Father's search spawns query ...

[Joshlespaul1952]

cryptic thread title, I know; I apologize.

My father is in the market for a new car, preferably a sporty coupe, ergo, I've been vehemently trying to sway him towards the BMW 335i (I ADORE that car, more than the M3, actually ... I digress). Albeit, he thinks the reliability, coupled with the servicing, will be far too troublesome ... and this is what I hear about the majority of German cars. Is it really that bad? A few members of my family drive 911s, and I never hear them complaining. I wouldn't know, personally; I drive a S2000. To those of you who have owned German cars, specifically, BMWs, how troublesome was the servicing/reliability?

Thanks,
Josh

[touji]

My parents leased an 04 (?? The first year they redesigned the BMWs) 3 Series. Incredibly fun to drive... but always had to bring it in the shop for problems. I'm not exactly sure of the problems we had to bring it in for, and each trip cost around $300 (I'm pretty sure the dealership was milking us out of money we really didn't need to pay. The thing I was most frustrated about was the runflat tires. We needed BMW specific runflats and I don't actually know how much they cost, but we had to go specifically to the dealership to get those tires.

In the end, I think the experience would be a lot better if you have a family friend who is a mechanic who works on German cars who you KNOW won't rip you off. Our family mechanic only does work on Japanese cars, so we were helpless there. I'm pretty sure BMW's have gotten a lot more reliable too... reviews said the new models that came out had a lot more problems than the later ones. Good luck finding a car though!

[Joshlespaul1952]

but always had to bring it in the shop for problems.

How often did you have to take it in?

Thanks for your response, by the way.

[Strat]

BMW ?? lol...Bring Money With. My SAAB mechanic is factory BMW trained and goes on and on about the crazzzyyy costs of fixing those things. AUDI A4/S4 maybe? Super car !

I'll be trading in my Lotus Elsie for the new Evora this year and am approaching 60 years old myself, it's a great new car, easier in and out than the Elise and actually a reasonable daily driver. Modern Lotus' have no service issues whatsoever due to the Toyota engine etc.

[Joshlespaul1952]

I don't particularly enjoy the S4; I've driven one, and it felt disconnected from the road, and oddly heavy. I greatly preferred the 335i. Plus, I've read the S4 is rather unreliable, as well.

Very cool, that Evora! I like the interior, especially in juxtaposition to the Elise.

[Jiffy_Jeff]

I have a Ford F350 Super Duty that I think is pretty sporty.

[touji]

I guess "always" is a bit of an overstatement haha. In the 3 years we leased it, we had to bring it in about 4 times. More than breaking the bank, my parents considered it a bit more of a hassle. Our family has always driven Japanese cars... our Lexus never had problems. In the end though, it was a great car and wonderfully fun to drive.

[Tonemeister69]

Euro cars are ghey and they just scream, "Look at me, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"



Sorry, I had to say it.

[59Vampire]

I own a BMW 635CSi 1989. Been putting dough, errrr, restoring it , for the past two years. IOf you are going to buy a new one , dont. If you lease , its fine, they cover the service. Regardless of the age, parts can get expensive and dealer ships get 120 an hr. My local BMW specialistist gets 95 an hour. IF he cant get the parts at a reasonable price, he will put on what i bring in.

I bought this car over a 2005 Infiniti G35 coupe. I loved the Bimmer 6 and wanted one since I was teenager. Cost to drive is high.

[Joshlespaul1952]

So... I was thinking....

1. Daily Driver
2. Track car only
3. Weekend/joyride car

Here are mine....

1. BMW 3-Series Sedan

2. Lotus Elise

3. Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black

Euro cars are ghey and they just scream, "Look at me, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"



Sorry, I had to say it.
:facepalm

[Da5Id]

I drive a 2007 335i. It's got 23,000 miles and the only time I took it to the shop was for an oil change. Tremendously fun to drive.

[Joshlespaul1952]

I drive a 2007 335i. It's got 23,000 miles and the only time I took it to the shop was for an oil change. Tremendously fun to drive.
What I was hoping to read. Thanks.

