Help me buy a new car.

[lewdog]

I think BMWs are the sexiest cars on the road. They seem well built and have great performance (so I'm told). However, it seems they have some reliability issues when you ask about them to mechanics. What's the reason for this?

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I think BMWs are the sexiest cars on the road. They seem well built and have great performance (so I'm told). However, it seems they have some reliability issues when you ask about them to mechanics. What's the reason for this?

I'm not a huge car guy, just have done a fair share of research, but I think there's some trade off between performance and reliability.

For example, the 2s we're talking about, one has 240 hp turbocharged 4 cylinder (and from what I've read, BMW underrates hp for some reason... some think it's more like 270), and people are getting ~26-28 mpg. The 235 gets 230 hp (again, probably low) with 6 cylinders and people are getting ~24-25mpg.

I assume Toyota isn't using turbochargers and 8 speed dual clutches with optional AWD, etc; in their most reliable cars.

I read one article that was kind of vague, but mentioned 1 in 27 BMWs have a powertrain issue in the first 50,000 miles, compared to 1 in 80-100 for reliable models, and I think Toyota was something like 1 in 172. Granted, "6 times more likely" is a pretty big difference, you're still talking about a 4% chance that your BMW is going to the shop for a powertrain issue in the first 50,000 miles. It's not nearly as awesome as others, but it's not like it's incredibly unreliable, either.

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I think BMWs are the sexiest cars on the road. They seem well built and have great performance (so I'm told). However, it seems they have some reliability issues when you ask about them to mechanics. What's the reason for this?

This is actually an excellent question - Let me go through a few things - it's pretty tough to give you a simple answer.

First of all - Audi issues > than BMW's - and I've owned more than one of both makes.

My main things I find troublesome w/ BMW's are their lamps - I have lights go out often - that's tedious and an overall pain in the ass - Generally very little w/ the engine - NOW - with that said - there's a certain trade-off between engineered cars that are designed to give you massive pull and great ability to be nimble while in one, on the road; they'll never offer the dependability of a Japanese make, mainly due to the extra strain and stress. The Germans can design better than most any other Country regarding auto's - however the more ridged and the more the engine(s) perform the harder it is on the Full Monty. So I'm no expert - and my terms may've been somewhat off - but hoping that makes at least SOME sense. Basically w/ big bad ass motors - or - turbo'd out vehicles - there will always be more strain on the other end, so that's my opinion as to why... Hopefully that helps some.