Current Model BMW's

[Tractor]

My turn, I don't talk cars much so here goes...

 

I'm thinking of cars I might get a few years from now. I don't know much of anything about BMW, but I spend a good bit of time at MAG for work and I'm liking the looks of the 2013 3 series. two generations of my family have always owned toyotas due to their longevity, low cost, and low cost to keep driving. I've driven or owned about everything in toyota's line and nothing is what I'd call comfortable until you get into lexus.

 

How's BMW on reliability after a few years? By this time I also don't plan to be fixing my own stuff much, but I'd really hate to find that I have to do much more than brakes and oil as thats seriously all I ever do to toyotas and I pass 200-300K frequently on them.

[carl1647545492]

With Bmw,s you will be fixing suspension parts at 100 k control arms bushings stuff like that.

Motors are rock solid but budget some money for sensors and use oem parts.

 

If you do not plan on wrenching find a good indy mechanic.

DO buy a CPO car as it will take care of any nasty surprises.

 

Oh and have you driven the new F30 yet ? They drive like a Camry lol.

[Tractor]

Ah well, all the suspension parts are always completely shot on all my toyotas, but just ignore the noises, but keep an eye on it and if it looks like its about to break and I would care, then I fix it.

 

Sorry poor toyota owner mentality here.

[carl1647545492]

Straight 6 goodness

 

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2011&zip=43035&keywordPhrases=m+sport&keywords=m+sport&listingType=all&ownerId=100025084&sellerType=b&listingId=351207894&mmt=%5BBMW%5B328I%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&modelCode1=328I&startYear=2011&makeCode1=BMW&searchRadius=0&bodyStyleCodes=%5BSEDAN%5D

[BigOxley]

Buddy in my guard unit just bought a new 3 series. He likes it so far. Peppy turbo 4. Auto-stop is weird. The back seat leg room is very cramped but I'm 6'1"

[M0nk3y]

IMO I'd avoid the new chassis. I'm not sold on the new auto start/stop...as my boss who owns a F10 528i had to replace spark plugs at 20k.

 

The E9x and E82 N54/N55 engines (335 and 135) are prone to HPFP failures, failed injectors, and require walnut blasting from what it seems around 50k miles.

 

I currently drive a E82 128i, manual transmission and M sport package. Nothing else. Going to tick over 10k miles this weekend (bought it with 4200 miles in April) and the car has been absolutely awesome. Obviously this doesn't hold much merit. But my dad has a E92 328xi going 70k strong and my mom's X3 (also a N52 engine) is ticking 64k IIRC, all with no problems and both with regular service items.

 

Recap: Go with older gen 3 series with NA engine. They are tanks

[Versluis]

better get the 3 series before they end a classic and create the "4 series."

 

I LOVE the 335i M sport in either sedan or coupe. I think they look very good and have good power for stock cars. Get a new one or make sure they have a CPO and ask for the CPO paper work. "Older" BMW's that had I think the N54 had HPFP issues but from the sounds of it was fixed with the newer motors. (correct me BMW fanatics if I was wrong on engine code.)

[unfunnyryan]

tldr: get a IS350 or GS350 and retain the joy of a lasting car.

 

http://i.imgur.com/NYNGIs2.jpg

[cruizin01]

IMO I'd avoid the new chassis. I'm not sold on the new auto start/stop...as my boss who owns a F10 528i had to replace spark plugs at 20k.

 

The E9x and E82 N54/N55 engines (335 and 135) are prone to HPFP failures, failed injectors, and require walnut blasting from what it seems around 50k miles.

 

I currently drive a E82 128i, manual transmission and M sport package. Nothing else. Going to tick over 10k miles this weekend (bought it with 4200 miles in April) and the car has been absolutely awesome. Obviously this doesn't hold much merit. But my dad has a E92 328xi going 70k strong and my mom's X3 (also a N52 engine) is ticking 64k IIRC, all with no problems and both with regular service items.

 

Recap: Go with older gen 3 series with NA engine. They are tanks

 

BMW will pay for a program to turn the auto start/stop feature off.

 

The N20/N26 spark plug interval is a paid maintenance. But yes Im not sure why its so soon on these motors. They don't sound that great. Though my buddy did a muffler delete on his and it has a nice "brap" when using the 8 speed auto.

