Went from BMW to Subaru

[Asharus]

Got a lot of hate from my BMW brethren, but I'm lovin the switch!

I've only owned BMWs since I started driving in 1999, and it was definitely a great experience and a pleasure to drive each and every one of them. I went from a 1990 325i, to a 1992 525i, to a 1998 540i, to a 2001 540i (and a 1997 318ti as a daily driver for about a year).

I traded the wife's 1998 540i for a Nissan Sentra due to the issues it was having (Valley Pan Gasket leaking, coil packs, CEL, etc) a few months ago, and sold the 2001 540i/6 this and replaced it with a 2011 WRX Limited w/ Nav.

I was a little nervous about going from a $60k car to a $30k car, but my only complaints so far are how cheap the turn signal stalk feels compared to the 540.

Out with the old

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkHHGW2qXcw

In with the new:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE1GKrxojKU

 

[satyajitmenon]

Didn't I just see you post this on BFC?

Congrats, by the way.

 

[radioouman]

Wow, I'm sure your wife loved you for trading in her 540i for a Sentra!

 

[Asharus]

She's the one who wanted the Sentra, LOL... It has more tech than her 540. BT, NAV, Backup Cam, Ipod. Even the speakers in that econobox are better. It can't hold a candle to the 540s performance though.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Nice Scooby.

 

[AMCRambler]

Lol. Another person drops BMW for what reason? You guessed it. Reliability. They may be epic drivers cars but seems like all that tech just increases the list of things that can go wrong. It seems there's some benefit to keeping things simple. I still like that BMW is out there pioneering new ideas and putting them into production. They're more on the bleeding edge than any US car company.

I wonder if reliability was any factor in why they've opened a US plant now. More likely it's cheaper to build them here than build them in Germany and then ship them over.

 

[KIAman]

To be fair, trading any 10+ year old car for a new one will provide "more tech" and better reliability.

 

[skyking]

To be fair, trading any 10+ year old car for a new one will provide "more tech" and better reliability.

Indeed. I'm not going to bother bashing anyone for wanting a superior driving experience, I just prefer to buy used/not-so-fancy and put the difference elsewhere. In our particular case it is vacation property.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Lol. Another person drops BMW for what reason? You guessed it. Reliability. They may be epic drivers cars but seems like all that tech just increases the list of things that can go wrong. It seems there's some benefit to keeping things simple. I still like that BMW is out there pioneering new ideas and putting them into production. They're more on the bleeding edge than any US car company.

I wonder if reliability was any factor in why they've opened a US plant now. More likely it's cheaper to build them here than build them in Germany and then ship them over.

Troll much?

He was running a 12 year old car, what he mentioned was small stuff and it sounds like he just didn't want to fix it. Big difference.

But carry on with your hate. I enjoy it. :sneaky:

 

[KIAman]

Lol. Another person drops BMW for what reason? You guessed it. Reliability. They may be epic drivers cars but seems like all that tech just increases the list of things that can go wrong. It seems there's some benefit to keeping things simple. I still like that BMW is out there pioneering new ideas and putting them into production. They're more on the bleeding edge than any US car company.

I wonder if reliability was any factor in why they've opened a US plant now. More likely it's cheaper to build them here than build them in Germany and then ship them over.

The electronic doo-hicky failures will be on any car that has them.

Also, US plants are to get around import tax to make the car cheaper for consumers. If you do European delivery, you get around this tax as well but not everyone has the time to spend a week in Europe to drive their new car to the docks.

Indeed. I'm not going to bother bashing anyone for wanting a superior driving experience, I just prefer to buy used/not-so-fancy and put the difference elsewhere. In our particular case it is vacation property.

Nice.

 

[chin311]

Damn, love both the 540 and the WRX. Can't go wrong either way.

 

[GoSharks]

If you do European delivery, you get around this tax as well but not everyone has the time to spend a week in Europe to drive their new car to the docks.

That's not how it works.

 

[KIAman]

That's not how it works.

I stand corrected. The ED program's discount is from not paying out incentive money to US dealers, rather than import taxes.

I'll do ED with my next Bimmer.

