Typical BMW buyer-blue collar or white

[pirana]

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb245/bigolgs/cranes010.jpg

One of the salesman where I bought my BMW said recently that sales of new units has been very slow lately. He said the "typical" BMW motorcycle buyer watches the stock market etc., etc. The above photo is what my co-workers & I have been makeing lately. No stock market watching for me. Blue collar all the way!

[rkasal]

Collar's so white it's dazzling. I took advantage of the opportunities available to Americans or I'd ... who knows. Never wanted to stay on the farm. None of us did. I'd probably be a BMW, Mercedes, or Saab tech any of which would have been cool (Ferrari even better!) had I not went to college and not stayed in a band.

As of now, writing suits me just fine. Don't know what your salesman was talking about but wish you and your co-workers the best Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

[kreinke]

I'm blue collar too. I've been an industrial maintenance electrician/PLC programmer for almost 20 years. I work in a HUGE food processing plant on everything from industrial freezers like this....
http://www.shpmachinery.com/image_viewer.php?mid=337
To programming the palletizing stuff like these robots.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2124729203498820794&q=abb+robotic+palletizer&total=21&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6 (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2124729203498820794&q=abb+robotic+palletizer&total=21&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6)

[manicmechanic]

I've got some white T-shirts. Does that count? Sometimes they're used to wipe the grease off my hands.

[NavyDad]

Blue collar here too. I spent 15 years as a electric motor rewinder and the last 20 as a test mechanic at a semi truck factory. I have to admit that I do watch the market some as I have a 401K and I hope to retire at 55:groovy I bought my 04 RT because the price was really great, figured if I didn't like it I would sell it. Now I am hooked.

[From MARS]

"tis throught the sweat of my brow that I ride BMWs.

Must have been fun to build that. What is it, pirana?

[Rich]

Blue collar industrial (oil field) maintenance technician just like Kreinke. I do the PLC work too, here's a baby one I installed a while back.


http://rp.smugmug.com/photos/224264134-M.jpg

[rocketman]

my collar is mostly brown cause I ride more than I do laundry! No wait, I wear tee-shirts mostly and they don't have collars!

Actually I'm a UNIX geek, guess that makes me white-collar, but even before I got into that and was more in the blue-collar area, I was riding, got into BMW's while still in that category so I guess brown works OK.....


To some extend it probably depends on if they are into older BMW's, not vintage, which are getting as pricey as new ones, esp. if you collect them, or riders on new machines. I've met any number of blue-collar types that ride classic BMW's.


RM

[Rich]

[The above photo is what my co-workers & I have been makeing lately.


And what is it you are making?

[jdmetzger]

I'm an IT guy. Since I work in an office environment and have to dress "business casual" most of the time, I guess that makes me white collar? Then again, I could just be considered a computer mechanic, so I'm back to blue collar? :dunno

On top of that, I talk to everyone at work; white or blue collar; I'm equal opportunity. Sometimes I sit in front of the computer and type away all day. Sometimes I'm dressed in jeans and fishing network cable under floors and above drop ceilings. Sometimes I'm assembling terribly expensive computer hardware, sometimes I'm trying to figure out why my fiber interface isn't functioning, and wondering if I have a bad GBIC. :hungover

Being in IT is cool because I like being able to work with my hands on occasion (aside from typing), but it also affords me a decent lifestyle, mostly stable hours, and a temperature controlled work environment, and ample vacation time. I'm still not sure it's what I'll do forever, but it works for now.

[kurt1305]

Blue. Paramedic/Rescue. I'm still in the streets but in a command role.

[DarrylRi]

White. Been doing computer programming since I discovered it in the 10th grade (that would be a few years back... 1973). Even though I'm (mostly) retired, I'm still doing it. I have "built" many computers, but that's not really a blue collar job as I understand the label.

[john1691]

Was blue, as a HVAC installer/service tech, went white, as a salesman, then project manager and department head, then went back to blue as a remodeling contractor. I enjoy working with my hands and head at the same time, designing a custom bathroom or kitchen, and doing the work myself. I won't be able to do this forever (back hurts), but wanted to have my own business and figured now was the time. My next career change will involve motorcycles on some level.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

[jdiaz]

One of the salesman where I bought my BMW said recently that sales of new units has been very slow lately. He said the "typical" BMW motorcycle buyer watches the stock market etc., etc.

