Is BMW a good choice?

[Busted_Knuckle]

take this for what it's worth. I can only imagine the hate that is about to fly my way.

I'm a professional mechanic (woop de doo, right?) and in my experience, working on them AND owning a couple and my parents owning 4 or 5, BMW is one of the most unreliable cars period. Especially mid nineties through mid-early 2000's cars. German cars in general don't tend to hold up well when compared to american cars made in the last 5 years and anything from japan. If you must buy a BMW, buy a fairly new one with low mileage, and sell it within 10 years before things start to fall apart- particularly the interior and wiring systems. If I were going to dump around 40k on a slightly used german car, my ass would be in a porsche cayman S.

As far as german cars go, in my experience, I'd rank the reliability: Porsche (followed by it's parent company vw/audi) tend to be most reliable but are a pain in the ass to work on, Merc, BMW. I consider volvo a german car even though it isn't technically, and would throw it in equal to or just ahead of porsche for reliability.

HAVING SAID THAT, when they are working right or you get a good one that has zero issues and stays that way (rare), they drive like nothing else on the road. everything feels so refined and fluid, and they even have a particular smell that no other car has. I think it has something to do with the glue used in the interior pieces (all their plastics tend to be wrapped in a vinyl-like soft skin covering).

I'm going to agree mostly with what Armedokie has to say. As another professional technician (ASE master certified, ASE L1, formerly Mercedes Master Certified) I would caution you on your purchase of any BMW. I work at an independent Luxury/Exotic automotive repair shop & we work on a lot of German cars. My experience so far is that these vehicles have to much going on. For example Direct Injection. This is, pun intended a double edged sword. The technology gives the engine great power & fuel economy, but as soon as 60k miles the intake has to be removed & intake valves cleaned out (just google N54 engine carbon deposits). I'm currently working on 2 of those repairs at my shop. Mercedes-Benz has improved their QC over the years, but is headed in the same direction as BMW & V.A.G (Volkswagen automotive group). From all the luxury brands that pass through our shop, the ones we least see for major issues are Lexus & Porsche. The later only because of less volume of cars on the road. Now don't get me wrong when these cars are new they handle, perform & feel great. But long term their reliability is lacking. If you do decide on purchasing one & keeping long term make sure you don't skimp on the extended warranty, it'll save you A Lot... of $$$ down the road. I'll leave you with some pic of one of my own customers cars that I was working on the whole weekend, almost 20 hours of labor needed on the car. Its a 2005 BMW 745li Almost $2600 worth of repairs (over $6000 if he would have done it at the dealer) This by the way is how I found my knife addiction...er .. hobby :

 

[cchu518]

I took this photo when I went out to lunch. Well heeled family's brand new Beamer dead on Madison Avenue...

 

[=Voodoo=]

my sister in law has owned 3 bmw's (two 3 series and an x5). the x5 was a pos with the thing being in the shop about as much time as it was on the road. however the 3 series were very reliable, so much so she just bought a 14 model. I drool over the 535 everytime I see one on the road, but I dont know if my drool is worth the 70k. My wife has an 06 lexus and we havent had 1 issue yet. just change the oil and drive it.

 

[SBaker34]

I would have to say it depends on how it is maintained and driven, My first car was a 2001 mercedes e320 a year ago, the previous owner abused it, tended new control arms and bearings in it, totalled it when a SUV turned in front of me, my current car is a 2003 mercedes e320, it has 100,000 miles on it also and feels almost brand new, maintance is fairly expensive though, between me and my dad most stuff such as oil, spark plugs, belts, etc can be done at home. But the hydraulic braking system went in it costing 2500 at the dealers. Dealer said it was in great shape otherwise and I fully expect to get another 100,000 until I graduate college, but if you can't do your own work it can get expensive.

Both cars drive amazing though. I will drive curvy roads going 70+MPH and feel in full control, I have taken both cars north of 100 and would have felt comfortable cruising their all day if it wasn't for not wanting a ticket. I drove a 2013 rental kia optima after the wreck, and it wasn't a bad car, but it didn't handle as well as my beat up 2001 mercedes and the road noise was about 4 times louder. if I tried to make a speedy turn the wheels would slip and the traction control would kick in leaving me dead in the road, not an issue with the mercedes. I also drove a 2003 toyota SUV, and I vowed to never own a SUV after having to stomp the brakes to get any noticeable slowing

 

[mete]

Back in the '70s BMW made drivers cars .Now they're gadget cars .M-B too. One I really liked is the BMV Bavaria.

 

[99cuts]

I had an E46 325i. I had the well-known water pump problem, and the oil filter housing gasket problem detailed below:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=882732

Otherwise I enjoyed owning that car. e46fanatics is a great forum with lots of info. I think all the BMWs have a big following so you have a lot of support with any problem. =)

 

[whp]

From my experience and reading of reviews,the Japanese cars are most reliable, unless you enjoy car maintenance as a hobby. More expensive than knives.

 

[HuntBomb]

My parents have driven Lexus cars and SUVs for abour 30 years.
Mom trades hers in every 130k or so and has had no problems whatsoever.
Dad has driven his 3 SUVs to near death...Each reaching 300k-350k.
The only repairs have been headlights, breaks, batteries etc.
My Lincoln LS '01 has surprisingly lasted over a decade of abuse from me and currently sits around 200k.
My step sister had a Mercedes ML and it was in the shop once a month.
If you get a BMW, i would move closer to a BMW dealership.

 

[Busted_Knuckle]

I had an E46 325i. I had the well-known water pump problem, and the oil filter housing gasket problem detailed below:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=882732

Otherwise I enjoyed owning that car. e46fanatics is a great forum with lots of info. I think all the BMWs have a big following so you have a lot of support with any problem. =)

I replace oil filter housing gaskets on a regular bases on not just e46's but most BMW's with the m52 or m54 engine. Even the newer n52 engine has issues with oil leaks from the oil filter housing, just not as difficult to replace. The worst problem right now is the injector, fuel pump & carbon build-up issues on the direct injected engines. They really had a lot of issues with the newer engine.

 

[bladefixation2]

I had a BMW 330. It was a really really great car to drive, and mechanically it was great, but when it got to about 8 years old it went rusty and pieces started falling off of it.

We don't put as many miles on cars in Europe as you guys do. Average mileage in the UK is about 12,000 - 15,000 a year. Most cars wont make it much past 100 - 120k before they get sold off as cheap 10 yr old junk cars. Read into that what you will, maybe they aren't designed as well as US cars for the high mileage big continent style driving.

 

[NetshadeX]

Rich mofos. Wish I had your dilemma. Where is the poor guy crappy car thread?

Right here buddy. I drive a 2002 Toyota Corolla. The only fixing it has needed in all those years is tires. These things are apocalypse proof. :thumbup:
Joking aside my brother works at BMW's head office in the Netherlands and I've driven pretty much all relevant models. The ones that stood out for me were the M5 and the Z4M coupe, the latter being one of the most fun cars I've driven period.

 

[99cuts]

I replace oil filter housing gaskets on a regular bases on not just e46's but most BMW's with the m52 or m54 engine. Even the newer n52 engine has issues with oil leaks from the oil filter housing, just not as difficult to replace. The worst problem right now is the injector, fuel pump & carbon build-up issues on the direct injected engines. They really had a lot of issues with the newer engine.

good to know, i have heard some issues the recent engines, particularly the one named in a class action lawsuit. i don't remember if the case's been resolved or not.