These Are Our Readers’ Favorite BMWs

One of the most coveted brands by automotive enthusiasts the world over is BMW. The Bavarian automaker has produced scores of incredible road cars and race cars across its 110-year history, across a huge variety of segments, classes and types. Ask two dozen people at a BMW car show to tell you which model is their favorite, and you’ll probably get two dozen different answers.

That’s the question I posed to our readers earlier this week: What’s your favorite BMW? As I hoped, there were tons of great answers. We’ve got iconic classics, modern sports cars, big luxobarges and even some real weirdos represented here. Some of my honorable mentions were your favorites, and I was especially glad to see that a bunch of people agreed with me on how absolutely perfect the original i3 was and still is. Keep reading to see my favorite picks out of our readers’ favorite BMWs.

How can I go wrong? BMW 2002… And I am not even a BMW fan.

Love me a 2002. Small, light, nimble, and a blast to throw around.

Submitted by: Luc Desaulniers (minardi), 05Train

I smile every time I see one.

E46 M3, in that horrible baby poo yellow.

Had mine for just under two years before it got hit and totaled in a Costco parking lot.

I miss it every day

This would be my favorite BMW as well, I love the steel baby blue color.

The E46 holds a special place for me because it’s what I started my personal BMW journey in. They’re just modern enough with enough enthusiast support to not feel as dated as some of their contemporaries and be comfortable as a daily driver while being old enough to have things like hydraulic power steering, a dipstick, and non-run flat tires. It’ been almost 12 months since I’ve owned one, I’m starting to get itchy. Some of the enthusiast engineering that has developed over the years include options for seamless and invisible Bluetooth integration, proper fixes for RACP failure, and other chassis stiffening advancements. Then there’s the Lego-like nature of the generation and the fact that you can take all the bits from an M3 and simply bolt them into a touring body.

Submitted by: JaredOfLondon, Buck, Andrew W

While the E46 doesn’t really do it for me, I’ve always appreciated BMW’s color and material choices for it. And, of course, I played the hell out of “Need for Speed: Most Wanted,” so the GTR will always live on in my heart.

1979 Andy Warhol’s BMW M1

The M1 is my favorite and I think it’s also underrated, mostly because of issues that weren’t exactly its fault (such as being limited to compete in a class that it ended up never being able to race in and financial problems.) It looked amazing, was actually comparatively pretty decent to drive, and was fast nonetheless. I think it could’ve been greater had BMW and Lamborghini not had such bad financial issues and also had it been given the chance to race against something other than itself in the Procar series.

Submitted by: George Z, 1969fmkr

Warhol’s M1 is one of my favorite Art Cars, I got to see it parked in a cube outside the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich a few years ago.

No question: the E9 coupe. Specifically 3.0cs. A gentleman’s express with space and pace, driven hard and fast with little grace.

Submitted by: jrhmobile

Certainly one of the best-looking cars of all time, not just in terms of BMWs.

E30 M3, My uncle had one, not an M3, but a 325 and it was a rocket ship compared to anything else on the road in the early eighties in Hungary, I mean he had a BMW, while everyone else were driving Trabants, Ladas and Wartburgs.

The M3 E30. Just an unapologetically boxy little powerhouse.

I had an E30 318IS that I loved. With the M42 DOHC 4 cyl it was more lightweight and balanced than the 6s. I put in a lighter flywheel and chipped it to run on high octane only which gave me a few extra HPs and allowed it to rev to 7200 rpm. It wasn’t the most powerful but was a joy to drive. I still regret selling it.

E30 325is. Super sporty and luxurious compared to anything else at the time, and for a long time after. Plus, it was my first car, first love, so…

Submitted by: towman, Rayce Archer, Eric Kramer, Ryan

I was shocked how relatively few people brought up the E30.

F06/F12/F13 6 Series. Refined the Bangle model’s styling, still looks incredibly modern today, great engine options, and from before the pricing jumped the shark. The 8 series that came after was a bloated, expensive corpse in comparison.

Submitted by: 23 Aaron

While I prefer the prior generation, I really love these, especially the Gran Coupe in this satin brown launch spec. Just absolutely stunning.

E39 has to be on the list, and though the M5 is clearly on the Mount Rushmore of German sedans because everything was right with it, always, it needs to be the entire lineup. The Wagon was excellent, the 540 was excellent, the 530 with a manual was a delightful daily driver that gave you the BMW I6 that was sweet at all speeds and RPMs.

It was a fantastic vehicle and it was the pinnacle of “Appropriate for all occasions”

I’ve had an e36 M3, e46 M3, e91 328, and an e39 M5. The M5 was hands-down the most special. All of them were great cars, but the e39 M5 was the most unique driving experience I’ve had. Gobs of accessible tower, good manual transmission, remarkably nimble handling for the size, and a subtle refined presence regardless of the circumstance.

