i called bs on it a while back, but my mom earned her bmw through her visalus business this past weekend and now gets to go pick out whatever model she wants and they are paying for $600/month of the payment… that being said, she has driven tahoes since 1998 and was considering buying a car soon anyway so this came at a great time for her… i havent worked on bmws since around 2003 (former bmw tech) so im not all too familiar with the newer stuff but i am trying to help suggest models to her…
she definitely wants a car and not an SUV, but needs room for 2-3 other people to sit comfortably… it has to be BLACK since thats what she wants, as well as black leather and will 99.99999% be automatic…
price isnt really an issue (regardless of the $600/month visalus is kicking in and if it were to suddenly disappear) so i’ve been steering her towards a 550i Msport with black leather (ventilated) and aluminum interior trim along with the paddle shifted automatic…
any other suggestions/experiences that you can share would be appreciated…
550’s are the second biggest peices of shit in exsistance after just about any 7 series… 3 or 5 and dont get a 335 unless you plan on having warranty the entire time of ownership…
My friend Elvis works for Keeler BMW, he told me that they have even more problems then the 335 as a 550 was what i was looking at… The might look nice and have good power but there junk.
For people in the back seat to sit comfortably, expect to get at least a 5-series. 3-series just is simply not that comfortable, even as a sedan, to anyone of normal stature (or so I’ve heard). 5-series has plenty of room. I’d stay away from any 7-series. If she doesn’t need a good amount of power/torque, just get a 528xi.
I just bought a 530xi and its fucking boss… I agree with Cossey, the 3 series was a bit small and felt like more of a sports car then a luxury car… 5 series is all luxury.
she is leaning towards a 5 series anyway since she is coming from ~14 years of driving tahoes and doesnt want something quite as small as a 3 series… did not know about the issues from the 550’s… i’ll pass along the infor to her… thanks guys
Anyone that says any new german car is junk is talking out their ass. Yeah they break more often than Hondas but they are also MUCH more advanced and well equiped. Besides we are talking about a lease, she will never be out of warranty.
I have a 335i and haven’t had a problem since I’ve owned it. You couldn’t pay me enough to drive a slow as shit 328, 330, 528, 530… Especially a xi, so underpowered its not even funny… There’s a reason why they are cheaper and Ive said it before… If you can’t afford a BMW with a warranty, you probably shouldn’t be driving a BMW…
And what do you think this says about the brand in general? I’m sure there are cases of ‘success’ but many non-car forum owners will tell you their BMW spends a good deal of time in the shop (regular joe shmoe people).
My warranty is about to expire on my Infiniti (at 88k, I’m at 84k right now)…and I have zero issues other than some rattles from the speaker area and in the rear deck area where the sub is. No funny engine noises, has never had ANY engine/tranny problems, have never seen the check engine light, etc.
Bottom line…IMO…if you want something that will last (mechanically) for a long ass time for the most part…stick to Japanese. If you want something that looks bad as hell and has more of a ‘performance’ feel to it…go German. But be prepared to work on it more, pay more for parts, etc.
Japs are just more into tech stuff and ‘efficiency’ while Europeans are more about the ‘driver’. Although, Japan has been doing a pretty good job lately IMO.
Well equipped? For the same price of a 5 series I’ll take a Lexus GS every time. BETTER equipped and FAR more friendly on ‘ownership costs’. Same goes for 7 series vs LS. LS hands down. In the 5-series’ case…you can get the same car from Lexus for 10k less.
Germany isn’t doing to hot in the quality department as you said. No arguments there. I will be the first to admit that Germany makes some SEXY cars as far as looks go. They are designed well, meaning…easy to work on…but the quality of the parts used is piss poor from what I know about them. Not to mention that the 5-series uses GM parts (tranny in the 528 for example). REALLY? I’d be curious to know what other GM products are in a ‘super duper German machine’ on their other models. Not to mention the plasticy interior surfaces, etc.
IMO…BMW = Apple. Pricey as hell. Has a strong brand loyalty for whatever reason. Isn’t as high quality as their loyalists suggest.
This is all just my opinion…so if you disagree, that’s fine :lol. I just don’t see anything extremely out of this world about BMW/Germany. Although I love my car, except for it’s crappy gas mileage, if I had to buy an expensive luxury car again…it would probably be a Lexus.
this wont be a lease, she will be buying the car… also, through the visalus thing, only bmw’s available and the $600/month goes towards the payments to own the car… she is going to drive a 535 whenever the weather is nice back home and if she likes it will be purchasing through the concierge service and picking it up at the factory in spartanburg, sc…
Ilya, can we please not turn this into another “any luxury car brand vs. Infiniti/Lexus” argument like you always seem to get into? You randomly brought up a totally different brand of car. He mentioned
I don’t care who has friends who owned whatever cars, most people who say BMWs are unreliable and what not have NO PERSONAL experience with them.
For example my 106k mile M3, which has seen lots of track time and more abuse than you could imagine, has only needed ONE $35 ignition coil replaced. I tracked it on the completely stock suspension (minus aftermarket bushings and sway bars), with performance motor upgrades, on the stock clutch as well as all stock, ORIGINAL electronics. Oh yea, it’s also 10 years old.
My 2011 X5 has ran perfect since day one, but had a recall on it’s intake air temp sensor which was replaced in minutes. I have 25k on it.
I do not give one single fuck about your cousin’s friend’s uncle’s grandfather’s step-nephew’s son’s daughter’s car.
535s are still made in Germany. Only X3/5/6 are made in SC.
I’d highly recommend European delivery if she can do that. She’d fly to Germany and drive the car on a custom route from the factory to a port that’ll bring the car here. I know price isn’t a factor, but it is cheaper and from what I’ve heard is a great once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Ilya, does Lexus or Infiniti offer Japanese delivery? :lol
He brought up Honda…so why can’t I bring up Lexus?
You have an M3…I’m pretty sure BMW would be willing to put more ‘effort’ into their M line than some ho hum 328 that some 60yr old woman is going to drive. Just sayin. It’s their performance division…wouldn’t you make sure your performance cars was top notch? My guess is there is SIGNIFICANTLY less M-powered cars running around than there is base models.
And I don’t mention ‘friends friends friends cars’ (after edits I removed it as it was not needed) although I got a couple who wouldn’t recommend BMW again. That’s besides the point…so I don’t know why you’re getting your panties up in a bunch. Just read the f’in reviews man. Germany has NEVER scored highly on reliability reviews. That’s a known fact. Even Top Gear will tell you that. Mercedes is ALWAYS at the bottom of their annual feedback poll. ALWAYS. Or do you think they are paid off to say that and they alter the poll results? :lol
If you want performance (power, driver feel/feedback, etc.), like I said, go German. If you want reliability, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM GERMANY. That’s just my opinion on the matter from listening to people who actually own the cars talk about them. This is why I went with my car instead of some of the 745’s I was looking at. So far, I have been just fine with my choice.
No one questioned your opinion, but when the title is about a BMW, and every post in here has been about a BMW, then you come from left field talking about Lexus/Infiniti, it makes it look like you’re trying to shove your opinions down peoples’ throats like you’re a damn Jehovah’s Witness.
The M3 is their flagship performance car, not luxury car like the OP is looking for.
Also, I’m not getting my “panties in a bunch”, I’m simply just sick of you turning EVERY thread about someone looking for a German car into a Infiniti/Lexus vs. the world thread. It’s like you’re going out of your way to do so.