People aren't buying bikes because no one north of I-40 drops $20K on a motorcycle going into wintertime!

The F800GS should have been ready for fall delivery after factory changeover in August, to kickstart sales for the northern states thru the winter. Huge mistake.

[kreinke]

Blue collar industrial (oil field) maintenance technician just like Kreinke. I do the PLC work too, here's a baby one I installed a while back.


http://rp.smugmug.com/photos/224264134-M.jpg

Oooohhhh! A Micrologix 1500....the closest thing to electro-porn that you can get.
Wuz up with those 1930's style terminal blocks. Get some AB 1490 series DIN rail ones in there darnit!

Looks like you're using Permasleeve labels! Goon on ya!

At least you oilfield guys don't have to deal with the stuff us food plant guys deal with. It's really amazing what someone with an IQ of 100 can do to a Panelview 550 when he's got a 1200 PSI pressure washer gun.

[PAULBACH]

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g264/PaulBach/Misc%20Stuff/retired.jpg

Dressed up means putting on BMW riding jacket instead of First Gear Denim Jacket!

[BubbaZanetti]

i'm a no collar. i try not to let work define me like that. i would say i've spent more time at a desk than out in the field, but i'm not even sure of that. i have a hard time fitting in with either world, i prefer working with my hands, but i feel much more comfortable in dress pants and a sweater than i do in dirty carharts and workboots (i've actually never owned workboots, i don't think). one of the great conundrums of my life.:violin

i bet BMW owners are a pretty split camp

[Nonskid]

Collars??? I'm just lucky I've got a job! Machinist & jerk of all trades. :violin

[pirana]

And what is it you are making?
It's a stack, or I should say, a section of one that's going in a new coal fired electrical plant. We've built a few already & are bidding on more. And to answer the guy who asked if it was fun to make the answer is NO! They're a pain in the ass.
Buy the way, clean install on the electrical work you did. Were where you when I wired up my driving lights?:D

[DarkCloud]

What's watching the stock market got to do with buying a motorcycle?

A ton of BMW's were sold back in 2003 on payments when it was possible to refinance your home and have enough cash flow to make payments on a new BMW. Most were financed on a five or six year contract the bikes are about paid for and have a ton of equity in them. The BMW sales pimps should be jumping on those owners and putting them on new bikes.

BMW dealerships need to increase their show room floor space for the new smaller displacement bikes, not just "sandwiching" them between the big bikes. The sales force has to be able to develop new BMW clients with the smaller bikes. Will the dealers hire younger sales people that can talk dirt bikes, put in a full line of accessories and riding gear?

JON

[pirana]

What's watching the stock market got to do with buying a motorcycle?

A ton of BMW's were sold back in 2003 on payments when it was possible to refinance your home and have enough cash flow to make payments on a new BMW. Most were financed on a five or six year contract the bikes are about paid for and have a ton of equity in them. The BMW sales pimps should be jumping on those owners and putting them on new bikes.

BMW dealerships need to increase their show room floor space for the new smaller displacement bikes, not just "sandwiching" them between the big bikes. The sales force has to be able to develop new BMW clients with the smaller bikes. Will the dealers hire younger sales people that can talk dirt bikes, put in a full line of accessories and riding gear?

JON

I financed my 1100GS for five years through BMW when I bought it. A for the stock market bit, I don't know where the sales guy got his info. This dealer also carries KTM & said most of their sales reps are mid twenties dudes & very enthusiastic about their bikes as opposed to the more conservative approach of the BMW guys.

[KGT1200]

Will the dealers hire younger sales people that can talk dirt bikes, put in a full line of accessories and riding gear?

JON

Ain't this is the truth! My local BMW shop carries nothing of value with the BMW logo, and The whole floor is dominated by Suzuki, Yamaha and now Motoguzzi!

The whole self defeating dichotomy started, I am told by BMW's all or nothing" attitude as having to have the anchor position in terms of sq. ft. show room, colors of the walls, what other brands in the store! You would go broke!

How can you turn this one around? I hope new bikes geared for dirt and cafe will generate more popularity and drive the market, but some help with this stogey attitude of where their frikken gear is sold might help! Give these small shops a break and allow them to market the full BMW line of accessories along with the bikes!

