Man, this post has gotten kind of contentious. Anyway, here is my two cents. I would not let the quality of one dealership determine whether I bought a particular car or not. Also, it seems that, not only on this post but others in the past, people want to know why their finely tuned, German engineered sports sedans aren't as trouble free and inexpensive to maintain as a Japanese mass market car. Go get an Avalon and leave us performance captives alone already. I don't care what this car costs me to maintain, I love how it handles and how it responds. I waited a long time for this, I can afford it and I deserve it. I think maybe the complainers can't really afford the cars without debt or difficult lifestyle choices, like an oil change or a night out clubbing, in which case it's not the car for you. Material things are so much better when earned and not thought of as an entitlement that then pisses you off because it isn't easy.

 

10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000% yes
just got my 2nd E60 LCI last weekend
arriving in November

 

It's really not asking too much to expect a mainstream car to be reasonably reliable. And I think it's a bit of a stretch to suggest that those who do expect their car to be reliable can't afford it.

 

+100

 

Yes I would buy a BMW again ... and I did! After endless days of contemplation, I decided to retire my beloved 17-year old Honda Accord for a CPO 330i 6MT. I was seriously considering a 2010 Civic Si sedan to carry on the throne, but I chose to stay with BMW. The 330i CPO warranty is longer, it has RWD, nimble go-cart-like handling, and gets slightly better highway mileage vs. the Si ... all for $2000 more than a fully-loaded Si. She has 24K on the odo and aside from the worn-out shifter and steering wheel (which I've replaced today with a 335i shifter and a perforated M-tech steering wheel), the car is absolutely flawless. To those who remember my old 06 550i, my 06 330i is a mini-version of my former car ... gray outside, terra/auburn inside. I tracked down two 6-speed cars in this color combo in California: one at Peter Pan BMW in San Mateo, the other at Pacific BMW in Glendale. After examining both in person on two separate weekends, the car in Glendale was the one I took home. She's no M5, but the savings in payments, gas, and insurance pays dividends for me to quickly reach my goal of buying another home. Here she is, my "new" E90 on delivery day:

 

Well yes maybe I will buy another BMW in the future.........the thing with BMW ownership which is starting to kill my passion for them is the shoddy dealerships and frankly questionable electronics, engine and transmission, as the years roll on things seem to be getting worse not better.

I have actually now got rid of my E60 (which I loved) and replaced it with this HSV R8 Clubsport, which im loving for its pure simplicity, the chassis is every bit as fun and refined as a BMW with everything else not far behind, the equivlent M5 would have cost nearly 3x more had I bought a new one of those instead, and the E60 M5 is not 3x better than the HSV !!!

Incidently I still have my E34 525i Sport which still feels like it was built properly and has still have no big problems in the 18 years it has graced this planet !

 

I agree with you. Well said.

 

I agree, i'm a total BMW nut, but growing tired of being treated like an idiot by BMW........you get better service from people like KIA these days, and their cars cost like a quarter of any spec E60.

 

My E61 didn't start this weekend. Since I had continuing problems with the battery (from 2004 and nobody could solve it even under warranty), we tried jump starting. Nothing worked. Had to be towed. Happened during the weekend in France. On Monday, BMW Service told me I have to wait a week - only thing they were asked for was try jump-starting again. After 3 days, they got to it. Found out it's some kind of sensor which they replaced. Got the car back with a bill for 480EUR and Idrive not working. Asked them to fix blacked-out Idrive and they said I have to wait 2 more days. Fuck such service. If BMW is fun and joy - this definitely spoils it.

Crappy quality BMW cars and their arrogant service support. Sorry, I'm not a teenager who drives around a town with windows down and if something breaks down, I borrow parents car. I spend around 80-90.000EUR on BMWs and don't think deserve this. This is my last BMW at least for a long time. There are many other car brands that make exceptional cars.

Bottom line: Except for M cars which are built better, BMW cars are like supermodels .. they can bring you joy but it cost a lot of money and your time.

 

I guess I'll have a word on this thread as well

Conclusion first: yes definitely.

However, there are other cars I would buy over BMW(in terms of specific class). Every model of BMWs are fantastic but there are some I just prefer over BMW. Such as I would prefer to buy Infiniti G over 3 series. I am still the owner of 2003 G35coupe and while e46 330ci was awesome, but I just preferred G35 over 330ci. That opinion is still valid on E9x 3 series vs new G37s. However 5 series has no competition, no brainer there. That's why I have one

As for 7 series, for me looking at that size means I want comfortable, powerful and sporty which for me is S class. My uncle had 750 for 3 months before got totalled and got S550 right after. It's no brainer that S class was more luxurious, more gadgets, and more comfortable. It also was very fun to drive but not as 7 series. But I would choose S over 7 for family as the MAIN purpose is to carry family for a long trip etc.

As for X series, I would never get one personally. My close friend got X5 and had to lemoned. Was she plain unlucky? Probably but I just don't like the fact that X series are built in SC(please no flaming there). I would get FX over X5. I love Infiniti cars, they served me well.

For the Z series, I was a huge fan of Z3 but not Z4 and new ones. Buying a convertible is for a tossable fun car and New Z's are just plain too heavy!! I would buy S2000 over Z4. High revving 9k rpm(older one before they bumped the size) is just breath taking!! So much more fun to drive "for me". S2000 has very good gearbox I would dare to say it's almost perfect!!

I love 6 series and I would get in a heartbeat if I'm in such a market to get one.

Have I missed any other BMW models?
Oh 1 series, it's simply too small for me(not that I'm big it's just too cramped inside).

As you can see, although I would love to collect every BMW model out there, it's just that there are better alternatives FOR ME PERSONALLY.
But that doesn't mean/make I'm no BMW enthusiast nor not a car enthusiast in general. That's very ignorant statement and hopefully no one quote on my opinion to say I'm not a BMW enthusiast. All of the cars I would prefer over BMW are don't have the unique BMW feel. I totally agree with this.
However, sometimes you just gotta sacrifice the driving feeling for something else. My wife for example, loves BMW but she prefers infiniti over BMW. And no I'm not gonna make her to get bmw. I'm gonna let her choose whatever she wants to buy(except no domestic cars we agreed ). She's currently fell in love with G37vert and she doesn't like the 335vert.

Cliffnote: If it were just for me, then BMW, but for my family and I, some of the other models OTHER than BMW serves my family better and hence I would choose over BMW.

I'm sure texaZ3 would understand me.