Why do people stick with BMW?

[keegs111]

I have always been a huge BMW fan. In late teens I lusted after M series cars and a few years later I purchased an AUC e46 M3. 2 days after purchase it spent a month at BMW having a fault diagnosed which eventually resulted in having a new gearbox fitted. Fast forward 5 years and I am sad to say that I really am done with BMW. I've only ever purchased low mileage AUC cars, I've had 2 650ci's, an M6 and a 335. Every single one of those cars, all purchased with under 40k miles has suffered with gearbox issues in addition to failed sat nav controll units, water getting into the car and wrecking the electrics, suspension issues which don't fit with the age/mileage of the car. Poor paintwork, constant electrical faults, annoying bangs/squeaks/rattles from the interior. Whilst the driving experience is great, there has to be a balance and I'm really not sure BMW live up to their perceived image of solid build and reliability.

I visit Germany quite often and today I asked a taxi driver why ALL German taxis, without exception, are Mercedes Benz. The answer was that BMW are rubbish, completely worn out after 300k KM and have poor reliability couples with very expensive maintenance. The car I was in was an S class with 600k km on the clock, never had any gearbox or engine issues and felt as tight as the day it was made. The taxi that took me from my house to Heathrow airport this morning was a newer 7 series with less than half the mileage of the s class which felt like it was falling to pieces. I'm sure the fact that taxi drivers in Germany get a 30% discount with Mercedes is a major factor, but these cast really do seem to be better built.

Maybe I'm just bitter, and perhaps I've been unlucky, but it will be a cold day in hell before I buy another BMW!

[scorcher]

I had an E36 M3 Evo. FSH and 50K miles. Glad it was under extended warranty for a year. BMW spent over 8 K on it in the 10 months I had it, including a new 6 speed box as it would jump out of 1st. Definitely wouldn't buy one without a warranty, probably wouldn't bother with one that did.

[kambites]

You're a brave man to ask that question on here.

[pilchardthecat]

My Z4M has been the most reliable car i've ever had.

That said, it's my 4th BMW and will also be my last - not because of reliability issues, but simply because there isn't a single car anywhere in their range now that i actually want.

[anonymous-user]

I have an E91 msport touring and an E46 Alpina B3. I can't see us ever replacing them with newer BMWs. I've had no unexpected maintenance on either (yet!) but more to the point, i don't like the direction BMW is going, much less about the ultimate driving machine now, and M has been flogged to death on ever heavier cars. Great cars, but the two I've got are heavy enough to me!

I guess it's an old porsche and a 6.2 mercedes estate next, and then cue the real bills!

[RobM77]

I'm on my fifth BMW (E36 325i, E46 330ci, E36 328i, Z4 Coupé & E90 320d). Perhaps surprisingly given that fact, I've no particular allegiance to them, but each time I've changed my car I've test driven all the alternatives (my job helps with this, I've driven practically ever saloon car under £50k all over the UK) and so far the BMW happens to have been the one I prefer driving. Obviously it helps having rear drive, good balance and a plethora of second hand choices with manual gearboxes, but I've also found their engines consistently produce the best power and mpg and they're bar far the quietest when motorway cruising. Another interesting point is that the team I used to race for had two drivers and a pro/coach and we all had BMWs for much the same reasons - we wanted rear drive with a manual gearbox and the ability to cruise in peace around the UK to different circuits - no other car did it better (and that includes one prominent manufacturer that the pro/coach on the team worked for...).

As for the lack of reliability, I know that to be the case and without doubt the other makes of car I've owned have been more reliable (esp Toyota!), but I really don't care - for example I had a £1500 turbo repair on my 320d last year, but I just view that as part of the purchase price and I buy the car I like driving the most. I could have bought a Toyota or Honda and not had the £1500 turbo go, but I view that £1500 as the price to pay to drive the car I want to (if a car you like cost £1500 more to buy in the first place, would you buy it? I know I would). Besides, in nearly 20 years of driving, the repair costs don't average out to much to be honest - most cars these days are pretty reliable.

I will continue my usual car buying approach though. When the 320d wears out and I want another car, I will again look at the alternatives with an open mind and we'll see what I come up with!

There is one negative of course... I should add that exactly like Apple in the post iPod/iPhone era, BMW suffer from terrible snobbery problems in the UK. After owning five of them I get pretty fed up with people tick ticking about how they're "not as reliable as I think", the constant jokes about BMW drivers or the quite shocking road rage I've experienced. I think to own a BMW in the UK and socialise at work or drive in heavy traffic you've got to be pretty thick skinned. When I've been driving other makes of car (Ford, Vauxhall, Honda, Toyota, Nissan etc) I don't get any of the hassle, but I miss the handling of my BMW so much that for now I choose to put up with the hassle and drive the car I enjoy the most. No doubt this thread will be full of the same smug idiots, who no doubt own some sort of understeering pile of crap because it looks cool and has the 'right image'. ho hum!

Edited by RobM77 on Friday 23 August 14:08

[keegs111]

Ahhh, now per circa year 1999 stuff I'd still buy in a heart beat. That for me is the example of the build quality which BMW have been dining out on ever since. Either they've tried to be too clever with the technology, and/or they've cut corners and prioritised margin over product quality. Mercedes went through this period, but I think they've come out the other end and gone back to over engineering their cars. Perhaps BMW are going through this phase now?

[RobM77]

The Crack Fox said:

I had an E34 that did c.150k miles with no problems other than a radiator hose, an E30 with similar mileage that I killed on track but (rust aside) was no trouble, an E39 that did c.170k miles with only a broken coil spring, and my E46 went with only about 40k on the clock although that needed springs prematurely (18" wheels, low profile tyres and speedbumps didn't help).

The ride quality on newer ones (and Audis too, to be fair) is what puts me off having another, I hate oversized wheels, our roads simply aren't like Germany

Try the 16s - I've not tried the new 3 series, but having driven lots of different E90s the 16s are by far my favourite, if fitted with standard tyres (yes, the runflats..). You can enjoy the handling too with less grip than big tyres

[Mr2Mike]

keegs111 said:

I'm really not sure BMW live up to their perceived image of solid build and reliability.

Do they even have that perceived image any more?

[XJ Flyer]

The same myth applied back in the 1970's and 80's when comparing V8 Mercs and even Jaguars with the contemporary BM opposition.If you ran a 3.0 BMW at anything like it's comparable max speed regularly you can bet that it would be the BM engine that gave up first either through valve train issues or head gasket and head casting issues.Given the choice between a BMW or a Merc I'd choose the V8 Merc but it's the virtual impossibility of sorting out a proper manual box which still then would have made the decision in favour of firstly a Jaguar or BM at least up to the E39 M5.In the case of looking for anything after that date it seems like Jag/BM/Merc would be sidelined in favour of a VXR8 for that reason in my case at least.

Edited by XJ Flyer on Friday 23 August 14:05

Edited by XJ Flyer on Friday 23 August 14:06

[nonuts]

Or on the other side, I have a 2001 e39 M5 which has 173k + miles on it and currently feels like it'd do another 170k+ without too much trouble!

I bought it expecting big bills and to be honest there haven't been any scary ones considering what I've asked of it.

[ewenm]

The Ultimate Driving Machine

and

Joy!

[Chris Y]

Excellent. A thread that may help explode the absurd myth that everything BMW is wonderful.

[motor mad]

I always thought the engines and gear boxes on the Mercedes were bullet proof; it was the rust and trim build quality that let them down. Maybe that's been sorted out in more recent years?

A family member has just returned their 3 series company car early because of failures with coil packs, the stop/start system packing up and various other issues. He had similar sentiments to the O/P.

[CraigyMc]

keegs111 said:

Why do people stick with BMW?

I like them.

[keegs111]

Chris Y said:

Excellent. A thread that may help explode the absurd myth that everything BMW is wonderful.

I guess it's a bit like dating a young beautiful woman who wants to party every night and gives you the best thrills of your life. Fast forward 30 years and the partying has taken its toll and she's a little bit worn out and rough around the edges. BMW seem to compress this ageing process into around 3 with their cars!

[kambites]

motor mad said:

I always thought the engines and gear boxes on the Mercedes were bullet proof; it was the rust and trim build quality that let them down. Maybe that's been sorted out in more recent years?

Mercedes seem to have solved the rust issues.

[krisdelta]

I've had 4 BMW's, amongst a load of other stuff. Can't say I had any major issues outside regular wear and tear items. 2003 320d, 2001 330i, 2003 Z4 and a 2004 M3 - all were rock solid build wise, I had one issue with an airbag sensor on the 330 @ 70k miles, but besides that - all simply had scheduled servicing. I sold my M3 on 77k with it still feeling fantastic. Like any marque you can get good / bad cars - but perhaps I've just been lucky.

[ArsE92]

Because of the imagine?

[keegs111]

A quick look through eBay, a remarkable amount of 5 series e9x with gearbox issues for sale!