It's been almost 25 years since I got my first car. I've had over 20 cars since then, but I have two favorites. The old Toyota 4Runner I have now is like the old family dog. It's aging and it sort of lumbers along, but it's loyal and it's charming, and I can't bring myself to part with it. As attached as I have become to the Toyota, though, my 1987 M3 will always be my absolute favorite, and it converted me into a full-on BMW M-car fan-boy.
Since the introduction of the E92 M3, and maybe the E60 M5, fan-boys like me have cried and whined and moaned that M-cars aren't what they used to be. Rants of BMW losing its way can be found all over the forums and enthusiast blogs, berating BMW for building overweight, overly complex, bloated machines to cater to the people who are actually buying them (gasp!)
I'll admit that I hopped on the bandwagon. I am a self-proclaimed automotive idealist, dreaming of pure drivers' cars with high-revving, naturally-aspirated motors and lightweight bodies. But I also recognize that BMW are not in business to satisfy the romantic whims of a handful of enthusiasts. They are in business to make a profit, and they do so by building what their customers have demonstrated their willingness to actually buy. I understand the concept. I agree that it's good business. It still disappoints me, though. But let's not hold the manufacturer solely responsible. This applies to Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche as well, not just BMW. They are merely providing what the market demands. And the market has changed. Traffic, infrastructure, and people all pose different demands now than they did over thirty years ago when the first M535i hit the road.
On the road, my Toyota makes more sense than my M3 ever did. Its more compliant suspension handles poor roads more easily, its automatic transmission is more convenient in traffic, it holds more people and stuff, and it's cheaper to maintain. An appliance it may be, but the majority of the time, an appliance is what I need. Almost all modern cars have evolved to this state of appliance, BMW M-cars included. That's right, M-car as appliance.
Let's assume that the average buyer of a new F10 M5, for example, is planning to use it as a daily driver. For all the same reasons my Toyota works, so too does the M5. Granted the M5 does so through costly Bavarian engineering and components, but it is equally adept at daily use as a entry-level 528i. What it offers as an M-car, though is the occasional thrill when the traffic and road conditions are more ideal, just as the E28 M5 offered more capable performance than the 528e of the same vintage. BMW hasn't lost its way. It has just evolved its product, M-cars included, to meet the demands of the market.
If one wishes to capture the spirit of an iconic car, one should buy the icon itself. There will never be another E30 M3. There will never be another air-cooled 911. There will never be another Ur-Quattro. There will, however, be a plethora of new, ludicrously fast, highly capable cars that are suited to regular use in congested traffic on poorly-maintained roads. These new cars will be bigger, heavier, safer, and some will even be more efficient than ever. And millions of people will buy them. Those who can afford them will buy the high-performance versions with M, S, RS, and AMG badges and they will be even faster and more powerful.
There is a silver lining, though. As the premium brands from Europe continue to move up into a market they are creating, there are other brands building lightweight, simple, driver-oriented cars that average enthusiasts can buy and use every day. Visit your local Mazda, Toyota, or Subaru dealer and leave with a Miata, FR-S, or BRZ for under $30,000.00. Or spend that same money and just buy an E30 M3 and quit whining.
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