Newer BMW 5's - reliable or not?

[jramire2]

I'm kind of having a dilemma. I've been wanting to get a new (for me) car for a while, but I really can't make up my mind. For the longest time I was considering getting an Acura TSX, a good looking (IMO) mid sized sedan that would be reliable, large enough for my wife & I (and in a few months our first baby), yet still stylish.

But I really like the looks of the new BMW 3's and, w/my wife having an older 3 in the past, have decided that the new 3's won't be big enough.

So, I'm considering a used 5 series, 2004 or newer since that's when the new bodystyle came out, but a bit bigger. Used, obviously, w/ under 40k or so. I've found I can get one for under $25k if I look hard enough.

My hesitancy is this; my wife had a 1999 328 when we first met, she got it w/about 40k on it. It ended up being a completely unreliable car before it even got to 105k. She ended up spending a small fortune on getting the front suspension maintained, and the transmission practically fell out on the way to trade it in.

Meanwhile, I'm used to my old *** college car, a 98 nissan frontier pickup that's cosmetically jacked (hail damage, no powersteering, no rear bumper) but is absolutely bulletproof when it comes to reliability. In the 95k that I've driven it, I've replaced the tires, brakes, and changed the oil and that's it.

So what's everyones opinion? Did we just get a lemon w/the first bmw we owned, or should I expect these kinds of problems w/most of them and just go for the TSX? I'd like to hear from some current and/or previous bmw owners if possible.

I was also considering getting a 2004 325 or 330. It was the last year that specific body style was sold and I'm thinking maybe by then they'd gotten all the kinks out of it (before restyling it in 2005). thoughts?

 

[Groundhog]

I'd go with the Acura. It may be like apples & oranges, but my brother-in-law's 5-series (which I think is an '02 or '03) has been kind of a pain for him with tranny issues as well as motor mounts. I've got and '03 MDX which gives me no trouble at all.

 

[sparkchaser]

My 3 series has been pretty bulletproof. All of the 3 series owners I know (E30, E36, and E46) have not had many issues with their cars. A friend of mine has owned two 5 series (both E34 - sexiest 5 series body ever) and they have had some issues. It has been my experience that the manual transmissions are several orders of magnitude more reliable than automatics.

The maintenance on preowned BMWs is essential to success when buying used.

If you do go with a BMW again, do yourself a favor and join the BMW CCA and take advantage of the local club.

 

[ouch]

At the end of Sept, a BMW 5 series slammed into the back of my Prius. When I arrived at the scene, I was surprising at how well my car survived the crash, and how poorly the beemer fared. Admittedly, I had 12K in damage, and my family walked off relatively unscathed (Mrs. O got banged up pretty bad, and her neck will never be the same), but the other guy's car was totalled.

 

[BD1970]

I've never owned a BMW or Acura but Acura is made by Honda which are some of the most reliable, bulletproof cars on the road today. So I vote for the Acura.

 

[letterk]

My next car will probably be a TL. I've heard enough horror stories from my mechanics about BMW's that I won't even think about buying one.

 

[Suzuki]

I've not owned a BMW, but from the experiences with my wife's VW Passat (I know, not the same manufacturer and in a different snack bracket), I will not be buying another German-made car.

Lots of repairs (all of which are costly!) of things that should never have gone wrong/broken in the first place. My Subaru has been much more reliable than my wife's car and it has double the milage (140,000 km vs the 70,000 km on my wife's car).

If and when I look to buy something more upscale (which I likely won't do, since I view cars as rolling appliances, as opposed to status symbols), I'll look at Accura and Lexus first.

Just my $0.02.

 

[bmwe28m5]

I think a lot of the general E60 quirks are finally being ironed out, which is too bad considering the F10, the next 5er chassis, is coming up in about two and a half years.

I owned a 06 550i until about a year ago when I purchased a 08 M5. The 06-07 M5s had a big problem with their SMG transmission software and I think there was a hardware issue. Regardless, BMW fixed the issue.

