[Wanna Beamer]

Hello,

Newbie here and wanted to ask your opinion on whether I should buy a BMW or not. I'm looking at the M235/240 specifically, either a 2016 or 2017. However, I've heard from previous BMW owners AND mechanics who say they are NOT very reliable especially when they reach the end of the basic warranty period. The mechanic states he sees a lot of turbo issues/replacements and other mechanical problems with theses "lower end" models. Don't get me wrong every car has problems that pop up from time to time but from what I've been hearing these 2 Series models are "junk" and made with cheap parts that break easily. I LOVE the look of the M235 and 240's but I'm SERIOUSLY reconsidering my move to buy one after what Ive heard. I plan on keeping my next car for at least 10 yrs., and I only drive about 8K/yr. I just don't want to have to visit the svc. dept. often even under the warranty period. SO is it true that these 2 series have seen their fair share of issues? Would YOU buy another one? Or is it just a hit or miss kinda philosophy? The general consensus is that German made cars are far less reliable than their Japanese counterpart. I thought I'd ask real owners of this brand and series what THEY think. They're very reliable in performance BUT are they as reliable in build/mechanical wise? too? DO you sacrifice one for the other? Is "German engineering" just a myth? Please help me decide. Even though VW is German made too, their new 6yr./72K basic warranty is hard to look past. (I've also been eyeing the Golf R) Thanks!

[MikeT]

M235i here, 3 years, 27K miles, zero problems.
Not sure where the "cheap parts" thing comes from. If someone could point out a single part of any significance that is inferior to its equivalent part in the 3-series, I'd be curious to hear about it.

[Wanna Beamer]

Thanks for the reply. And good to hear you've encountered no issues. The thing is I would be buying one that might already have 20 or 30k miles on it and need it to go another at least70/80k MORE. Guess I need to rephrase my original inquiry for those that have over 50K miles on it. Are you leasing?

[2016M235i]

53,000 miles on my 2016 and zero problems.

[p912guy]

Whoever you've been talking to is significantly uninformed. According to CR and other ratings companies, the 2 Series is very highly rated and quite possibly the most reliable BMW on the market today, and that's saying a lot since BMW has generally been in the top 3-8 rated brands in the past 3-4 years. If you spend much time on this forum, you'll see very few threads on problems or issues, which isn't typical as forums such as this often attract more folks complaining about issues vs praising the great things about their cars or brand (fan boy's excluded). I have owned many brands and vehicles over my 40 years of driving and I can say without reservation my BMW M235i Convertible has been, and is my best car ever. I absolutely love every minute I spend in it, and based on my ownership experience so far, I fully expect in 5 or 6 years when I decide to replace it, it will be with another BMW. Hope that helps. Let's see what others have to say.

[Wanna Beamer]

Thanks for the reply and glad to hear that!

[Wanna Beamer]

Originally Posted by p912guy

Whoever you've been talking to is significantly uninformed. According to CR and other ratings companies, the 2 Series is very highly rated and quite possibly the most reliable BMW on the market today, and that's saying a lot since BMW has generally been in the top 3-8 rated brands in the past 3-4 years. If you spend much time on this forum, you'll see very few threads on problems or issues, which isn't typical as forums such as this often attract more folks complaining about issues vs praising the great things about their cars or brand (fan boy's excluded). I have owned many brands and vehicles over my 40 years of driving and I can say without reservation my BMW M235i Convertible has been, and is my best car ever. I absolutely love every minute I spend in it, and based on my ownership experience so far, I fully expect in 5 or 6 years when I decide to replace it, it will be with another BMW. Hope that helps. Let's see what others have to say.

Thanks man! I have no doubt that this car IS VERY FUN to drive. Am just concerned about this "talk" of unreliability since having never owned a German car. Have always owned Jap ones(Honda/Mitsu/Mazda)

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by Wanna Beamer

Hello,

Newbie here and wanted to ask your opinion on whether I should buy a BMW or not. I'm looking at the M235/240 specifically, either a 2016 or 2017. However, I've heard from previous BMW owners AND mechanics who say they are NOT very reliable especially when they reach the end of the basic warranty period. The mechanic states he sees a lot of turbo issues/replacements and other mechanical problems with theses "lower end" models. Don't get me wrong every car has problems that pop up from time to time but from what I've been hearing these 2 Series models are "junk" and made with cheap parts that break easily. I LOVE the look of the M235 and 240's but I'm SERIOUSLY reconsidering my move to buy one after what Ive heard. I plan on keeping my next car for at least 10 yrs., and I only drive about 8K/yr. I just don't want to have to visit the svc. dept. often even under the warranty period. SO is it true that these 2 series have seen their fair share of issues? Would YOU buy another one? Or is it just a hit or miss kinda philosophy? The general consensus is that German made cars are far less reliable than their Japanese counterpart. I thought I'd ask real owners of this brand and series what THEY think. They're very reliable in performance BUT are they as reliable in build/mechanical wise? too? DO you sacrifice one for the other? Is "German engineering" just a myth? Please help me decide. Even though VW is German made too, their new 6yr./72K basic warranty is hard to look past. (I've also been eyeing the Golf R) Thanks!

