Unbelievable, biodegradable wiring insulation

[freedom_in_4low]

As long ago as that was, I figured they would have gotten better, not worse.

they've probably improved their defect rate, but as they continue to add complexity and therefore more components and connections, the exposure climbs faster than the rate falls, and defects per vehicle continues to grow.

Me and my family had good luck with 80s-90s BMW's and Mercs, and I wouldn't hesitate to own another E28, E30, or E34 because those didn't have any electronic gadgets beyond what you got in any other car. The on board computers didn't change much for 10-15 years before they started getting wild around the same time OBD2 came along.

 

[Irishguy]

Wait 'till rats get in there and start eating that shit. They love it.

 

[jeepguy03]

Yes the E46 M3 was terrible in that regard, but believe it or not the E39 M5 was even worse. Those cars ALWAYS have lights on on the dash. You get rid of one and another just pops right up.

Yeah I purposely got my E90 as a base model with no IDrive/navigation bullshit that would be outdated anyway. M cars are fun to drive but some of the most expensive vehicles on the planet to fix.

 

[Chris]

Yeah I purposely got my E90 as a base model with no IDrive/navigation bullshit that would be outdated anyway. M cars are fun to drive but some of the most expensive vehicles on the planet to fix.

Absolutely. Like all German cars, when they work, they are amazing. But it's the cost of keeping them running that will quickly make you fall out of love with them.

 

[Zorba]

How good/bad is the Z4? I have a friend who just bought a used one, 2 or 3 or 4 years old. I liked the Z3's looks better.

 

[jeepguy03]

How good/bad is the Z4? I have a friend who just bought a used one, 2 or 3 or 4 years old. I liked the Z3's looks better.

It really depends what drivetrain it has and what options. If it has all the IDrive/navigation stuff that makes things more complicated. I believe all of those were RWD so that eliminates problems with the AWD system, and if it's a manual those are pretty trouble free. If it's a turbo he might have some issues, but a lot of those were N/A.

I purposely got mine in a N/A inline-six, RWD, base model configuration to avoid a lot of the headaches. With the right configuration these cars can go awhile, there is a guy on the BMW forums with the same car I have with close to 400k miles on it. Add on any of the fancy stuff or turbos though and you are in for some pricey repair bills.

 

[Zorba]

He has some congenital disabilities - its an automatic. I'll have to ask if its a turbo or not...

 

[jeepguy03]

He has some congenital disabilities - its an automatic. I'll have to ask if its a turbo or not...

I think the newer ones have the ZF 8-speed like the Grand Cherokees which has proven to be fairly reliable. the Z4 itself I think is okay. The problem children with BMWs are their SUVs and higher series cars like 5 and 7 series with the air ride suspension and all the electronic bullshit.

 

[Zorba]

Air suspension - whooo boy. Mercedes gave up on that decades ago, although they may have brought it back more recently.

 

[Chris]

Just stay away from German cars in general unless you have deep pockets and like servicing them almost monthly.

Once a German car is out of warranty, that’s when they lose massive amounts of value, because everyone knows what happens then

You only lease German cars, period.

 

[Zorba]

I wouldn't buy one any newer than the one I have - even it has too much "crap" on it.