JD Powers Survey

hehhe yes mazdas are now s**te ... can you blame them they are owned by ford

right .. my 1978 cordoba parked in the field wasnt parked because of body rot .... to much money for gas tho lol

Hey Bill, Not sure about newer VW, no experience. I've heard lots of complaints about MB, pre and post merger. One German vehicle that truly impresses me, though, is BMW. Granted, they are expensive in the US and Canada due to the Yuppie factor, but in Germany they are like Chevrolets (The impression I get from my German sister-in-law). The mechanical systems in BMW's, both 2 and 4 wheeled, seem to last nearly forever. I'm a die hard US vehicle(Ford) driver, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Granted, my personal experience with BMW is limited, but I've seen many with trouble free miles well into 6 digits. I also don't recall ever hearing a BMW owner complain about their car. BMW motorcycle owners seem to have nothing but praise for them. I've personally seen one go 12x,000 miles without any engine work whatsoever. Take that Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and of course Harley Davidson. One Japanese car that really made an impression on me was Subaru.(1995 AWD Legacy) During a blizzard on the New York Thruway headed to Toronto from Cleveland, that car felt glued to the road (deep snow). When you pressed the pedal, it went. When you pressed the brake, it stopped. No wheel spin or brake lockup at all. I've never felt safer in severe winter conditions. I don't know about their reliability, but that experience would count if I ever considered an import. I like my Taurus and my Mark VII but I won't defend their weaknesses by tearing down other makes that I choose not to own. To each his own.

Depends on the model, and within BMW, you expect more (features/gizmos, ride comfort, and reliability) the higher in the series you go. The 3 series is considered by most other Bimmer owners as the "entry level" model, then folks work their way up with the packed dash 5 series, then gain some of the space back when they finally graduate to a 7 series. Sort of like going from the Cavalier to the Cadillac in GM terms. I knew a guy with a loaded 535 (I think it was a 2002 or 2003, that would spend his break and lunch time sitting in his, just start it up, run the A/C, and listen to tunes {or watch TV, I dunno, all I know is that you'd never find him in the lunchroom}). Gotta love the car to do that.

I was paid to take a test drive of a BMW back in 03 or 04. I drove the

3 series sedan and the new Z convertible. The 3 series has less leg room than my 01 Camry and is shorter. The reliability ratings on BMW are worse than Toyo.

The Z is made in S. Carolina. Nuff said there.... But I liked it for the vroom factor. But it is not practical at all and both vehicles are overpriced and not worth it just for the cache' factor.. Besides it only has cache' if I say it does..

CP