Yah, I'm guessing you're a troll looking to stir things up here a bit here, but I doubt that's going to work
There's no way you'd have heard from other BMW owners and mechanics that there's any reliability issues with the 2-series (or in your vernacular "lower end model"). You'll find that most here have been very satisfied with their 2er whether the 228, 230, 235 or 240.
You'll also find (if you knew how to use a search engine (e.g. google) that BMW is consistently ranked in the top 1/3rd of manufacturers and that the 2-series is generally rated as one of BMWs top rated model for reliability (if not top rated).
See Consumer Reports ranking below.
But if you have to ask if you should buy a 2-series, I'd say don't do it. To own a 2-series you should know enough to really want it - and you clearly don't.

[Wanna Beamer]

Originally Posted by bimmerfile

Yah, I'm guessing you're a troll looking to stir things up here a bit here, but I doubt that's going to work
There's no way you'd have heard from other BMW owners and mechanics that there's any reliability issues with the 2-series (or in your vernacular "lower end model"). You'll find that most here have been very satisfied with their 2er whether the 228, 230, 235 or 240.
You'll also find (if you knew how to use a search engine (e.g. google) that BMW is consistently ranked in the top 1/3rd of manufacturers and that the 2-series is generally rated as one of BMWs top rated model for reliability (if not top rated).
See Consumer Reports ranking below.
But if you have to ask if you should buy a 2-series, I'd say don't do it. To own a 2-series you should know enough to really want it - and you clearly don't.
Attachment 1917273

Nope sorry not trolling. Just wanted to ask real owners their thoughts and opinions. Sorry to have mislead you, but whatever. And yes I have been looking at CR and JDP reports, but sometimes you need to go right to the source(real owners past and present) to get an idea. The M235/240 is at the TOP of my choice, then maybe the Audi S3, then Golf R. Don't kill the messenger Just inquiring about German reliablity and not personally attacking the 2 Series. TY

[stevenvillatoro]

Do a search for "reliability" on this forum, and you'll find your answer. It's a question that's asked again and again.

The 2 Series is statistically BMW's most reliable model, and is very reliable by every ordinary measure. It'll be relatively rare to find a quality complaint about a 2 Series, although niggles do sometimes happen, as they would with any brand/model.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by Wanna Beamer

Nope sorry not trolling. Just wanted to ask real owners their thoughts and opinions. Sorry to have mislead you, but whatever. And yes I have been looking at CR and JDP reports, but sometimes you need to go right to the source(real owners past and present) to get an idea. The M235/240 is at the TOP of my choice, then maybe the Audi S3, then Golf R. Don't kill the messenger Just inquiring about German reliablity and not personally attacking the 2 Series. TY

O.K. but you wrote " I'm looking at the M235/240 specifically, either a 2016 or 2017. However, I've heard from previous BMW owners AND mechanics who say they are NOT very reliable".

Grammatically, the "they" would presumably refer back to the M235/240 in the previous sentence, unless you meant to say that it actually refers to back to the "BMW owners AND mechanics" - so, if you're saying that you spoke to a number of owners and mechanics who admitted that they (the owners and mechanics) are not reliable, then you'll get no argument on this forum.

[ScottAndrew]

Originally Posted by bimmerfile

Yah, I'm guessing you're a troll looking to stir things up here a bit here, but I doubt that's going to work

To be fair to the OP, there is a lot of bitching on here about quality matters such as interior trim, long-term reliability, off-warranty repair costs and suchlike. Of course, they get blown up out proportion and attract a lot of flies, so to speak. But to add to the data already presented here, I can also add What Car?'s reliability report from the UK, which pitches the 2 series at the top of the coupe and convertible tree.

The 1 series doesn't fare nearly as well. It's interesting that in the coupe class, the 2 series was notably better than the Audi TT, but in the family hatch segment, the Audi A3 was several places above the BMW, which itself was slightly above the Golf, which shares a lot of similarity with the A3 - and the TT.

[Unicorn123]

Generally speaking, there are a lot of clowns who tell you BMW's / Audi's etc... are unreliable and too expensive to maintain. These are the same folk who think you can buy a car and drive it 50K without an oil change.

I just sold my 01 B5S4 (270K, original everything including the turbos) and 08 550i 6M (227K) to get my gently used M235. After owning several BMW's that have never let me down (E28 M5, E30, still have the E36 Z3 and E53 X5), I can tell you if you take good care of the car and lay off the loud pedal until until the oil is warm, you should get many many years of great service from your BMW.

Just do it...you will love the car.

[WolfGTI]

2017M240i - 31,5xx miles no issues.

[Wanna Beamer]

Originally Posted by WolfGTI

2017M240i - 31,5xx miles no issues.

Thanks and good to hear!

[Wanna Beamer]

Originally Posted by Unicorn123

Generally speaking, there are a lot of clowns who tell you BMW's / Audi's etc... are unreliable and too expensive to maintain. These are the same folk who think you can buy a car and drive it 50K without an oil change.

