Newbie!!!!

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Hey guys I'm 17 and I'm a high school senior.


I'm already part of the acuraworld and my.is forums.

I wanted to get some opinions.

BMW(and maybe MB) are known as cars that are not reliable in the long run. What do you guys think about this?

I have had a 98 740i and now we have an 07 530xi. I was debating between the 328xi OR a Lexus IS350 opinions?

Finally I would like to say I'm happy to be here with you guys and I hope I can learn a thing or two.

 

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Thank You!

 

[Tom]

Is having AWD important?

 

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Is having AWD important?

Not really.

 

[Big Daddy]

BMW(and maybe MB) are known as cars that are not reliable in the long run.

Not true! I have owned many BMW's that have served me well into the 200k range with little to no trouble. Take care of them and they can last forever! Welcome to the board.

 

[Detrich]

overall, toyota (lexus) has a better reliability record. and, when japanese cars break down, they tend to be easier and cheaper to fix- ie more shops work on them and parts are generally less-expensive. but, some model german cars have also faired very well in the long hall too.

check out consumer reports' vehicle reliability history to get a point of reference. the 3-series bmw's tends to fair better than the other models. but, what it ultimately comes down to is which car you enjoy more- the is350 or the 3.

happy shopping.

 

[Big Daddy]

consumer reports' vehicle reliability history

I would not put too much faith in CR for vehicle reliability. I have owned five BMW's and they have all been more reliable than the Toyota, Chevrolet or Cryslers I have owned. I checked alternator prices for my 98 M roadster, a 98 Honda Prelude and a 98 Lexus, the Lexus was the most expensive alt and the BMW and Honda were about the same. I have also checked my Chilton's flat rate manual and found the labor quotes for all be fairly close to each other. I think if you take proper care of your car it will service you well, regardless of what brand it is (with some exceptions of course)

 

[Detrich]

cr is not the bible- just a reference- since they do take a larger survey size sample than the number of cars one single household could own... the idea is simple. just because one household gets a lemon doesn't automatically mean all cars of that model suck. and, likewise, just because one household might've had a good experience, that doesn't mean everyone will have the identical experience.

despite cr's misgivings, surveying a wide population sample size and seeing what % people have reliability issues is a better reference than any single household's experience. just my .02 anyways...

 

[Average Jae]

reference is reference right?
our family's lexus experience has been less than stellar. (mostly because their reputation proceeds them.)
i can't say our bmws have been trouble free, but so far they have been far in between and we've been getting em taken care of for free, so can't complain too much.

 

[Jaxguy87]

my bimmer has been anything but trouble free... but personally i have test drove a friends lexus is300 and in my eyes it just cant compare to my babie...