What Does Driving the BMW 3-Series Say About You?

From padel courts to parliament, private clubs to night clubs, corporate parking lots to Umhlanga Rocks, shisanyamas to car wash bashes, the former “baby Beemer” is a social chameleon. Accepted and respected almost everywhere. A BMW 3-Series is a car for those who want to look the bizness, no matter what business they’re in, making it an Mzansi cult classic.

Our data shows us that mainly men living in Gauteng buy Beemer 3-Series’. On average, when comparing Car Insurance quotes on your 3 from leading brands using hippo.co.za, our customers save R455pm*. When comparing multiple products like Medical Aid or Personal Loans they save on average R570pm*.

The BMW 3-Series has always been the status symbol of the upwardly mobile. It is almost solely responsible for entering the word “yuppie” into our lexicon in the 80s and 90s. Like the 3-Series itself -now in its 7th incarnation- the idea of the Young Urban Professional has evolved. So, here is Hippo’s handy guide to the modern equivalent of consumer icons that defined the Yuppies of the 80s and are must-haves for the modern 3-Series owner in 2025.

How much money can you save using Hippo to compare car insurance?

On average, when comparing Car Insurance quotes from leading brands using hippo.co.za, our customers save R455pm*. When comparing multiple products like Medical Aid or Personal Loans they save on average R570pm*.

Stay Upwardly Mobile by Saving on Car Insurance with Hippo

The BMW 3-Series has always been the status symbol of the upwardly mobile. It is almost solely responsible for entering the word “yuppie” into our lexicon in the 80s and 90s. Like the 3-Series itself—now in its 7th incarnation—the idea of the Young Urban Professional has evolved. So, here is Hippo’s handy guide to the modern equivalent of consumer icons that defined the Yuppies of the 80s and are must-haves for the modern 3-Series owner in 2025.

The Modern Equivalent of Young Urban Professional Must-have Items

Upgrade your ATTIRE

THEN: The Power Suit

Combined with a “power tie” (which certain politicians still think work, especially in red), the Power Suit’s shoulder pads and tailored look was a staple of looking the part when you emerged from your 3-Series back in the day—and casually tossed your keys to the valet parking assistant at the Country Club.

NOW: Fitness Watch

Nothing says more about your attitude to life than a fitness watch, especially if you’re looking in peak physical condition. Linked to rewards programs that get you anything from free smoothies to discounted overseas flights, the fitness watch is a signifier of your intentions to keep physically sharp and reap health and financial rewards. It also links neatly through Bluetooth to modern 3-Series Beemers Infotainment Systems.

With your Hippo savings on car insurance quotes, you can have a fitness watch after just 13 months:

In fact this  Garmin Vivoactive 5 Health and Fitness GPS Smart Watch couuld be yours for R5,999.90

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 costs around R19 000 and will set you back about 41 months of saving R455 per month* on your Car Insurance. Hey, everyone needs a goal.

The Huawei Watch Fit Special Edition is only about 4 months of saving with Hippo, coming in at a stylish R1600.

Must Have ACCESSORIES

THEN: Briefcase

There was no bigger big-shot move than aligning your code on the sides of your briefcase locks and dramatically flipping it open before a meeting in a boardroom. If it worked on L.A. Law, surely it would work for you in the 80s.

NOW: Laptop

The dramatic effect of opening your laptop before a meeting has lost some of the briefcase’s panache, but it remains a staple of the boardroom—if anyone still goes into those. Badge recognition on the front of the laptop as you project your presentation onto the big screen is still a big deal.

Apple Mac Laptops used to be niche but now - like tattoos - are everywhere. Even golfers and accountants have them. They’re pricey for a reason, they’re not only powerful but intuitive. Once you go Mac you never go back. It may take you some time to save with Hippo for a MacBook Pro at R34 999, but there are payment options.

If you’re PC for life, there’s always this Predator Intel for a rather more palatable R23 999 with as much computing power (but maybe not badge clout) as the Mac.

Look, both may take over 2 years of the money you’ll save with Hippo, but must-haves are must haves for the serious 3-Series owner.

