Ricracing

BMW has never manufactured V6 engines , and I hope they never will.

The 530i engine is a 6 inline!

I haven't had a single problem with the sixinline engines.

cobradav

My 6er was in service for total of 7 days out of my first 6 months of ownership. 4 days (1 visit) for self inflicted abuse. The other 3 days (in 2 visits) for rough idle at cold start and other minor issues mostly fixed with CIP 16.2. iDrive for me is a godsend - makes for a very tunable cockpit experience without all the clutter. Still better implemented IMHO than some of the copycats.

Remaining issues are differences of BMW engineers thinking versus mine. So all in all my reliability has been better than I expected and never has the car not actually performed as expected and advertised.

Same can be said of my Audi Cabrio, GM truck and sedan.

Anybody can get a good or bad car now and then. But we all know that statistically speaking for pure reliability (if that is your main goal) you are almost required to head for the Japanese marquees. Then your choice falls to which one within that group. Personally, I just have never desired their styling enough to switch to get their reliability as I never appeared to really need it.

Having had the two x45s one would think u would still want some performance so why not go for the most HP/performance oriented of the Japanese types (if there are any ) but the GS300 sounds like a pullback to me. Why not GS430 or one of those. Just go out and drive these others and make up your own mind.

You have to see enough of what we think about various models if you look in the Competition Forum or other BMWs, etc.

Bart001

Someone who recommends a "V6 BMW" is giving advice that no one should follow. If you know anything about BMW's you know that they build in-line 6's.

If you want some more anecdotal evidence, which is all you get from message boards anyway, Ive had my 545i for 4 months, love it every day, and it only had to return to the dealership once (the third day I owned it the computer was calling for scheduled maintenance; they re-set the indicator).

UUronL

Well, I'd characterize most of the complaints and problems around here as "pursuit of perfection". I'm not making a judgement call, simply pointing out what I see as a distinct differentiation. To me, reliability falls along the lines of whether or not the car provides basic conveyance. When I get in, can it get me to my destination. With that said, there's nothing wrong with expecting an expensive automobile to be perfect, it's just not likely to happen in every instance.


With a marketing slogan like the one Lexus has, "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection", it makes you wonder if some might not have a better time with one of those cars.

nbarco

Hey,

Let's be realistic. This is a message board. People are not typically going to sign on and say, "Hey I have never had a problem." How often at work does your boss call you in and say you have been doing a great job? Probably not as often as when you are not doing what is demanded of you. Similarly here, if there is a problem we will be quick to point out to illicit advice and suggestions. If you read the posting about comfort seats, you will hear how good they are. If you read postings about "I-drive problems" then the feedback is going to be negative. I have not been on a Lexus bulletin board to see what the conversations are, but I cannot imagine any difference. I have been stationed in Germany for two years now, and the things you get in the States from the dealers is awesome. Dealers here in Germany offer NO CUSTOMER SERVICE. I have owned a 2002 Volvo S60 AWD and I currently own a Land Rover LR3. Whenever there has been a warranty service to be completed, there is no loaner and they try to find a way to make you pay, because warranty paperwork is a pain in the *ss. Here salespersons, service advisor's and everyone is on salary not comission. There is a dealer every few hundred miles and they know they got you. BMWNA is actually targeting a different market segment, but remember this is still a German company. The Japanes and American car industry has a different outlook and understanding of the US market segment, for this reason they may sometimes provide you with better resolution. Remembet, too that technology is everchanging and not always reliable. If you want reliablity, go with a product that does not change with time.........Ford Focus........You will have the knobby air conditioner, everything is connected to you , not drive by wire, and when it does break you can replacement parts in minutes. Here you are buying a reliable product that will last you 3-5 years and won't demand upgrades or serivicing.

my530i

To be honest with you, Helper, I'd go for Lexus for reliability and sacrifice some performance. However, GS turned me off completely due to a little trunk space. The rear end look is showing Toyota gene - no class. Side view is boring. Although it has a lot of bells and whistles, they are not as well-thought as BMW designs. For example, "rear sunshade", someone would compare it with BMW's and said "wow, GS also has rear sunshade as BMW", but where are the side sunshades? Those are more frequently used than the rear one and they cut them to reduce cost. Another one is climate control. Lexus also has dual zone climate control... "wow", but it does not have automatic air distribution based on the sun's location. BMW stuffs are more advanced and well-thought than Lexus. That's why Lexus never never and never be on top unless they have a well-thought design like BMW. The longer you own it, the more you love it in term of performance, but with a price - POOR reliability . Therefore, don't buy BMW, but lease it. BMW is NOT a long term car due to expensive repair after warranty. In addition, with i-Drive, you have no way out. Dealer is the only way to go and you know how much they charge BMW ower per hour for labor.
Anyway I'd never buy a Lexus unless they exactly follow BMW footstep. For now, they're just half way. Not even close to BMWs technology. They're just cheap gimmicks that are just a little flashy.

geneclark

If you want maximum reliabilty minimize "gadgets". Recent statistics from German ADAC indicate that most breakdowns on e60's are caused by malfunctioning electronics.

Breae60

I agree with most of you on this bored, perfection is not the ultimate driving machine. It is what it is. But, for $50K plus, my car should be driven more often than being at the stealer. at 5,000 mile, squeaks and rattles are not acceptable.

The occassional I-drive fault is understood since no other car company has the balls to even think about ungradabl;e software to run the car systems.

At least it looks good, drives well, and it's not a Toyota or Honda. Anyone who has driven an inline 6 with the awesome bmw tranny and steering capabilities will tell you that nothing compares.

Say what you want and what you must, there is noting like a BMW.

netjazz

Have my '05 545ia sport since early May'05. This car is perfection,everything runs beautifully. Put 6,000 miles on it alredy. Had an '04 545ia before this with problems that was replaced. BMW stood by me all the way Firmly believe BMW has worked the kinks out of the E60 at this point This car is such a joy to drive that I really look forward to my 140 mile commute. Trully, nothing handles like this BMW. At this point in its development I would not hesitate one bit in recommending the purchase of this car, and if you are anywhere near Ct. buy at Darien BMW. they are the greatest, see Steve in sales. They really work hard to please their customers.

gwf545

My Sept. 2004 build 545 has been nearly perfect for 10k miles now. All I've had done are SW upgrades for Steptronic shifiting issues (minor from my perspective) and soon will get the noisey Dunlops (not BMW's fault) replaced. I would not consider buying anything else as this car suits me perfectly.