Honest Quality Feedback

[JCL]

I have had five BMWs in the past few years, and have enjoyed them. Lots of friends have asked if I think they should buy a BMW. I advise them to drive one, and also the car they are comparing it to. If they can honestly feel the different driving characteristics (steering, brakes, handling, level of driver engagement, etc) then they can decide if they want a BMW, as the cars are indeed great drivers, and then you are getting some value for your money. If you can't tell the difference, and think the Toyota drives fine, then you should buy the Toyota because it will ultimately be more reliable and dependable in my experience. No diss on the Toyota, I bought one for my daughter. It just that what you are paying for with the BMW is more about the driving experience and not necessarily the ultimate reliability.

[DJH]

Ditto JCL's comments. I love our 2005 X3. I have been a very long term MB owner, I'm very impressed with the build quality of this X3. The driving experience is fantastic, and at 50K trouble free miles, we enjoy more and more every day, getting behind the wheel. My wife has bad knees, so we were concerned about getting a manual, and ordered the auto. While the manual would have a higher fun factor, the auto is a relief in rush hour traffic. No problems with the AT, I like the swift shift points compared to my MB.

Dan

[caper75]

This is great feedback all, and I do appreciate it.

Someone asked if I can tell the difference driving, absolutely. I'm not sold on the Toyota's driveability...it feels like the rear end going "boing" over every bump in the road. Drove me nuts...we've drive each of them in 3 separate test drives now. It's pretty clear who the driveability winner is.

[AzNMpower32]

We used to have a few Toyotas and a Lexus before, and they weren't terrible cars. We had a '92 Previa, which pretty much ran trouble free aside from a starter and the "usual" O² sensor problems. However, at 166k miles there were a few things that needed replacement, basically the suspension needed an overhaul. We also had a Lexus ES and that wasn't a bad ride either (rubbish to drive) but at 125k miles there were a lot of things that needed replacement. The point is, every car will age and eventually need repair. A Toyota may require fewer replacement parts, but also brings less driving joy.

The X3 has been relatively trouble-free as mentioned above, and at this point I feel that the better driving dynamics and safety bring much more marginal benefit.