addanki@rochester.UUCP (Sanjay Addanki) (07/25/83)
Several contradictory opinions about the reliability of MBs and BMWs
came up during a recent conversation. I had long thought that the cost
of maintaining an MB or BMW was pretty much the same as maintaining any
other imported car. I assumed that MBs and BMWs were more reliable than
other imports and therefore (number of breakdowns x cost of repair) was
reasonable. The dissenting opinions were.....
1. MBs and BMWs actually cost more to maintain because they
are not significantly more reliable and they are significantly
more expensive to maintain than other imports.
2. MBs and BMWs are cheaper to maintain because they are far more
reliable than other cars and the higher cost of maintenance
does not offset this difference.
Since these opinions seemed based on scattered experiences of friends of
friends etc., it was difficult to reach any conclusion. I would like to
open up the question to netland and invite opinions, experiences, anecdotes,
tall tales etc. about the reliability (or lack thereof) of these cars.
Pleaas reply by mail. If there is enough interest I will summarise to the
net.
Sanjaya. {addanki@rochester, rochester!addanki}eric@aplvax.UUCP (07/26/83)
I have had a 320i for four years now. I think it is probably about the same cost to maintain it as any other car I have owned. It seems to need fewer times in the shop, but when it does go in, it quickly racks up the bill. Some parts are incredibly expensive, such as heater hose for $7/ft. The trick is to find which parts you can substitute without problems, and which actually require the manufacture's original. Eric Bergan ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!eric