Older BMW 328is or Newer Chevy Impala?

Which means very little. It is common knowledge that J.D. Powers and others who rate autos (like magazines) have to give a favorable review (or at least NOT unfavorable) or they will not be used in the future or their advertising dollars will increase.

In other words they are bought and paid for!!!!

Newer 7 series are notorious for their problems. A BMW salesmen I use told me to steer clear.

Tell your son to do the research first next time. I would recommend the 530 which Consumer Reports rated one of the best cars on the road and was praised by the same salesman I referred to (they also dissed 7 series).

"C. E. White" wrote in news:45d9ab6e$1 @kcnews01:

I see a lot of '80's eras BMW's for sale with 300,000 to even 400,000 miles, and they run good still, supposedly.

Note that was the E39, not the current 5 series.

The CR rating you are referring to was for the prior model. Here is what they have to say about the 1004 5 Series:

"The redesigned 2004 BMW 530i replaces the model that was CR's best car tested for two years. This new version has slightly improved fuel economy and rear-seat room. But these gains are offset by the complicated iDrive multifunction control system and less-agile handling. The BMW has a stronger powertrain than some competing models, such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but doesn't match the E's balance of ride comfort and agility. Overall, the

530i is an excellent car, but it doesn't live up to the high expectations set by its predecessor."

I looked at the CR problem areas for both 5 and 7 series and while the 5 series looks better, it is still pathetic for a car that cost so much. CR rated 5 series reliability average, which surprised me given the large number of black and half black circles for the various years. Amercian cars that have better looking ratings usually get a worse than average rating. I gusess when you spend big bucks on a car it is OK if you get screwed on the reapirs. The consumer opinions for the 2004 5 series on the CR web site were interesting. Most people said it was the best car they had ever owned. Interestingly a couple of people who had a significant number of complaints gave the car four or five stars. Nobody trashed it.

Ed

JD Powers is a little different than enthusist magazines or Consumer Reports -they are in the survey buisness. They give the public the broad picture stuff and sell the details to the auto manufacturers. They cannot afford to be dishonest if they want to keep selling information to their "Customers." And before you say they are in the pocket of US Manufactuurers, they do a lot of buisness in the Far East, so they can't afford to play favorites.

References:

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LOL.

I didn't say I liked it, I just said it was a good car. Good meaning the same old song - "I never did anything to it except change the oil". Being something like the 7th generation, GM had the bugs out of it. Finally. Then they went to the new model and started all over.

Exactly. "Sell the details to the auto manufacturers." I view with a jaundiced eye any firm which gives the public information on manufacturer products while those same manufacturers are their customers. In essence they are being subsidized by the very manufacturers they are evaluating.

No thank you.

People who pay big bucks for a car just can't be negative on it, even if repairs are big bucks.

A friend of mine got a Maserati Biturbo as a company car several years ago. A car lover and very wealthy man, he finally had to give up on it. He would drive it one week and it would stay in the shop for two.

Nobody can tolerate a POS forever, no matter what you have in it.

I doubt the BMWs are all that bad, especially when new, but I would expect more from a car like this. The German cars are beginning to lose their lustre to many people. Mercedes will hold its share of snob appeal, I guess, and Porsche has its diehard followers. Even Volkswagen doesnt have the reputation for reliability that it once had.

True...

Are they? I've seen no evidence of that.

I didn't know VW ever had that reputation. You talking about the 70's with the Beetle?

I've almost always owned Chevys. A couple of years ago I managed to unload (read: almost give away) a '98 BMW 325is. (A "gift" from a kid who couldn't make the payments, after I cosigned.) What a POS. When the engine was running, it went like a scalded ape. But there were bugs in the cooling system which made it overpressure on occasion, which of course killed the radiator and heater cores. (Official BMW instructions to remove the heater core: "First, chisel off the steering wheel shaft mounting bolts...) Working on it required a totally different approach from American cars; they really don't want the owner to do that. (The "no dipstick" tranny was the most irritating.) I even had to use a darn torque wrench on the oil pan plug, to avoid breaking it. Couldn't rotate the tires - not recommended, because normal wear was on one side on the front tires, and the other side on the rear tires. But what totally surprised me was the poor shape of the interior and trim. At way less than 10 years of age, the car looked 20 years old. Paint fading, all the exterior plastic trim cracked and chipped, headliner loose, door panels kept falling off. Leather on the seats totally cracked. Dash computer display with too many dead elements to read the characters. Although I learned to work on this beast, I finally decided that with the appearance defects I would never be able to have much pride of ownership. No more Bimmers!!

- Larry A.

On Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:23:40 GMT, wrote:

This is the weakest part of the BMW, IMO...body and paint integrity. For the most part, people dont seem to complain a lot about engine and transmission.

I have, particularly in Europe, and have seen printed stories which lend some support to this surmise.

I guess that in the USA the BMWs and Mercedes are still seen as prestige purchases.

As far as the Volkswagens are concerned, I have owned two, Passats, and both were exemplary cars. But I have also known other people who did not have such good luck. The old Beetles had a good reputation, deserved or not.

That's a shame; my '86 535i had very nice paint, panel fit, and the interior trim was exceptional. The only issue I had with the car was the typical complaints about the "fiddly bits" - the window switches required periodic disassembly and cleaning, and the cute little computerized warning panel always had at least one or two lights erroneously on. And the service reminder thing didn't work, which took out the temp. gauge. The taillights also regularly filled up with water until I drilled weep holes in them. Those were really my only complaints with the car, though (that, and the high price of repair parts, which eventually led me to sell it. I was moving to a state that required an annual safety inspection and the price of a suspension rebuild kit would have been out of my budget.) I guess they somehow forgot how to build a quality product?

nate

There was a story (perhaps apocryphal) that the old VW's (I'm talking pre-Superbeetle) would float for quite awhile if caught in a flood - but the newer models, 'improved' for the American market, would not.

I drove an old '53 bug while in the service in Germany in the late

60's. It was so old even the Germans would st>