It seems like there are two camps of people:

>belts
>battery
>alternator
>plugs
>trans fluid
>dist. and wires
>coolant flushes
>replace rubber hoses as needed
>replace worn out electrics (hot shit makes wires brittle over time)
>mounts
>AC shit
>PS shit
>SUSPENSION BUSHINGS
>shocks
etc etc. It's not all at once, but you have to check stuff every few thousands miles or have a TRUSTED mechanic go over it on occasion. ALL THE TIME in the shop "my car is perfect, I maintain it with oil changes!"
>get on lift
>leaking oil from pan
>PS leaking
>bushings worn out
>wheel bearing bad
>alignment off
LOL SURE PAL.

I meant more along the lines of routine maintenance, not "shit's about to break, gotta replace it."

>you have to check stuff every few thousands miles
My econobox gets a fairly detailed checkup every other oil change (8-10k miles or so) because it gets a lot of hard miles on it. So it's typically no more than 5 months between checkups.

Is that what you mean, or more regularly than that?

That's fine. And regular maintenance is whatever the

Sorry computer spazed.
Whatever the factory says or what the mitchell or all data site says at your local mechanic.

You took an e30 325ix touring to a junkyard, good lord :(

BMWs aren't some old corolla or other jap econobox that runs forever, no matter the kind or lack of maintenance you give it.
They're quite picky about everything, but will run for an awfully long time without anything "major" happening to them.

380k mile e60 525 reporting in
owned 6 bmw's in my lifetime, they are not unreliable cars.
If you buy an old beat to shit piece of shit for $1000 expect having shit breaking down though.

This guy is lying...I had around 8 bmw's now and not one has been reliable. If they didn't have warranty no way would I own one.

Reliability claims likely come from people who perform all the appropriate routine maintenance.

The opposite claims probably come from people who buy used and aren't all that vigilant about maintenance.

Same story could be said for any car really.

just test drove the m4. holy fuck what a car.

also it sounds really good in person. So far i had only seen videos where it seems to be sounding like shit but it sounds fucking amazing irl
idk if it has aftermarket exhaust or not though

Mechanically they are as stout as they ever were. If a new BMW is on a tow truck it's most often electrical issues. My friend has a f10 535 and hasn't had any other issues besides it being a bit slow.

I'm on my third with no issues. Don't believe these idiots who have never driven one newer than 1995.

>2011 328i xdrive touring
How many miles on it?

Mine has seen 15 salted winters and countless potholes. $4k of rust-related repairs in 147000mi, runs like new.

All mine have been 07 and newer and I have pages of warranty work. Some of the work.

Transmission
Turbos
Fuel injectors
Coil packs
Cracked valve cover
Water pump
Expansion tank
Oil pan gasket
Parking brake parts
Fuel pump
Cooling system hoses
Adaptive headlights not working
Door not unlocking from the inside

Never owned a BMW, this is just experience from members of my family having had them. My grandfather used to buy/lease them religiously (leased most of his life, bought a pair a couple years before he died).

They've both been inherited by my parents.

2010 330i (convertible): Decent car, drives wonderfully and really can't complain at all about its presentation, but beset with terrible electrical problems that I'm certain neither one of my parents would be anywhere near capable of preventing. $5k repair bill recently for a short circuit that caused the infotainment system to shit the bed at random. Otherwise it's already had a cylinder commit sudoku once a couple years ago and is about to go back for repair to another that's done the same. In terms of reliability, it's making my FD look like a fucking Civic.

560i, same year (garage queen): Have only driven this thing twice, can't make a decent judgment as to its quality, but this thing has barely left the garage since it was purchased (originally for my grandmother who's been blind as a fucking bat for the past 3 years, and hasn't held a driver's license since 1978 - it was for my grandfather to drive her around in basically, wealthy people are fuckin' stupid). Reliability issues have yet to rear their ugly heads, but no one drives the fucker enough to know, it's got less than 15k miles on it still.

Most modern cars have a lot of complex things in them made out out of brittle materials.

