|
In Reply to: The black sheep of BMW??? posted by Federico Engler on June 02, 2000 at 01:35:47:
: After now having my 850 for a couple of months and driving around more and more with it, I really feel I will have an enormous problem EVER finding a car that I will love as I love this one.
: On the other hand, I have seen a lot of people mention that the 8-series is considered to be the "black sheep" of BMW. Is that BMW's own opinion or where has such a statement been fabricated? I don't find anything in this car which would cause it to get such a bad reputation.
: Can somebody enlighten me on this subject?
The following is strictly and very much IMHO: I believe the reputation comes from the Bimmer community and is due to a number of sources: 1) People were expecting a reasonably priced replacement for the 6's, and when the 8's came out, the price was considered astronomical (over $80K US when first introduced to US shores). 2) The car wasn't a big seller in the US (see #1) and therefore didn't get the attention that other models did, both in the press and by the factory. 3) Repair costs are considered to be "high", compared to others. 4) The styling was not in-line with traditional BMW's (excepting the lovely M1), and some folks just plain don't like it. 5) The 8's are heavy and "under-powered" and didn't toss around like 3's or 5's, which are the most popular models.
That said, these are exactly the reasons (minus #3) that most of us purchased our 8's: great looks, sophisticated engineering, unique features, and, at least in the US, somewhat rare.
Stan C.
'92 850iA
© 1997 -
2009
Jump Internet Inc. All rights reserved.
