What's your thought on a 2010/11 M3
 

I was planning on buying a 2002-2005 Turbo/turbo s then began reading about the coolant pipes coming loose because they are connected with a compression fitting w/glue and 3-4k to drop the motor to weld them. I was thinking can't Porsche make a reliable car so started considering other cars and was wondering what you all think of a 2010/11 M3. If I were to pick this car up I would probably hold onto my boxster. I'm going to find a few to drive and see if they compare. Power is similar, it just doesn't look as good, but then again it's much newer so likely to be more reliable. I don't know much about BMW's but figure you guys must know.

Go to the BMW forums and spend some time there, issues abound with every make. That being said the M3 is a VERY hard car to top when it comes to sporting coupes, on my short list for future cars to purchase.

I can say that my wife's E46 325i has electrical (power windows and doors) problems, the suspension wears out early, and the car seems to always be leaking some kind of fluid. As Core said, there are problems with every make.

A quick scan of a few BMW forums for M3 problems yields concerns about window sealing, idle control valve, leaking struts, and the DCT transmission. And a few engine failures. Of course, the difficult part is to know if any of these issues are common or relatively unique.

Seems that BMW forums are no different from Porsche forums. :)

Seems that BMW forums are no different from Porsche forums.
+1
My wife has a 2007 X3; before I got my 99 C4 I had a 2006 325 sedan. Both cars had water pump failure @ 115,000 miles, and each cost over $ 400 to DIY fix. Nice cars, but there are issues. Thankfully, like with the Porsches, there are forums and DIY guides for everything.
Good luck.

Read any fórum on any vehicle and you'll find that all have problems.

I guess you guys are right. I'll probably go drive one to see how it feels.

Agree! There are DIY's for almost everything BMW and the folks on several forums are great.

v8 thrust! Report back please.

Research the maintenance costs. I hear they're far higher than they should be for oil changes, etc...

My 07 550i is my DD and has gobs of power. 0-60 in 5 seconds flat. Not much repair work on it yet, but I'll trade it in 3-4 years as it approaches 10 year old status and 100k miles... Suspension parts go out early on bimmers, just like Porsches.

Crappy German rubber bushings!

I have an E46 M3 which has been very reliable. Some folks will no doubt recall the rod bearing problem these engines had when they first came out, but BMW did the stand-up thing and replaced every crank bearing in existence, and gave a 100,000 mile warranty.

The E92 M3 that you are considering is a somewhat different animal from mine. It is even heavier than the E46 M3, and the V8 engine is probably the first and last that you will see in an M3 (BMW seems to be going turbo crazy these days). I know several people who track their E92 M3's regularly, and they are hard on brake pads due to all the mass, but otherwise seem very reliable.

Any BMW is a McStrut suspension design like all Porsches, which has poor camber curves in roll. This combined with all that mass up front will make any BMW understeer like a pig, unless you install camber plates and crank in lots of negative camber. But, unless you auto-x or track, this is not an issue that you will probably ever notice.

I spent 17 years driving BMW's. 12 different cars between the two of us. No issues. None.

I'm not certain the repair is that bad I was following one on track second session, when it started to steam just enough warning to get back and down a lane, and then Wham. They had him back on track last run that day. I'd try the 2009-2011 Boxsters. Probably in the same price range. DFI no IMS more power.

That is a pretty good endorsement. My question to you is did you purchase your cars new or used? Using the above criteria average ownership was 2 to 3 years per car, my guess is some lasted longer than others.

The reason why I ask, my 2 partners went through a BMW phase, 5's and 7's. While they were wonderful cars and always impressed me when I drove them, at about 5 to 6 years old or 90k plus miles they really started to hurt maintenance / repair wise.

I owned a 1995 E36 M3 sedan, a 2000 M Coupe and a 2000 M Roadster . Didn't have them long enough to encounter major maintenance requirements or problems , but good "boulevardiers"though. Nothing like the poise and balance of a boxster for sure.

IMHO,anything with "Bavaria" in its name is a pretty good bet for fun.I've always admired the 3 series and each new model year I pray that BMW doesn't screw it up.

I'm going to go for a drive, but at my surprise I'm starting to also look at m96 996's. I was looking at a few and the prices are just so low, for someone who knows what to look for it appears a good deal may be had.

Cars I'm interested in so far are

1999-2004 996
2002-2005 turbo/turbo s
2010/2011 m3,

I really want to keep my boxster so was considering the 996' although I may be able to pull off a turbo as well. I just feel at the turbo price point I should get rid of the box. We'll see I have a lot of test driving to do.