Hanging WBoD Shitheap Made by Hitler Acquired

[Jerzy Woking]

Never owned a BMW. We had a few at work, both 3 and 5 series. Didn't like either, much preferred the other cars on the fleet.

Never owned one, never wanted too. Had a few older Mercs, but none could hold a candle to the Saab 95 Aero I had in either comfort or power delivery.

[mercrocker]

Despite my moniker, I have comparatively little experience of Mercs, only a W116 280SE, W124 260E, 190E and a W123 280E. All bought from newsagent's windows and the like at what would now be regarded as scrap prices (think I paid about £150 for the 280SE with 9 months ticket...) so I am not the best judge really. However, at that level to find a car capable of high speed runs to Le Mans or making it to Nottingham and back in a day from Southampton in the worst weather I've ever driven in must say something for their inherent qualities. Only had one BMW and that was a relatively new (for me, about 7 years I suppose) 316 E21 which was a fairly needy bastard although a decent car but not one that made me go and find another.

[SiC]

E21 ended production in 1983. That was a few years before I was born!

They'll be very different cars now to then after 40 years of change and not very comparable...

[mercrocker]

True, but I was only comparing one to similar vintage Benzes. I know nothing of modern stuff.....I do, however, feel sufficiently qualified to state that neither the E30 325i or M535i were overwhelmingly impressive when I drove them as new company cars (not assigned to me, I hasten to add!) and given the choice I took out one of the Scorpios or Cavalier 130s on the fleet.....

It was 1984 when I had my E21!

[AMCrebel]

I don't really care if BMs are better (although I highly doubt they are in any area I actually care about), I am just fed up of people maundering on about it, and I don't find I have much in common with most people who own/drive them. In that sense it's a bit like cats and their owners - I don't get the appeal of those little shits either.

[xtriple]

I used to love BMW's, had nothing but for a few years. Mostly, 7 series. Then a few 6 series and even a 1602 but nothing else. Oh u=yeah, tell a lie, I had a 518 in cream with a manual gearbag and a massive oil leak from the front pulley.

I am a big fan of Mercs though, my first one was also a 116 280SE, which was a fantastic car: very low spec (keep fit windows, cloth interior) and it and myself trooped for many, many miles while I was utterly skint, It never went wrong and when the MOT ran out, I just carried on using it. It wouldn't pass another as the tyres were now bald...

I think a lot of the difference between MB and BMW is the general ethos of the time; BMW were sporty, Merc were staid but worthy.

[Barry Cade]

I've owned a few BMWs, older ones.. I hated them all. Without fail, every one felt like it had liquorice allsort bushes and joints. Everything was just a bit..mushy.

I like going to the Nurburgring, as a watcher. BMWs always hit the barriers backwards. Snatchy snappy fuckers. My E28 520 spat me off the road at 20mph and I've never trusted them since. On our local Facebook roads/cops/crash page it's always a BMW..
I used to admire their engines though, the old straight six was lovely, and I remember being taken to a local dealer not far from my aunties when I was a kid. Spent some time with an M1, and an M635CSi, and my world revolved around the blue and white propeller for a long time. When I growed up and stared dealing with exploding expansion tanks, wobbly suspension bushes and warped plastic inlet manifolds I quickly became a Mercedes man, until the W210. That's when I gave up German. After that, IMO, they're all shite.

[mercrocker]

I may well take up W210 ownership at some point now that they have approached my price point but it will only be as a beater, there is no way I could get involved with MBs like when I was earning good money. Although I bought them cheap, I spent quite a bit when necessary only to be generally rewarded with another hole somewhere....

[bub2006]

We had a w210 briefly. R plate E200 estate 7 seater auto. Car would have been around 13 years old and it looked like death and drove like shite. Wife hated driving it and drove it with determination to write it off at every opportunity. A big old barge being driven by a very angry mid 20s women was a worrying sight and most folk stayed out her way.
5G tronic box was dogshit,didn't know what gear it wanted and uphills were a chore. Something like first,second,fourth,toaster,first,third cabbage and then just end up stuck in a gear and wouldn't change. A brilliant party trick in the Derbyshire dales. Averaged around 16mpg and had no power to show for its insatiable thirst. Weird spec too,elegance trim level with the green/yellow tartan style cloth seats,cruise control,1 electric seat,3 and a half electric windows and leccy roof that didn't. No AC though. Never again.

[AMCrebel]

There are some really obtuse aspects to mine - the seats are electric - but only for the rear height adjustment and the backrest angle - the front height and the forwards/backwards are done manually. If you wanted the full electric seat experience, that was extra.