rahul

Hello all... I did a search on this topic and found a number of threads all leading back to "Japan versus Germany" discussions. That is not what I want to start here...

I am thinking about making a 335i sedan (manual trans.) my next car and I have no experience with anything but Toyota and Honda. Having said that, let me also add that my experience with these makes thus far has not been outstanding, nor has it been deplorable. I would say my cars have definitely had above average reliability. If I go the 335i route, I think I will probably drive the car 50 miles or so a day for the next 6 years. Assuming it runs well and does not cost too much to keep it that way, I would consider keeping it longer. For now, let's assume 20,000 miles per year. And before anyone suggests it, I have had Civics forever and while they are wonderful econo-cars, they lack the necessary refinement to keep me from hating the drive.

So to the point...

For those of you who have driven BMW's for a long time and even had them past their warranty expiration, how would you rate their reliability? While I am mostly concerned with the 3 Series, input on other BMW cars wouldn't hurt either. Or would you suggest leasing the car just to minimize the repair worries?

Thanks for your input!!

-rv

GPMike

My sister had 99 3 series....it was a tank. She got into an accident (not her fault) and the other car she hit was totalled. Hers just had some bumper and quarter panel damage. Even after that it gave her no troubles.

bigsley18

i don't own a bmw but i cut and pasted this from vbb out of a mid-a thread...

"There's been some known fuel pump failure with the early production models and also some with the later production models as well. The fuel pumps are on a national backorder, and a lot of people have had their car down for over 30 days."

...this is regarding the bmw 335i sedan. hope that helps.

y2ks2k

BWM is the only German car that

Penforhire

I've had average reliability on my e90 330i. I'd call it very similar to my S2000 and my C5 Z06. All of them required warranty work, some expensive in each case. How sad is that about new cars in general, eh? I rate my BMW dealer tops for treating me well and making it the least painful as possible.

Is it better or worse that my BMW required a steering column replacement versus my S2000, whose tranny was opened twice for warranty work (plus other minor stuff for both)? I'd have been VERY unhappy in either case if out of warranty. Or two passenger window motor replacements (rarely used), a tranny sensor, and the column lock recall on my C5 Z06?

Rob_s2k

We have had 4 BMW's so far in our family and all of them had been great in the reliability department. Not too many problems.

BTW the great thing about BMW is their free maintenance for 4yrs/50K miles. All you do is change tires and put in gas. Everything else is taken care of.

Slamnasty

My sense is they are generally reliable (though not Japanese reliable of course), though expensive to fix when the time comes. If you want a hard example of how reliable they can be, I was on Auto Trader the other day looking at M5s, and someone was selling an E34 with 289,000 miles on it. It looked really good for that kind of use and age. No telling what kinds of things he's done to it over the years to keep it up, but I'd imagine it's been damn reliable if someone was willing to take such a rare and powerful car that far for many years.

TyWebb

2000 M Coupe
bought used at 18k miles 3/03
currently 83k miles
driven 12 months/year, chicagoland

This car has been nearly flawless. Driven hard but not abused, all maintenance performed by me.
Only two problems:
1. clogged fuel filter. I don't blame BMW for this one.
2. passenger door handle is sometimes difficult.

I would not recommend a BMW for heavy mileage. Proper maintenance is time consuming and required often.

madkimchi

if it's brand new go ahead and get it. on a long run it will cost you more than japanese cars. there are few known problems with bmws. the very famous radiator crack right after warranty expires. radiator problems is really really well known in bmw community. it usually happen from 65k to 90k miles.

i purchased 99 m3 about a year ago with 95k miles on. so for i put about 21k miles in a year and few problems.

1. thermostat went out right after i got my car but that's like $50 job. it was very annoying but fixed it.
2. cel for charcoal canister. i said **** it cuz i am not sure how much it will cost me.
3. it burns oil like a mother****er but i think it's due to previous owners not bmw.

take care of your car VERY WELL and it should last you long time just like japanese cars.

archtop

Took delivery of a 335i coupe in early January now have 5k miles on her and Zero problems to date. There is a lot of worry about the High pressure fuel pump but I have not had any issues to date.I did lease for 2 years because I really had no experience with BMW service or problems,so this is a test for me.We still take our Odyssey on long trips because its been bullet proof.All that said I absolutely love the car, comfortable,great stereo,cool amenities , fast and fun to drive plus I still could afford to keep my S2000.