The moonroof assembly had an issue on the earlier years, can be replaced under warranty. Neither my 550i or M5 had the problem. Another problem was with teh Active Steering, but I havent had the problem. I think some people said they had defective door seals.

The E60 has tons of electronics and it has i-Drive, which some people like and most people dont. I dont see what the problem is, then again, Im not goofing around with gadgets while I drive, unlike a lot of people. The amount of electronics isnt a big issue, considering the E34 chassis (1989-1995.5) had about as much wiring as the E60 does.

In general, BMWs cost a lot to repair and that is not because of the parts. I know the two local CO BMW dealers charge in the $110/hr range for labor. I had a rebuild on an E34 M5 that cost me about $4,500 in parts to completely rebuild myself; having somebody else rebuild the engine would have cost in the $13-17,000 range. The dealers are called "stealers" for a reason and the BMW CCA ombudsman is a total crock. Ferrari of Denver charges under $80/hr. The E60 isnt a DIY car.

That said, I have found BMW to be reliable. One key is to drive often. When I leave home for a vacation for a long period of time, my father or a friend comes over and turns on the cars and drives them for a bit.

 

[jramire2]

My next car will probably be a TL. I've heard enough horror stories from my mechanics about BMW's that I won't even think about buying one.

My thoughts exactly. I like the TL as well, but it's just a bit too big for me. My only real concern w/the TSX is that after test driving a couple, they don't seem to have enough power. Granted, I'm going from a *** 4cyl truck that has about 98hp, but I was hoping for something w/a little pep.

I've not owned a BMW, but from the experiences with my wife's VW Passat (I know, not the same manufacturer and in a different snack bracket), I will not be buying another German-made car.

Lots of repairs (all of which are costly!) of things that should never have gone wrong/broken in the first place. My Subaru has been much more reliable than my wife's car and it has double the milage (140,000 km vs the 70,000 km on my wife's car).

If and when I look to buy something more upscale (which I likely won't do, since I view cars as rolling appliances, as opposed to status symbols), I'll look at Accura and Lexus first.

Just my $0.02.

My moms got a VW beetle and she's had tons of problems w/it (and she drives about 8k/year), or else I would've considered the Passat. She had an old '83 subaru that lasted forever w/very few problems. Likewise, that also nixes the possibility of an Audi since them & VW are sister co's.

I really miss the luxury and feel of my wifes old 3, but at the same time I don't think I really want to risk the high $ of an unreliable car. I read a year or two ago (I think it was from JD Power or something) that domestic vehicles had surpassed european cars in reliability and (obviously) Japanese cars were still the best in reliability.

And I agree w/you that cars are a means of transportation and that's it, but part of the reason I'm getting a new car is for functionality purposes (eg, we've got a baby on the way and I've only got a two seater truck) and at the same time I've been driving vehicles that were purchased only (and I really mean only, did I mention my truck has no power steering or rear bumper) as a means to an end (cheap, reliable, functional) for the better part of my adult life. It's time to get something a little nicer, but not so nice I'll be stressing out about where to park it, etc. I'd settle for an accord, but they're just a little too common for me, too vanilla if you understand. I'm not one for status symbols, but if I'm going to plunk down $20k+ for a new car, I want to at least like what it looks like.

I'd consider Lexus, but the ES300 isn't sporty enough, the older IS300's are nice but too small, and the newer IS250s and IS350's are beautiful, but out of my price range.

I think I'll take another TSX for a test drive and see if my intial "not enough power" take on them was just a fluke. Thanks for the thoughts guys.

 

[Suzuki]

If you've got a baby on the way, forget about sporty, its all about trunk space!

A key criteria for you is whether your stroller will fit into the trunk with room for some groceries and a diaper bag - I'm serious about this - the last thing you want is to buy a car and then realize you can't fit the stroller into the trunk.

I would seriously consider bringing a large stroller with you when testing vehicles.

This is the reason why I have a wagon - I never have to worry about trunk space or digging anything out of a trunk.