[Joshlespaul1952]

I drive a 2007 335i. It's got 23,000 miles and the only time I took it to the shop was for an oil change. Tremendously fun to drive.
Addendum -- have you done the ECU upgrade? I hear it's fairly simple, and it ups the BHP to nigh 400 (396, I believe it was).

[Da5Id]

Addendum -- have you done the ECU upgrade? I hear it's fairly simple, and it ups the BHP to nigh 400 (396, I believe it was).
No, it's scary fast as it is. In fact when I first got it I almost rear ended a car while goosing it to get through a yellow light. After that I went to Spartanburg SC and attended the 2 day BMW performance driving school. That was a total blast and great experience!

[Joshlespaul1952]

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info!

[twferrill]

I own three BMW's.
1993 525 w/ 209,000 miles.
2003 X5 w/ 61,000 miles.
2003 530 w/ 99,000 miles.
I'm obsessive about maintenance and all three are in top condition. Oil changes cost a bit more, however they use synthetic oil. I don't find repair costs to be significantly higher than other vehicles.
I made the mistake of buying a VW a few years ago and I paid significantly more to maintain that P.O.S. than any of my BMW's due to the fact that something was always breaking.

[Joshlespaul1952]

Ah, thank you, twferrill.

Yes, I hear VWs are horribly expensive in regards to maintenance.

[Mark Ray]

I put 207,000 miles on a '94 318. Outside of oil, filters, brake pads, hoses, belts, a couple of batteries, tires, the ONLY part I ever had to replace was the voltage regulator. It still had the original clutch when I sold it to my mechanic. Yes, a mechanic who knows the cars but works outside the dealer is the way to go. Mine is the #1 mechanic at the local dealer, but has a garage at his house.

I'm driving an '01 530i now, with 62,000 on it. Thus far only a new battery.

So for me, reliability hasn't been an issue at this point.

And yes, they're damn fun to drive!

As peeps on here like to say, YMMV.

Mark

[Washburnmemphis]

I put 207,000 miles on a '94 318. Outside of oil, filters, brake pads, hoses, belts, a couple of batteries, tires, the ONLY part I ever had to replace was the voltage regulator. It still had the original clutch when I sold it to my mechanic. Yes, a mechanic who knows the cars but works outside the dealer is the way to go. Mine is the #1 mechanic at the local dealer, but has a garage at his house.

I'm driving an '01 530i now, with 62,000 on it. Thus far only a new battery.

So for me, reliability hasn't been an issue at this point.

And yes, they're damn fun to drive!

As peeps on here like to say, YMMV.

Mark
+1000. Check out some BMW forums for the names of mechanics in your area who have a good reputation. You'll find the good ones will be mentioned numerous times by happy BMW owners.

Your wallet will thank-you.

[Joshlespaul1952]

Good to "hear". Thanks, everyone!

Josh

[bluesjuke]

I drive a '00 328i with almost 77,000 on it.
The only problem I have had is a bad connection to the front left Courtesy/ turn signal.

[908SSP]

I have had more than dozen German cars. And yes it can be very expensive to own out of warranty. I used to work part time at a race shop connected to a BMW service shop so I got lots of free service for my BMWs. I also heard and saw lots of stories. heater door motors need changing cost $1500. Tie rod ends and wheel bearing going out once a year. Routine tune ups end up cost over $1000 a year do to this being loose or that having play. What was amazing to me was those same people tell you how reliable their cars is never really relating the fact that they pay for that by the frequent expensive service. American cars are much cheaper to operate.

[Jon C]

I've owned numerous German cars - Audi, M-B, VW, and they all have required considerably more maintenance & repair than Japanese cars, though they also feel a lot tighter after 100k miles.

However, my friend & indep. shop owner who works on our cars no longer recommends VW or BMWs to his customers, he has seen far too much in the way of cheapening of design & components and doesn't believe that today's BMW will be a reliable 10+ yr./100k vehicle (even though he makes piles of $$$ fixing them). Both VW & BMW are using more cheap plastic for components, fasteners, etc.,

They are still OK cars to own while under a factory warranty but not once the repairs are on your dime, in his experience & mine.