The One Thing Missing...
 

Ok.. this may seem petty, but it's driving me nuts. I can't live without cupholders. I've getting coffee stains all over my floor mats and deforming my passenger seat and door from wedging a cup between them. I don't want a cheap looking aftermarket universal holder that hangs on the door or anything that's going to detract too much from the looks inside. As if the coffee stains and malformed seat don't, right? Anyway... has anyone come up with a good alternative?

There is a factory cup holder on the later cars. I'll have to see if I have a picture somewhere. It basically snaps in under your armrest - works very well, except that you have to have the armrest raised when there's a cup in there.

The cost is about $85 or so, I think (not cheap), but it's factory, and it looks good. We sell them, but I'm not sure if they are in our catalog...

-Wayne

That's along the lines of what I have in mind. Please post a picture if you can find one. I've also had the idea that some custom ones on either side of the console might be pretty functional and look cool too. I've read where people have done custom work to match their dashboards, but wouldn't have a clue how to get started. I think they start with the foam stuff and go from there.

Anyone done this or know anything about it?

When I read about it, the guy had done a custom insert in his dash for a video unit and had moulded the insert from scratch. Unfortunately, it didn't go into the "how-to".

I have a friend who has been seeking the same thing... a decent cup holder. He got one of the 'custom' made cup holders that fit in the console off Ebay, but he said it was a cheapy. He then went to a dealer to get the factory one. I remember him saying something about BMW not making the factory unit anymore, but you can get one for a Z3 that is equivalent?? I can't quite remember.

I like that little one that mounts into the side of the center console ( http://www.540i6.com/ultimatecupholder.html , although I have yet to try it). The factory insert is kind of a pain that you need to keep your arm rest up, plus you have to reach back a bit to get your cup.

I think your choices are pretty much limited to these two. There isn't a whole lot else out there, unless you want to fab something custom of your own. Bavarian Auto also has their own variation of the clip in cup holder, but you have the same issues with location. That link I sent is the only one I can foresee not having the drink fly out as you turn into a sharp corner.

I have the factory cup holder in my 95..I love it..couldent live without it..I wish i knew where the previous owner got it from..im quessing it was a dealer option of some sort...the only complaint i have about it is it wont hold anything bigger than a "fast food" size cup..so if you like the supertanker from the old 7-11 your on your own lol

I've got the factory (under the armrest) cup holder, & it's just frickin' useless. How are you suppose to drive with the armrest up? It gets even more impossible when you have a 5 speed, like me. Ok, ........time to do a quick torque shift into 3rd, .....oh damn, just knocked the lid off the 'Big Gulp' again. Yah, pretty dumb. Personally I use mine for loose change, cause since I don't allow the kids to have food in my Bimmer, I tend to follow the same principle. I had to implement that rule after the ride home from a little league game, when one of the genius parents gave out Cheese Its & Juice box for the post game snack. Orange cracker crumbs & straw wrappers tend to look bad all over black leather.

I checked out the link the blkongry posted, and that doesn't look like a bad alternative. The price isn't too bad, either. According the their website, however, they don't have one for the e36 yet.

I wonder if one of the others would be close enough to work....

If someone were ambitious enough to consider trying to fab something via the method mentioned in my earlier post, where would they learn the technique? Any ideas?

After looking everywhere, I decided on the Fischer collapsible and think it's great. It's mounted to the passenger side of my console, is in a very convenient location and folds closed to less than the size of a pack of cigarettes. It holds all sizes of cups:

http://www.vehiclecontrols.com/products/fischer_products_cupholder.htm

You can also get one that fits on the door pocket but I like Fischer's better.

Another vote for the Ultimate Cupholder here! I've got one in my Boxster, and it is fantastic. Fits like, looks like, works like and probably should be factory standard equipment. Top notch!

-Paul
*unaffiliated with UCH, other than being a very happy customer!

Hey Ad Hoc, that Fischer unit is a slick little holder. It's a lot like the factory holders in the Toyota Siennas. I like that fact that it folds flat and away.

n.10.z, if you had an idea of what you want in a custom holder, you can readily sketch something on a piece of paper, take some dimensions, and then go to any fabrication shop. If it's a 'job shop', they should have some skilled fabricators in there. Just give them a rough concepts and dimensions to work with and they can create magic. Most of those guys are skilled at following through on a design, they just need the concept to work with.

We can order the factory cupholders for your car - I think they are differnet for each model...

-Wayne