[airheadpenguin]

I'm new to BMWs but because VW is buying back my 2009 Jetta Sportwagen I'm looking around for alternatives.

I drive about 80 miles/day round trip so the 328d is very attractive since it keeps the extremely good mileage of the JSW and lets me get away from what is a particularly fiddly car and expensive to repair car.

I drove a 328d today at Tulley BMW in Manchester and really loved it, I'm also looking at the Volvo S60 and the Acura TSX. The bimmer is the most fun and would go well with my airhead

What I'm looking to understand is how maintenance hungry bimmers are, particularly the small diesel.

Anyone out there with some insight?

 

[sperron]

I got my 328d in 2014 no issues whatsoever and I'm at 70,000 kms. Other than the regular service it's been great. Who knows what the future holds but so very happy with our 328d. The other premium cars your looking are not exactly cheap to fix either. If one is worried about future maintenance bills maybe lease or better yet buy a Toyota Corolla.

 

[airheadpenguin]

Sadly I am an Engineer by trade so I did consider what the most practical car for the mission was and it is the Corolla and the Civic. OTOH I'm also looking for something enjoyable to drive. Like everything its a balance

Maybe I've just been trained by VW in my last 2 cars over 14 years to believe that cars are supposed to have catastrophic issues like:

• Ignition coils that fracture going from cold to hot
• Sunroofs that seem designed to leak
• HPFPs that fail catastrophically
• A diesel emissions system that has at least 3 well known failure points
• An AC system that is made to fail

By contrast my wife's Honda was virtually repair free outside of regular maintenance, and so has been her Volvo. Which is what got the Acura and the Volvo on the list. Repairs happen and cost to repair is relative, its the frequency of dropping a grand to keep it running that I'm most concerned about.

 

[jjrandorin]

I'm new to BMWs but because VW is buying back my 2009 Jetta Sportwagen I'm looking around for alternatives.

I drive about 80 miles/day round trip so the 328d is very attractive since it keeps the extremely good mileage of the JSW and lets me get away from what is a particularly fiddly car and expensive to repair car.

I drove a 328d today at Tulley BMW in Manchester and really loved it, I'm also looking at the Volvo S60 and the Acura TSX. The bimmer is the most fun and would go well with my airhead

What I'm looking to understand is how maintenance hungry bimmers are, particularly the small diesel.

Anyone out there with some insight?

BMWs are going to be at least as expensive to maintain as the jetta (priced in line with maintaining an audi not a vw). If you are looking at BMW because you want lower maintenance costs, I believe you are looking in the wrong direction.

The BMW will be more fun to drive and BMW has had no emissions issues found on their diesels as of yet (I have a 2016 x5d).

Still going to be expensive though.

 

[airheadpenguin]

Makes sense, sounds like I should count on the 6k for the replacement DPF as part of the BMW experience.

 

[ChinaBob]

I'm new to BMWs but because VW is buying back my 2009 Jetta Sportwagen I'm looking around for alternatives.

...

What I'm looking to understand is how maintenance hungry bimmers are, particularly the small diesel.

Anyone out there with some insight?

Similar story here, except my TDI is an Audi A3, now sitting the in the lot across the street awaiting buyback.

Been driving my 328d x-drive for about a month now. Very happy with it. It's a completely different car from the TDIs. No issues in the first 5100 miles. I've been prowling the BMW boards for a few months now and have seen few mentions of expensive issues.

An important thing to remember about BMW is that you get a 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty and 4 years, 50,000 miles of free maintenance (3 years, 36,000 miles maintenance for the 2017s). Also, good independent BMW shops are plentiful in New England, I've got one almost within walking distance.

Finally, I bought my car from BMW of Stratham because they are the closest dealer to me, treated me well, and, most of all, gave me a very good price. A bit farther for you, but they have free valet service from just about anywhere in northern New England right to your door for service appointments.

 

[airheadpenguin]

That's encouraging, I'm probably looking for a 2014-2015 CPO since I tend to drive my cars into the ground so I'll have to check them out

 

[Jamolay]

2+ years and 20,00+ miles without an issue. It is a fine car.

 

[floydarogers]

Makes sense, sounds like I should count on the 6k for the replacement DPF as part of the BMW experience.

...
An important thing to remember about BMW is that you get a 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty and 4 years, 50,000 miles of free maintenance (3 years, 36,000 miles maintenance for the 2017s). Also, good independent BMW shops are plentiful in New England, I've got one almost within walking distance...

Two things here:
1) A DPF is a $2500 part. Labor shouldn't run more than $1000-$1500, even at a dealer.
2) At least one of you are in MA, which is a CA emissions state with warranty to 7/70K.

DPF's haven't been a problem on these cars, or the 3L diesels. The SCR/DEF system...

The only problem with the 2L in the 328d has been some very early ones that had bad NOx sensors - no longer a problem.

 

[SOOT NO]

We bought a CPO 328d for my wife, who will be getting her Jetta TDI bought back by VW in the near future. Ours is a 2014 328d that we got for $30K out the door. So far so good, and we are
surprised by how similar the two cars are. The BMW is way nicer as far as looks, interior, and options, but the mileage is nearly identical. We love the car, and will keep it until the Tesla comes out
as we put a deposit on the Model 3.

 

[Geotrash]

I'm coming up on 30,000 miles now on my 2014 328d, and I still love it. It's taken me across the U.S. twice, skiing on the weekends in the winter, camping in the summer, and there's nothing better for a night out on the town with your favorite sweetie than a well-shined BMW. It's easily the best long-distance car I've ever owned. And, zero problems so far.

There are also a few options that I'm glad I got. One of them is the heated steering wheel, and the others are the lighting package and the HK stereo. The lighting package just looks classy, and I've never owned a finer stereo system in a car - this after two Land Rovers and an Acura with the Bose system. I'm also happy with the navigation system, and use it often.

It's a superb car, and I LOVE that it's a diesel. First-time passengers are always amazed to learn that it's a diesel as well.

 

[Eagle11]

Makes sense, sounds like I should count on the 6k for the replacement DPF as part of the BMW experience.

??? 6K for ??

In your first post you wrote you were looking for a replacement for your diesel, then you wrote you looked at other non-diesel cars. What is important to you? mileage or driving pleasure? I also don't think you wont find many non xDrive cars in your area.

 

[DBV]

I have almost 50,000 miles on my 2014 328d and it has been flawless so far. Very impressed with it!

 

[f30jojo]

I'm coming up on 30,000 miles now on my 2014 328d, and I still love it. It's taken me across the U.S. twice, skiing on the weekends in the winter, camping in the summer, and there's nothing better for a night out on the town with your favorite sweetie than a well-shined BMW. It's easily the best long-distance car I've ever owned. And, zero problems so far.

There are also a few options that I'm glad I got. One of them is the heated steering wheel, and the others are the lighting package and the HK stereo. The lighting package just looks classy, and I've never owned a finer stereo system in a car - this after two Land Rovers and an Acura with the Bose system. I'm also happy with the navigation system, and use it often.

It's a superb car, and I LOVE that it's a diesel. First-time passengers are always amazed to learn that it's a diesel as well.

Exactly how I feel about my 2012 X5d.

 

[maxdriver]

That's encouraging, I'm probably looking for a 2014-2015 CPO since I tend to drive my cars into the ground so I'll have to check them out

We are on our second BMW. The first we got at Stratham and our current one from Tulley. Both buying experiences were fine, but Tulley is a higher volume store and we got the better deal there.