Quote:
Originally Posted by ovekvam
In Europe, the BMWs in the eighties were rather stripped out in basic trim, with lots of expensive options, just like now. If you bought a standard 3 series, you had to hand crank the windows, and there was no power steering, A/C or ABS brakes. The list of extra features was rather long.
I like this concept, because not all people like the optional gadgets. For them, they are just silly things that makes the car heavier, slower, less reliable and more expensive. If it is all standard equipment, it means you have no choice, and have to take all these things you don't like.
I would have liked to get rid of some of the things that were mandatory on the F20, like runflat tyres (which I actually got rid of) and the sliding arm rest.
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All bmws for South Africa were assembled here in the 80s due to international trade restrictions. So they had to streamline. I don't see the point of buying a premium car with a pathetic spec because then all you are really paying for is the badge.
But in South Africa the 3 series outsells the 1 series 3 to 1 (lol I didn't make that up, it's the correct statistic!) And the smallest diesel you can buy is a 320d or 120d. In fact only recently was the 316i introduced, before then on the F30 range the 320i was the entry level model and has a decent spec.
So clearly the South African buyer has different expectations. We also expect our cars to come with full maintenance plans, in the case of BMW its 5 years/100 000km, which is extendable. This also includes roadside assistance.
Runflat tyres are a contentious issue especially as I made reference to earlier a country with long distances without tyre shops or any towns for 100's of km. but with no space for a spare in a boot that is already quite small, what option do you have? If you choose to ditch the runflats and squeeze a space saver kit in the car somewhere, it's the buyers prerogative, but hardly a viable OEM solution. As people demand bigger and bigger wheels on their cars, full size spares become less and less feasible. Where would an 18" spare go in a 1 series and where would you even put the original punctured wheel if you had passengers and luggage and had fitted a space saver? The new A class is also on runflats btw.
As for the sliding armrest, its a tiny little cost for a feature you don't use. Would you prefer a fixed arm rest, or just a hole where an armrest should go?
In South Africa you get very little money back for options you add to the car. So the lower the standard spec, the bigger the depreciation from cost of a specc'd up car.
I bought a BMW because it is a technologically advanced car (with the right options) otherwise I would have just saved a lot of money and bought an entry level, low spec Toyota or something. Looking at how most other members have specc'd their cars on this forum, it would seem I'm not alone in wanting a lot of toys, optional or standard.