Now my Subaru ain't sexy, but I will consider replacing it with another Subaru wagon - but I'll get the 250hp turbo model this time!

 

[Bahamianlvr]

Thank you for this thread Joshua. I was seriously looking for a minty 2003 E39 (I hate the new body style) and this is really going to make me look long and hard to see if I still want to do that. I've always been a Japanese owner and love the fact that they are bulletproof. I can do no wrong in my Civic coupe's eyes.

 

[letterk]

If you've got a baby on the way, forget about sporty, its all about trunk space!

A key criteria for you is whether your stroller will fit into the trunk with room for some groceries and a diaper bag - I'm serious about this - the last thing you want is to buy a car and then realize you can't fit the stroller into the trunk.

I would seriously consider bringing a large stroller with you when testing vehicles.

This is the reason why I have a wagon - I never have to worry about trunk space or digging anything out of a trunk.

Now my Subaru ain't sexy, but I will consider replacing it with another Subaru wagon - but I'll get the 250hp turbo model this time!

GREAT point! It's amazing how much "stuff" you need to bring with a baby.

 

[jramire2]

If you've got a baby on the way, forget about sporty, its all about trunk space!

A key criteria for you is whether your stroller will fit into the trunk with room for some groceries and a diaper bag - I'm serious about this - the last thing you want is to buy a car and then realize you can't fit the stroller into the trunk.

I would seriously consider bringing a large stroller with you when testing vehicles.

This is the reason why I have a wagon - I never have to worry about trunk space or digging anything out of a trunk.

Now my Subaru ain't sexy, but I will consider replacing it with another Subaru wagon - but I'll get the 250hp turbo model this time!

Good point, I may end up looking at the TL after all.

 

[letterk]

Good point, I may end up looking at the TL after all.

Or the MDX!

We sold our Accord 1.5 years ago and bought a Pilot because number 2 was on the way. The extra space is used frequently.

 

[Daves]

Where I live it is 80-100 miles to the nearest BMW dealer. I was thinking about buying a 5 but I don't hear good things about their reliablity and I just don't have the ambition to go all that distance for an oil change.

Best,

DaveS

 

[jramire2]

Or the MDX!

We sold our Accord 1.5 years ago and bought a Pilot because number 2 was on the way. The extra space is used frequently.

I'd consider an SUV, but we just bought the wife a brand new Jeep Patriot a few months ago. We have NEVER bought new before, but we got a great deal through the Costco program, and almost all Jeeps now come w/a no-dedcutible lifetime powertrain warranty. Many of our family members on both sides have had great luck w/jeeps. We got the limited, w/leather and all the bells & whistles, and we've been getting around 24/25mpg w/all city driving. It's not as luxurious as other vehicles, but it's still really nice, especially for a Jeep.

 

[BMWRider]

Funny with all the BMW bashing going on here, I have an opposite experience. My motorcycle is a dream, after owning Hondas, Yamahas and Kawasakis, the BMW is by far the finest machine I have ever ridden. It is reliable and bullet proof. My wife drives a 1994 325ic that has over 140,000 miles and has never given us grief. The Mazda died at 90,000 and the Nissan died at about the same. A 2007 JD Powers reliability study indicated the days of Japanese exclusively owning the reliability trait is essentially a thing of the past. American cars have improved to the point where they are not only competitive but rival the Japanese. Lexus and Buick were tied for first place, followed by Cadillac and Mercury.

I am a bit of a shade tree mechanic, and perhaps my maintenance schedule is part of the reason why, but I am a huge fan of the Bavarian product. I cannot comment on Volkswagens, Audis, or any of that ilk.

 

[analog_kid]

At the end of Sept, a BMW 5 series slammed into the back of my Prius. When I arrived at the scene, I was surprising at how well my car survived the crash, and how poorly the beemer fared. Admittedly, I had 12K in damage, and my family walked off relatively unscathed (Mrs. O got banged up pretty bad, and her neck will never be the same), but the other guy's car was totalled.

Jay, I just can't picture you in a Prius!