I know that I have posted elsewhere about this but here is the latest, a new 2010 is at the dealer but BMWNA is holding up the process. We will get our money back on the performance mod but we will need help with the transfer of plates etc. Here is hoping a resolution will be next week so I can post about mods and my "Ultimate Driving Exdriveperience" too.
An E28 is a little bigger, and about the same reliability (very good) Newer isn't always better, and the E28 and E30 were built WAY BEFORE BMW started buying its components from the lowest bidders from India and China.
True. When I (stupidly) sold my '84 733i that my dad had bought new in Dec 1983, it became painfully obvious how much the quality of the materials had changed. That 733i felt like it was built from solid granite. Not a rattle or squeak after nearly 20 years of daily use. Everything on that car felt like it was manufactured to the highest standards. In comparison, my E46 (which I love dearly) feels downright cheap. My mom's E90 335i feels alright but nothing to write home about.
The 733 was an E23, but mechanicals are closely related to the E28 though I see your point however. I'm not overly thrilled with BMW's current tech-dependent crop of cars, but the F10 5-series looks promising.
All car companies seem to produce a lemon now and then but BMW seems to be on a terror in recent years and it's not good. BMW's failure to resolve their numerous quality control and vehicle operation issues is a disgrace and unacceptable in my opinion. Some of their defects like the N54 engine issues are also safety issues that have existed for four years. I imagine the pending class action lawsuits will change BMW's perspective on quality, reliability, defects and customer relations, at least one who hope so.
My humble opinion is that the BMWs from the 1980s were among the best made. We've had 4 E30s in our family + the E23 + my dad's E32 750iL (still in his garage and will not go anywhere - he loves it) and the build quality + material quality + (relative) lack of unnecessary electronics made them wonderful, reliable cars. They were all a true pleasure to own. We've also had an E36, my E46, my wife's E60 and my mom's E90 and there is a definite decrease in quality starting with the E36. Now, with ///Marketing driving the decisions at BMW, we're bombarded with crap that looks pretty on a car show floor but I don't need or want in my daily driver. I cannot stand the ergonomics on our 535i, the radio being mostly controlled by iDrive is idiotic. The AC is unnecessarily complicated in order to do the same exact thing the AC on my E30 did. The new BMWs are great while under warranty but I shudder to think what they'll be like 10 or 15 years down the road.
This is my first foray into a foreign car. We could have purchased a lemon from any manufacturer but, in my opinion, it shouldn't have taken over 3 months and counting to resolve. The dealer said that this is the way Germans do things!!?? To avoid the lemon law they call it a trade assist, so that the old car can be resold without stamping the title "Lemon". What is really galling is that the day our replacement hit the dealership they claim that they have found the problem...a software issue, WHAT I HAD SAID FROM THE OUTSET! The new 335is has what our car had as a dealer option. BEWARE
BMW is constantly doing software updates to try and address issues. I wouldn't believe for a minute that a software update is going to fix most of the hardware related issues. The software upgrades are often stalling tactics to buy time while they try to figure out what the real problems are.
If you didn't like the E60, the F10 might win you back over I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the new F10 5-series. One of the biggest things they fixed was the E60's over the top styling. Every magazine article I have read on it states that owners who liked the E39 5-series and were turned off by the E60, may warm to the F10. Considering that the F10 bases many of its improvements on the F01/F02 7-series (I still don't like the styling on the 7), some very important "improvements" that appeared on the 7 will parallel those on the F10 5-series, not limited to the below list: AC controls now separated from I-drive and relegated to a separate physical control on the bottom of the center stack Inherits the reconfigured I-drive control wheel that debuted on the F01/F02 7-series. One thing is for certain -- no way am I letting go of my E32. It's IDrive-free and has good old fashioned buttons everyone can relate to, as well as SEPARATE physical radio and climate controls. Did I mention my oil dipstick, transmission dipstick, and full size spare tire?
Being an old school motorhead I know that I was shocked to find no dipstick except for the one behind the steering wheel! I also realize that with 300 HP that fuel mileage at 25 on the highway is ok, but my 1985 modified Chevy Monte Carlo SS(Dynoed at 246 rear wheel hp) got the same mileage. My 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTX(277 front wheel hp) gets 32 mpg on the highway if I stay out of the supercharger. The Audi S5 of 2011 with the supercharged V6 will be around 28 mpg and produce around 333hp is looking attractive if the Dinan mod I am contemplating does give me better mileage when I am not humiliating Mustangs, Camaros and all other lesser conveyances....but that is for another day, after I talk to more of you about your mods! Scott
Finally have my new 335 in possesion! Still has a quirky 3rd to 4th shift at 22 miles but expect it to smooth out in short order. Fingers crossed(tho not while driving)that we will experience the Ultimate driving experience soon. Thank you all for listening. Hope to meet some of you in Kansas City soon!
Yes, my 750 has a classic design! Thank you az3579! I totally agree! As far as I can tell, no one has ever mistaken an E32 for anything but a BMW 7-series. Scott, my 750 gets 18 mpg on the highway, but dips down to 11 or 12 the city (ugh!). What can I say? My car LOVES the highway! 18 MPG is nothing to write home about, but it's pretty respectable for a 12 cylinder vehicle. What's even more amazing is that the newer V12 models are only getting marginally better mileage than that in actual practice from owners. Overall, I'm impressed, especially when you consider that Dodge's V10 in their Viper and pickups, only get about HALF that mileage with two less cylinders!
You need to start enjoying that car PRONTO! It's been a long, and hopefully worthwhile, wait! Yes, but they're a helluva lot more powerful and faster! More cylinders doesn't always mean thirstier...
I simply believe the BMW has a much better design. This is affirmed by the fact that several custom car and kit car enthusiasts routinely hunt up the M70 for some cheap (though not necessarily EASY) 300 hp engine acquisitions. Some of them are in for some fabrication and financial hurt when they discover the M70's unusual configuration (it's a tall, short, and wide engine) as well as its rather peculiar and expensive configuration requirements. Performancewise, this engine is a silent rocket. I find it to be an extremely durable design. I have 223,000 miles on mine. It had 215k when I picked it up and drove it all the way from Jacksonville to Dallas by way of Picayune MS; New Orleans, LA; Baton Rouge, LA; Monroe, LA; Shreveport, LA; then onto Dallas, TX. Total miles traveled over 1,500, and it required one full fillup LESS than I had calculated. Even with my unnecessarily roundabout way of getting to Dallas, I had plenty in my pocket left for a very nice meal indeed upon reaching Dallas. I had no problem on my trip with this 18 year old car (at the time) -- it's now going to hit 22 years old this September. Somehow I am not sure even BMW builds them like this anymore.
