Do you like BMWs?
Yes
No
Nope. Too high a cost of ownership for my taste.
Why do you ask?
No. If I could afford to buy one then I couldn’t afford to own it.
To drive: yes.
To own: no.
To own past the warranty: no no no no NO!
Nope.
Nice car to drive when it is brand new. Horrible car to fix.
I don’t but my son does. I advised that he get rid of it before the warranty expires.
Yes. I find them quite profitable.
Actually, I do like them compared to others in that class. If I were to want a Euro car, I’d choose BMW over Mercedes, Volvo, Saab, Jaguar, or Audi/VW for reliability and ease of service. But that’s just my experience, purely anecdotal and not backed up by facts.
There is a distinctly higher cost of ownership for associated with these cars compared to a Ford or Toyota, and there’s no way around that.
Of the 25+ cars I’ve owned in my 40+ years of driving, the five BMWs have been the most reliable and fun to drive cars ever.
Yes, if you give it to me for free:)
They are fun to drive. I like the older ones with less electrical stuff (idrive?).
Have a friend that works in the BMW dealership parts counter and he always quotes the crazy prices on parts and fluids. He is the reason I have not bought one yet.
I love mine and it has been reliable. It’s funny that most people that dump on them have never owned one.
You don’t have to own one to know how they are.
I know lots of neighbors and co-workers at University who are into European “prestige” brands.
I have a 94 BMW and it still drives like a new car:)
“There is a distinctly higher cost of ownership for associated with these cars compared to a Ford or Toyota…”
That’s an unfair comparison. I think that BMWs should be compared to other luxury cars, like Lincoln and Lexus. Even a high reliability luxury car like a Lexus is more expensive to keep than many lower cost cars like Ford and Honda (and Toyota).
I also think that how well a car holds up is directly related to how well it is maintained. A well maintained BMW can be trouble-free.
“I know lots of neighbors and co-workers at University who are into European “prestige” brands”.
We had quite a few administrators at the University from which I retired after 44 years. We figured that the administrators bought the BMW because they had to register their cars for parking permits and the BMW was the only make whose name they could spell.
Old BMWs are not to be found. They turn into rubbish seemingly as quickly as every other brand. I owned two BMW motorcycles; liked them a lot but never felt moved to buy a BMW car.
@Wha Who–“Old BMWs are not to be found. They turn into rubbish seemingly as quickly as every other brand”.
Yes, I think I read in the Good Book that the Lord sends his rust on the just and the unjust.
I’ve loved my 2000 328i manual. I bought it new, love the way it drives, and don’t think it has required an unusually high level of maintenance. (Biggest complaint: low-profile tires and the corresponding need to replace wheels.) But at 83,000 miles I think I’m going to want a new car (odd old-car things, like front suspension beginning to make strange groaning noises) and don’t know if I want to buy another because of all of the changes–no oil dipstick, front accident-avoidance system that BMW salesmen told me can be erroneously triggered by dirty sensors, window controls now on the door rather than the console. I didn’t especially like the 2011 I drove during a repair last fall, but of course it was an automatic. Any thoughts on new BMWs v. old ones?
On a cost per mile basis to own and operate, they are near the bottom of the list…But the 3-series sports models ARE a lot of fun to drive…