>tfw mercedes doesn't make tanks anymore
>tfw volvo doesn't make tanks anymore
>tfw saab is gone

;.; japs are the only way a poorfag can enjoy his car without feeling fucked over by excessive maintenance.

is the 560i nice? i'd love to drive a 570i once

PROBLEM is cost of maintenance is burgerland.

It's all about the little plastic bits in the engine. Do your research on the specific motor you want to find problems and fixes.
I'm willing to bet 60% of people who say BMW's are unreliable never touched the cooling system. Where a Jap econo box will run for 300k without changing the water pump, in a BMW it is a 60k job. Do your thermo and rad cap at the same time and pipes every second time at least. Rad will need replacing at sometime between 250-300k.
Looking after the cooling system is the way you get a reliable BMW

It's a 5-series. Of course it's nice.

Haven't driven it for anything more than general commuter bullshit though, had to borrow it to get to work a couple times. It's comfy and handles really well, then again everything should handle well in daily driver conditions.

People that say they are reliable are poorfags in an e36 who work on it every second weekend and think that's preventative maintenance... nah nigga it's you fixing up a soon to be broken shit box

Owned my 2003 E46 325i for 5 years now. Bought at 81K miles and car is now at 157K miles.
Car has never broken down on me.
In that 5 year period I have had to replace the water pump, thermostat, hydraulic belt tensioners, coolant reservoir tank, upper and lower radiator hoses, lower control arms, control arm bushings, and a steering column guibo.
Other than that, car has been a dream!
Similar experience with my father's 2006 E90 325i. Bought with 33K miles and now has 139K miles. Never broken down and had to deal with minimal maintenance.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is my sister's 2007 E92 328i. Bought with 77K miles and by 92K miles the car caught a rough idle. Rough idle wound up being a result of the GM sourced transmission failing. Was going to run about ~$4k USD to repair so we sold the car.

Main problems I have encountered with BMWs are the extensive use of soft rubber bushings and plastic in the engine hardware and subframe that lead to things feeling "loose" and breaking with time.
You have to keep up with the maintenance schedule and be very aware of how your car is acting. Little issues tend to snowball with these cars. If you maintain a BMW like you do your econobox, it will be a very rewarding investment. You have to be very cautious when buying a BMW used for this reason as well. If the owner was not good to their car, it will shit out on you.

560i?

>this level of irrational autistic anger at a brand

They are fine and will run just as well as anything else, but if you don't wrench, when things do inevitably break, it will cost a mint to fix.

That's not enough. You have to actively replace parts. It's not a Camry

At the le supreme gentlemen in their $2000 junkers who delude themselves into thinking their shitbox is anything other than a shitbox

>i'm a poorfag therefore everyone is a poorfag

They will last for ever if you do all maintenance on time. The only problem is that the maintenance will run you a couple of grands a year.

I've had three BMWs, and all of them ran perfectly fine around 180K before I sold them. I had 2 E39 530s, and an E36 M3. Probably drove each for around 10-20K miles without doing any maintenance whatsoever. I changed the oil when I bought them, but I don't remember doing anything else. A+ purchases, would buy again.

>maintenance in Germany costs €200-400 at BMW, €150 at third party
You guys are being jewed bretty hard.

At this point you should just ride the bus

You're obviously too poor to have a shop do maintenance and too retarded to do it yourself.

>I-I didn't know you had to change the oil!

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle, can't speak for newer models, but my e90 as well as my mothers 04 X5 havent had anything major go wrong with them. Over the 10-12 years we've had them however small shit has broken, the most expensive of which and most annoying have been the power windows, and the fuckers are like 500 a pop to fix as DIY can take quite a while. The biggest issue I think that plagues most is that they buy these cars expecting MUH GERMAN ENGINEERING to make shit immune to wear. We have our cars checked over by a mechanic who knows German cars inside and out every 6 months or so and they've never left us broken down. I take my car to and from college (~500mi straight) and it's been fine despite having almost 200k on the clock.

