[JimD]

Originally Posted by Stvee

Actually, as long as those cars are up to date on their maintenance, I wouldn't be nearly as scared of them on a long trip. They don't tend to have parts that will fail out of nowhere.

You put far more faith in BMW's than I do. Is this your first? They make reliable motors/transmissions/diffs and that's about it. And when I say motors, I mean the motor itself, not accessories attached to it.


Put it this way, if you're on a long trip and something goes wrong and you don't have the tools with you to work on it yourself, you're kind of screwed. There aren't a ton of shops that have the available parts (or knowledge) to work on them. So even a relatively minor failure, like a water pump, becomes a pretty big deal in both the cost and the amount of time it takes to have someone fix it.

I carry a tool roll but would be reluctant to really tear into my BMW if it quit on a trip. I doubt it will. The daughters high mileage cars have been pretty reliable but the Cherokee had cooling system issues that forced repairs twice now. I don't know if it was the cause or the effect but it needed a different head the last time (it had a crack which they are known for). The Corolla's only forced repairs were the result of a wreck but were to the suspension which was probably pretty worn before the wreck. Their longest trips are 2-3 hours coming home from College and going back. Their cars are fine for this. I would much prefer my bimmer for a trip than either of their cars for multiple reasons. We've taken it to the Port Canaveral a couple times now for cruises. I'm not concerned with it on trips (and I also do not have run flats or a spare either).