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bump...
So now that the FR-S/BRZ has been out a few years, what are owner's impressions of their FRS/BRZ in terms of reliability (which was one of the supposed advantages of it over the BMW)? I'm now choosing between these two as well:
1) 2013 128i (m-sport, 6MT) with 29k miles , CPO warranty for another 3 yrs or 100k miles.
2) 2015 BRZ Premium, brand-new. 3/36k b-2-b 5/60k powertrain warranty.
Currently, both are the same price. Despite popular belief, the inline-6 in the 128i is fairly reliable, with the major issues being oil leaks (oil filter housing gaskets/valve cover gaskets, and oil pan gaskets) that start occurring as miles accrue (100k+ miles). Other issues would be the water pump/thermostat around the same time. Replacing those gaskets can be quite expensive, especially the oil pan one which requires the subframe to be removed. Quotes for that range between 1k-2k, since it's almost a whole day job.
In any case, having test-driven both cars, I liked both for similar and different reasons, but overall I was leaning more towards the twins due to reliability and the "new" car factor. However, after reading many threads here with issues such as throw-out bearings failing, CELs, fuel-pump issues, and some rod-bearings issues, I'm second-guessing my decision. I'm mostly mentioning the engine issues as these I feel are the most serious (I can "forgive" squeaks/rattles, crickets, taillight condensation, etc as these are not mechanical issues and won't leave me stranded on the road). Perhaps a lot of these issues with the FRS/BRZ existed on earlier years, but are these still valid reliability concerns on the new 2015/2016 FRS/BRZs?
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