Left the herd

[ncsucarjock]

Folks,

I'm done. I've come to the conclusion after 3 BMWs, and over 4 years of ownership, that these cars are absolutely pieces of crap.

I've never had so many issues. New, used, CPO, all records, no records, dealer service, indy serviced. They simply break way too much.

When they're right they drive well, problem is, they're rarely right.

So I leave you with these nightmares. I've had some good times, but I"m tired of always thinking "what's next", and doing without the car. It's time to put my money in my play toys, and not my daily driver.

I bought a 2008 Volvo XC70 to replace the X5, and a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel to tow with. The Volvo is cushy and has lots of room and AWD. The Ram is a beast of a truck, and even with 241k miles on the clock, everything functions normally. Try that in a BMW.

It's been real.

[Roadkill]

i understand the frustration. it's not right that i should be faced with a transmission replacement on a $60K car with 58,000 miles on it. the list of problems isn't huge but certainly longer than that of toyota or nissan. however, as a driving enthusiast nothing really compares to the "experience". i'm lucky enough that i can do most of the work with wholesale parts myself and don't want to be forced to have to drive something else....but when is bmw going to address known issues (pixels, window regulators, transmissions)? this very well might be my last german as well. with a baby boy on the way, i can't justify the operating costs. good luck with volvo carjock as i have not heard the best about them either.

[dlennard]

I must agree the X5 is fun to drive when it is not broken. This is my first BMW a 2006 4.4 X5 sport with 18,000 miles and CPO. The car has been to the shop several times and has to go back again for rough running engine and passenger door won't unlock. The car rattles runs bad and it seams like you get some error message all the time. It is my wife's car and she has called it a piece of crap. The X5 did replace a 2000 Ford Explorer with 135,000 miles on it that had been to the dealer for a couple of items covered by the dealer and just basic maintenance one set of tires that lasted 85,000 miles and one set of brake pads. The BMW is just so disappointing in it's reliability and cost to own. They do look great and drive great but at some point you just can't take the problems anymore. This will be my last BMW. I wish BMW would save there money on sending out the adds and mags and just spend it on making more reliable cars. I guess I just expected more after spending so much money.

[THK]

And there are those who will argue that BMW is the best car on the road!

[ncsucarjock]

I won't argue that I havent' driven a better mass-produced car. But I'll take a little less driving enjoyment for an exponential increase in reliability. My '92 Jeep Cherokee is a hell of a lot more reliable, as is my '88 Volvo, the '96 Volvo, the '98 Volvo, the '01 Ram, the '02 Jetta, etc etc, etc. I'd hoped it was one car - they all make lemons. But no - this is across the board. It's sad. It really is, you folks have no clue what it's like to drive for 15-50k miles with nothing more than an oil change and tire rotations. It's really quite nice. You get in it everyday, and it does exactly what it's supposed to.

When (and if) BMW decides to build something than overpriced crap, I'll reconsider. I'm not holding my breath.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by ncsucarjock

It's sad. It really is, you folks have no clue what it's like to drive for 15-50k miles with nothing more than an oil change and tire rotations. It's really quite nice. You get in it everyday, and it does exactly what it's supposed to.

That is exactly what my experience has been with my last five new BMWs. I did have a check engine light once on one of them, but the dealer fixed it in a day (HPFP). Other than that, just oil changes and wiper blades, no tire rotations here.

One difference may be that I buy new, and sell them when the warranty is up.

Sorry it didn't work out. Good luck with the Volvo.

[ncsucarjock]

The 2008 335i (euro delivery) had a check engine light in Italy 10 days into the trip. Lost two days of vacation with it at the dealer there. They couldn't fix the problem, and the light stayed on the remainder of the trip.

Then it left me stranded 3 times before 10,000 miles.... Like I said...new, used, CPO, whatever. I've not had one that's been reliable.

[FSETH]

I personally wouldn't be happy driving either of the cars you have now if they were made out of gold, but congrats, I guess???

Interesting that so many jumping on the BMW bashing band-wagon have so few posts here.

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by ncsucarjock

Folks,

I'm done. I've come to the conclusion after 3 BMWs, and over 4 years of ownership, that these cars are absolutely pieces of crap.

I've never had so many issues. New, used, CPO, all records, no records, dealer service, indy serviced. They simply break way too much.

When they're right they drive well, problem is, they're rarely right.

So I leave you with these nightmares. I've had some good times, but I"m tired of always thinking "what's next", and doing without the car. It's time to put my money in my play toys, and not my daily driver.

I bought a 2008 Volvo XC70 to replace the X5, and a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel to tow with. The Volvo is cushy and has lots of room and AWD. The Ram is a beast of a truck, and even with 241k miles on the clock, everything functions normally. Try that in a BMW.

It's been real.

Life is short, not worth getting worried about cars; definitely gets the one that floats your boat.

Just got back from Seattle auto-show, I was at BMW exhibit eyeing the new F10 535i. I commented to my wife how metallic paint is now optional for $550 on BMW 5-series, used to be free. A gent next to me said he used to own a few BMW and won't be anymore, now own LS460. Across my mind to argue with him a bit on how boring the Lexuses but decided not to. He made his decision and IMHO it's his right.

OP good luck with your new cars. Yeah too bad about HPFP, when it gives it can be sudden; hope there is warning before hand.

[calicolorado]

Sorry to hear of your departure from BMW ownership. I would be upset if I had recurring bad experiences with the car too. I made sure that my X5 came with a nice warranty (from CarMax) until 125K so I don't have to foot the bill for the inevitable problems. It's going to be hard to replicate the driving experience of an X5, so I hope you find what you're looking for elsewhere. Volvos are pretty much awesome in my book.