[Shovelman]

Winning the HP war has never been a goal, and having the most expensive ride in town hasn't done it for me either. These seem to be the paths BMW has been on for a few decades. Nibbling at the bottom of the line my 230 is nice but not sure where I'll go next time. Maybe back to an econobox. Thrashing a low powered go-cart is fun.

[freakystyly]

I just wanted a DD-able RWD manual...

*crickets*

[Ajowhan]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

Winning the HP war has never been a goal, and having the most expensive ride in town hasn't done it for me either. These seem to be the paths BMW has been on for a few decades. Nibbling at the bottom of the line my 230 is nice but not sure where I'll go next time. Maybe back to an econobox. Thrashing a low powered go-cart is fun.

Maybe a miata next then?

[leftoverture]

Well, BMW seems more interested in being an environmentally friendly company now, which also doesn't interest me. I'm getting to the age where I'm not sure how many more cars I'll actually buy, but while I like our 228, not sure I'll buy another Bimmer. I'd buy another Miata in a heartbeat, but not sure I'll be able to get in and out of one in a few more years. If you can get a Mazda 3 with a manual, that would be fun. I've also been eyeing up a Jetta GLI.

[morphomeman]

I know of no car company that is not environmentally friendly. They all have to abide by EU rules, which are quite strict. It also puzzles me that this should be a factor mitigating against any purchase.

[Aspen235]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

Winning the HP war has never been a goal, and having the most expensive ride in town hasn't done it for me either. These seem to be the paths BMW has been on for a few decades. Nibbling at the bottom of the line my 230 is nice but not sure where I'll go next time. Maybe back to an econobox. Thrashing a low powered go-cart is fun.

How about a MINI? My daughter's base manual 3 door is a riot.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

...not sure where I'll go next time. Maybe back to an econobox. Thrashing a low powered go-cart is fun.

Originally Posted by leftoverture

If you can get a Mazda 3 with a manual, that would be fun.

I can confirm that the wife's 2015 Mazda 3 6-speed is indeed fun and that it handles just fine when thrashing it about locally. It's my DD, and I use it for almost all local trips.

I enjoy going through turns and around corners the most, and the MZ3's 184 hp and 185 torque are more than enough to put a grin on my face. It also doesn't hurt that the car weighs just under 3,000 pounds. Considering it's a basic transportation module, the thing I like most about it is how well it turns-in. It's a drivers car.

[XutvJet]

The only BMW I'd ever consider are the N55 M2 or the M240. No other BMWs interest me. I'm not a fan of their current styling and have no interest in ever owning a sporty SUV. Makes no sense to me.

I'll soon be buying a C5 Z06 as a fun car and will likely sell my M235 6MT for an 8AT M240 or DCT M2 N55.

[Kernel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

Well, BMW seems more interested in being an environmentally friendly company now, which also doesn't interest me. I'm getting to the age where I'm not sure how many more cars I'll actually buy, but while I like our 228, not sure I'll buy another Bimmer.

BMW may be one of the last companies still selling ICE powered cars when everyone else has gone all electric, unless they are forced to do otherwise (which is certainly possible but I hope not).

https://www.bmwblog.com/2022/01/19/b...gines-roadmap/

They know their market and are probably slower to push BEVs on everyone than most companies at this point. I could have bought a Tesla Model 3, but I bought my M240i instead. Slower in a straight line but waaaay more fun than an iPhone on wheels.

Many people love BEVs, I have no problem with that, buy what makes you happy. I find them rather soulless, so it is probably going to be BMWs for me for the foreseeable future. Maybe a Cayman or a C8 if I decide to splurge.

[harma24]

I wasn't in it for a BMW or a luxury car (the 2 series is far from luxury in my opinion). For a while, I hated the fact that I was buying a BMW. I just wanted a 2-door coupe, not hatchback (rule out VW) with 4 usable seats (rule out Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Toyota/Subaru), can handle golf clubs, skis and generally, anything else I might pick up shopping that doesn't require a large vehicle (rule out Ford, Mazda, Toyota/Subaru) with good power and handling for <$50k (rule out anything from Audi, Lexux, Infinity or MB in that price range). 6 years later, I still l don't think there's anything else that ticks all of these boxes.

[Nickies]

Originally Posted by harma24

I wasn't in it for a BMW or a luxury car (the 2 series is far from luxury in my opinion). For a while, I hated the fact that I was buying a BMW. I just wanted a 2-door coupe, not hatchback (rule out VW) with 4 usable seats (rule out Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Toyota/Subaru), can handle golf clubs, skis and generally, anything else I might pick up shopping that doesn't require a large vehicle (rule out Ford, Mazda, Toyota/Subaru) with good power and handling for <$50k (rule out anything from Audi, Lexux, Infinity or MB in that price range). 6 years later, I still l don't think there's anything else that ticks all of these boxes.

I also just wanted a practical and affordable 2 door coupe for the exact same reasons. I don't see anything that will come this way anymore otherwise than a few coupes like the Z where you cannot even fit a luggage piece.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Nickies

I also just wanted a practical and affordable 2 door coupe for the exact same reasons. I don't see anything that will come this way anymore otherwise than a few coupes like the Z where you cannot even fit a luggage piece.

