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      05-12-2005, 12:12 AM   #23
Armen52
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Drives: 2006 330i
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA

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2006 330i  [0.00]
So essentially you don't need to worry about the cost of the maintenance itself on the BMW until after 4yrs/50000 miles. You do have to consider that if you end up like my cousin's 2003 330Ci and you have to go back to the dealer something like 15 times at this point then there is a cost to the time and effort.

In terms of reliability factoring into the buyin decision, I also considered this before deciding BMW. Here is how I looked at it...

Overall reliability figures from JD Power and others suggest that Lexus has some of the highest, if not the highest, vehicle satisfaction and reliability ratings. Those studies also show that overall BMW cars have slightly lower but still pretty good numbers in those areas. Here is a link to the most recent long-term dependability study by JD Power.

So then I figured, its possible to get a bad car from either company, like one that has more problems than the average car from them. These numbers essentially tell you what the chance of that happening is, and for a BMW its just a bit higher than Lexus.

However the quality difference is not nearly as much as MB or Audi for example. So to me, the tradeoff was worth it. I get a car I get giddy thinking about (the 330) versus buying an excellent car that doesn't stir my emotions at all, such as the TL or G35.

That said, I still have my fingers crossed that BMW will do better than average with this E90 and that I will get one I don't need to worry about at all except every 15,000 miles for oil (and tires probably).

140 treadware rating on the 330 sport tires, yeesh!
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