Thank you Rippling Hurst for this thread. Your comments and those of the other posters are interesting and informative to me.
I personally believe that much of the BMW mystic is a product of advertising conditioning. Over the years, consumers have been inundated with “THE Driving Machine” mentality. I have often heard that the excellence of BMW engineering is legendary. However, I have not found this to be my experience.
What I have found is that the maintenance required to keep the car on the road is costly and time consuming. At least, it was to me. Unlike my Japanese brand cars, I never found any of my BMW's to match the price asked for the car.
My opinion about handling is based upon the “physical feeling” I get as a driver going fast on uneven and curvaceous roads. It subjective and not objective as the comments related by Mike.
None of the American muscle cars I have owned were as good handlers as my German cars or my Acura or Infiniti cars. The Americans had real power and good transmissions but not the balance nor the steering excellence of any of the foreign cars I have owned.
I have had six German cars:
1975 Audi 100GL
1982 Audi 5000 Quattro
1985 Audi Sports Quattro S1
1988 BMW 635CSI
1989 BMW 750iL (12 cylinders)
1991 BMW 740
The 750 had the weight of a tank, was as stable as a shop bench and drove the highways like a yacht. It took bumps as if they were not there. However, making sharp curves at high speed was always an adventure.
Both the 635 and the 740 were better handlers but not exceptional. The best handling car I have had was my Audi Sports Quattro S1. I could have raced it back then against others makes of that time for pink slips and beaten them in any obstacle course. The Quattro technology along with a superb engine-transmission mating made this car sure and well-controlled in and out of curves and at high speeds.
The four RL's I have owned handled better than any of my other cars except for the Audi Sports Quattro. I never met a surface impediment that the RL could not handle or one that gave me reason to fear.
From what I have read, today’s BMW M series vehicles appear to be superior handlers. I would think they should be superior handlers considering the price to pay to own an M.
Perhaps you could try driving newer and smaller cars like 5 and 3 series, you might change your opinion
Those cars you owed are not exactly "handling" cars, more like huge, heavy, luxury cruisers.
Maintenance is completely free for the 1st 4yrs/50K mil. So it's not that expencieve
M is not the only BMW that handles well, most bimmers are great in this department, especially when equipped with sport package
