[duluthtwo]

With all of the good magazine reviews and positive owner reviews why are we not seeing more 240's on the road? I've mentioned before, living in NE Atlanta i have never seen another one in one year of ownership, a few M2's but no 240's. Have not seen any 240 ads from BMW either

[Cumberlandjames]

Strange, here in Ottawa there are lots, all different models, coupes and soft tops. Not many M2's, only see 2 .
BMW likes to advertise the more expensive models and leave the cheaper ones as a lost resort if people shy away from the price. Gives the salesmen a last resort to set the hook.

[duluthtwo]

Originally Posted by Cumberlandjames

Strange, here in Ottawa there are lots, all different models, coupes and soft tops. Not many M2's, only see 2 .
BMW likes to advertise the more expensive models and leave the cheaper ones as a lost resort if people shy away from the price. Gives the salesmen a last resort to set the hook.

I have an FJ Cruiser. Toyota didn't advertise those either. Discontinued here in the States. Have been stopped three times the past year by people wanting to buy it.... no way!

[3.0L]

I bought my M235i new in May of 2014. During my 3.5 years of
ownership, I’ve spotted maybe 4 M235i’s, plus 3 or 4 228’s. I have
yet to see an M240i or 230i.

I don’t know about the rest of you 2 owners, but I rather enjoy
owning a car that is not as common as a Mustang.

[duluthtwo]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

I bought my M235i new in May of 2014. During my 3.5 years of
ownership, I’ve spotted maybe 4 M235i’s, plus 3 or 4 228’s. I have
yet to see an M240i or 230i.

I don’t know about the rest of you 2 owners, but I rather enjoy
owning a car that is not as common as a Mustang.

True dat!

[mecodoug]

I agree, in the year since my 240i was re-delivered to the states, I have seen 2 M2s and only a handful of 228 and 235s (including the 2 EB 235s at work). I don't think I've seen more than one 230 or other 240.

I like having a rare coupe, but I am a bit confused by this.

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by mecodoug

I don't think I've seen more than one 230 or other 240.

I like having a rare coupe, but I am a bit confused by this.

My guesses would be the obvious ones:

1. 2 Series sounds "entry level" to an average Joe who worries what his peers might think.
2. 3 Series are common, therefore reassuring Joe's misguided ego.
3. 3 Series seems like a bargain by comparison, making Joe feel good about his reasoning skills.

[Maynard]

I almost never see one upstate, but when we were down nearer to NYC I must have seen 6 of them in a weekend (seemed like most of the cars I saw down there were euro, and still tons and tons more sport utes than coupes). I think they are just a smaller percentage, vs. the 3/5/7. I'm torn between wanting them to be more popular to ensure they keep making them vs. liking that they are rare and I never see my 'clone'.

[CP911]

I didn't see them too often when I was living in the Raleigh, NC area and still don't see them in the Chicagoland/NW Indiana area. The only one that sticks out in my mind in the last 6 months was a MG m240i w/ red leather that I saw driving in downtown Chicago. I honestly don't think I've seen any others in the wild other than at BMW dealerships lately.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by stevenvillatoro

My guesses would be the obvious ones:

1. 2 Series sounds "entry level" to an average Joe who worries what his peers might think.
2. 3 Series are common, therefore reassuring Joe's misguided ego.
3. 3 Series seems like a bargain by comparison, making Joe feel good about his reasoning skills.

For starters, I don't give a s**t what the Jones's think about me.
Secondly, I can afford an M3 or M4, or even a Porsche Cayman or 911. I just happen to think the 2 is more practical, not to mention it can get you (me) from joy to jail in only a few fractions of a second or so less than the more expensive machines. So WTF. I mean, really.

Thirdly, read line one again. I just don't give a shit.

[wjjkoevoets]

Ran into a black M2 in Lancaster, but that's about all I've seen. Not much BMWs or Mercs in this area anyways it seems. Everybody (including myself at the moment) seems to be driving Hyundais or Nissans over here lol

Back home, some guy in the area has an EBII M235i with all the M Performance parts on it. Ran into a 220i in the North of the country. So much for my 2-series encounters...

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

For starters, I don't give a s**t what the Jones's think about me... So WTF. I mean, really... Thirdly, read line one again. I just don't give a shit.

My reply was to the OP's question, "... why are we not seeing more 240s on the road?"

Seems you already own a 2 Series, so obviously my response to the OP's question would not apply to you... yet you took it personally?

Focus, man! :

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

I bought my M235i new in May of 2014. During my 3.5 years of
ownership, I’ve spotted maybe 4 M235i’s, plus 3 or 4 228’s. I have
yet to see an M240i or 230i.

I don’t know about the rest of you 2 owners, but I rather enjoy
owning a car that is not as common as a Mustang.

In my two and a half years of ownership, I have seen fewer 2 Series than that.

