Why are some pricey cars not reliable?

[Unintentionally_Blank]

The problem with this conversation is that there’s a subliminal bias that’s not apparent.

A BMW with 6 problems for a BMW enthusiast is ‘no big deal’

A Corvette with 6 problems for a BMW enthusiast is ‘a bucket of crap’.

A Honda Accord will have 3 problems, I don’t know if the ‘my car is an appliance’ person will think positively or negatively about it.

The Average car will have 4 problems.

[Absolute]

@control-z

To me that’s really an unacceptable amount of things to go wrong, and no doubt the car has been in a garage quite a few days getting all those things replaced. Maybe the car is so fun partly because you’ve missed it when it’s away!

Well, not really. Except the ignition coils, every one of those things was dealt with when I brought the car in for some item of regularly scheduled maintenance (oil change, coolant change, new brakes, whatever).

[Bijou_Drains]

For fun driving you should not compare a BMW to a Honda since the BMW costs a lot more. It makes more sense to compare a BMW to an Acura or Lexus.

I agree that is a lot of stuff to go wrong on any car much less an expensive one.

[Balthisar]

@Absolute

My 2003 BMW has 130,000 miles on it. Since new, other than wear items, I’ve replaced the ignition coils, belt tensioner, control arms, window regulators, passenger side door speaker, and had a few minor hassles with a leaking seal on the differential. Other than the control arms and the second failed differential seal, these all occurred within the warranty period.

However, now, at 130,000 miles, it still drives like new. The interior has held up excellently, and other than some wear on the driver’s seat, it still looks like new. It doesn’t rattle, it doesn’t creak, and the engine and transmission are still smooth as silk.

For expensive cars, this is mostly the type of stuff people are talking about when they say they have “bad reliability”. It’s not at all the same thing as a car “not lasting”.

Wow, that’s the kind of stuff people talk about when they say “bad reliability”?

Similar to you, my '01 Continental is just shy of 130,000, and still drives like new without any NVH issues. And other than wear items, the only trouble has been front end bits and pieces (Michigan roads really make ball joints and tie rod ends planned maintenance), and the keypad shorting out twice (causing the interior lights to cycle on and off all night, draining the battery). This is perfectly, perfectly acceptable in my book.

[Bijou_Drains]

I guess I have high standards but I think repairs needed in the warranty period should be very, very rare. Since 1990 I have had 2 Toyotas and 4 Hondas and they needed 0 repairs under warranty.

[Telemark]

@Bijou_Drains

I guess I have high standards but I think repairs needed in the warranty period should be very, very rare. Since 1990 I have had 2 Toyotas and 4 Hondas and they needed 0 repairs under warranty.

And my Honda had two expensive repairs before 75K, one that left me stranded. For the most part, major repairs are rare with all modern cars. If you don’t drive your car hard you may not have nearly as many problems. Enthusiasts are looking for something different from a car, not necessarily a transportation appliance.

[Bijou_Drains]

I also think some people treat having to pay for car repairs as sort of a status symbol - it’s a way they can show they have a lot of money.

Old joke - why are there no British made computers? Because they can’t figure out how to make them leak oil like all their cars.