OT: BMW folks get at me

[Hank Scorpio]

So we have an addition coming later this year and the wife's jetta is on its last legs. I was hoping to give her my Outback and pick this up for myself. I do basic maintenance myself, oil change, tune up, brakes but the major stuff will have to go in to the shop. I have a local independent guy I use. He has a snap on chest that is actually longer than the outback so I know he has the tools and electronics to service this car. Anyone have any advice?

http://www.peruzzibuickgmc.com/VehicleDetails/used-2011-BMW-328i_xDrive-Sports_Wagon-Fairless_Hills-PA/2851973633

[Ken Robb]

That's low mileage and has the lovely straight six w/o turbos to go bad. They drive very well. You can plan on replacing cooling system components at around 60-70,000 miles. Radiator, water pump, thermostat for sure. Since BMW began including scheduled maintenance for 4 years their recommended intervals got WAY longer. Mike Miller is a wrench who serves as tech advisor/columnist for BMWCCA. He gives away lists of his "OLD School Maintenance" which is a good one to follow if you plan to keep the car past 100,000 miles.

There are a few other niggling bits like window regulators that will fail by 75,000 miles but many people think the driving dynamics are worth the hassle.

[Tickdoc]

Big bimmer wagon fan here. There is a little buyer beware. For example, when I typed bimmer, it was autocorrected to bummer;-)

Just pay attention to the maintenance, buy genuine BMW parts ONLY, and prepare to pay a little more if and when something goes wrong.

Nice looking spertwagon, and best of luck.

[pjm]

Nice car, and very low mileage. I love the touring. Hey Ken, isn't it the E46 that has the cooling system issues? I think the E90s are much better in that regard. The cooling system components on my 08' (just hit 80k) seem to be holding up fine, along with the window regulators. Mine is the naturally aspirated inline 6, also. I've had to address a couple of oil leaks, and all six coil packs were replaced free of charge at about 75,000 miles. (extended warranty on the coil packs on SULEV engines, which was a pleasant surprise.) . Other than that it's been routine maintenance. I purchased it new and it's been a pretty great car. Mine is a 6 speed, rear wheel drive.

Oh yeah, I just put a new battery in it. The original one was eight years old and still working, but I wasn't going to gamble with it any longer. $300!

[mtechnica]

Even if it costs more than a Subaru to maintain its well worth it compared to the alternative.

In my experience bmws are generally reliable but require more maintenance than Japanese cars, but they aren't bad to work on and maintaining a BMW is at least a rewarding experience.

[peanutgallery]

If you want it, buy it. No need for our collective affirmation. Just keep in mind, there's nothing more expensive than cheap german:)

Now, if your interested in 57 Olds...pm me:)

They make a great daily driver

[Ken Robb]

e36 and e46 had cooling systems designed for short lives in order that they be light and easily recyclable so brass radiators became aluminum and plastic, etc. At that point I lost interest in owning BMWs though I still enjoy driving them. Friends with newer models have had to replace high pressure fuel pumps, turbochargers, oil separators, and other pricy parts. BMW has been fairly generous in extending warranty coverage for some of these parts.

When I bought my first BMW (1985 535i) it was in my opinion way better than any other sedan available for a guy who liked to drive. Now there are so many stock sedans/coupes with far more available performance than we can ever use on the road that I wonder how anyone NEEDS more than a Mazda 3 or 6.

[estilley]

My E39 is about to hit 200k. It's getting scary. Great car though!


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[572cv]

We have the same wagon, 2012, but it's a six speed. 95k now, been very good. I found it for wife ( second hand at 48k), she loves the car. I do too when I get to drive it. I have nothing exceptional to report by way of problems. We do the maintenance at the local bmw place, a good dealer. I'd have to say yours looks like a good deal.