Now for the bad, my father purchased a 2013 528i (used), and had our guy check it over, all was well. 6 months later however, all of his transmission fluid was literally in the drip pan under the car, and he didn't notice anything wrong until the car had trouble shifting, he took it directly to a dealership to see their diagnosis, and a part that cost 8k to import (allegedly) had broken and needed to be ordered. We got lucky and the dealership fixed it under warranty (despite it was technically out) and got it fixed for free. However, had this not been the case we'd have obviously lost a huge amount. So there is definitely justification for the unreliable meme.

>has owned 8 bmws, all have had major problems
>"huur your poor and stupid it's your fault!"
Delusional mad fangirl detected

My personal on topic advice would be for you to try to get one with a service history and go to a local mechanic/dealership and ask if that's enough to keep the car running smoothly (obviously don't go to the one that you're buying from, though).

>but muh modern BMW is slow unreliable piece of shit with shitty steering, transmission, and engine

Yes, buddy, your 320i isn't going to be an "ultimate driving machine" because you're buying what's supposed to be an entry level luxury car.

If you really want a cheap "ultimate driving machine" type car, buy a 335i (with M and/or sport package) or something similar. Tune it yourself if you have to or try out an M3 or an M6 if you have enough money. Then tell us about how modern BMWs are trash. I know I sound like a fag but it really pains me how bus goers are shitposting about a brand that's much better than the meme.

Fuck them.

1. They all look the fucking same
2. Overpriced nazi-engineered garbage
3. Drivers are consistently a danger to all around them on the road

That's a false dichotomy.

They're reliable if you do the expensive maintenance on them. They're unreliable if you neglect the expensive maintenance on them.

>scenario one: guy is lying, hasn't actually owned 8 BMWs
>scenario two: saved money by just buying a used 50k not well maintained BMW after 75k miles cuz his old one was gonna break down since he didn't spend enough money on taking proper care of it, and is mad that he has to go through this cycle
>scenario three: the guy actually spent the money to buy all of his BMWs new, or he looked through all the service records on used models to make sure he was getting a car in perfectly serviced condition. He then made sure to continue keeping extremely good care of the car. Somehow each car he bought still broke down and he had to buy a new one. After having that much money, not only was he not smart enough to learn his lesson the first few times and tried it 8 times, but he also goes on Veeky Forums often after having the money to keep himself in non-autist company.

I'll let the intelligent user figure out which one is the most likely.

Sorry that you're retarded user

I probably goofed a model name, BMW's naming scheme is confusing to me and I only see the car when I'm at my parents' house, which is once every couple months at best.

Did some googling just now and it's the 535i.

Basically it's the sedan 5-series from that year.

Lawyers and accountants commonly give old people advice to buy a car with their money just to use up the amount that would get taxed anyway if they die, so that they can enjoy the stuff that their kids won't see regardless.

Actually all my bmw's have been under warranty. I let them go before it's up. Have two in the driveway right now. All have had several things repaired and all have been under 100k miles. I have my warranty records which I posted in the other BMW thread. Don't really mind the problems because I have other auto's and my woman mostly drives them.
When you have valve cover and charge pipes cracking with cooling system repairs which are all common the car is not reliable.

>BMW: ultimate dickhead machine
there is no in between. driven by fanbois and if you tell them their cars are a expensive german whore they get buthurt. always driven by dickheads. if you want to drive like dickhead & and live in the poor house buy a BMW

There are people like this with every fucking car. IT DEPENDS.

Take the E92 335i for instance; the models with the N54 are a money pit whereas the N55 models are VERY reliable. Do research and don't listen to anecdotal evidence or anything clearly not based on fact. Thinking of buying an F22 myself down the line, seems like the spiritual successor to the E92 335i

And this is an example of an angry, autistic fanboy who is unable to think for himself.
>someone online said BMW drivers are dicks so now I believe it holy fuck I hate them

Do you want to know who the dick actually is? The guy who's completely insecure and bases his entire worldview off parroting stereotypes and memes

1. People who live in the present
2. People who live in nostalgia

Oh really? I have both. Warranty work done on my n55. Water pump just died and expansion tank and charge pipe cracked,oil pan leaking and driver door wouldn't unlock from inside. This all at 40k.

