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BMW AutomobilesWe’re glad to have discovered them! BMW to the automotively challenged was a marquee not readily recognized in the US when their cars were first becoming popular here. They were recognized as "foreign", but often the uninitiated thought BMW might mean "British something-or-other". The English translation is roughly Bavarian Motor Works, and they are German through and through. Nowadays, of course, the nationality of all brands is blurred severely, and even some BMWs are currently made in Spartanburg, South Carolina. An example of this blurring is that Ford has used German engines, or their designs, for years. One reason BMW’s and other German engineered products have become so popular, is that the Germans have a reputation for over-engineering and producing well-made products. Their workmen are Craftsmen, too. Quality IS as Quality DOES…It’s that elusive moniker "Quality" that comes to mind. Consequently, sometimes the initial cost of German goods is higher than expected. The BMW'S, AUDI’s and Mercedes’ because of their engineering and attention to detail (a couple of attributes of the term, quality), fit all the foregoing. VW is following suit. This cost has become a whipping boy though, and some see them as a status symbol reflecting that cost, overlooking that there may be other reasons a person owns one. It IS possible to have a piece of this action and not be "rolling in the dough". The older cars are available at very reasonable cost even though they do retain their value. This is how a guy like me can do this. Occasionally, one breaks in some manner as to render the car worth more as a trade-in. Certain failures in cars are eminently fixable, though the original owner chose not to fix it. This is where I come in. Unrepaired trade-ins are available at bargain prices. The word "quality" is one of those words that may be hard to express in your own words, but you KNOW IT when you encounter it! One of the encounters with a BMW is the driving experience, and this is where they really shine. It doesn’t matter if the car is a 30-year-old design, or a brand-new one. Drive one and you’ll know. It’s a reflection of quality in all the steps in the car-building process, and you feel it if you’re attuned to how cars respond to you. A ’70 2002 BMW sedan is crude in some respects, but somehow manages to feel like BMW when compared against all the subsequent models. Or is it the other way around? Maybe you have to press the car a little to have the essence squeeze into better focus. Use it harder, and the focus is sharper. (Worn-out or broken cars exist in every brand—don’t press any of these very hard or you may squeeze out more than "focus"!) A worn out 2002 still feels better than most!
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