 

[SSSnail]

Lol. Another person drops BMW for what reason? You guessed it. Reliability. They may be epic drivers cars but seems like all that tech just increases the list of things that can go wrong. It seems there's some benefit to keeping things simple. I still like that BMW is out there pioneering new ideas and putting them into production. They're more on the bleeding edge than any US car company.

I wonder if reliability was any factor in why they've opened a US plant now. More likely it's cheaper to build them here than build them in Germany and then ship them over.

To be fair to BMW, the cars he mentioned weren't exactly showroom $60k cars he said, they were older cars with who knows what problems they had.

I've said this in numerous bmw hating threads, and rightfully so, that most older BMWs aren't taken care of properly. A lot of people just worry about the monthly payments without taking the maintenace aspects into consideration, so they end up buying a car they can't really afford, then turn around and blame the car.

I'm not saying they are the most reliable cars out there, but they're not as bad as people make them out to be. Anecdotal evidence side, generally if you take care of the cars they won't have half of the problems that people are bitching about.

 

[FiLeZz]

Got a lot of hate from my BMW brethren, but I'm lovin the switch!

I've only owned BMWs since I started driving in 1999, and it was definitely a great experience and a pleasure to drive each and every one of them. I went from a 1990 325i, to a 1992 525i, to a 1998 540i, to a 2001 540i (and a 1997 318ti as a daily driver for about a year).

I traded the wife's 1998 540i for a Nissan Sentra due to the issues it was having (Valley Pan Gasket leaking, coil packs, CEL, etc) a few months ago, and sold the 2001 540i/6 this and replaced it with a 2011 WRX Limited w/ Nav.

I was a little nervous about going from a $60k car to a $30k car, but my only complaints so far are how cheap the turn signal stalk feels compared to the 540.

Out with the old

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkHHGW2qXcw

In with the new:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE1GKrxojKU

I went from boxster to STI 2010

 

[Tristicus]

Can't say I like hatchbacks...but nice!

 

[Imdmn04]

You are comparing a 10 year old car that is 2 generations behind to a brand new car?

Of course you are not going to feel too much of a downgrade. Materials might be worse, but all the techs like navigation, bluetooth, iPod etc. will be miles ahead on a brand new car.

A top-trim Accord, Camry, or Sonata (about $30K) today will likely to be more feature-oriented than any $60k car you can find 10 years ago.

When you go down from a 2011 BMW 5 series to a 2011 WRX, then you have the right to brag about your "sacrifices" or the lack thereof

 

[PricklyPete]

You are comparing a 10 year old car that is 2 generations behind to a brand new car?

Of course you are not going to feel too much of a downgrade. Materials might be worse, but all the techs like navigation, bluetooth, iPod etc. will be miles ahead on a brand new car.

A top-trim Accord, Camry, or Sonata (about $30K) today will likely to be more feature-oriented than any $60k car you can find 10 years ago.

When you go down from a 2011 BMW 5 series to a 2011 WRX, then you have the right to brag about your "sacrifices" or the lack thereof

This.

I'm happy you are enjoying your new car, and the WRX is a fantastic car, but comparing a 60K car from 10+ years ago to a 30K car that is brand new is not really a fair comparison.

I will not try to defend BMW reliability, but you can't deny they drive well. As SSSnail mentioned, too many people purchase them for their "brand appeal" that really can not afford them...and then screw the car over maintenance wise. And I would say proper maintenance is extremely important for these vehicles.

 

[Saga]

Title sure felt misleading here. Going from a 10+ year old BMW to a brand new WRX is so far beyond apples to oranges it's sort of laughable. Frankly, even comparing your brand new WRX Impreza to a 335i boils down to only a $10,000 price difference, and the difference you get in car is almost 10-fold.. seems like a no-brainer to me..

For the sake of comparison, I drive a 335xi, my wife owns a hatch body STI-Limited, and SHE drives my car whenever she possibly can instead of hers, so I guess she would be better suited for this particular rant, but I really don't feel you accurately understand just how big of a comparison these two cars are directly next to each other. It's seriously night and day between all the trimmings Luxury and the tin-can WRX.

But hey. If you love Subaru's (and trust me, I do - we've owned 3 Legacy's!) then by all means go for it. But I would never go BACK to Subaru from BMW from a daily driver perspective.