This..I've had all kinds of different rides from GM to Jap and my bmw's are the only ones that get keyed by these fags.

1.People who buy 20 year old shitboxes
2.People who new cars and maintain them

BMW is GOAT, but don't buy one because then I won't be a special snowflake with a BMW

Speaking of shitboxes...

Yeah... it was already in bad shape when I got it, and when the gasket blew it warped the head and some other bad things. I didnt junk it willingly.

I owned an e36 and did all of the maintenance myself. If you do research before cracking open the engine it isn't that hard.

Are you fucking stupid

>paying someone to do basic maintenance on your car

Oh we sold it at around 40k miles. Not a lot of miles, but no issues with it at all.

Wait, there was some recall for a part inside the console, they just did it when I took it in for a service. The recalled part never caused me a problem so I really didnt pay any attention.

Pretty low miles, I'm actually shopping for that exact car right now. What did you sell it for?

It was a couple years ago when we sold it but about $28k.

If I was going to do it again, I would have passed on the xDrive. It had the M-Sport package, but xDrive M-Sports didnt get the lowered performance suspension of the rwd version, just the wheels/tires, seats, steering wheel, and other visual stuff.

hey,i own a 525 tds e34 1995 ... its 21 years old and 300k kilometers on it,i mean the car is normal,it never had any major issues,u dont need to cuddle it or anything just dont do any stupid shit with it,change oil frequently and be easy on the clutch throttle combo because it can wear down the clutch,mine has never been changed its still the factory one . Its consumption is alright,less than people expect usually, on open roads its 4.4 l and all combined its 6.9l.This is a diesel engine maybe a petrol uses more fuel.
of course it shows a pair of problems after 21 years , but nothing major it will run another 10 years no problems.All around reliable car from highways to rough dirty roads,many trips with it ,longest being bosnia - germany,again no issues.
sometimes i try to drift it,the suspension soaks everything up , so that means it still works normally.
Cant complain and i hope i helped someone

It's fucking impossible to find a RWD wagon in Canada. Nearly every car up here is xDrive.

Yeah I can imagine. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the xDrive, I just wanted performance suspension. Alternatively, I wouldnt have bothered with the M-Sport package if I was going stick with an xDrive. For me, the value in paying for the M-Sport was in the suspension not the visual stuff.

But either way that is all splitting hairs, I really enjoyed the car overall. The I6 engine really is great and lives up to its reputation of being smooth and free revving all the way to redline.

We only sold it because we moved to Germany for work, hence the 525d my wife has now since those aren't in NA.

I own a 03 325XI, and it's just had problems after problems. It finally kicked the bucket with cylinder 6 losing all compression. The last owner probably didn't take care of it, and stated he had some assbackward shop replace the headgasket. I learned of this after owning the car and doing research on the shop. I bet they'd do a lot better with regular good maintenance.

does doing it by yourself save time? I always thought I was "too busy" which is why I paid someone else.

Not the guy you replied to, but changing your own oil, filters, or your own brake pads and rotors definitely saves time if you know how to do them....especially brakes.

My 2 cents.
No more unreliable than the average. But when stuff goes wrong it tends to be more expensive. As forI work at a BMW dealership and work as a tech. Many parts sadly need to be ordered from Germany. I have a car that has been sitting in the back lot for a week waiting for a transmission pan, and will have to wait another week at least till the part comes in. 8k for a trans job sounds cheap from what it costs at my dealership, its nearly 6k just in labor, let alone parts. Also the warranties on most of the items that fail over time are 10 years, 100k miles past the new vehicle, or cpo warranties.

Also has to be said, if you take care of your car and do your dam oil changes, and not beat the living shit out of it, it will last. Last week I had an e90 come in for a rough idle, as he had not had an oil change done in at least 50k miles. Guy was not happy with a 15k estimate.

since you work for bmw,may i ask do you still have the old computers for diagnosis of the 1987-2000cars? my key cant get initialized and i cant use range unlocking or locking on my car,and noone in my country wants to help...the block was triggered somehow and i cant find a computer to fix it with

My dealership does. They also recently updated ISTA(diag software) to allow connection and functions back to the e30. As for getting ahold of any of that yourself I have no idea. But a good dealership should have no problem. Just find one that has a labor rate lower than mine(270 an hour.....).

