I have owned 12 BMWs over a 30 year period , still own a e39 , 01 m3 , and a 08 335 . I also own a repir shop specilizing in BMW . The 335 with 80k now has a fairly large oil leak from rear of cyl. Head gasket , this would not bother me so much if the car had not so many issues while still under wa. It is too long of a list and all the newer models seem to have too many issues for me to recomend anyone to purchase one . They just cost too much to own after leaving wa. They still drive great but the lack of or too much of the engineering however one looks at it , is killing the resale value of all the newer models . Seems that BMW just wants to sell new cars and forget about all the models that are more than 5 years old . I'm trading the 08 in for something else probably a Caddy .
My take on it is buy a new one, or nearly new one (if ya want one bad enough), pay for it to be fully warrantied for as long as you'd expect to own it, and bail on it by 100k at most, lest one risk going bankrupt or insane attempting to run it and maintain it past that mileage. Turbos offer lots of hp advantages, but I'd sure hate to pay to replace one, never mind trying to deal with all the extra complexity beyond the extra-complex engine itself; seals, gaskets, hydraulics, valves, yaddayaddayadda, eek!! Time will tell, that's fer sure... BMW historically is ridiculously good at supporting old models by maintaining parts availability - if we start seeing parts for 5 yr. old BMW's becoming NLA... then we'll really know BMW wants to forget the old models. Having parts being NLA for 30 or 40 yr-old cars... not so much of a surprise (unfortunate for die-hards, but... not surprising).
I guess being int he repair shop biz, you could pick out a sweet example of your favorite "older" model and keep that one around for sunny days. I think my e46 will be the newest one I own for some time to come.
Interesting post. I own an '03 E39 and have been seriously thinking about trading it in on a new '12 3-Series. As my daily driver, reliability is very important and maybe another BMW is not the right choice. I know Consumer Reports rated the 3 series fairly low a few years ago but I was thinking that BMW had worked out all the kinks by now.
Some research should allow you to decide for yourself - one person's experience with one car shouldn't be the only thing you base your decision on. Are new 3ers good cars? Generally, I think so - besides tire-life of run-flats, the other issue that seems to have been common are high pressure fuel pump failures and the car going into limp-mode unexpectedly upon the fuel-pump failing. I too would hope that by now, BMW's effected a solution for that issue in particular. But, technological advancement exacts it's price in issues related to increased complexity. The old M10 engine would take a look at the new turbocharged 4-cyl. and have to say we ain't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. BMW built its longevity and durability reputation with engines that could run to 300k without needing much beyond typical maintenance procedures at specified intervals. Newer BMW's may be better than older ones in many ways, but the added complexity of all the various systems added to the engines to make them great-running motors with broad torque bands (and thus, so enjoyable to drive in the current models) seems to bring up larger maintenance requirements sooner in the engine's life-span. If the M62 V8's and its successors are any indication, that point is generally around 100k. Long out of warranty by that point, unless someone wants to become a determined d-i-y'er, paying the labor rates for what's needed can get pricey, quick. It's not so much a matter of the longevity, just what's needed, and whether anyone may consider that prohibitively expensive. Since BMW will never revisit the past with engines like the venerable straight-6 M20's & M30's, if we want a new model, we have no choice but to accept the new normal, whatever it is. Hopefully things like head-gasket leaks @ 80k as the first poster has experienced is, and will be, the exception rather than the rule. Another way to look at it: life is short - if you know there's a car you like, it may well be just as well to go for it and enjoy it. Most of the discussion here has been about longevity and expected maintenance issues. New car reliability is different from longevity - if it starts and runs, every time, for all the time, you have reliability; except for the high-pressure fuel pump issues, I don't recall hearing much else negative about recent 3er's reliability. A little searching should allow you to find out what others are recently experiencing.