Because they're what I understand and like, I wanted another BMW.

I knew what I was getting into, especially that it wasn't going to be inexpensive. That was taking into account the flat $10K MSRP discount I got when I bought my '17 M240i.

A 4-door hatchback would have had more utility than the coupe, but BMW wasn't offering one in the size, weight (esp.), and power range I wanted. With the rear seats down, I've been able to fill the back with 750# of track gear, so the car does have reasonable utility in that regard.

In 2018's market, the 6-cyl 2 Series ticked my most important boxes. If only it weighed 2,950# instead of 3,432#; what a difference that would have made. Alas, those days are very long gone.

[MBlaster]

Take a look at a 09 Boxter, reasonably priced and loads of fun.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by MBlaster

Take a look at a 09 Boxter, reasonably priced and loads of fun.

If you don't want to worry about the IMS bearing failure and it hasn't been upgraded, then ensure it is a Boxster S with the 3.4 M97 engine, as the 2.9 engine still had the M96 engine until 2012, although there may have been a running change on the M96 from 2009 onwards to the newer bearing design, engine numbers after 61504715 supposedly have the upgraded bearing.

[MBlaster]

The 09 on did not have the bearing issue. The base model didn’t have much power but the hp to weight ratio was good so, fun to drive.

[p912guy]

BMW doesn't have anything that would interest me now to replace my M235 convertible.
Fortunately all our vehicles are still relatively low mileage (>100K) so we aren't replacing any of them anytime soon. I'd like to get another 4 or 5 years out of my M235 and then replace it with a newish low mileage Boxster. My wife's Q5 is nice enough, but even when we purchased it new in 2016 it seemed a bit outdated tech-wise. BMW does have a great option here, so I wouldn't hesitate replacing her Q5 with and X5. Actually my truck, even though it's the newest vehicle in the garage, will likely be replaced first and of course BMW isn't in that market.

[Sportstick]

I've also felt myself drifting away from BMW over a few events in the last year or so:

• The unapologetic mocking of Boomers for the iX marketing launch.
• Refusing to refund the unused balance of my discontinued "Connected Car" subscription paid to 2024 when 3G disappeared. I get the 3G part. I don't understand the policy to keep my money for a canceled service.
• The i4 that I planned to get to replace my 330GT has such a tight rear seat and smaller cargo area that the vehicle is not usable for our family as the 3 GT has been, and they canceled the usable iX3, and the iX is unbearably ugly to me and not worth the price.
• Nothing made to replace/update my 2 Series RWD 6MT.

No reason to consider the brand any longer based on customer treatment and product array.

I have a deposit on a Fisker Ocean and will check out the MB EQE SUV and Genesis GV70 EV to replace my 3 Series GT. All of those will be available in first half of 2023.

My wife might still consider replacing her '18 MINI Countryman with the new MINI Countryman EV on the new 7" longer platform built alongside the new X1 in a year or so, but that will be her choice.

[freakystyly]

This new EV generation might get tossed some sportscar-ish scraps once the main SUV market is sufficiently saturated. Until then, its lifted minivans as far as the eye can see.

[Cos270]

Sad to say I'm in the same boat. I plan on holding onto my M235i for as long as is practical, and then maybe moving onto a 911 as my last ICE car, if I can afford it.

[MichaelL]

Sad to say the same. I don’t see a BMW in my future after I am done with my 15 228i MSport, stick shift. I started with the brand back in the late 80s with a used 320i, had 4 other used 3 series before my current 228. The death of the stick shift cars, high sticker prices, and no steering feel tell me my run is coming to a likely end. Been a huge fan of the brand for a long time…

[dradernh]

I bought my M240i with the intention of keeping it until I'm no longer fit to drive. Being a car guy, however, I've continued to look critically at new models in terms of whether I'd buy one or not if I didn't already have my forever car. Or, for example, if the M240i was totaled.

Everything automotive is in such a state of flux now that I'm unable to make a choice no matter the manufacturer. At one point I found myself favoring the six-cylinder Cadillac Blackwing. I even thought about selling my car to fund the purchase of a Blackwing. Try finding one for sale, though, and you'll think you're looking for a Porsche GT car. Like so many other products today, they're extremely thin on the ground, and most have ridiculous ADM. I am soooo glad I've got my M240i and that it's built to meet my needs.

[WolfGTI]

Agreed - I've been trying to get an allocation for a GT P car - without ADM, I've found a dealer - but have to wait on the allocation. Really thin selection for a stickshift driver focused car in today's market.

Originally Posted by dradernh

I bought my M240i with the intention of keeping it until I'm no longer fit to drive. Being a car guy, however, I've continued to look critically at new models in terms of whether I'd buy one or not if I didn't already have my forever car. Or, for example, if the M240i was totaled.

Everything automotive is in such a state of flux now that I'm unable to make a choice no matter the manufacturer. At one point I found myself favoring the six-cylinder Cadillac Blackwing. I even thought about selling my car to fund the purchase of a Blackwing. Try finding one for sale, though, and you'll think you're looking for a Porsche GT car. Like so many other products today, they're extremely thin on the ground, and most have ridiculous ADM. I am soooo glad I've got my M240i and that it's built to meet my needs.