My wife and I are looking into purchasing a new vehicle during the next three months and we are both really partial to BMW 3-series between 2004 and 2006. We did have a few questions, though: first, when we tell anyone that we're looking at BMWs they tell us that they cost a small fortune to repair. Is this true? Are there many "dealer only" repairs? Second, we want to know about reliability. Have these generally been good cars, or have people had problems with them?

Any help or advice would be great. Thank you.

They are very reliable cars however when something does go then it does cost a pretty penny to fix. I think pretty much any repair can be done at a bmw independent shop and I would venture to say they do a better job sometimes then the dealer.

warranty is your best friend

warranty is your best friendAgreed, also, find a CPO M3.

very reliable but can cost out the ass to repair if you dont maintain them and treat them properly, take it from me lol

My wife and I are looking into purchasing a new vehicle during the next three months and we are both really partial to BMW 3-series between 2004 and 2006. We did have a few questions, though: first, when we tell anyone that we're looking at BMWs they tell us that they cost a small fortune to repair. Is this true? Are there many "dealer only" repairs? Second, we want to know about reliability. Have these generally been good cars, or have people had problems with them?

Any help or advice would be great. Thank you.

Obviously you want to buy the newest, lowest milage 3 series you can afford. If you can find a CPO car or a private party car with both the extended warrantee & extended maintenance, that's the way forward. BMW warrantees are fully transferable, they follow the car not the owner. An '06 would still have 2 years (aprox) factory warrantee. If you buy from a dealer and the car is not CPO, they may offer a 3rd party extended warrantee. If you're financing the purchase though a credit union, they usually offer extended warrantees as well. It's important to make sure that the dealer where your BMW will be serviced accepts the warrantee, so do, some don't. All these warrantee options will help to defray repair costs. Check dealerrater.com or the local bmw forums to see which dealers to avoid, if you have a choice. If you don't have a choice of dealerships, or even if you do, getting a "good" Service Advisor aka SA, is the most important factor in getting problems resolved quickly. The other option is to take the money you would have spent on an extended warrantee and put it in an interest baring "just in case" account. Find a local independent bmw shop with a good reputation (check the BBB) and have the car serviced and repaired there. I've found that a six-pack of good German beer with a "thank you" note for the technicians goes a long way. However, as you're in UT perhaps something else would be in order.

Which ever option presents itself, the most important thing you can do to mitigate expensive repairs is to pay for a pre-purchase inspection aka PPI, on any car you're serious about buying. They run about $125 in my area, it's cheap insurance. If you're buying private party, service records are essential as well. BMW are very reliable if they've been properly serviced and maintained. If not, little things can turn into big, expensive things quickly. Finally, join the BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA), it's a great resource and your membership card gets you 10-20% off parts and/or service at many BMW dealers and independent shops around the country. If you do join, say I referred you. My membership # is 353976.

Good luck and happy hunting.

My wife and I are looking into purchasing a new vehicle during the next three months and we are both really partial to BMW 3-series between 2004 and 2006. We did have a few questions, though: first, when we tell anyone that we're looking at BMWs they tell us that they cost a small fortune to repair. Is this true? Are there many "dealer only" repairs? Second, we want to know about reliability. Have these generally been good cars, or have people had problems with them?

Any help or advice would be great. Thank you.

I have owned 3 different BMW's. I think they are reliable. Though, one thing I did wish I would have researched was the cost of owning an E46 M3. The regular 3 series was much cheaper to own. So, you may want to look at the cost to maintain a M3 if you are thinking about buying one. My .02 worth.....Good luck with your search.

I'm on my first BMW (2002 M3) and I'm very happy with it. I did buy it from a dealer which I recommend as well as the extended warranty.

My previous '02 325cic was as reliable as the sunrise. My current '05 has been a somewhat different experience. In my first 10 months of ownership, it went into the shop 9 times and I just replaced the tranny at 30k...not the hydraulic pump, the entire freakin' tranny! I like to think I take care of my cars and have even been found washing them in the garage when it's raining outside (it's a sickness, I'm seeking treatment).

That said, it's safe to say there are few cars that drive like an M3. If you really like to drive, few offer the kind of tactile feedback these cars do. As long as you get a warranty or CPO, you should be fine.

Agreed, also, find a CPO M3.

Noob question... what is "CPO"?

Certified Pre-Owned, carries 100K mile limited warrantee, read about it here: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/CPO/Default.aspx

The 3 series is the baby of BMW. It's their most solid model. It's what makes and defines BMW. I fell in Love with BMW by buying my wife a 92 325is a few years ago. She put 220,000 miles on the car and the only thing we ever did to it was put front shocks on it. Never sank another penny in it. It ran perfect from day one, up until the day someone hit her and crunched the car. I just couldn't believe the reliability and driveability of the car. I fell so in love with that old car that I sold my brand new 2005 WS6 Trans Am for a 96 328is. I am a road demon, i put about 3000+ miles a month on my car for work reasons. She's sitting at 185000 miles right now and I just put rear shocks on it and about 6 months ago a new battery. We replaced the wrecked car with a new X3, and I have since bought a 2005 M3 for the weekends. As far as expensive to repair. An E46 M3 out of warranty could break you. An e36 or e36 M3 is very affordable. I luckily happened to have found an excellent mechanic [BMW fanatic himself] where I live and he charges next to nothing to work on the car. The two OEM shocks and bushings and everything was 320$. I would definitely recommend finding someone other then the dealership to work on your car when out of warranty. Now to everyone else's point, yes you want to maintain the car. Maintenance is key, if you let it go, the car will hate you for it!

Once you get one, you'll get the bug, then you'll be like us, because you'll become one of us... :eyecrazy

You may want to check out http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/1812

My family being the germans they are have owned various BMWs since the '70s.. the only one I can say was a total dog was the E32.

If you are going to own the car outside of warranty you will need to be a true enthusiast ;).