Justification

[Beemer Dreamer]

OK I'm thinking of purchasing a new BMW. My concern is I have a Honda 01 Accord and because of it's dependability(no maintenance on my car to date), I'm worried about the reliability of the BMW. Reading the posts here are a great source of the good & bad. With the amount of money I could spend, I feel that there shouldn't be problems such as the window regulators, sun roof clips, transmission, passenger side mirrors, etc. on a vehicle of this magnitude. So I'm calling on all those who have had no problems to reassure me that buying one of these cars is justifyable. Who's willing to help justify my desire to spend the big bucks?

Thank you!


Beemer

 

[tmoody]

i think it depends on what you're going to buy. i purchased my 330 (SP/PP/AUTO)with about 5k miles on it that was a demo model.
i like the 6yr/100k warranty and they also "tossed in" the extended maintenance to 100k miles. this is my first BMW, but for relative piece of mind for another 6 years....it's well worth the 33500 i paid compared to any car on the market.
i traded in my Z and have no regrets.......other than not getting the same deal on an M3!!
i love the idea of a "new car", but IMO if the option for CPO is there, and the car has low miles i'd take the "depreciation" and the extended warranty.

my nickels worth......

 

[dm_longhorn]

At my job, I handle all the problems that our customers have. It's rare that I hear about all the thousands of things that go right. Boards like this can be compared to that.

Majority of people come here (the boards) to find solutions to their problems.

If people made their choice of whether to buy a BMW or not, based on the posts they read online, they probably wouldn't buy one due to the posts' negative nature.

Therefore, you have to imagine the thousands of BMW owners, who haven't had any problems, are sure to out-weigh those that have...

Mine for example.. purchased in April with 34k miles, no problems. I'm at 38k miles, no problems.

You also can rest easy knowing your 'big bucks' will have also purchased you a warranty.

 

[aNoodle]

I'm with dm_longhorn.

The board give you a skewed perspective cuz people are writing to problem solve or vent. It's rare to see a new post about a trouble-free month of driving.

The 3 series at the end of it's product cycle is such a value. I got my in the first month of production and I'm amazed what's been added as standard and all the upgrades. Any kinks in production have been worked out and fine tuned (sliptronic being the notable exception...but I hear even that is worked out). I'd highly recommend getting a 3 series now. I think it's a great value, especially with the rebates going on.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Well I got my 330i a month ago brand new and I have over 900 miles on it without a single problem. BMW builds a great car, chances are yours will be trouble free If I were you I'd buy one...

The problems you mentioned such as window regulators and sunroof clips are usually on older cars with say 50k+ mileage... The transmission issue involved a slipping software bug??? In the 03's and early 04's but that doesn't affect the current model base, and the mirrors are an electrical bug some Convert owners had. Some owners also had coils replaced but those were on 2003's I have feeling the 03's were a bit quirky.

Buy it new and after you get in, close the door, and turn the key and you'll be happily ever after with the new car smell and great interior...

 

[codex57]

@ 8000 miles and the only problem is a passenger seat that rattles every now and then. That's a really random problem I've never heard anyone else have before so you could say my car has been pretty much problem free.

I think I pay more attention in this car too. My family also has a Civic and an Accord. Both have little problems that we ignore cuz they're cheap cars. The Accord has these weird little problems that most people would prolly raise hell about if it were a BMW.

 

[xmas63]

Let me help you make it easy to justify your purchase. First, I'm on my third BMW and I have been extremely pleased with the reliability of each of them.

Second, in May of 2002 I was hit head-on at about 40 mph, totalling my car. I walked out of the car with barely a scratch, and I believe that I may not have survived the crash if I were in a "lesser" car.

Third, as a result of the aforementioned incident, I also learned how well these cars hold their value. This was a 10 year old car with 100,000 miles, yet my insurance company reimbursed me what amounted to 45% of what I paid for the car when I bought it new. Looking back, this 325i cost me only about $130 per month. So when you talk about spending "big bucks", you're really only talking about up-front cost, and not necessarily overall cost.

Finally, with a name like Beemer Dreamer, you're gonna be kicking yourself for years if you go buy another Honda Accord.

 

[Abdoman]

I have owned 2 Hondas and 5 BMWs. With my experience I have had good reliability with both manufacturers, the BMW costing more. I would always buy a BMW over a Honda. The Honda might be more reliable (for the most part) but nothing can compare to the enjoyment I get driving my BMW.

 

[dzervit]

You'll have issues with ANY automaker. I'm on my fifth ford, and only one gave me issues, but it was used so who knows how it was abused. Extended warrenties on all my cars & great service from the dealer. Thus, I'm a repeat customer.

Our '03 325i has around 18,000 miles, and has been in the shop for: odd window rattles (replaced seals, fixed!), cold start issue (still unknown, will wait until winter to take it back) & had a bad battery. Customer service is top-notch at my dealer. I'll be buying BMWs in the future.

Like it was said above, the pure driving pleasure you'll recieve from a bimmer is unmatched by anything else. Just buy it and you'll see. If not, the resale value is even BETTER than a honda, so you can scrap it w/ little loss and go back to Honda if you desire. Live and learn.

 

[Maaz]

I have a 325xi that is a year and a half old and I've already put 57,000 miles on it. At about 36,000 miles, I had a problem with my ignition coils. They were, of course, replaced under warranty. However, other than that, I haven't had any problems to date. I feel it was just a fluke. This is my third BMW. The last one (318ti) I drove 190,000 miles and for the first 150,000 miles, I really didn't have any major problems. It took 4 or 5 rear-end hits during the 7 1/2 years I had it with minimal or no damage. I was impressed. After 150,000 miles, I had to replace the fuel pump, window regulator & motor, and some fans. The radiator as well as all the major components of the car were still good after 190,000 miles when I sold it. There was never a transmission problem.

The way I think of things, cost doesn't always determine reliability. For example, a $40,000 BMW may need maintenance more often than a $30,000 BMW simply because there are more things on it to break. They could be the same car except the more expensive one has all the options and the other one is just a base model.

All of my cars have been manual. I always felt that if there is ever a transmission problem, it would be easier to fix. However, I've never had a problem with it. Whether or not the automatic ones are as reliable as the manual ones I'm not sure.

You can't trust any car to be 100% reliable. Even if is, that doesn't mean that another car of the exact same model and specifications will be. BMW has a good warranty. It may only be 50,000 miles but it covers everything (except tires), even brakes, oil service, inspection, etc. I feel that 50,000 miles is plenty to determine if there was a manufacturing defect or a faulty part.

In any case, BMW is the only car I buy. My good experiences with them significantly outweigh my bad ones.

Maaz