[irishcoffee]

That was my whole point actually, the wear and tear is really minimal if you get regular oil changes. Things don’t just break and need replacing. Tires, rotors, brakes, those wear out. The tires are not cheap, rotors and pads aren’t crazy expensive and super easy to DIY.

What other wear and tear things are expensive?

[sroussey]

After 22 years, my z4 has needed batteries and a starter.

Recently, there was a problem with the engine misfiring but it was $200.

LA, California

[regularfry]

If you had bought a 7 or 5 Series at that time, you would not have had that experience. The 2001 7 Series had something like a 25% roadside breakdown rate.

[dmurray]

25% every journey, or 25% over the lifetime of the car? Neither seems really believable but I don't understand how else you would measure this.

[regularfry]

25% of cars. It was... not good.

[dmurray]

So like... One in four cars would break down at the side of the road before it was otherwise EOL? One roadside breakdown every 800,000 miles or so? That really doesn't sound bad.

[regularfry]

Not in the first 800,000. Maybe in the first 8,000. They really struggled with reliability early on the E65, they introduced a lot of new (to them) technology all at once.

[irishcoffee]

It wasn’t/isn’t. The reactions in this subthread surprised me. I guess it’s an anti-ICE thing?

[carefulfungi]

Owned a BMW. Had the audacity to use non-BMW windshield washer fluid. The fluid sensor broke; because in a BMW it’s a fancy sensor that is only compatible with specific washing fluids. Sums up my experience with that car. It was nice to sit in, though.

[irishcoffee]

So you didn’t RTFM? Or ignored it?

[carefulfungi]

I admittedly did not RTFM to learn "how to replace the windshield fluid." Lesson learned. Lol.