[witcombusa]

e36 and e46 had cooling systems designed for short lives in order that they be light and easily recyclable so brass radiators became aluminum and plastic, etc. At that point I lost interest in owning BMWs though I still enjoy driving them. Friends with newer models have had to replace high pressure fuel pumps, turbochargers, oil separators, and other pricy parts. BMW has been fairly generous in extending warranty coverage for some of these parts.

When I bought my first BMW (1985 535i) it was in my opinion way better than any other sedan available for a guy who liked to drive. Now there are so many stock sedans/coupes with far more available performance than we can ever use on the road that I wonder how anyone NEEDS more than a Mazda 3 or 6.

I'm with you on at least this part. I've had firsthand experience of long ownership of e30, e36 and e46 3-Series cars. Each one felt a little 'cheaper', more disposable and less German than the one before it. My favorite Bimmer remains my '87 325is...

[AngryScientist]

i've got an e90 coupe (e92). mine is a 6-sp. mine is on bmw sport suspension. it's a solid platform with a bulletproof engine and trans, but mine has some electrical gremlins. traction control, adaptive headlights, cruise control, coolant sensors, etc etc.

i've never driven an AWD BMW, which i believe throws the weight distribution off just a hair, but even so - expect that car to drive with MUCH better dynamics than your current outback.

bottom line is a BMW is a great car, will drive fantastically, especially if you do some "spirited" driving, and just feel better than the subaru equivalent, but make no mistake - it is not an "set it and forget it" appliance like a japanese made car generally is, it will require periodic attention, and the money outlay that goes with it.

good luck, that's a good price for such a low mileage example.

[Britishbane]

E90 4 door sedan owner here. I must be lucky because this car has been utterly bombproof. I have the base model w/ 6spd manual transmission and the lovely inline 6. I've had a window regulator fail and replaced the spark plugs in 95K miles. That's it. Perhaps the base'ness of my car has helped its longevity. There are less (complicated) parts to fail.

[skiezo]

My 04 E46 has be super reliable. I had the coolant expansion tank start to leak at 130K and had my local indie do the complete cooling system as a PM.
In the 7 years that I have had the car it has been super reliable. Cooling system and oil separator and window reg. It is going on 160K and still has the original clutch that is still strong. Mine is a 330CI coupe w/5speed manual and sport package. It down right like to go fast and handles like nothing else.
The E90 NA are also great cars and will last without major issues. That 3.0L is a great powerplant and pulls stronger that the rated HP. They like to stay in the mid to upper RPM range,say from 3700 to 6000. Dont take off the DSC in the rain tho:no:.

[Schmed]

I've had a bunch of BMWs including an E90 (E91 in your case). It's a rock solid car. I typically hold out for the sport package version and manual, but I don't think they offered a manual in the E91.... or did they? Either way, I HIGHLY recommend a PPI from a good, independent BMW shop before you buy. At the very least, they'll give you a list of little things that can help you negociate the price down. Or... maybe they'd find something big that keeps you from spending $$$ down the road.

I've had great, reliable results from our BMWs over the years, and do a fair amount of work on my own. I say "go for it" and enjoy the drive!

witcombusa - that's a great 325is. Going up in value, I'd guess? I've got similar E30, but with a bit of fender flare ;)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j192/schmed123/GBMA8243_zpscxzujfeg.jpg

[adrien]

Open to alternatives?

I just looked into the value of our current car -- MB e350 wagon. You can get a 4-5 year old one for about 30k. It's a full size bigger than the 3 series -- equivalent to a 5. If our experience is any indication, very reliable.

[malcolm]

I think it depends on you. I've owned a bunch of bimmers. Mostly Ms, several M 3s and a couple M 5s a 540-i 6speed. All were good cars but different. I'm a bigger fan of the straight 6 cars. The V8 5s while very powerful were more like refined american muscle cars but not as much fun to drive as the 6cyl cars.

My all time favorite was a '93 or '95 M3. Great car, very well balanced and responsive, but only 240hp.

