Out of the various luxury car brands on the planet, the German powerhouse that is BMW consistently ranks as one of the best there is. The company can trace their roots back to 1916 and ever since then they have been delivering quality vehicles to consumers. A modern BMW offers premium luxury features and an exceptional driving experience all in one great package. While not all BMW’s are created equally, you are still getting a beautiful machine even with their entry-level vehicles. Now owning a BMW is not like owning any other car, as the experience is quite different. You just have to have one for yourself to understand. Here are ten things that only BMW owners will probably understand.
10. You never turn down the opportunity to drive it
While modern luxury cars like BMW’s have all the bells and whistles that you can possibly want, a BMW at its core is still all about the driving experience. Prior to owning a BMW, a trip to the grocery store or a drive to pick up the kids was seen as a chore. In a BMW, that is not the case. Regardless of which BMW you own, you can bet that driving the vehicle is more enjoyable that the vast majority of cars on the road. A BMW always makes a drive exciting and interesting, and you will never turn down the opportunity to drive your BMW.
9. You’ve gotten over the depreciation costs
Regardless of the brand, all cars depreciate over time. People like to joke that as soon as you leave the dealership, your car has already lost some of its value. The unfortunate thing is that luxury cars like BMWs seem to depreciate even faster than others. For example a new X6 M starts at $102,000 dollars. Through a quick Google search I was able to find two used X6 M’s in my area that are from 2013 and are going for $61,998 and $64,950 dollars respectively. Both have less than 23,000 miles on them, so in just 2 years these cars lost around $40,000 dollars or so. That figure can be depressing to realize, but since you just love your car so much, you’ve gotten over this fact.
8. You never grow tired of the options
One of the best parts of a BMW, regardless of whether its a 3 Series or an M6, is the sheer amount of options, extras, and added features that are at your disposal. Since these are luxury cars, every single detail has been accounted for to ensure that you are comfortable. We’re talking about adaptive cruise control, 10-way adjustable leather seats, an advanced entertainment and media console that’s essentially a computer, a Bang and Olufsen sound system, carbon fiber parts, and even inferred sensors that allow you to see pedestrians at night via the entrainment consoles screen. If you go all-out and get most of these options, you will never get tired of having them. In fact, you’ll get so used to them that you will wonder how you had cars without them.
7. People don’t appreciate your car as much as you do
Despite how much you love your BMW and all that it has to offer, the fact of the matter is that most drivers on the road just don’t care. Not everyone is a gearhead that loves their car and knows all the ins-and-outs of it, and that can be frustrating at times. Many drivers will see your car and just think to themselves “yeah that’s a BMW sedan” without fully realizing that you’re driving an BMW Alpina B6 or even what that really is.
6. Little things often go wrong
The downside to having every possible option under the moon is that little things tend to go wrong. When you have a car that’s turbocharged and it’s outfitted with more buttons than a space shuttle, you will definitely have problems. From the heater in the steering wheel breaking to the entertainment console glitching out, as a BMW owner you are used to this.
5. Maintenance costs are very high
BMW owners also understand that their cars cost a lot of money to maintain and repair. Any vehicle made in Germany costs considerably more to maintain, and that’s especially true for $70,000 dollar BMWs. Everything from getting a routine oil change to fixing the breaks is going to cost you a pretty penny. Add in the insurance costs of the vehicle, and suddenly you are spending more money that you would have imagined. But this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, you are driving a BMW after all and you didn’t buy it for its affordability.
4. You have to explain to people what the “M” badge means
Out of all the various BMWs that you can buy, their M models are easily the companies best. These are the high-end performance versions of their standard models, and are essentially better than the normal models in almost all aspects. The thing is, besides the M badge and some slightly different body parts, these cars look nearly identical on the outside compared to the standard models. The difference between a standard $50,200 5 Series and the $94,100 M5 is quite staggering, but not everyone understands this. This goes back to the fact that most people just aren’t familiar with cars enough to appreciate what that M stands for, so you’ve grown used to explaining it to them
3. You’ve grown accustomed to great customer service
As a BMW you have also grown accustomed to having absolutely great customer service that is arguably better than most. With a brand like BMW, they want to ensure that your overall experience with the car is absolutely pure bliss. When you buy a BMW you also buy into their top-notch customer service. Their brand is just so established that they can afford to go the extra mile to help their customers, especially when things go wrong with the car.
2. Some people assume you’re an aggressive driver
For whatever reason, many people stereotype BMW owners as aggressive and selfish drivers. Obviously this isn’t necessarily true, but spend a few minutes on any car forum on the internet, and it seems like that is the general consensus. Maybe it’s from people who are jealous or from the rich 17-year-old kids that drive their parents BMW recklessly, but BMW drivers are assumed to be aggressive drivers.
1. You never want to buy from another car brand again
As soon as you take a drive in your newly purchased BMW, you will begin to forget that there are other car manufactures out there. BMWs have high levels of customer satisfaction, and they will always leave you smiling. After you spend some time with a BMW, you’ll never want to part ways with it, and you probably will never want to buy from another car brand again. They are just that good.
Photos from BMW
