[MarkoHF]

Ok so I am looking to buy a 330D from 2007 onward, needs to have less than 70k miles.

Coming from someone with a really terrible previous BMW car which had tons of problems so I want to ask which engine is more reliable. The N57 or M57?

Also how reliable is the 330D in general? I wanted to get 335D but they are above my budget (22k EUR in Germany)

Also: I just found out that the E46 330D had the same M57 Engine which my friend made over 200k miles on it without any major problems (except turbo)

[dixy2k]

Why would you want another problem car? Better yet, the same problematic and unreliable brand?

BMW have always been plagued by problems, mostly electronic, sometimes engine related, lately the diesels have a lot of emission related problems due to the new clean technology. That's not to say that other brands using similar technology will not have the same issues.

Is it social status appropriate? I don't get the loyalty toward a bad reputation brand.

[MarkoHF]

Originally Posted by dixy2k

Why would you want another problem car? Better yet, the same problematic and unreliable brand?

BMW have always been plagued by problems, mostly electronic, sometimes engine related, lately the diesels have a lot of emission related problems due to the new clean technology. That's not to say that other brands using similar technology will not have the same issues.

Is it social status appropriate? I don't get the loyalty toward a bad reputation brand.

Ok, name me one brand beside BMW that:

*RWD
*Has the Luxery, driving experience and design similarity of a BMW 3 Series Coupe
*Has a big powerful diesel engine
*Doesn't look like a granddads car (Mercedes)

And I'll tell you what I hate about it, if you find one.

Also about the previous car that I had was somewhat my fault, I bought a shit model a 316i not sold in the US this is a 1.8l, the rest of the models with bigger engines didn't had much problems. I am still buying a BMW no matter what, but this time I am looking for a reliable one.

[DWR]

Diesels are inherently reliable. Note, I am separating engine from emissions. With all due respect, doesn't sound like you are asking a question that relates to your criteria. Good hunting

[MarkoHF]

Originally Posted by DWR

Diesels are inherently reliable. Note, I am separating engine from emissions. With all due respect, doesn't sound like you are asking a question that relates to your criteria. Good hunting

I live in a country where I can remove DPF and Catalitic converter and still have no problems. We don't have emission testing here.

[dixy2k]

Japanese cars are superior in reliability than any German POS.
It's your money. Wasted any way you please.

[fsd350]

Originally Posted by dixy2k

Japanese cars are superior in reliability than any German POS.
It's your money. Wasted any way you please.

Ouch. What about the drive man? A race car gets rebuilt every race!

[melonbread]

Originally Posted by MarkoHF

Ok, name me one brand beside BMW that:

*RWD
*Has the Luxery, driving experience and design similarity of a BMW 3 Series Coupe
*Has a big powerful diesel engine
*Doesn't look like a granddads car (Mercedes)

And I'll tell you what I hate about it, if you find one.

Also about the previous car that I had was somewhat my fault, I bought a shit model a 316i not sold in the US this is a 1.8l, the rest of the models with bigger engines didn't had much problems. I am still buying a BMW no matter what, but this time I am looking for a reliable one.

My wife had 116i while we were in Japan, that car shouldn't be called BMW!

[dixy2k]

Originally Posted by fsd350

Ouch. What about the drive man? A race car gets rebuilt every race!

And that's the reason I got a BMW, so I can visit the mechanics every 6 months.
I love those guy and feel very sad for those reliable car brands, whose owners don't even know the address for their dealer.

[Richierich32]

Originally Posted by dixy2k

And that's the reason I got a BMW, so I can visit the mechanics every 6 months.
I love those guy and feel very sad for those reliable car brands, whose owners don't even know the address for their dealer.

Please go troll somewhere else

[32valves]

lol

[petey_highboost]

Originally Posted by dixy2k

Why would you want another problem car? Better yet, the same problematic and unreliable brand?

BMW have always been plagued by problems, mostly electronic, sometimes engine related, lately the diesels have a lot of emission related problems due to the new clean technology. That's not to say that other brands using similar technology will not have the same issues.

Is it social status appropriate? I don't get the loyalty toward a bad reputation brand.

Just because you had essentially a lemon not all 335d's are junk..

[Pierre Louis]

My daughter's 2003 Honda Civic LX has had serious problems at only 110,000 miles, with engine mounts, exhaust, oil leaks, etc. Many Honda minivans have transmission issues, and the bodywork often starts to disintegrate as it ages. Japanese did have "better" reliability in the past, but nowadays most cars are manufactured with modular components built in the same factories around the world, and often have similar reliability. Consumer Reports will beg to differ, but they are dependent on selling their reliability ratings which are only comparative, not indicative of how much more reliable most cars have become (see JD Powers yearly average - it goes up 5% usually).

PL

[bvanlieu]

Not a huge CR fan however when it comes to statistics and *larger* sampling, you can't dismiss them.

Internet and forums are not statistically meaningful in general as we get the bad with less of the good.

My BMW (335d, owned for past 35K miles): has spent over a month in the shop in 3 years, multiple emissions issues, oil pan leak, headlight washer leak. Our 2014 X1 has had to have steering rack/rod replace (popping issue some have) but so far so good...stll under factory 4/50

Made in Japan 2010 370z: a clicky rear axle replaced/lubed as per a TSB. 1 day in shop in 4 years 50K miles driven.

Anecdotal yes, but my previous 20+ years of motoring were all Japanese made cars with 3 pedals (Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Mazda). I never threw a CEL and had only a few things fail here and there in 500K miles of driving. My german experience is not so good (also have a Cayman, water pump puked at 7y/38K miles. Quality at its finest...no, wait? What is it with germans and water pumps....)

- b

[Persian Whisperjet]

At 64K miles zero problems other than the SCR unit.

[Pierre Louis]

Originally Posted by bvanlieu

Not a huge CR fan however when it comes to statistics and *larger* sampling, you can't dismiss them.

Internet and forums are not statistically meaningful in general as we get the bad with less of the good.

My BMW (335d, owned for past 35K miles): has spent over a month in the shop in 3 years, multiple emissions issues, oil pan leak, headlight washer leak. Our 2014 X1 has had to have steering rack/rod replace (popping issue some have) but so far so good...stll under factory 4/50

Made in Japan 2010 370z: a clicky rear axle replaced/lubed as per a TSB. 1 day in shop in 4 years 50K miles driven.

Anecdotal yes, but my previous 20+ years of motoring were all Japanese made cars with 3 pedals (Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Mazda). I never threw a CEL and had only a few things fail here and there in 500K miles of driving. My german experience is not so good (also have a Cayman, water pump puked at 7y/38K miles. Quality at its finest...no, wait? What is it with germans and water pumps....)

- b

370z is a nice, conservatively engineered sports car. Believable that its pretty reliable.

CR advertises how unbiased it is, even though it skews its interpretation to maintain relevance and sell copy. Cars are 50% more reliable in general every 10 years, and only JD Powers gives such information. CR has a long record of being wrong about cars, but yes, its data is still somewhat relevant if you are shopping for a car by Maytag. Tell me if a "black" circle in CR ratings is only slightly less reliable or a lot less reliable than half a black circle or a white circle. You can't. They won't publish the raw data.

PL