[rxander]

forever is a strong word more like 5-7 years or before 100000 miles since its not my daily driver.

[dude987]

Originally Posted by RobUK

Every car I buy I say to myself "Right, this is it I'll keep this one" and then every few years I see something nicer and end up changing. It's a bloke thing

Think I'm inflected with the same disease.

[Ti335]

Originally Posted by gc1969

annual oil spray (for rust)

I highly recommend that you do NOT do this. BMW already have excellent corrosion resistance from the factory (after 10 years of winter driving, my dad's X5 does not have a spec of rush anywhere). Aftermarket rust protection "solutions" often make the car rust faster instead of inhibiting rust.

[mark.L]

I'll be buying an F30 very soon, but I don't think I'll be keeping that forever.
5-7 years max.

[jddssc121]

i get too antsy. I tend to flip my car every 3 years

[raleedy]

You can look at ten to twelve-year-old BMW's and judge what you're up against. The E39, often regarded as one of the best BMW's ever made, is no longer very reliable and is susceptible to a number of electronic and other annoying faults: failing keys, failing trunk solenoid, cracked radiators, broken water pumps, failing secondary cooling fans, instrument panel failures, and much, much more.

[pmc123]

Originally Posted by raleedy

You can look at ten to twelve-year-old BMW's and judge what you're up against. The E39, often regarded as one of the best BMW's ever made, is no longer very reliable and is susceptible to a number of electronic and other annoying faults: failing keys, failing trunk solenoid, cracked radiators, broken water pumps, failing secondary cooling fans, instrument panel failures, and much, much more.

failing keys and IPs? ugh.

Maybe I'm being completely unrealistic. We have a Nissan Pathfinder in the family that's pushing 20 years old. Other than wear items, the things that have failed are: a) 1 fuel injector b) the alternator. Everything else works. I'm using this car as a benchmark and maybe I should not be.

So you think 10 years is a reasonable upper limit?

[wynden]

The F30 328i I just got replaces a 1998 Nissan Maxima SE – my daily driver for almost 15 years - with almost 290,000 km on it. (Yes, talk about long-term buy & hold.) Snicker if you want, but this Maxima has been the most cost effective, reliable and enjoyable car I’ve ever owned. It still runs well, but it was time to move on.

I plan on holding on to this F30 for a while - i.e. until repair/maint costs become excessive. I guess only time will tell. I'll be really pleased if it as anywhere near as reliable and cost effective as my old Maxima, though I'm not holding my breath.

[Stanleywan1211]

oh man i am keeping my car like forever and i will mod it but i so regret not putting NAVI on it looks so much better>_< and it cant be changed after production

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by pmc123

If you were buying to keep long term, what options would you get and what options would you skip? And am I correct thinking the pleather will hold up better than the leather?

Options I would avoid (from a reliability stand point):
Automatic transmission- BMW's have traditionally been moderately weak in this area.
Driver Assistance Pack- Self explanatory
Driver Assistance Plus- Even more self explanatory

Personally the tech package would be the only one that I would take a risk on.

As far as leather vs leatherette goes:
Between abusing leatherette and abusing leather. The leatherette will hold up better. If you don't mind doing occasional maintenance and spending more then get the leather.

[sfwalt]

This is my fourth BMW (3 300s & 1 528). I over maintained them all (primarily extra oil changes) and they all lasted well over 50K miles--one had nearly 100000 miles. They all are probably still on the road somewhere and, based on my experience, I am confident that, with reasonable care, any BMW will last for over ten years and over 100K miles. They are well engineered and carefully manufactured. I will probably buy another one in the future.

[bimmerjph]

Originally Posted by sfwalt

This is my fourth BMW (3 300s & 1 528). I over maintained them all (primarily extra oil changes) and they all lasted well over 50K miles--one had nearly 100000 miles. They all are probably still on the road somewhere and, based on my experience, I am confident that, with reasonable care, any BMW will last for over ten years and over 100K miles. They are well engineered and carefully manufactured. I will probably buy another one in the future.

I have seen some E46's on bimmerforums with well over 400k miles on it. I think they had done an engine re-build, but still thats pretty effing impressive for what some people call an "unreliable car".

Personally I plan on keeping my car forever, unless I crash *knock on wood*. I don't think that I will buy another car until I can buy it without selling my current. I think it would be cool to always have your first car. If it is still possible I might even try to pass it down to my son someday.

This shows how durable BMW's CAN be.
http://www.endrasbmw.com/15/worlds-longest-competition/

[pmc123]

Originally Posted by bimmerjph

Options I would avoid (from a reliability stand point):
Automatic transmission- BMW's have traditionally been moderately weak in this

but reliability improves if you change the "sealed" tranny fluid, now and then, right?

I shudder to think what a new or rebuilt 8-speed auto would cost.