22nd Dec 2025, 12:49
OP here, I will agree with that. I wouldn't dismiss anyone's less than ideal experience with a BMW. It can be luck of the draw, I've seen it too with people I know. I may have fluked on both previous cars, an E46 and an E90. All cars I buy are often 9+ years old, but while all my Audis have had plastic flanges crack and leak coolant, neither of my BMWs did (not what I expected, and I owned them 2 or 3x as long as the Audis). Even with BMWs reputation for poor cooling system design, the mechanical water pumps (N42 & N46 engines), thermostats, and even rubber hoses held up somehow. As for what's attached to the engine, the E46 had coil issues, but not the E90, and neither of them gave me any Valvetronic or VANOS issues. Perhaps the previous owners (the E90 is ex-Japan) were diligent enough with basic service, because they demand clean oil to work right. They did, however, always need the vacuum pump seals replaced every 50K km or so. All these cars are petrol though - in the UK/EU, a great number are diesels which have more things that could go wrong including added sensors. While trying to get a car with the least complication (i.e., no "M" cars, no 7-series) and scouring the web for common problems before purchase helps, the real challenge is finding one that is an honest car in good condition, after which keep it serviced regularly, and watch it like a hawk, and hopefully you end up with a reasonable car that serves you well. But at that age, I do expect to encounter issues in time. Fingers crossed.
19th Dec 2025, 19:34
The experience most people I know who drive BMWs is that eventually it's the stuff connected to the engine that has the problems. Lots of use of plastics where they probably shouldn't. Electronics issues. My neighbor has a similar vintage, and while it hasn't left him stranded, he's had to work on it a few times recently.