 

The hpfp, injector thing is over blown imo. We (my dealer) does maybe 1 fuel pump a month and less than that with injectors. I think the new pumps and injectors have solved most all issues. I will say they will all need walnut blasting at some point though. at least N54's. (50k is a little premature though)

 

As far as the F30 chassis goes... I like the looks, the interiors and creature comforts are nice but even with m sport they ride like boats. But they get great economy with the 4 cylinders. Even more so with the new diesel.

 

Ive been around BMW's for almost 10 years and no way would I consider owning one (current F cars) outside of one with at least CPO coverage. Too many things that can crop up. Its not your old honda/toyota.

[POS VETT]

I wouldn't own a BMW unless it's under new-car warranty or CPO.

[Diamonds]

tldr: get a IS350 or GS350 and retain the joy of a lasting car.

 

http://i.imgur.com/NYNGIs2.jpg

 

FUCK... Land rover?

 

Glad I own a lexus.

[Tractor]

Lol yeah, Lexus SUV's are on my short list.

[Captain_Panic1647545539]

I wouldn't count motorcycles as a land rover issue. :dumb:

[Otis Nice]

tldr: get a IS350 or GS350 and retain the joy of a lasting car.

 

img.gif

 

This. I still love the IS300.

 

I wouldn't own a BMW unless it's under new-car warranty or CPO.

 

This as well.

[JaSSon]

Fair amount of misinformation in this thread.

 

If you're not willing to turn your own wrenches, walk away. The boosted BMW motors are NOT the BMW straight sixes of old.

 

My N54 335i is on its 4th high pressure fuel pump, and that went at ~86k miles. Also second set of turbo chargers, 2nd set of oil filter housing gaskets, and 3rd water pump. Simply put, these are enthusiasts' cars. That's to say they aren't reliable vehicles. Fantastic vehicle tho. I love it to death.

 

Also 50k is not premature for a valve cleaning. I'd call 50k miles overdue. (At 50k Miles Audi would call you a tow truck :gabe:)

 

 

All that being said, nothing is your old Honda/Toyota anymore.

[Mr. Jones]

tldr: get a IS350 or GS350 and retain the joy of a lasting car.

 

 

And slit wrists during every drive..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Geeesammy]

Just get a GS300 or GS400 and put a little loving into it. They are awesome cars and the GS300's last forever

[Tripleskate]

TBH, all turbo, DI engines, regardless of manufacturer, are going to be a bit high-strung, in terms of reliability. If you start to dissect the all of the various engines that fit in that catagory, you'll find issues.

That being said, my best friend bought a 2007 E90 335i with 75k miles, and it's now about to hit 90k with no issues under his watch. According to the service history, it had the HPFP, injectors, and battery replaced at port, back in late 2006 and that's about it...

I picked up my 2010 135i as a 12,000 mile old, CPO car this February, and now at 23,000, it's yet to have any notable issues, and it's service history noted nothing out of the ordinary. They did to replace my rear lights when I bought it? Apparently that's a 1-series thing. The lights weren't broken, but they did it just to say it had been taken care of.

 

TLDR: All cars can have problems. All cars can not have problems.

[cruizin01]

Fair amount of misinformation in this thread.

 

My N54 335i is on its 4th high pressure fuel pump, and that went at ~86k miles. Also second set of turbo chargers, 2nd set of oil filter housing gaskets, and 3rd water pump. Simply put, these are enthusiasts' cars. That's to say they aren't reliable vehicles. Fantastic vehicle tho. I love it to death.

 

 

I should have stated at this point most hpfp issues are fixed. Not to say many cars didn't see more than one pump.

 

But in general you would not be the norm. We do have cars like that but they are the hardest driven, non stock, fairly high mileage cars. We've probably done 6-10 singles/sets of N54 turbos since the car was released out of thousands of cars we've serviced.

[Diamonds]

And slit wrists during every drive..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

gs460 would be a different story.

[BigOxley]

Lol yeah, Lexus SUV's are on my short list.

