Moderator: This may be off topic, sorry...

Does anyone out there have a 3- or 5-series BMW? How does it compare with the Max regarding repairs?

I'm considering a newer vehicle and like the idea of a RWD car vs. the FWD cars with the cramped engine spaces... but I love my Max and the new Maxs too...

I do most all work on my current Max and would anticipate working on a BMW too. I know parts are more for the BMWs...

Just curious...

 

There have been two recent members that switched from Maxima's to BMWs. Search for their threads saying goodbye to the org or something like that.

 

I used to have BMW 325i. Fun car nice interior AWESOME NAME but my exhaust was all rusted out and it needed the whole setup and after I found out the prices on that and some parts I decided to sell it. Very nice to drive but high maintenance. Mine was 1994 Black 325i

 

Yeah German car parts are expen$ive! My brother's friend had a 3 series and he told me to never by a BMW lol.

 

Previously owned a 5 series.

On part costs, it was constant

Huge difference if you can do most of the repairs yourself though.

 

My father had a 1994 530i 5 speed. The ride was great. It was the smoothest shifting car i've ever driven. The handling was great also. It didn't produce much power until about 3500 rpms but after that it took off. Kind of felt like it was turbo charged. 2 weeks after he bought it, it wouldn't start. Couldn't figure the problem out so he brought it to BMW. Took them 2 months to figure out the problem and costed a little over $2,000. I also owned an old 1986 6-series before the max and it was hell finding parts for that thing at least at a decent price. It was too expensive to repair when the head gasket blew so I sold it and got the max. Besides my car beat my fathers when I raced him. If you got the cash i'd say go for it. They are great cars to drive. But when repairs are needed, plan on spending A LOT of cash.

 

BMWs both e39 (5 series) and E46 (3 series) will require much more maint and repair than your Maxima has. Both have issues with radiators and coolant tanks. e46s go thru lower control arm bushings on a regular basis. If you don't mind spending the money on regular wear and tear items I would go for the e39 530 5spd. Sport package cars go thru tires quickly, front wear (chop)the outer edges... normal condition. Brakes are great and don't last long, aftermarket ones tend to have issues with noise and vibration. BTW I work for a Porsche/BMW/VW dealer

 

3 series BMW's do not impress me at all.

 

If you want rear drive check out a G35. It's got way more power than a 3 series and comes in either a sedan or coupe. You can also get a 6 speed manual in the sedan or coupe.

You'll have better reliability and cheaper parts cost.

I sell cars for a living (Acura) and we see a lot of preowned G35s come through. Very nice cars. Way better than the BMW which we see a lot of also. They also sell for a lot cheaper.

 

they are expensive to maintain, but a boosted e36 Its alot of fun having boost and rwd. I sure wouldn't want a bmw though because of the parts cost alone

 

First off. WTF. you are telling me that an M3 doesnt impress you at all? I find that hard to believe.

How new a car are you looking. '00 up or something like an '05 up. If you go brand new i dont think you can lose. But if youre gonna go BMW go with the M3 or M5. Of course they are a lot of money but from personal experience the M3 is by far one of the funnest cars ive ever driven. My 2cents

B

 

It's like any other car. Things can break. That said, my wife's '99 323i has been a reliable car MECHANICALLY speaking. It always starts, get "okay" mileage. The biggest problem with this car has been the window regulators (we've had to replace all four); small niggling electronic issues with the wipers (she only has one speed for wipers now); replacement of a cracked coolant reservoir that cost $500 (with a break in labor) to replace. All the windows in my Maxima work with 245,xxx miles on it. And WHY does a car like this NOT have a remote filler release?
I'm not a fan as you can tell, but it DOES drive good.
Brakes are easy to work on as well.

 

BMW's are not worth **** after the first stop at the shop. If you enjoy being broke as f***, have fun. My 740IL has the check eng light on, and i took it in to a BMW shop, and 4600 dollars later.......the light still has the ***** to come on. The MAX is the way to go.........SERIOUSLY

 

Try here next time: http://forums.maxima.org/forumdisplay.php?f=77

Also if you come back here looking for your thread that is where it will have been moved to.

 

Sorry, that's M series.

 

I've got just over 112,000 miles on my 2001 E46 330i.
Maintenance isn't a big issue. Oil changes cost around 100 bucks. It takes almost 10 qts. of synthetic oil, but it only gets changed every ~15,000 miles according to the on board computer. Tune up was at 100K, not really a big deal. I've done one set of brakes, front rotors were expensive, pads were cheap. It does chew up front control arms, I'm on my 3rd set. Other then that, it's an awsome car. It drives awsome, very strong motor and tranny. Very quiet interrior, great sound system, lots of little extras that Nissan doesn't have. It has a fantastic tracking "center" feel to it on the road, like the car is on rails. It rides very smooth, yet handles awsome.

It's a well built car and isn't very expensive to maintain if your a DIY type.

 

Than thats stupidity on my part. I thought it was under the 3 series and the M was more of a package so to speak. Everyone makes mistakes and hey they say you learn something new everyday.

B

 

Ok, everyone here knows I'm biased. I haven't owned my 330 long enough to comment on the true cost of ownership--I have friends who have owned the 7 and 5's, and they've screamed bloody murder on maintenance after the first 3 yrs. I know my cousin paid over 2 grand for brakes on his M3--is it DIY? The only time I did a 4-piston caliper my friend and I bent a piston, and we thought we were careful. My only buyers remorse has been that AWD could not be had with active steering, which I wanted.

The G35 and 330 are completely different vehicles. You have to drive them both back-to-back to see. When I did the Ultimate Driving Experience they provided G35 sports and A4 3.2 Quattros. And yes, BMW made the road course so hard as to show that the G35 and A4 could not hang. And yes, that is not the real world, that is a road course.

My take on German cars is you have to care an awful lot about the way they feel on the road to get one. They're not big on value like the Japanese cars, and if you check consumer reports, they all have white or black circles while the Japanese are all red. I don't think the G35 handles very well, and I drove it 3 times. But try out a IS350, that's the one you want to compare with the E90 3 Series.

 

My mother bought a BMW 325xi last year, new. It came with 3 year unlimited maintenance (only pay for tires and gas). For $1000, they can up the warranty for another 2 years, for a total of 5 years unlimited maintenance.

Not too shabby!

 

my dad used to have an 01 330i. it had so many problems, we only had it for a year. he loved driving it, but needed a SUV so he traded it in in 2002 and got an 2002 Nissan Xterra. BEST SUV OUT THERE!!!!! that things wheels off road like no other, especially with BFG All Terrains