bill d cat

It gets a white dot, like the 7-Series.

This is the "usual" CR dot scale, "Better" is a red dot, "average" is a white dot, and "Worse" is a black dot.

The Chevy Malibu earned a full black dot for satisfaction, as did the Saturn Ion.

The Porsche 911 and Boxster received a full red dot, as as did the Corvette. The "satisfaction" rating seems only randomly associated with the "Predicted Reliability" rating. The 911 received a full black dot for Predicted Reliability.

But we all know about that stuff (burning money as a sacrifice and blowing the smoke in the direction of Zuffenhausen.).

If there's any pattern, it's that cars that are ultra-user friendly, like an Accord, and cars with a soul, like a 911 rate high for owner satisfaction.

DFC4S

I have a E46 328i DD. It has been a great car with virtually no problems, but the time has come to replace it. I don't like the new 3 series lines and am looking to replace it with an AWD. I'll be looking at replacing it with a RS4 before years end.

Boosted330

i have a 2001 e46 330ci supercharged. ive had it since new, and put 70k miles on it. i love it to death. it's always been good to me. i had some problems recently but they were the only ones ive had since i owned the car and they were normal wear and tear stuff.

Mark Harris

I bought this one for my wife in May of this year. Our first Beamer and we love the thing. I sneak it out all the time. It had 49K when we bought it. It's at 54K now and I haven't spent a dime on it. Well, except for the 18" CSL wheels and Michelin Pilots.

993Brendan

My wife has an E46 323i and it has been a great car. I think you get a little dicier when you head up into the 5's and 7's, however, my E39 540i has been a wonderful car with only minimal maintenance required.

agdamis

One of the all-time best choices for a DE/track car. Very fast, great chasis, great motor and easy DIY.

agdamis

I always support BMW on this board and it is my belief that as Porsche owners we naturally would be attracted to the "second" sportiest and best car in Germany.

My experiences:

1989 535i - Indestructable at 16 years old it didn't even rattle inside. The motor (old straight six) was bullet proof. only issue some rust on the bottom of the doors.

2001 330i - 40K miles Not a dime in it. Great car, great motor great drive loved it.

2002 540i - 55K miles on the clock owned for 2 years bought it with 40K not a single issue. 6-speed sport package is unbelievable. The only car that does not make me mis the 993 insanely in the winter, and fits 5 people and thei luggage. Talk about drift!!! only thing wrong I should have bought the M5!

97_993C2

I have a '99 323i that has been virtually trouble free for seven and a half years. However, as I approach 160k miles things have started to break and with impending maintenance like struts, clutch, bearings, etc, it may be time to replace it.

CP

I firmly believe the pre-2004 BMWs are wonderful/reliable cars.

My take is that BMW had always been a 'sports' orientated car designer/manufacturer, until the early 2000s. Then they decided that 'luxury' is a better marketing angle than sports (ala MB and Lexus). Their interpretation of luxury is gadgets, LOTS of gadgets (idrive, active brake lights, active steering, adaptive turn signal stalk, and a million other acronyms). Unfortunatley, their electronics and software people are nowhere as skilled as their mechnaical design people. So they have all these newfangled gadgets that are half-baked at best and don't work most of the time. That's when their reliability rating took a dump. Worse yet, all these electronic interferences insulate the drivers from the real driving experience, which was the one factor that built brand loyalty through the years.

That's when BMW lost it IMHO. Luckily as dumb as Bangle is, he dared not mess with the 3 series (that much), so the 3 series remains an incredible car.

Just my 2 cents.

CP

jackb911

I don't have any experience with the newer Bangle BMW's, but the three 3-series I owned (1996,97,98) which included a M3 were totally trouble-fee. The last one was a '98 323iS coupe that I bought used which was my daily driver until last year when I sold it because the mileage was getting high...zero problems, even at 102K miles.

I replaced it with a new top-line Accord coupe. While it's not as involving to drive as the 3-series, it is (amazingly) quick, solid, reliable, comfortable, affordable, not complex, economical to maintain, and seemingly bulletproof...everything I need in a DD.

CP

I bought a base Cayman as a DD for exactly the same reason you cited. Although it is a much more involving car to drive than any BMW, only second to my Ruf.

How's this for economy, seeing that it is a Porsche?:
(1) 25 MPG combined driving, 32 highway. I just use regular unleaded.
(2) $450 for a set of tires (17").
(3) $800 per year insurance.
(4) $99 oil change, every 20k miles per Porsche, although I'm doing it yearly.

I'm happy as a pig in mud with this one.

CP

dcdude

Another 100% satisfied E46 owner (5 speed 325i). Still may be the best all-around car I ever owned. The steering is perfect. The ride is unbelieveable: taut yet perfectly supple. A friend of mine said it delivered 31 MPG on cruise control at 85 MPH back from Vegas. Totally amazing.

We recently "stepped up" to an E-Class, but there's no comparison. We mourn the loss of the BMW every day....

Bradford

I own both and the E46 is one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. I have a coupe and with the exception of the door seals, these cars are bulletproof.

Now the E90 is a different story. I bought one of the first E90 330i back in May 2005. I love the car but we have had many nagging problems with it, nothing major but many. My biggest complaint is that the BMW dealerships are not prepared to maintain as many cars as they sell. 75% of the time I take the E90 in for something, they either fix it wrong or damage something else. Here are some examples.

1) Had the windshield replaced - went to pick it up only to find black sealant all over the exterior and interior around the windshield and they dripped some sort of solvent on the brushed aluminum dash and console that wouldn't come off. They had to send it out for a professional detail.

2) Back seat rattle - on the third time they fixed the rattle. A week later we noticed that when they put the seat back in, the shoulder harness was not accessable and in the trunk behind the seat.

3) The door panels and steering wheel plastic just starts peeling after 2 years - the dealer replaced them and had to remove the steering wheel to repair. A couple days later while driving down a busy street in traffic, THE HORN GOES OFF and won't stop.

4) The seatbelt and airbag warning light stay on with a passenger - they have to replace the bottom leather in the passenger seat where the sensor is attached. Pick up the car and notice that they ripped the leather in the console when they pulled the seat out for repair. Had to take it back for a new console.

These are only a few examples as I could go on and on about the E90. My biggest complaint is with the dealer.

Greg Fishman

And how many times did you take it to this dealer before you realized they were incompetent? I avoid the dealer as much as possible, I would rather live with a small rattle than have them mess up my car.

mikestash

I had a 99 e46 - great car. Maybe 3k in total maintenance over 100k miles.

I had a 07 e90 - it is gone. Terrible build quality. Lots of rattles. Issues with the oil cooler.

I will most likely go back to BMW but not for a few years - the e90 scared me.