[mandrake_the_mollusk]

A BMW does not cost twice as much...

as Japanese cars that are comparable in size and equipment. You can buy a 6-cyl. 3-series sedan for little more than a well-equipped V6 Camry or Accord if you shop around. And well they shouldn't cost twice as much because build quality isn't any better if that's what you mean by refinement. Since I drive a bimmer I guess it's okay if a lot of people out there think they're expensive, but only a few low-volume models like the Z8 and certain "M"-types actually do carry ridiculous price tags. The rest carry just a very modest premium that most bimmerphiles find worth it for their wonderful driving characteristics compared to FWD appliance cars.

 

[mandrake_the_mollusk]

Exactly...

yet almost everybody except people who own them think they cost a lot more than they do. I guess that says BMW's marketing dept. is almost as clever as their engineering dept. The only down side to it is that some people think I drive a BMW as an "expensive" status symbol and that has NOTHING to do with it, in fact, mine is hardly an "expensive" car by today's standards with run-of-the-mill SUVs and even some minivans costing more!