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IMHO, young professionals that have class and good taste and a sense of individuality and uniqueness don't drive BMW's they drive either an Audi A4, A5 or S5.
The current BMWs are funky looking. I used to like BMWs a lot. Specifically those from the late 80s-early 90's - they had a 'crispness' to their design that is missing now. Regarding this post, though, links to data would help.
I agree. With each succeeding new version, they seem to get a bit stodgier.
I have owned 2 BMWs, including my current car. I had a 2001 5-series, and now I have a 2006 5-series. I thought the 2001 version had a crisper look and a tighter drive.
I plan to look around next time I buy a car, and think about Audi and Infiniti.
While Bimmers are still very nice cars for the 'enthusiast' they have become increasingly trite and expensive to buy and maintain. In today's world not the best attributes for sales growth.
i loved my 328xi just because it ended up costing me less than the nissan xterra i was going to buy. when the free unlimited maintaince for 4 years was figured in it was a no brainer.
i didnt even pay for wiper blades. the fact the car was priced less after incentives than most every thing i else i considered made it a great deal.
i no longer want to own it after 4 years anyway so the fact that long term maintaince is expensive isnt an issue.
Most BMWs are leased.NEarly 65% of inifnitys sold are G35s or whatever...both offer the best lease rates, $199, $260, $299 etc to get into the 3 series or G35 etc...
Then they are returned. They aren't enthusiast cars like the media will have you think since they are not bought but rented.
BMW has a reputation for being temperamental. We're in the middle of a depression (maybe America's LAST depression). Nobody wants a car he might not be able to unload. Lexus hold their value well, and are amazingly reliable. Nobody can afford the expense and trouble of dealing with a temperamental car.
Too, the sort of people you see driving 7-series BMWs are the sort of people who put the stigma on Cadillac. I think the company's image rotted from the top down.
None of my kids have ever even considered BMWs. They all have IS250s, and are planning to replace them with precisely the same cars. Lexus are bland and anonymous, and don't attract the attention, as much, of the sort who do carjackings and kidnappings. We always loved that aspect of Volvo (the real ones...back when they were Swedish): the right people were impressed. But to the wrong people, Volvos were invisible.
Let's face it: a Word Association Test with BMW would conjure terms like 'jackass' 'jerk' 'frat rat' 'princess'... While Lexus would produce terms like 'reliable' 'dowdy' 'dependable' 'practical' 'understated' 'privileged'... We're in a depression from which we may never emerge. Western Civilization is collapsing. People are scared. Just as in the 1930s Depression, people are afraid of being showy. Lexus' image is safe. BMW's image is 'sporty'. Sporty, now, is bad.
And you have to understand how young professionals today see themselves. They were the brainy kids who suffered the long hours it took to get into and complete good degree programs. They dumped any friend who smoked or even tried drugs. They dumped friends who were 'flakes'. They competed for grades, and had their lives basically stolen by endless sports and lessons and homework. Their self-image is as 'Good Kids'. They jumped through a ridiculous number of hoops, just to do what was expected of them. They pride themselves on being grim, determined, work-oriented, and responsible. Out at the periphery of their self-image is the 'others': the spoiled brats; the cheerleaders; the Daddy's Little Football Standout jackasses; the losers; the slackers; the trophy wives; the little whores who catch middle-aged attorneys and physicians.... It is these 'others' whom they see as drivers of BMWs.
Last edited by GrandviewGloria; 12-19-2011 at 03:37 PM..
BMW has a reputation for being temperamental. We're in the middle of a depression (maybe America's LAST depression). Nobody wants a car he might not be able to unload. Lexus hold their value well, and are amazingly reliable. Nobody can afford the expense and trouble of dealing with a temperamental car.
Too, the sort of people you see driving 7-series BMWs are the sort of people who put the stigma on Cadillac. I think the company's image rotted from the top down.
None of my kids have ever even considered BMWs. They all have IS250s, and are planning to replace them with precisely the same cars. Lexus are bland and anonymous, and don't attract the attention, as much, of the sort who do carjackings and kidnappings. We always loved that aspect of Volvo (the real ones...back when they were Swedish): the right people were impressed. But to the wrong people, Volvos were invisible.
Let's face it: a Word Association Test with BMW would conjure terms like 'jackass' 'jerk' 'frat rat' 'princess'... While Lexus would produce terms like 'reliable' 'dowdy' 'dependable' 'practical' 'understated' 'privileged'... We're in a depression from which we may never emerge. Western Civilization is collapsing. People are scared. Just as in the 1930s Depression, people are afraid of being showy. Lexus' image is safe. BMW's image is 'sporty'. Sporty, now, is bad.
Incredibly, most of your post is simply wrong. BMWs still sell very well. People obviously are not any more afraid of temperamental cars than they were. Image conscious buyers still will put up with a finicky car, especially if it is under warranty the entire time the car is leased. (I think of BMWs as simply more expensive to keep running, not necessarily temperamental. Old Fiats were temperamental).
The resale value of Lexus is only slightly better than BMW.
If people are so afraid of being showy, why do I see a Maserati everyday? Or Bentley? Or Lotus? The selection of high end cars today is wider than ever - and more expensive than ever.
Sporty is definitely not bad. Sporty is good - as Lexus is working to rid itself of its staid image. Every company is building sporty into their vehicles down to subcompacts like the Fiesta or new cars like the Veloster. Audi is growing faster than the other Germans precisely because it is as sporty as ever with more AWD, the "S" models, and the flagship V10 R8. American muscle is better than ever - with incredible performance and track focused cars like the Boss 302.
Finally, I do not think any economist believes we are in a depression.
People obviously are not any more afraid of temperamental cars than they were. Image conscious buyers still will put up with a finicky car, especially if it is under warranty the entire time the car is leased.
If people are so afraid of being showy, why do I see a Maserati everyday? Or Bentley? Or Lotus?
Sporty is definitely not bad. Sporty is good - as Lexus is working to rid itself of its staid image.
Finally, I do not think any economist believes we are in a depression.
Putting up with a finicky car means wasting endless hours getting it sorted-out. Those hours can mean the difference between 'making partner', and stagnating. Bosses are quite unsympathetic to whose whose days are interrupted by 'Dropping off the BMW' and 'Picking up the BMW'. And being seen as 'image conscious' is a hazard unto itself. Bosses see the image conscious as competition. I would add that during our own rise in the world, we drove extremely used Volvos. We'd still be driving Volvos, if they still really made them.
It is not young professionals who drive hyperluxury cars. Generally, those are driven by impotent old men cruising for young nookie, trophy wives, criminals, and Sports Monkeys. Some of them are social-climbing Dragon Ladies like myself. I am over 40, and surely no longer qualify as 'young'.
Lexus has traditionally been a very ugly car. IS was their first attractive series. If they simply make the Lexus beautiful, they will do well. If, however, they make it 'sporty', then they will be making a huge mistake. When Ford ate Volvo, the gimped-up/tricked-out ghetto tennis shoe look was something the marque's traditional customer base found exceedingly offensive. We LIKED 'boxy' (although we called it 'sedate'). At that point, we, and everyone we knew, switched to Lexus and Mercedes, because those, at least, still looked dignified.
My kids bought their IS250s because the car's lines are serene and uncluttered, and because the wheels were the least 'ghetto' of anything being offered.
And as for whether we are in a Depression... I take it you don't personally know any Economists.
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