Acura to BMW 3 Series!

[JLH81]

Hello all,

I am looking at my options to replace my 21' Acura RDX Aspec that is nearing it's lease (2 year lease). I am torn if I want to buy it out, or if I want to get out of it and into a BMW 330i X-Drive. I really like the BMW, and I've always wanted to get one, but the reliability factor has always kind of scared me off. However, I originally planned on leasing one, but with the way the leasing incentives are, I would be better off financing one I think.

I will be test driving the 330i this weekend, but thought maybe I could get some insights into moving from an Acura to a BMW. Has anyone done this? If so, what were your thoughts? I'm expecting "The Ultimate Driving Machine" LOL!

Also, for those of you that have the 330i, how is the X-drive AWD in the snow? Additionally, what problems have you encountered with the vehicle?

Thank you all for your help!

[dworthy]

A BMW well taken care of has no reliability issues, just people who complain about how crappy a BMW is but don't want to do the maintenance that's require. There's a saying in the circle: Nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW!

Just to put that in perspective, I have owned a BMW all my life and I have been left stranded a couple of times in my older BMW's, never in ones that were less than 15 years old.

The AWD system is on point, but the best ones are built by Audi and Subaru. The B-48/46 motor is very reliable, one of the best 4-cylinder engine out there. You also have a bit of room to mod the motor as well, but one of the best one for reliability is to replace the plastic charge pipes with metal ones.

[F33B58M]

Be aware that Toyota (Lexus) and Honda (Acura) make bulletproof vehicles. Over the last 20 years they have ALWAYS been at the top of the reliability charts. So, as long as you don't expect that level of bulletproof, then you will be fine with BMW. Most of the research I did before getting into BMW suggested that electronics are the most likely issues you will have. Also, because so many people buy older BMWs and fix them up, or do mods to them, they are perpetually reporting problems on the forums. But that will not affect you, as you will be buying new. Because I bought a used BMW, the advice I was given was to buy an extended warranty if I wanted to keep the vehicle for 5 or 6 years.

The only other surprise I got on the BMW forums is that BMW owners seem to think its okay if they had a failure on the road, and that BMW warranty fixed it. The Japanese marques consider ANY kind of failures on the road (regardless of warranty status) to be a blemish on their reputation.