From 06 ap2 to 07 335i
Former Moderator
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 18,852
Likes: 1
From: New York
I owned 2 E46 M3's and can tell you this...I'd rather lose one of my balls than own a BMW out of warranty.
P.S. I don't care what anyone else says, nor do I care what other BMW owners say...in my family we have had 8 BMWs, and ALL of them had problems. Most were minor (car was drivable) but annoying and sat at the dealer. My M3s were 2003 and 2004.5, and both of them were at the dealership constantly for stupid sh!t. I am not saying the motor is going to fall out of the car, but I am saying that the gremlins WILL show up. Take that for what you think it's worth.
P.S. I don't care what anyone else says, nor do I care what other BMW owners say...in my family we have had 8 BMWs, and ALL of them had problems. Most were minor (car was drivable) but annoying and sat at the dealer. My M3s were 2003 and 2004.5, and both of them were at the dealership constantly for stupid sh!t. I am not saying the motor is going to fall out of the car, but I am saying that the gremlins WILL show up. Take that for what you think it's worth.
Registered User
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
In my opinion, the #1 factor for me in a car purchase is reliability. If the brand is generally unreliable or even of "average" reliability, I won't consider it. I won't enjoy being at the shop on weekends--just not a good use of my own time. Granted, BMW may offer a great driving experience with luxurious features, but the cost of reliability and maintenance is not worth it for me. It's not every single BMW that has problems, but I'm just playing by the statistics. That marriage analogy for buying a BMW was well-said.
For those reasons, I tend to stick with the Honda/Toyota families. They're not the fastest, not the most luxurious, not the hottest, but they offer a great value in most categories and sure are reliable (generally speaking). They have the history to prove it and that's part of the primary info I base my purchase decision on. BMWs sure look classy and perform well. Those are important characteristics, but it's just that I overweigh the reliability factor a little more than aesthetics and performance.
For those reasons, I tend to stick with the Honda/Toyota families. They're not the fastest, not the most luxurious, not the hottest, but they offer a great value in most categories and sure are reliable (generally speaking). They have the history to prove it and that's part of the primary info I base my purchase decision on. BMWs sure look classy and perform well. Those are important characteristics, but it's just that I overweigh the reliability factor a little more than aesthetics and performance.
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,606
Likes: 0
From: Jersey City, NJ
Originally Posted by NFRs2000NYC,Apr 10 2010, 01:03 PM
I owned 2 E46 M3's and can tell you this...I'd rather lose one of my balls than own a BMW out of warranty.
P.S. I don't care what anyone else says, nor do I care what other BMW owners say...in my family we have had 8 BMWs, and ALL of them had problems. Most were minor (car was drivable) but annoying and sat at the dealer. My M3s were 2003 and 2004.5, and both of them were at the dealership constantly for stupid sh!t. I am not saying the motor is going to fall out of the car, but I am saying that the gremlins WILL show up. Take that for what you think it's worth.
P.S. I don't care what anyone else says, nor do I care what other BMW owners say...in my family we have had 8 BMWs, and ALL of them had problems. Most were minor (car was drivable) but annoying and sat at the dealer. My M3s were 2003 and 2004.5, and both of them were at the dealership constantly for stupid sh!t. I am not saying the motor is going to fall out of the car, but I am saying that the gremlins WILL show up. Take that for what you think it's worth.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,671
Likes: 10
From: SoCal
OP sounds like an 18 year old dude that is trying to justify going from a reliable, if unpractical car to an unreliable, expensive to repair/maintain, yet more practical car.
Just don't do it. Get a WRX or something else instead.
Just don't do it. Get a WRX or something else instead.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
I am from a predominantly BMW background (8 in the immediate family) and my mom at one point had an 07 335i 6 speed. Stay the hell away from that car. She needed a new high pressure fuel pump reliably at every 17k miles, and she barely ever even came close to readline. Her friend has one now and the exact same thing started happening, this is quite common. BMW says they fixed it- made a stronger fuel pump, but it is not any better. She now has a 2010 328 coupe which is slower, but worth it for the reliability. Look for a 2003-2006 Bmw 330i zhp. It is probably the closest feeling BMW to the S2000 that I have driven. Pretty close to as fast as the 335 (0-60 5.6) 400lbs lighter, and a helluva lot cheaper. As a matter of fact, I'll trade ya mine for your S2000. 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,875
Likes: 5
From: Santa Clartia, Ca
Originally Posted by Disgustipated,Apr 10 2010, 04:04 PM
OP sounds like an 18 year old dude that is trying to justify going from a reliable, if unpractical car to an unreliable, expensive to repair/maintain, yet more practical car.
Just don't do it. Get a WRX or something else instead.
Just don't do it. Get a WRX or something else instead.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 282
Likes: 0
For all you saying BMW has good reliability need to check again. They have been pretty sub-par the past few years and their rankings prove it. My uncle buys a BMW every 3 or 4 years and all of them had multiple problems requiring multiple multi-day stays in the workshop to get fixed. His brand spanking new 335ix with only 3k on the odo had the fuel pump go. Took a week for the part to come in and get fixed. I won't go into his last two 5-series BMWs. Dunno why he keeps buying them.
