That's the route I went. S2k, Bertha, m3, m3, Yukon, 911, truck.
That's the route I went. S2k, Bertha, m3, m3, Yukon, 911, truck.
I'm not sure why this would be any more indicative of current BMW reliability than how a 1994 Hyundai Excel isn't for modern Hyundai products.
FWIW, BMW was one of the bottom 10 UK brands for engine reliability in 2013 according to UK 3rd party warranty company Warranty Direct. It doesn't say the time period of the data involved, however.
The N54 and N63 had some pretty well documented problems. I know BMW extended warranty coverage on N54 high pressure fuel pump and wastegate issues in the US, FWIU, this was exclusively in the US. BMW may have figured that they'd be able to get away with not doing so in Europe, where drivers only average half the annual miles of American drivers. The N55 fixed most of the N54's problems, but they occasionally had oil filter housings crack, dripping oil on to the belts, leading to the belts slipping off and wrecking everything. N63B44O0 engines famously got the "customer care package," but judging by my buddy unloading his ~60k mile 550i in the face of thousands in repairs, it sure didn't fix all the issues. The N63B44O0 just runs too damn hot due to certain inherent design flaws that aren't practically fixable.
But hey, maybe more recent variants of the N63 in particular have solved the issues. Talking with my mechanic who's a VW/Audi specialist, it seems like VAG is past their premature 2.0 turbo engine failures.
May I recommend the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo?
Pics, intro video (including 360 degree view) and specs here http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/news...-toyota-supra/
I will say that the whole JD Power thing is not a reliable indication of the status of vehicle reliability etc. When I worked at a Porsche dealer as a service writer for a short while I could tell you some stories about how JD gets their very subjective customer opinion "facts". Suffice to say they are not facts but surveys given to customers after a warranty complaint was serviced. In a nutshell these reports are more skewed to how well the dealer schmoozed the customer during the repair process. And boy did we have to kiss ass...our pay was based on our JD Power satisfaction % which is the main reason why I left.
Just a simple example...now they only survey "warranty" customers...and they usually call a week or two after the repair has been filed and submitted to the manufacturer for warranty reimbursement.
Let's say a customer brings their 997 Turbo in for a check engine light issue. The tech finds the issue and it is repaired to my satisfaction during the test drive. Now here's where a few things could go wrong.
1) Let's say we didn't have a cool enough car as a loaner to satisfy this gentleman...he is not happy he has to drive a Boxster around while his car is in the shop. If it were a "lesser" brand shop you don't get shit for a loaner so the customer is pissed.
2) Let's say after the repair is completed a completely different issue pops up that is not warranty related. And when JD calls, this guy is angry as fuck because of it.
I could on with all the dumbass scenarios that would cause a customer to be pissed off when JD calls up asking how "satisfied" they were with their dealership experience on their new cars.
3rd party warranty company surveys are no different. Opinion based. And I'll be honest, people only buy 3rd party warranties if they either already know the car has a major issue or suspect it will have one. We would have people come in and diagnose their 996 or 986 (Boxster), find out it has a main seal leak (requiring a rebuilt engine), then go get a 3rd party warranty and have it fixed under warranty.
So take these types of surveys with a grain of salt...or actually don't believe in them at all until the way they get their information is fixed. Problem fixed or not, the state of mind of the customer at the time of the survey is what they are surveying.
Last edited by JoeW; January 14th, 2019 at 11:33 AM.
I want to see the new Supra with the MKIV wing on the back. Somehow I think that would have sold more people on it.
I'm still positive about the new car...it's too early to know whether it will be reliable or not. I kinda surprised myself being a die-hard Toyota fan and not a big fan of BMW's reliability. Maybe I'm delusional that Toyota engineers are overseeing things and ensuring reliability? I dunno.
I think whatever Toyota did, if they didn't resurrect the 2JZ engine, people would be mad...because 30 year old engine designs are so great.
The new Supra is 200 pounds lighter and has 50 more lb. ft. of torque and 20 more hp..........but can it make 1,000 hp because that's the only thing the MKIV Supra is good for.....right??????
Looks too much like the M Coupe from the early 2000's and then the Z3 and Z4. Just too much BMW resemblance in there for my tastes.
Toyota has enough money to make their own damn car. When you have an icon of a car like the Supra you can't just outsource for it. With this car being basically a rebadged Z4 M40i it just cheapens it for me...not like I was going to the dealer anyways
Last edited by JoeW; January 14th, 2019 at 01:18 PM.
I decided to try this:
I think Toyota was hedging their bets by making a smaller run sports car since a lot of people aren't buying them anymore.
I will say the Supra looks a lot better than the BMW brother car all the way around. And the hardtop probably has a lot to do with it...convertibles tend to not have the same nice lines as their coupe counterparts.
The MkIV wing might be just a scosh too much. Maybe they could have made a movable wing inside that ducktail that raises and lowers at speed? Probably will make it to the R version