Bimmers, as opposed to Beemers

Thought I would just start a thread here about these cars. Get your pics up guys!

they are called beemers in australia

left: my 2003 e46 325i M-sport.
right: my old 1994 e36 318i

these are my 2 cars. the one on the left is my current drive, and i love the car a lot. i just drove back from melbourne in it today, and i must say it really breathes on the long distance highways.

the one on the right was my old one, and it was my first ever car. it was dying, and i dont miss it actually. the e46 is 50 times better car.

my shopping list: either a e46 M3, or a e92 335i coupe (if rach and i dont have kids before i buy it).

The thing is, I caled them beemers too but da dilva corrected me in that beemers are BMW moorcycles and bimmers are BMW cars! Whatever, they are nice cars.

Love your current car there, and that colour is perfect!

I have to say that for me, when it comes to M3's, I still prefer the origonal E30 model. They just that extra bit raw that then seemed to get lost over the years. Incredible cars though, and for sure a late model E92 would be a better car.

Still, that E9 in Werner's profile is probably my favourite BMW, even if it later became the 6 series which I think then became too big and heavy. I always have a problem with cars becoming too big and heavy.

Our 540iT and the wife and son up in the snow..in Arizona...yep it snows in AZ...who knew??

another bEEmer driver!

as for the beemer/bimmer thing, well i think that is a Nth American continent thing. we call both the bike and car 'beemers' down here, and whether it's right or wrong, i dont think you can change the entire country's slang term for them.

i have wanted to upgrade to the e9x line of cars, but im still waiting. a friend of mine who drives a '08 325i has told me that the e46 is better to drive. that is not the first time i have heard that from e9x drivers.

Bimmer vs Beemer
Enthusiasts vs others
Definitions:
Bimmer - proper accepted slang for BMW cars. Most people don’t know this.
Beamer/Beemer – proper accepted slang for BMW motorcycles. You will hear this term used incorrectly by many people.

So just why is a BMW car called a ‘bimmer’ not a ‘beemer’ or ‘beamer’?
The answer in part lies in knowing some BMW history and what came first.
All real BMW enthusiasts know that BMW got a big start on two wheels, what many call the real BMWs.
In those days, BMW motorcycles were quite active in racing, and one of their competitors at the track was often the BSA bikes.
Well as things would have it, a track slang developed, and the BMWs were usually referred to as ‘beemers’ and the BSAs were referred to as ‘beesers’.
So, of course for any true enthusiast, there is no way that a BMW car could be called a ‘beemer’, so they were called ‘bimmers’.
Unfortunately, in the US and Canada, and perhaps other countries, there was a time (kind of still is) where for various reasons, a BMW owner was considered an upwardly mobile person, and of course due to the fun in driving their BMWs most all of them had big grins on their faces.
Hence it is little surprise that the non enthusiast types out there incorrectly labeled BMW cars and their owners as ‘beamers’ or ‘beemers’.

So I took a picture, now I just have to find some time to upload it.

In Canada, my father in Law has one...so Does my Mother...

Ditto here in Europe....

Big beemer fans in my familly...

Not me...Toyato in Canada, Lexus in Europe...

To have a BMW in Belgium is like having a pick-up trck in the bible belt...a bit too predictable...

I do enjoy BMW's, especially to drive, but I don't think I will ever get one. However, over the years they have produced a number of cars that I still lust for. I mentioned the origonal M3 before, but one of my all time favourites is the Z8. I know many people don't like this one, but I really love old cars and I find that the Z8 is a modern car that has a very classic look to it. The problem is they are way to expensive, but a deep blue Z8 would be nice to have.

Another one that since I was a kid I wanted, and that is a 2002 Turbo. Not too many of these were ever made, and I can't imagine there are many left these days, so they probably cost a fortune too.

No, I think the closest I will get to a BMW is my Mini Clubman, which I really love!

Sim simma who got the keys to my Bimmer?

Oh boy, that looks dangerous!

Somebody has good taste though...

ds,

that is the first e46 (facelift as we both have) i have seen with the red/orange/red tail lights! did you buy it like that? down here they got rid of the orange for indicators, they are all only red/clear/red.

I don't like the modern era BMW's. Everything looks the same. "In the old days", there was no mistaking a BMW for anything else. The 3.0 CSI is my favourite followed closely by the 2002 (round tail lights).

When we were in Germany 2 years ago, the cars that I really took notice of were the Peugeot's; very distinct styling.

While I mostly agree with Werner, the 645 cabrio doesn't suck-

And Peugeots are pretty cool, or is it just because we don't see them here?



Well, I had a 77 3201 bavck in the mid 80's, and after a 911 Porsche stuffed it and bent the frame I got a 75 3.0si 4 door, luxury cruiser, loved it more than the 320. Of course I had it longer so that may have been it.

My friend has a 3.0 csi like the one in Werner's avatar, but it sat in his garage for years, I never saw it run. A pity.

.

glendo wrote:ds,

that is the first e46 (facelift as we both have) i have seen with the red/orange/red tail lights! did you buy it like that? down here they got rid of the orange for indicators, they are all only red/clear/red.

The Canadian versions have the amber like the european cars.

Srrh wrote:

Not me...Toyato in Canada, Lexus in Europe...

There you go, I have a Lexus IS250 AWD. I love the car.

Wow, Srrh and TC have the same car!!!

Heh, It is 4wheel drive, and gets great gas mileage.

Henrik- "Wow, Srrh and TC have the same car!!!"

This must be the ying and yang that keeps the earth spinning on it's axis. Spinning? Takagi?!!!

I think Hen and Greg saw my last Beemer when they were here. It was a pristine 5yo (then) E39 M5. I enjoyed driving that car so much, but then the Double Vanos and a few other expensive things started breaking.

The honeymoon was over by then. I enjoyed it over 3 years.

I too am looking for a 335i now. I like looking for them in www.autotrader.com. You can put in your zip code so the system finds them depending on the radius you specify, but I like selecting "anywhere in the US" as it would make for a nice road trip to fly somewhere to pick it up.

Didn't you have an Audi S6 or something when we came over? I remember bringing brake pads for you for an Audi. But then, it may be that you also had the M5 that we flew to Antigua with....

I did have the S6, and yes, I am still grateful for the brake pads. On one of the last days I think I picked you up at the Westin Camino Real hotel in this M5 before it was mine. It was a special order paint, part green, part grey, part purplish, cream leather, and you remarked that it had the alcantara on the top.

To quote Tony Montana, "it was a creampuff".