The only thing I can knock on it was that I bought it near the bottom of it’s depreciation curve and the increasing value on that thing made it hard for me to continue using it for daily driver duty. When it’s value surpassed what I’d bought it for 8 years (and 65k miles) prior, I couldn’t resist letting it go.

This is the easiest question you’ve ever asked, my E39 2002 530i. Hands down the nicest, most well put together car I ever owned. Drove like a dream and always made me feel like I should dress up to drive it. Every time I drove it my take away was, “like a hot knife through butter” 🙂

Submitted by: potbellyjoe, Santa Cruzin, Jimboy II The Sequel

I’m not an E39 guy, but I will always love the BMW Film starring it (and, more importantly, Madonna).

Favorite BMW of all time is the 850CSi. Beauty, understated, V12, manual transmission. Perfection.

I knew a guy who had one who spent several thousand dollars getting the front licence plate holes filled, removed and painted over so he didn’t have to run a front plate. Most of the time this would seem like rich guy BS but for that car, yeah, I get it.

Submitted by: cintocrunch1, Buckfiddious

It doesn’t get much more baller than this.

BMW Z8 (Bond package optional). Perfect design, perfect engine, perfect image.

IMO – the Z8 is the absolute best blend of an analog roadster with classic lines, while still being modern enough to be comfortable, reliable, and safe to drive.

BMW Z8. Real sucker for roadsters because I think they are the purest expression of driving. Make a limited flagship which handles great, makes decent power, and sports well-sculpted bodywork and you have a classic (if it isn’t already) that will be reasonably enjoyable for the foreseeable future. Really, one of Fisker’s rare accomplishments.

Submitted by: Xavier96, Red, Drift of Air

These are just unbearably cool.

E60 M5, as long as you guaranteed me that there would be no mechanical issues…

Submitted by: BraxtonFullerton

I don’t even think a genie could guarantee that.

I was pretty fond of my 2003 Z4 3.0i w/six speed manual. Not THE fastest in a straight line, but smooth, shifted beautifully, and handled like a beast. Only thing I hated was the forever-breaking power top – would’ve great preferred simple flip-back manual like a Miata.

Submitted by: celebutante31

One of the best car designs of the 21st century.

It is hard not to pick the E46 330i Sport or ZHP sedans. BMW is excellent at blending performance, luxury, efficiency, and styling, and the high-spec E46 models were a particularly good mix. The later E46s also came at a unique time where it had modern features like DSC, cellular emergency services, 6 speed manual gearbox, 6 airbags, adaptive Xenon lighting, and excellent rain-sensing wipers; still retained legacy features like the Hofmeister kink, trunk toolkit, full size spare with matching alloy the trunk, and a modern inline 6; and barely avoided the complexity of modern infotainment and active driving aides. All this in a 225-235hp package with a silky smooth engine that returned 30+ mpg on the highway. It had about 50% more capability than you could realistically use on the road, which gave a sense of security that is hard to describe. And when I sold it at 14 years old, opening and closing the doors still felt like you were operating solid chunks of granite.

Submitted by: Stephen.

I know we already had a slide about E46s, but people go so nuts over the ZHP models I think it deserves its own section.

E38 – One of the greatest looking sedans – and cars – of all time.

Submitted by: Sector7Gwagen

Also one of the greatest Bond cars of all time.

The one in my garage, E24 M6. Even when I want to throw a wrench through the windshield at times…

E24 6 series. Whenever I see one I always give it another look or two. Just something so right about those lines.

E24 6-Series. Those sharknose coupes are just divine. Doesn’t matter if I see one in my hometown, or when I’m almost halfway around the world in Eastern Europe, I still get giddy whenever I see one in person.

Submitted by: GreySpace, David S, DiRF

Another absolutely perfect design.

Gotta go with the clownshoe based on looks alone. Nothing turns heads like a Z3 M Coupe. There’s no other mix like this of stunning, goofy, and classic all at the same time.

E30, 2002, M1 are in the legends category. The F80/82 M models are the prettiest to me, and still look good. But I’m going to go with the clown shoe Zed 3, because it’s weird and I don’t know what I’m looking at, but it makes me happy seeing it.

Just did a quick count….have owned 11 BMW’s through the years. There can be only one…

Submitted by: improvious, Agon Targeryan, SchorchioZ3M

I love what happens when BMW has a sense of humor.

Biased, but my 2024 iX 50 is a dream. Took it up to the Finger Lakes from Philly, drove faster than everyone else and didn’t have to charge until we arrived.

Exterior is not for everyone but cabin and drive are superior.

Submitted by: Eye of Storm

The iX freakin’ rules, I’m so glad you love yours!

Like everyone else, I have many favorite BMWs, including bikes, but if I must pick one, it’s gotta be the Z1. It must have taken a whole lot of drugs to come up with this. Only Gina can top it, but that’s a concept car…

Submitted by: JBJB

BMW was smoking that good stuff back then.