[dradernh]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

The car does not look dated in part because it has not been redesigned in half a dozen years. All that is soon to change, but yeah, this is my favorite-looking BMW since the E46. I have owned both. The E46 still turns heads. Let's hope that this model will too in ten years.

Well said.

Design-wise, I see the F22/F23 as a natural outgrowth of the E36, the E46, and the E90. In ten years I think they'll still look good and be desirable to discerning BMW owners and would-be owners. At least I hope so, as that's around the time I expect to offer my low-mileage, MT, RWD, non-sunroof unit for sale.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by MikeT

Lately I've noticed a strange phenomenon. I receive more compliments from strangers about my 2015 m235i now than I did when it was new 5.5 year ago. Which is bizarre to me. I've owned first-year/second-year models in the past, and they do tend to attract a greater than average number of comments from random people at gas stations, food drive-thru, etc in the first year or two. but tends to wear off pretty quickly as the vehicle become a more familiar sight.

I thought my M235i would attract a lot of attention from strangers, but it turned out to be just another run-of-the-mill BMW in the suburb where I live. I thought it was super sharp looking, but it just didn't get many comments at all. Every once in a while a car enthusiast would notice the slightly more aggressive stance or the blue brake calipers that set it apart from the standard 3 series coupes and comment on it. I remember being very disappointed at the first Cars & Coffee meet. Real M cars drew attention, especially if they had visible mods, but mine was largely ignored, and everyone there was a car enthusiast.

The first time my wife saw the car her comment was that it was a "handsome" car and much more mature looking than the bright yellow 2005 Mustang GT I owned for the previous 10 years. But the thing about that Mustang was that it was like being a celebrity the entire time I owned it. Everyone had a comment, negative here and there about the color, but mostly very positive.

After 3 years I traded the BMW for a 2018 Camaro SS. As soon as I got the Camaro home, the comments and stares started happening right away. The comments are somewhat split between the looks and the exhaust note. Both are menacing.

It's been 3 years with the Camaro, and the ergonomic shortcomings have finally gotten the best of me. I have a deposit on an M2 now. I doubt it will get the same number of comments as the Mustang or Camaro, but have no doubts about the improved daily usability.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by wjones14

I thought my M235i would attract a lot of attention from strangers, but it turned out to be just another run-of-the-mill BMW in the suburb where I live. I thought it was super sharp looking, but it just didn't get many comments at all. Every once in a while a car enthusiast would notice the slightly more aggressive stance or the blue brake calipers that set it apart from the standard 3 series coupes and comment on it. I remember being very disappointed at the first Cars & Coffee meet. Real M cars drew attention, especially if they had visible mods, but mine was largely ignored, and everyone there was a car enthusiast.

The first time my wife saw the car her comment was that it was a "handsome" car and much more mature looking than the bright yellow 2005 Mustang GT I owned for the previous 10 years. But the thing about that Mustang was that it was like being a celebrity the entire time I owned it. Everyone had a comment, negative here and there about the color, but mostly very positive.

After 3 years I traded the BMW for a 2018 Camaro SS. As soon as I got the Camaro home, the comments and stares started happening right away. The comments are somewhat split between the looks and the exhaust note. Both are menacing.

It's been 3 years with the Camaro, and the ergonomic shortcomings have finally gotten the best of me. I have a deposit on an M2 now. I doubt it will get the same number of comments as the Mustang or Camaro, but have no doubts about the improved daily usability.

To me, the thing about the F22 is bang-for-the-buck (depending upon how you use that measure, of course) and its lack when it comes to drawing attention to itself. In today's market, an F22 doesn't stand out.

I'm in a very laid-back part of the Midwest, where my Estoril Blue M240i with its in-your-face orange M-Performance Brake Caliper Kit has drawn no mention whatsoever. A friendly neighbor recently referred to it as a "sports car", and that's been it as far as incoming comments go. I think he thought of it as a sports car because he can see that I rarely drive it.

This region for sure has its car enthusiasts, but in the three years I've been here it seems much duller in that regard than during my much longer tenures in the San Francisco Bay Area and in the Northeast. I'm not complaining, as drawing attention to myself and my cars isn't in my nature...despite the cars I've chosen!

[ggggbmw]

I get the most comments about the Estoril Blue. People tell me it's pretty, and I agree completely. Love the blue. But then, any car that isn't black/white/silver tends to stand out.

