C02 emissions and annoyed with the cat for pushing open his cat-flap in the door leaving heat out.


And backing up kos's point about us enjoying sticking big engines into our old cars... I reckon we could probably drive one with a big 4L V8 or even V12 from another BMW for the rest of the cars life and even with the extra emissions and fuel comsumption, it still would be more eco-friendly in the grand scheme of things than re-newing a new shit-box every few years as it disintegrates or can't be fixed with crushing the old one and building the new one or the energy it takes to make all the batteries for these wind-up cars you are mad about on here.

Prius last a 100K? holy shit, my mom does that milage in 3 years! So she couldn't even trade the fooking thing in if she wanted to either?


Ok, it may seem pretty good on emissions for the end user but if you can't see the broader picture than what its telling you on the little screen in the car or fine print.... or big print in these things as its the only thing worth advertising about emissions and eficent, your a little unfortunate individual.