I have been observing the threads in this forum for a while now and one thing bothers me. People call these cars unreliable because they require more maintenance then other models (with less performance). BMW makes excellent cars however it has always been known that they require extra maintenance. You have to remember that you may have paid $14000 dollars for a car used but is still a 40k +- machine. As the cars get older the price of admission goes down however it still costs the same to play the game. As the performance of anything increases the maintenance also increases. My 2 cents.

:woot: Amen brother, go tell it on the mountain to steal a quote out of Judge Dred. You are one hundred percent correct, I don't know why folks think in such simple terms. High end automobiles demand maintenance and up-keep in order to keep them performing at the highest standard. I don't think they understand that superior parts working with and against superior parts will wear out and need to be replaced. If you can't afford the price of the show, drive a Honda, Nissan or a Toyota. BMW is a high-end European performance sports car. It's tuned to produce euphoria and ultimate driving satisfaction, however the trade-off is a cost to your wallet, maintenance is something you plan, that's why there are Scheduled service intervals. If you wait until something breaks, you're not doing your due diligence and protecting your investment. Just my two and a half cents worth. Happy Motoring...
:redspot

:woot: Amen brother, go tell it on the mountain to steal a quote out of Judge Dred. You are one hundred percent correct, I don't know why folks think in such simple terms. High end automobiles demand maintenance and up-keep in order to keep them performing at the highest standard. I don't think they understand that superior parts working with and against superior parts will wear out and need to be replaced. If you can't afford the price of the show, drive a Honda, Nissan or a Toyota. BMW is a high-end European performance sports car. It's tuned to produce euphoria and ultimate driving satisfaction, however the trade-off is a cost to your wallet, maintenance is something you plan, that's why there are Scheduled service intervals. If you wait until something breaks, you're not doing your due diligence and protecting your investment. Just my two and a half cents worth. Happy Motoring...
:redspot

Im with you man. If you do the maintenance BEFORE things break its no big deal. I am currently driving my 1st BMW and I can tell you with out a doubt I will never drive another brand if its under my control. It's worth the extra money (honestly not that much more) when you smooth through the gears on a windy Tennessee road in the fall. :buttrock

I absolutely 100% agree, but you simply can't use the high-end car argument when you have a brand like Lexus whose cars, for some amazing reason, manage to be, for the most part, completely problem-free. Now, Lexii (?) don't handle nearly as well as BMWs, even their supposed "sport" models like the IS/GS, so you're really paying for the high-performance aspect of it when you buy BMW. But to say there are no ultra-reliable luxury vehicles is a fallacy. It just totally depends on what you're looking for. :)

And yeah, preventative maintenance on German cars will usually be sufficient...they rarely "break down" like American cars. But, if you skimp on even the most seemingly insignificant maintenance item (e.g. cooling system components), you'll be in for a nasty surprise on the freeway one day.

Agreed.