I should add, my dealership targets the 750Li type of money, and the people with more M cars than they have sense. I had a B7 alpina in today for coils, and man, that thing can move it after you get around 40mph.

Which dealership? The one I work in always has Alpinas and M cars come through daily.

Braman

Nevermind, I'm in Texas, not Miami.

>270 an hour
270 Pesos?

Nope, 270 US green bills. But the customers that drop 100gs on a car dont care. BMW/MINI are the bottom brand at my dealership. A good portion of our customers have a 750L for everyday driving, and a more expensive fancy car for special occasions.

I work on much more expensive cars than you do at a lower shop rate than that and yes, customers do care. You don't become wealthy by not caring about money. Does your shop just increase the shop rate 50% for customer pay instead of flat rate times? It's hard for me to believe BMW would allow a franchise dealership to charge that much. Something in your story isn't adding up.

63% over fru time for customer pay actually. My dealership is the reason there are 10 fru in a hour, and not 8 like it used to be.

63% book time at 270/hr? Hope you are getting rich, that's straight up robbery, if this
is you it's no surprise almost every Yelp review for that shop is 1 star

Well cant speak for Miami, but im in west palm beach. And yeah the labor rate is high, but it still doesn't hurt the bottom line. Work is plentiful both warranty and customer pay, and to my experience very little in the way of comebacks. As Braman is a tier 1 dealer with bmw we have extensive goodwill, and a good portion of cp jobs get goodwill assistance for customers with multiple cars, long service history, or in cases where repairs take an extended amount of time. The high labor rate does drive some customers to Vista, but not enough to bring my flag hours per week below 50-60.

What is your hourly rate? I hope it's crazy high. Seems like a ridiculous way to run a dealership, massively overcharging on labor, but then goodwilling to make up for it, why not just operate normally?

Beats me, im not managment. Ive only been working for a year so im only at 25, but we get bonuses for flagging hours over 40 a week, bonuses for finding work that needs to be done, and for CSI scores. Goodwill isnt for everything just the customers that buy multiple cars, only service/buy from Braman, or the cases where its needed for customer service, like your car needs a part from Germany, its 3 weeks on back order.... cause that shit sucks.

One of the master techs on my team makes 150gs a year with the paychecks to prove it. My bay is next to one of the Rolls Royce master techs and he makes that and some doing what seems like 15 sunroof repairs, and an engine a week.

Sure, parts shortages suck, but it's not the job of a franchise dealership to eat part of the repair, especially when they are basically just overcharging elsewhere. Your pay is very low compared to the shop rate, the BMW and Mercedes dealerships in my area charge 180-210hr ish and techs will make 32-38hr. If you are making good hours sounds like it's not the worst deal but there's some very strange practices/economics going on at your shop.

BMW goodwill is like a warranty of sorts, repairs claimed under it are paid by BMWNA to the dealership. And it can suck if its turned goodwill at the end of the repair as parts need to be bagged, tagged and shipped to the WPRC for payment to be granted, and if you forgot that bolt along the way, no payment for you.

>goodwill assistance for customers with multiple cars,
Please explain.

Customers who have bought and or own 2 or more cars at the dealership. Customer loyalty basicly should the situation require it. Like just out of warranty or such. Like the guy with the trans issue mentioned.

>own 2 or more cars
If I show up with a z3 coupe and a poverty spec e36 do I have a chance?

Are you also getting them serviced regularly at that dealer? If not, then probably not. If yes, then you might have a shot.

>tfw see more and more of this abomination on the road
Why are people so shit

I have 2 BMWs OP, a 1990 325i (e30) and a 2000 323i Touring (E46).
The E30 has been kind of a money pit, because of old electronics and bushings being worn out, but the E46 has been extremely reliable for me only doing general maintenance. It has 180k miles and I anticipate another 100k at least on this engine.