After my Audi I learned I'm never buying another German car. Hard to work on myself, absurdly expensive for the shops to work on them, parts are very expensive. Since most owners seem to be "of a demographic" that does not mod/repair their vehicles, the online community pales compared to some other brands where this is a bigger part of the ownership culture, IME. Yes, I know there are passionate Audi modders and repair forums out there, but I'm referring to a percentage of the ownership base and in comparison to communities around other makes.
The Audi was great fun to drive though, no denying that. Just different priorities in what I want out of a car.
I hear people say that about my BMW, and realistically the hassle of some reliability issues is nothing compared to driving the lifeless husks of cars they recommend instead.
(there are reliable sports cars, but it significantly limits the pool you can select from)
That's fair, but it's funny because that's how I always felt about BMWs. My buddy loves them but I always felt like they were so... sterile. Unless you are at a track or love cutting off people in traffic it feels really hard to have any fun in one.
Agreed - the last 5 that felt good to drive was the e39, and the rest probably peaked with the e90 or e8x. I felt the same way with the corvette - my c5 was the most fun to drive. C6 was an upgrade in comfort but significantly number, and the C7 was horrific. I took a C7Z for a spin and it felt slower and more boring than my c5 despite having 2x the HP.
Sterile compared to what? Is there another manufacturer of acceptably-tuned rear-drive sedan chassis out there at a semi-reasonable price point that I should know about?
(I'm talking about pre-2010 BMW here; I would totally agree with most new ones being sterile)
I agree it may be 90% as fun to drive (which is subjective), but you're comparing FWD to RWD.
I'd much rather have a 80's-90's Nissan or Subaru, especially built, than a modern BMW, though. Much more soul in vintage cars imo.
Some vintage BMWs were pretty reliable, a lot of modern Nissans have awful reliability.
It's AWD, but the MS6 has about 100% the repair bills of any old BMW, this person just has no idea what they're talking about. Maybe they owned one when they were new and doesn't realize what long term reliability is like
As a current owner of a 90s Jaguar and an 05 Volvo, I've been looking at low-mileage E90 era BMWs for my next daily driver. Not too scared of moderately expensive maintenance, but would like it to be more reliable than the Volvo has been.
As a former E46 and current E83 owner, my advice is go for the earliest chassis code you can find while keeping mileage low. You need to find a unicorn at this point. (Unless you like turbos - then you have to go E90 or newer.)
BMW really ramped up the electronic complication starting with my E83, and that shit wears out right alongside all the typical flimsy BMW plastics and rubbers. Plus the delightful parasitic drains from tfa.
They also ramped up their maintenance-unfriendly designs around the E46 era. On an E39, a rear spring swap is easy. Try it on a newer one, and you will regret the attempt.
Anecdote. I've had a BMW for the past 9 years now, and not once have I had to open the hood of the car or so much as replace my wiper fluid. I don't even know where the lever for any of that is. I pretty much take it in to a dealership when a light on the dashboard lights up, they drive me to work, pick me up after and my car is good to go.
Agreed. I beat my C5 and C6 pretty hard, but aside from (some) of the GM/F cars you’re very limited in choice. Especially if you’re looking for a lightweight sedan.
