What happened to 5 Series Forums?
#31
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My Ride: My ex-ride: EU '08 LCI 520dA. Space Grey, Sport Seats in Black Leather/Fabric Anthracite, Sport Steering Wheel, A/C with Extended Features, Hi-Fi Speakers, Cup Holders, Cruise with Braking function, Folding Rear Seats, Xenons, Park Distance Control.
#32
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My Ride: April 2007 520D M Sport LCI. Automatic. Sunroof. BMW Bluetooth. Deep Sea Blue Metallic, Natural Brown Leather.
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Can any of you guy that are here since the introduction of the E60 draw any comparisons?
Even if the E60 interest is in decline, how does the F10 interest compare to when the E60 was just launched?
Even if the E60 interest is in decline, how does the F10 interest compare to when the E60 was just launched?
#33
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Very good question. I would love to know what the interest levels were back at that point.
#34
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My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
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I'm on this forum every single day but don't post as much anymore just cause there's not much left to say. Then again, most of the time when I do post, it's to answer questions that probably have been discussed many times over but instead of letting or telling those members to search, I actually like providing the answer right away. This is probably because I'm the type that wants a quick answer and figured I could help others from spending too much time searching. Also, if all topics have been discussed and you just expect people to search then forums are no longer interactive. They start to become lifeless libraries of sort for people to dig for their own info; quiet and boring.
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#35
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I can't vouch for comments on this board, but I was pretty active on the Roadfly Forums back when the E60 came out, and the comments were largely negative of the new design... especially the "Bangle Butt". Of course, the E39 was a hard act to follow. It was the most successful design that BMW ever produced. Consumer Reports called it "near perfect".
#36
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The forum is is decline, there is no question. It is simply nowhere near the place it once was. The level of posting appears to me to be significantly down, in terms of both volume and quality.
The are a number of possible explanations and drivers for this. I'll offer two.
Firstly, as the price of the prior E60 fell and it became a more widely accessible used car purchase, we saw a significant influx of a very different caliber of member, offering little more than childish trash talk and "text speak" in expletive-laden but otherwise unremarkable posts. There's a place for levity in the forum, but not to the degree we sometime see. In the past we used to see some great threads, with interesting discussion, different opinions with generally respectful disagreement and some pretty cool topics. We simply don't see this to the same degree we once did. I accept this is a subjective assessment - what I find mediocre others find interesting, but I am sure that the longer standing members, and many great members from the past who for reasons such as those I've just articulated rarely or no longer post here, would agree with me.
The other is perhaps equally subjective, and I offer the paucity and the quality of some of the threads and posts in the F10 forum as evidence. My own judgment is that fewer buyers of the F10 are enthusiasts who buy the car for reasons that appeal to the "car guys" amongst us but buy it because it is an expensive, luxury, premium car with a premium badge on the hood. This is not a slam on the F10, it is simply that these "badge-buyers", who are, after all just as likely to buy a Mercedes, Audi or Lexus when the F10 lease is up, are simply less inclined to register and post on a forum. My judgment is that the F10 speaks to these customers (and let us not forget, their money is just as good as just as important to BMW as those of us who like to think we're still from the old school) perhaps to a lesser degree than the E60 did.
Whether it is the forum that is moving on and leaving those of us from the old-school behind or whether it is the converse that is true is largely moot - the net result is the same. The forum just isn't the place that it once was.
The are a number of possible explanations and drivers for this. I'll offer two.
Firstly, as the price of the prior E60 fell and it became a more widely accessible used car purchase, we saw a significant influx of a very different caliber of member, offering little more than childish trash talk and "text speak" in expletive-laden but otherwise unremarkable posts. There's a place for levity in the forum, but not to the degree we sometime see. In the past we used to see some great threads, with interesting discussion, different opinions with generally respectful disagreement and some pretty cool topics. We simply don't see this to the same degree we once did. I accept this is a subjective assessment - what I find mediocre others find interesting, but I am sure that the longer standing members, and many great members from the past who for reasons such as those I've just articulated rarely or no longer post here, would agree with me.
The other is perhaps equally subjective, and I offer the paucity and the quality of some of the threads and posts in the F10 forum as evidence. My own judgment is that fewer buyers of the F10 are enthusiasts who buy the car for reasons that appeal to the "car guys" amongst us but buy it because it is an expensive, luxury, premium car with a premium badge on the hood. This is not a slam on the F10, it is simply that these "badge-buyers", who are, after all just as likely to buy a Mercedes, Audi or Lexus when the F10 lease is up, are simply less inclined to register and post on a forum. My judgment is that the F10 speaks to these customers (and let us not forget, their money is just as good as just as important to BMW as those of us who like to think we're still from the old school) perhaps to a lesser degree than the E60 did.
Whether it is the forum that is moving on and leaving those of us from the old-school behind or whether it is the converse that is true is largely moot - the net result is the same. The forum just isn't the place that it once was.
Dead on Steven. The car is the same price as a Nissan Altima now. The crowd here has taken a few steps down. Unfortunate but true. It IS nice to see the older members post every once in a while. When I joined 6 yrs ago, there were but a couple thousand members. Quantity has gone up while quality has gone down. Guess it was inevitable.
#37
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps...
Engine: Custom Remus cat-back exhaust w/chrome square tips, K&N Air Filter, Charcoal Filter Removed, Sprint Booster :-), 50/50 mix of 91+100 Octane, EuroRev ECU Remap (coming soon lol), Dinan High-Flow Throttle Body (coming soon...maybe lol)
Interior: Portable Sirius Stilletto 100 w/car kit, Garmin Nuvi 680 mounted below rear-view mirror, LCI-style I-drive knob, Dark Poplar Center Dashboard Trim.
Exterior: E60 forum clings, 5% rear tint, ACS roof spoiler (painted black for distinct look against limo tint), ACS trunk spoiler, ACS add-on front spoiler and rear apron (awaiting installation), "18 Black Staggered BeBeS Style OER (emergency replacement for cracked sport 124 rims), black kidney grill, white accessory lighting (including license and trunk lamps), Angel-eye upgrade, AIB xenon-matched fog lamps, AIB V3's on order, red rear reflectors
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Dead on Steven. The car is the same price as a Nissan Altima now. The crowd here has taken a few steps down. Unfortunate but true. It IS nice to see the older members post every once in a while. When I joined 6 yrs ago, there were but a couple thousand members. Quantity has gone up while quality has gone down. Guess it was inevitable.
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#38
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My Ride: 2010 523i. Alpine white, dakota leather, 8 speed auto, VDC, bluetooth, HID lights, parking sensors, sport seats, black window trim, tinted rear windows
1988 Ferrari 328 GTS, nero on rosso corsa.
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2009 Ford S-Max 2.5T
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Back then it was e60.net and ... nothing else. It was a site dedicated to a specific BMW model - very niche. Today there is more F10 talk on the competitive forums that are for BMW enthusiasts in general than here.
#40
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My Ride: 2008 Silverstone II E60 M5 2012 E70 AW X5 50i Sport w/ LCI Aero Kit and Rocker Panels
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There were some great times on this site. I learned a lot about my car and met many great friends through this place.
Man, I make it sound like someone died or something...
Man, I make it sound like someone died or something...
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