328i SE 245 4dr

German Reliability?!? Yeah right...

Overall, the F30 is a good car, and the 328i is one of the best available. It has the exact same 2 Litre engine you get in the 320 but with an extra 60bhp from the factory.

However there are some big issues I’d like to point out. This whole “German reliability” thing is a con. It’s simply not true in my experience, I’ve owned 2 BMWs and they have both been very unreliable from the get-go.

My 328 is only just 7 years old, it has done 72000 miles. I have spent over £3000 in the last 3 months trying to keep it on the road.

First the ECU needed replacing, then the headlights (both of the units themselves, not just the bulbs), then all 4 coil packs, and it still isn’t all working. The headlight adjustment and the start/stop functions still don’t work. Not good for a 7 year old car, that was “approved used” from BMW only 2 years ago.

There is a very good reason you only get 3-5 years warranty on a new BMW. There’s an even better reason you only get 1 year warranty on a used BMW. It’s because it WILL go wrong, and it WILL cost a fortune. They also refused to extend the warranty, as if they knew something would go wrong...

Repair costs are astronomical, as are regular maintenance costs. It has never done more than 40mpg on average, so it’s not great on that front. The tax isn’t cheap either.

All-in-all it’s a lovely car to drive, and a lovely car to look at.

But in all honesty, I won’t be buying another German car, certainly not another BMW. It’s a con!

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