 

[sjwaste]

Jeez, a lot of you BMW owners are very sensitive. It's not like OP said "BMW's suck, so I switched!" He simply said he's driven one brand all his life and is enjoying what he has now.

BMWs are great cars, but I never got the brand loyalty that some of you exhibit. It's reminiscent of cigarette smokers... or Saab drivers. It really is ok that he bought a Subaru and likes it.

I'd go for a 335i myself, but we don't have any kids yet. When we do, I'd own a Subaru in a heartbeat. Different car for a different purpose.

 

[Saga]

I'd go for a 335i myself, but we don't have any kids yet. When we do, I'd own a Subaru in a heartbeat. Different car for a different purpose.

Can you elaborate, please? I'm trying to see any reason I'd prefer a child in a tin can Subbie vs. a 335i.. and we have both a 335i and a STI in our garage..

 

[Arkaign]

Can you elaborate, please? I'm trying to see any reason I'd prefer a child in a tin can Subbie vs. a 335i.. and we have both a 335i and a STI in our garage..

Well, I can't read his mind, but I have a 4-year-old and another kid on the way, and kids are ... messy. An Impreza, even an STI model, is something of an economy car when you look at anything but the drivetrain, so it's less stressful to have spilled drinks, melted crayons, etc involved in the Subie rather than in a really sweet new BMW. Also for people who might decide to slow down on the car buying thing, holding on to an older japanese car is a bit less pricey on average than holding on to an older german car, and this is exponentially increased with the more complexity the car has, so that's another plus.

BMWs are near-perfect cars for those that can afford to just keep them 1-3 years under full warranty, then trade them or return the lease for the latest flavor. Keeping them long term takes preparation, planned maintenance, and a rainy-day fund to take care of any possible major out-of-warranty failures that might occur.

 

[MotF Bane]

Well, I can't read his mind, but I have a 4-year-old and another kid on the way, and kids are ... messy. An Impreza, even an STI model, is something of an economy car when you look at anything but the drivetrain, so it's less stressful to have spilled drinks, melted crayons, etc involved in the Subie rather than in a really sweet new BMW. Also for people who might decide to slow down on the car buying thing, holding on to an older japanese car is a bit less pricey on average than holding on to an older german car, and this is exponentially increased with the more complexity the car has, so that's another plus.

BMWs are near-perfect cars for those that can afford to just keep them 1-3 years under full warranty, then trade them or return the lease for the latest flavor. Keeping them long term takes preparation, planned maintenance, and a rainy-day fund to take care of any possible major out-of-warranty failures that might occur.

Also, a hatchback five-door Subaru is useful for hauling things - larger quantities of groceries, four people plus luggage, that new Ikea crib, whatever - whereas the BMW doesn't have that ability.

 

[Arkaign]

Also, a hatchback five-door Subaru is useful for hauling things - larger quantities of groceries, four people plus luggage, that new Ikea crib, whatever - whereas the BMW doesn't have that ability.

That too

 

[Saga]

Well, I can't read his mind, but I have a 4-year-old and another kid on the way, and kids are ... messy. An Impreza, even an STI model, is something of an economy car when you look at anything but the drivetrain, so it's less stressful to have spilled drinks, melted crayons, etc involved in the Subie rather than in a really sweet new BMW. Also for people who might decide to slow down on the car buying thing, holding on to an older japanese car is a bit less pricey on average than holding on to an older german car, and this is exponentially increased with the more complexity the car has, so that's another plus.

BMWs are near-perfect cars for those that can afford to just keep them 1-3 years under full warranty, then trade them or return the lease for the latest flavor. Keeping them long term takes preparation, planned maintenance, and a rainy-day fund to take care of any possible major out-of-warranty failures that might occur.

Makes sense. I just don't let my daughter eat in the car, never had mess problems. Guess I'm a terrible strict father, hah.

I take advantage of BMW's Pre-Certified Used program. BMW's come with a 4 year warranty, and buying a used car tacks on another 2 years of about 85% of the same coverage (their warranty is honestly amazing, it even includes routine maintenance and oil changes.. never pay a thing). So basically, buy a 1 year old BMW and don't pay the 15% off the lot depreciation, then get a 5 year warranty.. bam!