I think in addition to changes in product and marketing, getting some new young blolod in the stores might help. Getting rid of the old dinosauers like me (:scratch "gulp") and replacing them with more professional sales staff that look and walk the part. No good using the "the owners nephew" like we got here in southern Minnesota.

[PAULBACH]

Dirt Biking is riding into a big problem - finding dirt! Dirt bike riders continually bemoan the fact that their trails are decreasing in length and number. "Neighbors" continually complain about noise.

I know - its like moving in next to an airport and complaining about the coming and going of airplanes.

I'm not sure what the future of motorcycling is but I wouldn't bet the ranch on dirt biking. It is not the dirt biking - it is all of the environmental regulations and loss of trails.

[lamble]

If my Mother get's her act together and marries El Conde De Padilla, who is knocking on a bit and has no heirs (We think he might be gay which presents a bit of a hurdle on the marriage plan), then I'll be royalty. Ermin collars all the way. Do you dry clean them or use a soft detergent?

[rayadams]

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb245/bigolgs/cranes010.jpg

Harley-Davidson rolls out their new Dynamic Exhaust System Muffler.

[pirana]

Harley-Davidson rolls out their new Dynamic Exhaust System Muffler. That's just the baffle!

[adamceckhardt]

Some might think I'm crazy, but I'm trying to make the transition from white collar to blue collar... I miss working with my hands.

I think the salesperson probably meant that a lot of his customers are "upper class" when it comes to their finances. I know a lot of my customers haven't worked a day in their life- and when the stock market / economy isn't strong, they don't write checks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[sonnata]

Some might think I'm crazy, but I'm trying to make the transition from white collar to blue collar... I miss working with my hands.
Well, I sure don't. I've been blue collar most of my life. In my most recent job, I ran a crane for 15+ years, then did valve automation for the same company. Ran an e-commerce site for 5 years part time & last year went full time at it. I have to admit, I really miss working with my hands. If I can ever get my business to the point to where I can go back to doing blue collar work, I probably will.

[bullit7801]

As a newly retired, soon to be old f*rt, I don't have a collar catagory. :dance Most days I wear a t-shirt anyway. But for the survey, retired professor of accounting at Univ. of South Dakota. That would be WHITE. But no, I have never checked the Dow index before buying a bike. :thumb

tb

[wsteinborn]

......I know a lot of my customers haven't worked a day in their life...

You selling to the idle rich, or have your own definition of "work" ?

I find "haven't worked a day in their life" to be pretty harsh, unless the subject is Paris Hilton or one of her ilk.

(I don't "class" myself. Ex-Army, Ex-Police, currently underpaid computer programmer.)

[Rapid_Roy]

Blue collar.
I maintain an Option 81C like this but with 3 more columns and remote sites and around 4000 phones, by myself.
http://www.telecom-west.com/gallery/002.jpg

[Friedle]

Clerical...... for a long time now many people who see me coming start praying immediately.

Friedle :wave

[chasman]

Blue collar or White collar...I don't give a Dang as long as you're a "rider"!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

[adamceckhardt]

You selling to the idle rich, or have your own definition of "work" ?

I find "haven't worked a day in their life" to be pretty harsh, unless the subject is Paris Hilton or one of her ilk.

(I don't "class" myself. Ex-Army, Ex-Police, currently underpaid computer programmer.)

Live in a county with a popution of 30,000 and $1.6 billion (yes, Billion, with a B) deposited in local banks. Just imagine the money deposited in not-so-local banks. So yes, I think its fair to say that we're selling to the idel rich. Lots of trust funds here. Sorry if it sounded harsh to you, no offense intended.

[beemerred]

I run a small "drive-away" company mainly moving constuction equipment all around the country. So somedays I wear a white collar but mostly I`m climbing around on trucks in my blue jeans. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!:wave

[R80RTJohnny]

Bue or white collar does not matter. BMW made sure to be inclusive in the design of it's roundel.

[Bob_M]

Landscape architecture puts turkey on the table.

[wsteinborn]

...no offense intended.

Well, since I am not idle, nor rich, there could be no offense to me.

There are some rich people who actually worked for it. Never ran into the trust-fund crowd. Hope I never do.

[adamceckhardt]

Well, since I am not idle, nor rich, there could be no offense to me.

There are some rich people who actually worked for it. Never ran into the trust-fund crowd. Hope I never do.

