On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 02:04:27 +0100, "IMM" wrote:

"geoff" wrote in message
...
In message , IMM
writes

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...

I beg to differ on BMW being a "quality" item.
The reliability is only average.

Funny how people go after them
though.

Image and reality don't always go hand in hand. BMW is a classic case.

I have had a 520 BMW for 6 years and it's done a lot of mileage. The
clutch went at 120,000 miles, I don't know about you but I'd call that
reliable. The most reliable car I've had bar none.

The breakdown organisations data says differently.

I won't disagree. I ran a 316 and a 318i for a total of 14 years. The
latter was the most enjoyable car I've owned, but by far the least reliable,
and it was serviced on the dot. Weakest point was the hydraulic clutch.
Either cylinder would let go with little or no warning. Slave cylinder
dumped fluid outside, master dumped it all over the drivers footwell.
Average life of a pair was 3-4 years (and they had to be changed as a pair).
The radiator gave out with a bang, likewise coolant hoses, alternator
mounts, two fuel relays, battery earth mounting point (all around the
100-120K mark). And the clutch was replaced. A Cavalier I owned at the
same time let me down once in 7 years when the camshaft snapped. Ran that
to nearly 150K miles, on its original clutch.

I couldn't really recommend a 3-series, although to be fair they are now
about 3 models further on.

--
John