as an owner of a BMW i must say this.....Yes they are a very well built vehicle, BUT they are not for the average owner/driver. They will last you a great deal and can take a good amount of abuse but the most important thing is to stay up with their maintenance schedule or they will fall to pieces.
One must maintain the Beemers, and maintenance is expensive. If one keeps maintenance up the BMW is a pleasure to drive and won't let you down. My wife drives a 525 i, and I drive a Z4. Very happy with them.
I am not loyal to one brand or another, but I have had amazing luck with the chev ls based v8's, dodges 4.7 ohc v8, and the lexus 4.0 v8, for the most part, the only thing i seem to break is auto transmissions, I have no luck with fwd cars with an auto, I dont know why.
For many years I have said buy American owned and built vehicles. They are much better than they used to be, even 5 years ago. I still believe that. Because it puts more money back in the American economy. Most of the profit from foreign owned goes back to the country that owns it. That is helping to share the wealth like many are complaining about. But if you can't bring yourself to do that, just try and buy one made here. That at least puts Americans to work. Don't let it end with just cars. We can bring back this economy if we're just more aware of what we buy. Much like your major appliances. LG and Samsung has got a real price war going against American manufactures, trying to take over the major appliance business. None of them are made in America and it has caused companies like Whirlpool to close two major factories in the US and move to Mexico to compete with them. One was here ever sense the 1950's. It has devastated this small town in Indiana which was their major employer. Your buying habits do have a major impact on our economy. People need to realize that. Apple is bringing back a factory that was in Japan. They compete with several other manufactures. We know they make a good product. Keep it in mind the next cell phone you buy. Kitchenaid has also brought back a hand mixer plant. GE has brought back their hybrid hot water heater and is bringing back some of their major appliances. Don't be fooled by store brand names like Kenmore. Most of their appliances are LG or Samsung, but not all.
Land Rover, not Range Rover. And it was the Discovery model which had the well-publicised issues. Nothing wrong with Volkswagen products either.
A friend owns a 5 series turbo diesel with over 200k on the clock and still going strong. One issue with the gearbox was easily sorted.
Consumer Reports wouldn't know a good car if it ran over them. They have a serious GIGO problem and have for a very long time. 196K on my Cherokee...reliability has been superb. - - - Updated - - - Lately, BMW's reliability is actually APPALLING. (And the repair costs are heart-stopping.)
We haven't had a problem with reliability. But servicing and repairing Beemers is a major expense. But then the BMW is the ultimate driving machine.
I love running across people who think that. They can NEVER figure out why they can't pace the big Cadillac! Left a dude in a new 3-series behind last year...after maybe 10 minutes at high speed, he pulled over with steam pouring out of his car.
New caddi's are just (*)(*)(*)(*)ing beast mode man. Straights, corners, nothing in there class competes. We took my wifes g8 gxp to buttonwillow and (*)(*)(*)(*) all over the m's, nothing like a pretty blonde passing you on the track in a car that cost half as much.
the turbo diesels are just plain bad ass as far as reliability and gas mileage. - - - Updated - - - eh, most of the regular 3 series dont have much to offer as far as power and high end. Only the 335 or M3 are made for speed. LOL, ill gladly give that rig a run for its money
My new company car is a Jeep Patriot. Right after I received it, I showed the fleet manager the Consumer Reports article that flat out said to NOT buy this model. Too late. Except for a rattling exhaust system, and frequent check engine lights, and squeaky interior, and intermitent heater fan, and blind spots all over it, it's been okay, but then again it's brand new. Can't wait to see what it's going to be like in a couple years.
12.40 on the motor, 11.97 at 116MPH on the bottle. 480HP at the rear wheels. Of course...my wife has a little V6 that runs mid-10's. (And puts 760HP down at the wheels.) - - - Updated - - - It was a 335i.
I can get you on motor if i launched properly, you will get me spraying because i dont have a bottle. as far as you wifes little v6, im guessing its a 4.3l finely built turbocharged engine????? yeah i dont have anything that can touch that lol. well atleast not in a quarter, but on the high end maybe. explains a bit more, awd doesnt bode well for high end races. but with some minor tuning and a few bolt ons it can probably run with you in the 1/4th on spray. high end is a no go though.
I could go faster...I wasn't able to do any real tuning with the spray, because I got booted off the track. (Faster than 12-flat requires a rollbar.) 272ci stroker in a Grand National. Wait...you're saying a 335i is a 12-second car? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!
I got through the first couple of paragraphs and I wan't surprised at all. My Prius has been faultless for 102,000 miles (and it's the most mechanically complex car I've ever owned). I also had great service from a brace of Crown Vics (which are short wheelbase Town Cars). And my neigbor across the street lived in the shop next to his Range Rover, adn the Beemer owners I know live in the shop next door!
I had a DTS with that twin cam V-8, and it was strong, silent and effortless. I ran it over 120 mph for extended periods of time more than once.
unless i do a cam, in which will only give me another 12hp and around 12tq,or do some bore work to open her up a bit more im pretty much topped out as far as this thing can go on motor. With spray, i know it could push mid to high 11's but im not gonna mess with it on this car. Maybe a supercharger in the future though. I cant seem to fine the "drool" smiley. Always loved those cars.your wife is a lucky lady. oh yeah, you are crazy to underestimate them lol. in the right conditions they can pull into around 13.2-13.3 area while stock. and yes, considering they are twin turbo'd a few bolt ons with a nice tune they have ventured well into the 12 zone.