 

I drove a Toyota Prado (Lexus GX) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for six months. 120+ degree temps and frequently sprints to 100+ mph that truck NEVER skipped a beat. I wanted to bring it home with me.

[El Karacho1647545492]

tldr: get a IS350 or GS350 and retain the joy of a lasting car.

 

http://i.imgur.com/NYNGIs2.jpg

 

I came here to post this. Take into consideration that this study is not on 2013 vehicles, but vehicles 3 years old.

 

Also take into consideration what those numbers mean. The metric they use is "Problems Per 100 Vehicles", and the absolute best of the best is 71. This means that on average, each individual Lexus will see .71 problems in the first 3 years of ownership.

 

Now go to the absolute worst, LR which is 220. That means that on average, each LR will experience 2.2 problems in 3 years.

 

Honestly, even if you round up, you see that the ABSOLUTE best cars in the universe will all experience 1 problem on average, and the ABSOLUTE worst will experience 2 or 3. That's really not a wide gulf in terms of reliability, and IMO it shouldn't sway your decision.

 

My parents got an E82 135i coupe a couple years ago. They absolutely love it and have had 0 problems. Theirs is a 2011 N55, so it will likely not have the same issues (accurately) described by the N54 owners ITT. Maybe look for one of those?

 

EDIT: I always enjoy reading the VDS and other studies because it reinforces the idea that perception of quality is so much more important than actual quality. VW, Jeep, and MINI owners are among the most fiercely loyal in the marketplace, and yet they consistently appear at the bottom of the vehicle dependability studies. Everyone thinks of Lincoln simply as badge-engineered Ford crap, yet it consistently appears at the top of the dependability study. Perception is not always a reflection of quality, unfortunately.

[greg1647545532]

Honestly, even if you round up, you see that the ABSOLUTE best cars in the universe will all experience 1 problem on average, and the ABSOLUTE worst will experience 2 or 3. That's really not a wide gulf in terms of reliability, and IMO it shouldn't sway your decision.

 

This is a great point. I don't know about their VDS, but the initial quality studies also take into account meaningless quibbles like "The cup holders feel cheap." (Incidentally, the cup holders on BMWs feel stupid cheap.)

 

A much more useful dependability indicator would include the cost to fix each problem. My cousin had an older 540i that needed one ignition module, cost him 10 times what an entire distributor would have for a Honda. I'm a big believer in the "If you couldn't afford it new, you can't afford it used" mantra after witnessing events like that. Also, owning German cars under warranty.

 

Incidentally he then bought a 335i and went through the typical expensive fixes (noisy wastegates, valve cleaning, he had the fuel pump replaced but it was probably under warranty). He spent nearly 2 grand on this "tune up" and then the engine promptly caught fire on his third lap at Shenandoah.

 

Off topic, after his 425hp (chipped) ultimate driving machine tried to kill him, I let him drive my 146hp econo-shitter for the rest of the track day, and he immediately shaved 4-5 seconds off the best lap time he could muster in the bimmer. You'd think this would have opened his eyes about what a car can do when it's properly set up and not just an understeering horsepower machine, but he promptly decided that he needed even _more_ horsepower and bought an E92 M3. Le sigh.

[copperhead]

I came here to post this. Take into consideration that this study is not on 2013 vehicles, but vehicles 3 years old.

 

Also take into consideration what those numbers mean. The metric they use is "Problems Per 100 Vehicles", and the absolute best of the best is 71. This means that on average, each individual Lexus will see .71 problems in the first 3 years of ownership.

 

Now go to the absolute worst, LR which is 220. That means that on average, each LR will experience 2.2 problems in 3 years.

 

Honestly, even if you round up, you see that the ABSOLUTE best cars in the universe will all experience 1 problem on average, and the ABSOLUTE worst will experience 2 or 3. That's really not a wide gulf in terms of reliability, and IMO it shouldn't sway your decision.

 

Also, it could mean the car was serviced for a rattle, or it was serviced because the engine exploded and the transmission was left somewhere down the highway.

 

I noticed Fiat isn't even on that list.

[Mr. Jones]

gs460 would be a different story.

 

Yes, I'm sure that 340hp 4xxxlb automatic sedan is quite invigorating to the senses. Why, I'm sure you wouldn't now you were driving at all.