Essential Items for CORPORATE REPUTATION

THEN: Business Cards

Made famous by a scene in Brett Easton Ellis’s 1991 American Psycho novel and its subsequent 2000 film adaptation, having the perfect business card was a must-have for anyone wanting to climb the corporate ladder or simply outshine their co-workers. The selection of colour, texture and overall effect was the benchmark of taste and influence in an 80s corporate shark tank.

NOW: LinkedIn

Nowadays, any self-respecting 3-Series owner needs to be on LinkedIn. Essentially a corporate Tinder/Facebook hybrid which replaced Business Cards as a slightly blunter tool. LinkedIn gives execs a platform to humble brag about their work life achievements, write “think pieces” and share their latest Awards and Conference attendances and Keynote addresses, and get validated by those who follow them.  

LinkedIn Premium Business with its exclusive features like Top Choice Jobs and Full Search Access opens doors to a world of networking opportunities and professional connections that you may miss with LinkedIn Free. Monthly cost - approximately 800 ZAR. That’s only 2 months of saving with Hippo if you want to take the next step on the corporate ladder.

INVESTMENTS

THEN: Stock Market

Essentially white-collar gambling, “playing” the Stock Market was something to do or at least just speak about with a vague sense of authority in the early 3-Series Yuppie era. Numerous studies, particularly by Pulitzer Prize winning author Daniel Kahnemann debunked the myth that there was any level of skill involved in predicting the markets. Here’s the excerpt from that book. Be that as it may, investing in startups and speculating on opportunities were part of the cultural landscape of the ambitious early 3-Series driver. 

NOW: Crypto

As much as the idea of buying stocks seemed a barrier to entry for many fledgling investors, Crypto Currency promises transparent investment yet somehow still remains shrouded in mystery and is difficult to explain succinctly. AI offers this explanation:

Magic Internet Money
Crypto (short for cryptocurrency) is like digital money that lives on the internet. But instead of coins or notes, it’s made up of secret codes.

The Magic Notebook (Blockchain)
Every time someone spends or trades crypto, the transaction gets written in a big magic notebook called the blockchain. This notebook is super secure and shared with everyone who uses crypto, so no one can sneakily change it.

No Middleman
Normally, banks help us trade money, but with crypto, there’s no bank involved. People send money directly to each other using their secret codes (kind of like passwords for their crypto accounts).

Mining for Coins
New crypto gets created by solving really hard math puzzles. The people who solve these puzzles are called miners, and they get rewarded with crypto. It’s like a treasure hunt, but on computers.

Why Do People Care?

• It’s fast: You can send crypto to someone anywhere in the world instantly.
• It’s private: You don’t need to share your name or details.
• It’s cool: Some people think it’s the future of money!

R1000 (2 months saving with Hippo) will get you 0.01522021 of an Ethereum, a well-known Crypto Coin, apparently.

Here’s a article suggesting February is typically a good time to buy*.

*DISCLAIMER: Hippo is all about saving you money, and while we are a registered FSP, we are by no means in the business of advising about investing yours. Do your research, then decide where to invest your Hippo savings!

REFRESHMENT

THEN: Perrier

Perrier was the first sparkling water to really travel, and it’s distinct branding became iconic in the Yuppie era. If Insta was around then, Perrier would have featured heavily to show the world you were a connoisseur of bottled water. 

NOW: Home Carbonation System

Why wait for a glacier in France or Iceland or a natural spring in Fiji or Italy to produce your water? Why not do it at home?

Essentially an extremely posh Soda Stream machine, a beautifully designed Aarke system will set you back about 4 grand or just over 10 months of saving R455* with Hippo on your Beemer’s insurance.

Save on Insurance with HIPPO

While Gordon Gecko in Wall Street might have tried to convince us that “greed is good” in the 80s, these days Saving is Good, and with Hippo by comparing your 3-Series or any other car’s insurance on hippo.co.za you can save R455pm* on average.

If you compare other products like Home Insurance, Life Cover, Medical Aid, Personal Loans and so much more you can save on average R570pm*. All cash that makes your upwardly mobile life even more visibly 3-Series like.