I can't say that I enjoy the car any more because there are so few of them. The average guy can't tell mine from any other BMW - I know that from talking to co-workers, family, and non-enthusiast friends.

And for as common as people think Mustangs are, I personally don't see all that many of them. The majority of the ones I do see do not have the 5.0 badge on them. True, Mustangs are more common than 2 Series without a doubt, as Ford sells more of them in a month than BMW sells 2 Series in a year. But I see many, many more BMW/Mercedes/Audi SUVs and Crossovers than I do Mustangs - it's not even close.

I think we just don't see that many 2 Series because SUVs and Crossovers are the rage, and 2 door coupes are just not that practical in comparison.

[wjjkoevoets]

Originally Posted by wjones14

The average guy can't tell mine from any other BMW - I know that from talking to co-workers, family, and non-enthusiast friends.

Ugh, so true. Everybody keeps asking me if I drive an M3. Thanks for the compliment, but not, it's a 235i... lol

[duluthtwo]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

For starters, I don't give a s**t what the Jones's think about me.
Secondly, I can afford an M3 or M4, or even a Porsche Cayman or 911. I just happen to think the 2 is more practical, not to mention it can get you (me) from joy to jail in only a few fractions of a second or so less than the more expensive machines. So WTF. I mean, really.

Thirdly, read line one again. I just don't give a shit.

[NVHoo]

Originally Posted by wjjkoevoets

Ugh, so true. Everybody keeps asking me if I drive an M3. Thanks for the compliment, but not, it's a 235i... lol

I can't ID most BMW coupes without looking at the badging. Same with most Audi & Lexus coupes too. I'll add most Porsches to that list too. If you want relative rarity and distinctive styling, get a Z4 or TT. The 2 series convertible is easier for me to ID with the top up because of the cloth top.

[RacerDad]

I have owned my M235i for just over a year. During that time I have seen one BSM 228i coupe at a business near my house, a couple of M2s on I64, and one white 2-series vert (not sure which model). I have not seen any 2-series that look like mine, and it is a rare sight to see any 2-series. I am OK with that.

To the OP's point, I don't remember seeing any specific advertising for the 2-series since its 2014 launch, but there always seems to be incentives for the 3-series and X1,3,5. It is as if BMW is telling everyone that the 320i is the cheapest way to get into a BMW. Crossovers/SUVs are selling for all brands, so it makes sense for BMW to promote these models.

IMHO, the 2 series (all versions) is geared towards the enthusiasts who enjoy driving. That is a small percentage of BMW customers in the US. I would guess that the majority of them are 2addicts. I would also guess that many of us are not looking to upgrade to a 3, 4, or 5 series with the possible exception of a M3 or M4. With that in mind, BMW will spend its resources and advertising budget on more profitable vehicles.

[morphomeman]

BMW sells about ten times as many 3-series and five times as many 4- and 5-series cars in North America as it does 2-series. So, altogether, you are going to see 1 2-er for every 20 of these other sedan/coupe vehicles.
The second factor is demographics or zip code. The higher the median income in an area and the greater the density, the more likely you are to have a nearby BMW dealer. That means you will find more BMW cars, and more 2-series in these areas.
That said, I have no explanation for Atlanta, which, by my criteria, should be crawling with them.

[Luddy]

I just hope they sell enough for BMW to keep making them. Other than that I love my m235i and enjoy the rarity.

As for others out in the wild...in my 1.5 years of ownership I have seen a white convertible near Kennett Square, PA. Around West Chester, PA I have seen another EBII m235i, a mineral grey pulled up alongside me once at a traffic light, and a black m235i. That is all my sightings.

One thing I find interesting is that I feel I see more current/last gen M3's and M4's on the road than m235/40i's. I have only seen M2's at cars and coffees or the BMW cca summer picnic.

[cooticooti16]

I think it's just cost/value perspective... I imagine we are going to see less and less of the "Mxxxi" models (and comparatively speaking, 43AMG models from MB).

Just my prediction, but these in-between models are going to have slower sales than their predecessors who did not have the same level of marketing. I have yet to see an M540i, where F11 535i's we're everywhere in nyc.

I have yet to see an M240i where 135i's were more common.

I did see 1 E43 in a see of E300's.

I think the in betweenness of the models is causing people to either go for the true M car or settle for value in the entry level models.

[B_Rice]

There's quite a few of them in LA, but I suspect the real reason is that the people that can afford these cars either need more practicality for their family, or go upmarket if they're more performance oriented.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by duluthtwo

With all of the good magazine reviews and positive owner reviews why are we not seeing more 240's on the road? I've mentioned before, living in NE Atlanta i have never seen another one in one year of ownership, a few M2's but no 240's. Have not seen any 240 ads from BMW either

From introduction through October 2017, 45,547 2-series have been sold in the U.S. and during the same period 6,279 were sold in Canada, so unless they're garage queens, someone must be seeing them.
OTOH, I've seen a few which I initially mistook for a 4-Series.