Most of the trust funders are pretty harmless. We all get a kick out of them- many come up with really creative euphemisms for "I don't work." I've got to give them credit- its never been rubbed in my face. And for the record, we do have wealthy customers that did in fact work for it.

[BuddingGeezer]

People aren't buying bikes because no one north of I-40 drops $20K on a motorcycle going into wintertime!

The F800GS should have been ready for fall delivery after factory changeover in August, to kickstart sales for the northern states thru the winter. Huge mistake.

My collar was blue for 24 years (ALCOA-United Steelworkers), white for 13 (life insurance sales. Ain't doin nuttin now. Now and allways has been Red-Neck.

It seems most BMW owners are north of I-40, I'm 30 minutes south. I bet most of y'all don't say "y'all, fixin to, yount to, or sompin."

Everyone have a Merry Christmas.

Ralph Sims

[roburnmc]

As a third generation owner of a family business, most days I'm white collar. It's a custom countertop business. I grew up with this business doing just about everything from sweeping floors to templateing, fabrication, installing, field sales, CNC programming and operating. Nowadays I have the joy:banghead of managing people to do the work.

I miss working with my hands mostly. I envision myself moving back to that someday.

Here's a photo of one of our production areas. It's pretty quiet today. Maybe we'll have some Black Friday traffic in the showroom.

[roburnmc]

And here is my headache medication.

[R80RTJohnny]

Take 2 (cylinders) and call me in the morning.

[rkasal]

My collar was blue for 24 years (ALCOA-United Steelworkers), white for 13 (life insurance sales. Ain't doin nuttin now. Now and allways has been Red-Neck.

It seems most BMW owners are north of I-40, I'm 30 minutes south. I bet most of y'all don't say "y'all, fixin to, yount to, or sompin."

Everyone have a Merry Christmas.

Ralph Sims

I still catch myself saying "y'all" many years after army basic training at Ft. Jackson. It makes a lot of sense to use this but I don't drag out the vowel.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

[r11rs94]

One of the salesman where I bought my BMW said recently that sales of new units has been very slow lately. He said the "typical" BMW motorcycle buyer watches the stock market etc., etc. The above photo is what my co-workers & I have been makeing lately. No stock market watching for me. Blue collar all the way![/QUOTE]

Copper collar for me

[PGlaves]

Musings about collars.

If one were to listen to - and believe - my late mother, they would conclude that I was "ring around the collar."

When I was in the Air Force I had an inside job - at a radar console - but I was distinctly blue collar - even in dress blues!

At my regular job - city planning and community development for 31 years - I was white collar at meetings and blue collar on construction sites.

Now I live in the desert and play with bikes and my wife might think I am once again ring around the collar.

[bluwing]

I believe Red's dealer was probably mine for the first few years in Minnesota.
They wanted to sell all other brands except BMW.
One of the service people there told me they couldn't stand BMW owners because half of the clients were "self maintenance hippie tight wades" and the other half were wealthy "Its got to be perfect" pricks. I don't go there anymore, but I'm left trying to figure out which category they think I fall into. I like to think we all can't be categorized, except the crazy ones.
B

[jstanco]

White Collar State Government I am.. State Employee over 18 years (2 states)and proud of it.. We all realize perfection in a bike when we see it.. Thats why BMW!!!:brad

[Motor31]

When I first started out the collar had 2 colors. One was green, kind of an olive drab green. The other was white. Later on the green one changed to a cammo style and the other turned a medium blue. Now the second one has changed again to a very dark blue. For the last 4 years now it's been T-shirt collars sincve I no longer do the "W" thing.

[HankPfister]

I....snippity snip......They wanted to sell all other brands except BMW. One of the service people there told me they couldn't stand BMW owners because half of the clients were "self maintenance hippie tight wades" and the other half were wealthy "Its got to be perfect" pricks. ...snip....snip..........B

I guess I fall into the former cat. I bought my first Beemer in 1973, a 10 year old high miler, for $700. I knew I wanted a Beemer, as the only one I ever had seen was way cooler than my Brother's Honda CB500. So I've been a budget Beemer guy since. I've never owned a new one, but lately have been able to afford slightly used newish Beemers, hence my '07 R1200GS. :thumb LOVE IT!:hug
I consider myself Blue Collar all the way, Way back then I worked as a carpenter. Now I'm a Paramedic/Firefighter.

