I believe that leasing BMWs is a great idea. If you are patient and wait to lease after the initial excitement of new release models is over (about a year), BMW lease deals are very attractive. You can purchase the extended warranty at the time your exercise your purchase options if you wish. Basically, you get the lease period to determine if your car is reasonable reliable before you have to take the plunge on risking long term repair cost. The option is very valuable.

I agree, if not for the electronics, I dont think we'd even be discussing this.

...this is really a shame, and it means that the BMW we know and love is changing and i wonder how it will affect the company in say a decade...i know most of us believe that BMWs are the best, not only for their handling and drivability, but for their reliability...now that BMW has gone to the point where electronics controls it seems almost every system, we see the mechanical reliabilty is suffering in the new cars and will most certainly cause the long term reliabilty and therefore values to drop significantly as no one would want a 8-10 year old car with all of these electronic controls when they are so expensive to repair...i have never been a fan of leasing, i'd much rather buy and own for as long as i feel i want to keep the car, but when you look at what the costs are to maintain these cars out of warranty, i seems it would be a very foolish financial decision now...i may have to rethink my philosophy now in lite of the changes at BMW and the obvious electonic failures that are quite apparent from our representative population here :think:

I have purchased a new vehicle an Infiniti M35x. I think will meet my need for reliability Plus it has many featues that make loner driving trips more pleasant. I know I'll get some negative feedback from those that dislike Japanese cars but this is a good solution for my needs.

What I'll miss
Supurb, crisp handling
Fantastic acceleration
Great look (ok I like the Bangle style)
HUD
SMG (when it worked right)
Ther great and knowledgeable folks on this board

What I won't miss
Driving loaners
Techs that don't have a clue how to fix the car
Constant software updates
Rattles and other noises

Hey, if it fits your needs, that all that counts. Good luck w/ the new car. I like the M35, a friend has had one for several months now and loves it.

I"ve had zero problems with my 545i after 2500 miles.

Having said that, all modern luxury cars are going to be very, very expensive to own after the warranty runs out because of the extensive electronics that require dealerships to diagnose and repair. Everything from airbags to navigation systems to traction and stability control. Gone are the days when someone could buy a 10 year old S class or 7 series and maintain it themselves. The dealer will have to do it.

Ya gotta pay if you wanna play! :devil: :cool:

Just before my warranty runs out i'll be shopping for a new ride.

[quote name='Arcadia' date='Oct 4 2005, 12:30 AM']
When I bought my car new, I wanted to have extended warranty because I was able to hit 100K in less than three year. 6yr/100K costs ~$3K with $200/$250 deductible. We passed it.
Lexus 6yr/100K costs $1000 with $0 deductible.
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Re extended warranty: Go to BMWNA site, click on any 5-series, then Warranty & Services, then Maintenance Upgrade. For these cars it's $1,200 to extend 4/50 to 6/100, but it says in all caps, it's a MAINTENANCE upgrade, not an extension of the warranty. Scroll all the way down to the disclaimer for some of the exclusions. On the one hand, the exclusions seem reasonable to the extent they exclude things that might reasonably wear out. I do NOT see an exclusion for iDrive or other electricals except re the convertible top (not applicable to these cars of course). So the "maintenance" might include fixing window motors, the motor that powers the fuel filler door (! - if that motor dies, refueling the car will be a little awkward; you'll have to go into the trunk every time to operate the manual release). Bottom line though: I would want to get a copy of the actual maintenance agreement, read it carefully, before deciding - unless I decide to blow $1,200 to get a few free oil changes, windshield wipers, maybe some belts and brake pads and hope for the best re the rest. FYI, I am awaiting delivery of a 530xiT.
And BTW: This whole discussion ought to have a title like "extended warranty" or "maintenance upgrade."

I like my car, but it only has 12,000 miles, and I walk to work. If I drove it more, I imagine I'd look like this -----------------> :devil:

:lol: ..hmmm, do you by chance work at home????? :devil: