You must have run into this situation before, prior to you having your Bimmer of course…. Your driving on the highway when all of a sudden some young 20 – 30 something cuts you off so badly you could have sworn that they took your front plate with them as they passed you. At the point your peripheral vision kicks in your angry, but once the car passes you and you glance at the license plate that reads M3ATY M3, the upper right corner displays an M badge and right smack in the center of the truck is that horrid roundel with those three letters B…M…W, your anger turns into rage as your shake your fist and shout, “Damn BMW driver….. typical jerk!” Now this situation seems like one you’ve been in before I’m sure, and coupled with a few choice expletives, who wouldn’t be angry!?!?
Now of course I feel like certain brands carry a certain, snobiety if you will (yes, I made that word up and yes you can use it), or reputation with them. Those brands are only defined by the people who buy them. So are we really to blame!?! Are we really the culprits?!?! I digress, what I think the entire mix up here is lies within the fact that those who do not own said “snobiety-esque” brands simple do not understand them. My example comes strictly from experience. Up until I purchased my E92, I had always LOVED Bimmers. I’ve loved them for countless reasons, reasons I simply do not have the time to list out. Although I was a fan, I never really truly knew what they were about. Sure I knew they were fast, thought they were gorgeous, knew they had great handling, superb brakes etc. But until you’ve owned one and until you’ve had the time to actually put one through the ringer and really drive the car, you have NO idea what it is about.
We still can’t tell if the video above is “real” or not
After the long break-in period, I really started to open her up on open roads. Felt the punch at highway speeds, noticed how the car really hunkered down and got settled once I passed a certain speed and stayed controllable. It had lived up to everything I had expected and more. But, there was one more test I needed to conduct….. how direct and predictable the steering was and how this thing handled in traffic! I always say it takes about a year to two years to really and truly learn your car. Essentially what I mean by that is it takes that long for you to really feel comfortable in your vehicle and anything that is thrown your way is handled with ease. The more I experimented and the more time I had spent in the car, it became more apparent to me…. BMW drivers really are &*#@’s!
Now wait a minute, don’t get all hot and bothered I’m making a point here. BMW drivers love to DRIVE their cars. We drive often and we drive hard. We only do this for two reasons, because they are tons of fun to drive and they are capable of doing so. Plain and simple BMW’s are capable cars! They are able to be driven long and hard without missing a step and they consistently please their driver with outstanding performance and agility. BMW’s may not be the fastest cars on the road but they certainly are some of best all around cars on the road. They do everything well and we pay handsomely to own one, so why shouldn’t we be able to enjoy and exploit those abilities!?!
Some of us, more than others, are that GUY in regards to the typical BMW driver. Young male, techno music, spikey hair and driving the car like we stole it. I don’t think that is such a bad thing to be honest. Sure it’s dangerous at times, but driving is one of the most dangerous things we do everyday. We are just a group of enthusiasts that know a good product when we see one and we enjoy it to the fullest extend we can. Do you think that we are just a group of crazies that know how to drive and know how to enjoy our fully capable cars? Or do you think that no matter what, a BMW will always carry a certain weighted moniker amongst society?
Share your story, what have people said when they’ve seen the emblem on your keys?
Author: Joey Babs
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/10/27/do-bm ... t-aint-so/