If you like to drive and enjoy time spent driving get the BMW, if driving is just a necessary evil or just to get you from point A to point B then I wouldn't do it. There are many Japanese cars that will fit that bill and do it much more cheaply.

[witcombusa]

I think it depends on you. I've owned a bunch of bimmers. Mostly Ms, several M 3s and a couple M 5s a 540-i 6speed. All were good cars but different. I'm a bigger fan of the straight 6 cars. The V8 5s while very powerful were more like refined american muscle cars but not as much fun to drive as the 6cyl cars.

My all time favorite was a '93 or '95 M3. Great car, very well balanced and responsive, but only 240hp.

If you like to drive and enjoy time spent driving get the BMW, if driving is just a necessary evil or just to get you from point A to point B then I wouldn't do it. There are many Japanese cars that will fit that bill and do it much more cheaply.


This is it in a nutshell!

[VTCaraco]

We picked up an enthusiast-owned 04 330xi with the premium sport package a year ago to the day. This was the number-3 to accommodate the 3 drivers and the supplement to the pick-up truck and 13 Subaru Outback.
It hasn't been free to own with the CV joint and fuel pump failing, but we basically arm-wrestle who gets to drive it and after most drives there's some mention of how much we like to drive it. Seats, power, and handling are just a pleasure.
The Subaru gets better mileage, but feels underpowered and so much more vague in handling that it really is just a means of moving us from point A to point B.

I think witcombusa framed it perfectly, in suggesting that it comes down to the value you put on the driving experience compared to the utilitarian side of things.
There's other options for sure, but for us and our values, we're very pleased with our decision.

[Ken Robb]

I'm with you on at least this part. I've had firsthand experience of long ownership of e30, e36 and e46 3-Series cars. Each one felt a little 'cheaper', more disposable and less German than the one before it. My favorite Bimmer remains my '87 325is...

325is is a wonderful car and their prices are rising as more people realize that. I tried very hard to convince myself that the back seat would be just fine for my real estate clients but I wasn't that dumb. I loved my 1985 535i and so did my clients.

[bitt3n]

I'm with you on at least this part. I've had firsthand experience of long ownership of e30, e36 and e46 3-Series cars. Each one felt a little 'cheaper', more disposable and less German than the one before it. My favorite Bimmer remains my '87 325is...

funny, my first car was this exact model, 325is, same year, same color. I'd never driven stick before and shortly after I bought it, I forgot to set the parking brake while parked at the top of a very gentle grade. The car rolled off a small cliff and I needed to hire a big fancy crane-like tow truck to retrieve it. Still drove fine.

Eventually I sold and it promptly caught on fire and the new owner had to call the fire dept to put it out.

[Hank Scorpio]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I am coming off a 09 Mini so compared to that the subaru is about exciting as a fart in church. Like many have said I could just get a CX-5 or Tuscon and be done but I am sure they are about as fun to drive as the outback.

[pjm]

Actually, Car and Driver has praised the hell out of the CX-5 for it's driving dynamics. It drives like a Mazda car.

[Ralph]

That seems to be a loaded model....with all the electronics plus AWD. Mostly beyond a do it your mechanic. I'm sure the basics are solid, and the vehicles have a good reputation, but make sure you are ready for BMW prices on the electronic fixes...even at a local garage.

[Ken Robb]

I just got latest Motor Trend and the CX-5 won a comparo of compact ute/crossovers with rave reviews for its driving dynamics. We have 2014 Mazda 3 w/ the same 2.5l engine and 6 speed auto and it drives a lot like BMW. I'd drive a CX-5 before deciding but I'd hurry up because you may not find a BMW wagon this nice for a long time and it would be a shame to lose it to another buyer.

[Gummee]

They're not called 'Bring More Wallet' for nothing. Just got the starter replaced on my X3. WHOLESALE on the starter was $200. Paid another $270 for labor 'cause evidently you need to pull the intake.

So, before you dive in, make sure you can afford the repairs.

M