Hi
Need fellow BMW-owners perspective on my dilemma. I used to drive a Mazda3, lovely little car, but one day I accompanied a friend in shopping for a 328i and just loved the feel of that car. Long story short, I ended up trading in my Mazda (at a very good price - almost the price I got it for!) for a 2008 335i with 44k miles on it - about 6 months back. Lovely car, its what a car should feel like in my dreams. I was elated. Also purchased extended warranty with the expectation of living happily ever after.
After that - its been only problems! First, after a short drive to Mt Hamilton the car showed BRAKE lights with the car lift icon. Turned out to be the rear brake. Took it to the dealer and asked him to do it for free, since I had just bought the car (45 days since I bought it). The dealer first argued it was an "as is" sale and the werent obliged to pay for it, but then after some time came back and said "its been taken care of this time" and that it was a sensor thing.
And then a month later suddenly one day my car started leaking coolant! Took it in, cost me around $300 to get it fixed! Turned out to be some kind of valve. Took me multiple visits because they kept topping it up with water and sending me away! Luckily on one of the trips it leaked visibly when I was talking to the service advisor and I could say "look! its leaking!".
Next, after a month I notice this grinding sound at slow, parking speeds. I think it may have always been there but my friend pointed out and then I realized its there. Especially when turning it moving slowly without any throttle, in an incline. Took it to the dealer, couldn't replicate this. Took my car back. Then reading extensively on this, I figured out several 3 series and 5 series owners (including some BRAND NEW cars) have this problem, and the closest anyone has come to a diagnosis is some issue with the ARS block. Or an idling issue. Or a software issue. No one seems to know.
Later I took the car in to an indy shop, they couldn't diagnose it either. They asked for my permission to take the whole thing apart and study it, and I politely declined. At the same time, my left indicator bulb failed, and thankfully this indy shop just replaced it for $15. However, in looking at this they seem to think that the car has "definitely been in some kind of accident", because some frame kind of thing (I dont remember the exact word they used) was replaced, but replaced well. The carfax report shows no such accident!
And then.. was on a long drive in the middle of nowhere with my family, throwing the car along some nice curvy hill roads, having a blast.. when a RED alert showing the car lift appeared, making that "ding" sound, and then a red BRAKE light appeared and stayed on. Doing "check control" revealed the front brake icon this time. I had no idea what that meant (brake pads or rotors or fluid or what.. I'm really not a handson guy), I didnt stop the car, I just took a risk and drove back, staying in the slow lane and periodically dabbing the brakes to make sure they were working. Thankfully made it back home (with a cancelled long weekend) with family, without incident.
Took it back to the dealer, apparently the brakes need to be replaced ("due for replacement") and it costs around a thousand bucks!
I did purchase extended warranty with the car but of course, none of these items are covered by warranty.
Now I am really done with this car. Enough is enough. I need to trade it in and get something that actually works. Something that I can safely put my family into, and be 100% sure will reach my destination. Nothing against BMW, these cars are GREAT, but now I feel like these are for people who can afford them brand new, not average joes like me with a $20k budget. And it beats my why people pay 10 bucks for a carfax report when these things can go unreported!
Its not the time, or even the $$ that ticks me off. It is the fact that these things just pop up suddenly, and they are scary. I just cannot go on a long drive in this car, especially with my family in it. Every time one of these failures happen, I ask the dealer "please do a full checkup" and "is the car good for a cross country drive" and they always affirm a resounding "YES". But it seems, whenever I take the car more than 100 miles from my city, the car comes up with something or other and that is scary!
Anyway now my dilemma is... once I get this BRAKE issue fixed, what do I trade it in for? I rented an Altima for this weekend and I find it is horrendous to drive (sorry Altima owners - thats just my perception). I test drove an Accord and its much better than the Altima, but has no soul. I can do a budget of around 25k (perhaps stretch to 30ish). I personally dislike Toyotas.
So my dilemma is.. its almost, as if by design, the cars that drive well are not reliable. The reliable cars drive horribly. Why is that?! Looks like my options are:
- Accord I4 EXL - Sacrifice performance / feel for that reliability. However I cant live with a CVT
- Mazda6 - Maybe I should go back to Mazda? My Mazda3 was fun to chuck around (though nothing comparable to BMW feel) but is it comparatively good in its segment?
- GTI - I dont know about this... From reading ownership reports, VW/Audi reliability seems to be even worse than BMWs. Some GTI owners (even recently) report their NEW cars dying out on the freeway, and having HPFP issues. Thats scary! However (next to BMW feel) I love how this car drives!
- Ford Fusion? Is that good? Are Fords reliable now?
- Accord V6 - A bit faster than I4 but still no soul...
After this experience I am shy of used cars (and shy of even new cars when it comes to German!) but should I still consider:
- A lightly used G37 for 30k-ish?
- A lightly used 328i (F30) or stretch a little bit to a new 320i? Are the 320s good? It would be a barebones stripped car with no luxury features but I figure I can still have BMW-levels of fun tossing it in curvy roads, right? Or, do fresh-from-factory BMWs have issues too? I am once bitten and very very shy now!
Also, should I consider Subarus? Are those reliable? Are they fun to drive from a BMW-drivers perspective?
Problem is, after driving the 335i every car seems to be "lame". Looks like I pampered myself with one of the best cars out there, way before I am able to afford it. And going back to an economy car is not a savory experience
. But if it comes down to having a car that works or not, I guess its better to go back!
Oh and cars like Speed3, Civic Si are out of the equation because I need an automatic. Also, need four doors. Those are for family reasons beyond my control.
What would you do, in my situation? I need something that will be reliable, will stay reliable, that I can trust every single time, service as per schedule and at other times fill gas and just drive it, and still have fun with the occasional backroad. Does that car exist, or is it a rich mans thing now? Is that car the 320i?