[billpierce]

I'm blue collar too. I've been an industrial maintenance electrician/PLC programmer for almost 20 years. I work in a HUGE food processing plant on everything from industrial freezers like this....
http://www.shpmachinery.com/image_viewer.php?mid=337
To programming the palletizing stuff like these robots.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2124729203498820794&q=abb+robotic+palletizer&total=21&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6 (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2124729203498820794&q=abb+rob
otic+palletizer&total=21&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6)

LMAO That is ME!

Dry Pasta for the last 13 years. Progressed to plant manager. I guess that would make me a blue and white collar guy.
After 13 years I bunched it and went to work for Washington State University :thumb

[BMWDEAN]

Well, as the photo below shows, I am clearly blue collar as well as blue jacket:

<img border=2 src=http://bmwdean.home.att.net/jeff.jpg>

[AZ Greg]

White collar dress white shirt. White collar dress blue shirt. White collar dress pink shirt. All with white french cuffs. (I love cufflinks!)

Blue collar dress shirt with blue french cuffs. Occasionally, a striped dress shirt with button down collar and button cuffs.

But am I typical . . . or for that matter are any of us "typical?"

[The_Veg]

I'm sort of both. As the #2 guy in a 4-man company, I do a bit of everything. We are a medical gas systems team, dealing with the piped systems that carry oxygen, air, vacuum, etc. through hospitals and we also do a little bit of indoor air quality work (mostly hazardous vapour exposure/ventilation studies).
Sometimes I do inspections or certifications, and that's sort of white-collar though still work in the field...but it all is, since we don't have an office. Sometimes I do more blue-collar type stuff, such as equipment installs or retrofits/upgrades. Some of these are neat and clean jobs (equipment in surgical areas), others are sweaty, nasty, toiling jobs (pumps and compressors, etc.). I am often the supervisor/team-leader on a jobsite, and I direct subcontractors too sometimes.

Here's some of the stuff I do:

Install/upgrade alarms for medgas systems
http://vegomatic.smugmug.com/photos/225822276-M.jpg

Coordinate major projects with subs, such as swapping out the main liquid-oxygen vessel at a hospital
http://vegomatic.smugmug.com/photos/225822439-M.jpg

Install large equipment- in this case, a medical-air compressor
http://vegomatic.smugmug.com/photos/225822710-M.jpg

Minor repairs/upgrades such as patient-station equipment
http://vegomatic.smugmug.com/photos/225822580-M.jpg

Tonight I'm doing blue-collar stuff which will include investigating and possibly remediating contaminants in a medical-air system and replacing an old alarm with a new one.

Of course no matter what the job is, my uniform has a white shirt. Looks just like a paramedic, which causes no end of confusion sometimes.

[Holly]

I started teaching back in the Jurassic period when we copied out the busy work on Gestetners. Teachers were easily spotted by the purple streaks on their faces, collars etc.

Holly

[Crow18]

I started out writing software documentation for assembly-line box printers. When the company moved into multimedia software and computer games, I became an animator (sometimes getting caught drawing pictures at your desk can be a smart career move). Then, when we hired ten other artists, I became the technical liaison between the artists and the engineers, in addition to still being an artist. When the art department grew to over 40 employees, I became a manager in addition to all the other stuff. I also trained people in Maya, Photoshop and Debabelizer.

Then the company imploded (hell, the industry imploded), and all the jobs retreated to LA, SF, Seattle, and Austin. Since I like Portland more than I liked game development, I stuck it out and did what I could to make ends meet. For a time, I worked as a software developer for a man who was armed and deeply paranoid. Before that, I did odd jobs at a video-production house, which involved digitizing people's home movies and telling callers that we would not film their porn for them. These days I'm a contractor testing on-demand printing software for the financial-services industry.

I've got a maroon polarfleece collar on at the moment.

[sfdave]

Owned a retail store for 15 years, then ran a non-profit arts organization, now I have a tree business.

So I guess I have worn them both (mostly on t-shirts)

[KGT1200]

I gave up a 25 year job in land development, and decided to remodel houses; that lasted 6 houses and two years until the housing market gutted itself on the long thin blade of greed...

Now I run a website for Builders and Developers AND am a property manger for large apartment complexes in and around St. Paul.

I grew up a red neck, will always fly my freak flag, and will never, never reform...

I washed my white collars with my blue ones,,and one's stained with my red neck
and all my collars came out a shade of grey!