The car itself? Almost never. Occasionally from some other BMW drivers. Drove up next to a guy at a light in a gorgeous new red M5, and he rolled his window down to ask me about my car. Said he spent too much on the M5 and couldn't have as much fun with it. Got a similar comment from another 5 series driver asking if it was 'fun'. Of course I said YES.

I think the biggest issue is that the profile is generic. And I actually prefer that it doesn't stand out too much. I'm perfectly happy with a grown-up 'under the radar' car that doesn't attract too much attention. (Especially if 'enjoying' the cars capabilities.)

My wife keeps telling me she thought she saw a car like mine. But then it turned out to be a Kia! <sigh>

[harma24]

Originally Posted by ggggbmw

But then it turned out to be a Kia! <sigh>

I was walking to my car leaving a store today and there was a BMW parked beside me that started up as I was approaching, but I thought it sounded really strange. It too turned out to be a Kia.

I get it; Kia did their best to make their front end look very similar to BMW's (G22 excluded).

[Rollo`]

So I have had my obsidian black 230i for over a year now and I have been amazed at how many compliments I get on it. I mean it happens all the time. People in drive thru's, in parking lots, a sheriff who stopped me for speeding then let me off with a warning.

When I was driving it back from coastal Mississippi where I purchased it last year I stopped at a gas station and some ancient dude walked up and asked me where i got it. I told him and he was like "I think I'm gonna go get me one of those.."

Often when I am getting gas people will tell me "nice car", but a couple of months ago I was standing there pumping gas and an older lady in a buick pulls up next to my car and asks if I want to trade cars for a while.

Just a week or two ago I go to a local park to meet my son for disc golf. He and I pull around and park next to the first hole and a guy in a new Mercedes sedan stops as he is driving by and says "hey, whichever of you owns that BMW, it looks badass". I gave him a thumbs up and said thanks.

Admittedly my hobby is shining the car up...I put CQuartz UK 3 ceramic coating it on it last year and updated it to Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Ceramic Coating Pro a couple of months ago so it is almost always clean and shiny. And, I live in rural KY in a city of less than 100k and there are probably not 4 2 series cars in the area not including M2s that most people don't DD.

But also I think it is a combo of the red M Performance brakes, and the 3 M-color grill inserts I have on it (it has Msport pkg so don't hate). They really set off the black. I did not want a black car because I am so OCD about it being clean but the reward is that it looks pretty awesome.

Anyway, I think the car looks great but not that great.

It just poured rain here for the first time in 3 weeks but when it is sunny tomorrow I'll add a pic to this post.

[morphomeman]

My 2015 235 has received two compliments in the last couple of days.
The other day, I was talking to a young colleague who was hired just before COVID. We had not seen much of each other in person since then. I had shown him around the area in my car back then and, though he had said nothing at the time, he remarked the other day about how impressed he had been with the 2.
Then yesterday, I was pulling out of a parking lot when a very young woman I have known for a while walked by and hollered over to me: nice ride. She was clearly shocked to see an old guy in a car like that. For those in the market for both, the Estoril blue 2-series is a chick magnet! Me, not so much.

[60_Driver]

My wife & I have both had a good amount of nice car compliments in parking lots/gas stations recently. I’ve also had a lot more tuned VWs try to entice me into highway hooliganism than I’m accustomed to. Seems that my Ram heavy duty pickup doesn’t make people want to race 🤷*♂️

[XutvJet]

I get more and more people trying to race me or show me what their car can do. I've never owned a car that has brought so much attention and I've owned some sporty modded cars in the past.

Turbo BMWs are like a box of chocolates. Other performance car drivers want to take a gamble and see which flavor you have.

[quadsbaby]

Part of the reason I got the m240i is that it is both understated (especially in a greyscale color) and fast!

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by quadsbaby

Part of the reason I got the m240i is that it is both understated (especially in a greyscale color) and fast!

Same here.

I wanted Alpine White with RWD, manual, and no sunroof but was in between model years and unwilling to wait, which left me with one option: buy the only spec-matching new car in the entire country, which came in Estoril Blue. I liked the color then and like it even more now; however, the car would be much less conspicuous in AW.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I get more and more people trying to race me or show me what their car can do. I've never owned a car that has brought so much attention and I've owned some sporty modded cars in the past.

Turbo BMWs are like a box of chocolates. Other performance car drivers want to take a gamble and see which flavor you have.

I'm always happy to oblige and I'm always happy to give them the hit as boost is building.

Per the original thread, I did have some guy in an old 50's Volvo offer to trade cars at a light a couple weeks ago.