I just sold my 01 B5S4 (270K, original everything including the turbos) and 08 550i 6M (227K) to get my gently used M235. After owning several BMW's that have never let me down (E28 M5, E30, still have the E36 Z3 and E53 X5), I can tell you if you take good care of the car and lay off the loud pedal until until the oil is warm, you should get many many years of great service from your BMW.

Just do it...you will love the car.

Thanks for the reply and great to hear from past owners! I completely understand the importance of general maintenance of the car and break in periods. Treat it right and it'll treat YOU right.

[Wanna Beamer]

Originally Posted by ScottAndrew

To be fair to the OP, there is a lot of bitching on here about quality matters such as interior trim, long-term reliability, off-warranty repair costs and suchlike. Of course, they get blown up out proportion and attract a lot of flies, so to speak. But to add to the data already presented here, I can also add What Car?'s reliability report from the UK, which pitches the 2 series at the top of the coupe and convertible tree.

The 1 series doesn't fare nearly as well. It's interesting that in the coupe class, the 2 series was notably better than the Audi TT, but in the family hatch segment, the Audi A3 was several places above the BMW, which itself was slightly above the Golf, which shares a lot of similarity with the A3 - and the TT.

Yea, my top picks for next car are: 1-M235/240 2-Audi S3 3-Golf R VW's new 6yr./72k warranty is hard to pass up for "peace of mind", but either way would not still want to always being sitting in their svc. dept whether it's covered or not. Thank for your comments.

[Unicorn123]

Wanna, I drove all of the cars you mention, at length. They are all great choices. The BMW was the least practical of the three (2 doors, not a hatchback) and definitely the most fun to drive fast. My objective though, was to replace my B5S4, not the 550i. I like to drive and the BMW was the best choice for a drivers car IMHO of the three, and it was not that close for me. If you find a CPO car (as I did) in good shape that was well maintained (mine was), you should be just fine.

Good luck.

[XutvJet]

I bought my 2016 M235 new over 2.5 years ago. It has almost 30K miles and has been problem free. The interior is rock solid and not a rattle to be found. Like you, my prior cars were Japanese (Honda, Nissan, Infiniti, and Subaru) and all were very reliable and cheap to maintain. Like others pointed out, the data suggests that the 2 series has strong reliability, especially the turbo 6 (N55 motor) models (i.e., M235 and M240).

With that said, as these cars age, they will undoubtedly have issues, especially with sensors, fuel injectors, cooling system parts, oil leaks, rubber/hose parts, and suspension. Most of the common issues are easily fixed but labor costs and parts costs are MUCH higher than Japanese makes. Though unlikely, your M235 needed a new engine block or head, you could be looking at $16K and $6K, respectively. Once a M235 is 5 or so years old and out of warranty, you'd best be prepared to spend about $2K/yr in maintenance and repairs. Some years better and worse than others. If you can DIY, you'll have yourself a mountain of money.

After owning my M235, I could never go back to more standard Japanese car. There is a huge difference in engineering, robustness of parts, feel of the materials, etc. My M235 is light years ahead of my wife's 2015 Outback 3.6R in terms of what I noted. Get under the car or pop the hoods and difference is staggering. The Outback is designed to last. The M235 is designed to perform.

I wouldn't touch a VW or Audi product with a 10 foot pole if you're concerned about long-term dependability.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I wouldn't touch a VW or Audi product with a 10 foot pole if you're concerned about long-term dependability.

Unfortunately, I can corroborate this as recently as 2016 model year...dumped in 2018...with a $60k+ Audi A6. And, we didn't have to wait that long-term for the problems.

[Wanna Beamer]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Once a M235 is 5 or so years old and out of warranty, you'd best be prepared to spend about $2K/yr in maintenance and repairs. Some years better and worse than others.

And THAT's what I'm afraid of. In other words, is it WORTH taking the risk for short term fun with long term problems, especially past the warranty period. Spending 2K/yr. on car problems is not what I want. But is that the tradeoff when owning a German sports car? High performance for high maintenance costs?

[maccsco]

I have a Honda lover as a family member, I have owned some through time I call them appliances they just do their job with no need for much, but to me not a lot of excitement in the ownership experience ( I know they make the NSX and S2000 just my opinion). I had a VW before my M235 I don't drive a lot so miles were low but it was good enough that I was torn on the Golf R or the M235 and the 7 year warranty on VW was a huge plus for me. At the end of the day this car purchase was about putting a smile on my face when I drove it and for me that the M235. Will it cost more .. probably but everyone trashed talked my E38 for cost to own. I bought it used put put almost 90,000 miles on it and the only maintenance item was a fuel pump ( besides tires and oil changes and front pads). Bottom line will it cost more probably is it worth it to you? Only you know that. I bought my M235 used with 2 years of warranty left. if I have problems I will probably sadly get rid of it, otherwise I expect to keep it for a very long time as the manuals are a dying breed.