I was tracking B8.5 S4s (via Autotempest notifications, great website) for about 2 years until I found one that I wanted (and wasn’t ****** out from under me). Set up those alarms soon, clean examples of these cars are going like hotcakes

 

Lol I live in the middle of Canada. I don't think Autotempest works up here. I have been looking at them as well for about two years. There is one close to me with 78,000km, owned by an older guy with the pulleys, intake, full exhaust. He even moved the cats further away so he wouldn't melt them with the added power, but wants a decent amount of money for it. I am definitely considering them sooner rather than later as I have been having brake issues with the G and literally just replaced the front pads and rotors today to try and get rid of some shudder. While I was at it the brake fluid melted away some of the rotor paint which I am not happy about. Hopefully the brake issue goes away.

Congrats on the S4

 

Huge fan of the S4 and they are relatively affordable once out of warranty. How much did you end up paying for yours as it appears to be in mint condition. Are you in front of all of the known issues with the car?

 

The family car is a 2018 Subaru Forester Touring Edition that we purchased new 8 years ago. So today we test-drove the 2025 Forester Hybrid.

The car itself is super familiar. Two models later, and it still feels like the same car. Butt ugly, but our ugly, LOL. It was noticeably more quiet, which was nice. And the wireless phone charger with Apple CarPlay is nice. However, the drivetrain was super disappointing. Instead of a little extra response off the line, it was anemic. While in motion, it was neither better nor worse than our old Subby. And the stop/start tech was maddening. Don't like that.

What I particularly didn't like was they are asking exactly MSRP on the car, because of the tariffs, which increased the car by $2000. There is no way on god's green earth that I'm paying $2000 because of some arbitrary tariff. So that's it for Subaru, for now. I'm sure things will change... tariffs on, tariffs off, tariffs on again. We'll see. We're under no urgency to make a move. And there are plenty of other cars to look at.

Basic family car, and first world problems.

 

Bought from a large Audi dealership, so worked replacement of the PCV, water pump and thermostat into the deal. Also had them verify condition of the supercharger coolers while in there. Paid mid/high $20s for it, there wasn’t much room to bargain so got things thrown in to sweeten the deal (maintenance, shipping)

 

I'm in the same camp as your friends. I'm been looking at new G90 M5's. Amazing car with a beautiful interior and it drives exceptionally well for a bigger sedan. On the heavy side, but hides it weight well. But I just can't bring myself to buy another BMW. I has an E36 M3 over 25 years ago and it was by far the least reliable car I have ever owned. And even though the dealer fixed everything under warranty with no questions asked, all those dealer visits were quite a hassle and the car was probably at the dealer close to a third of the time that I owned the car. I just keep reminding myself that even as appealing as some of the newer Bimmers are, it's still not worth all the trouble of owning one!

 

What about the B58 models' reliability? Every car reviewer out there loves the B58 engine and the models that are equipped with it seem to be holding their values much better than previous models or models without it, especially the M340i.

 

I have a handful of friends that feel the same way, several of them are car people like us that try to understand known issues and stay in front of them. Several others did not have recurring issues, but were consumed by "what ifs" and potential depletion of funds for random overpriced repairs and the difficultly surrounding doing any repairs yourself.

 

I've heard the same. Toyota electing to use the B58 in the Supra was huge for building BMWs credibility in this area, but the platform is still relatively new. Fingers are crossed. Outside of the B58 engine and ZF trans, how are the other elements holding up on the M340i?

 

3 am? I have been in two M340i lately, one was the M Performance spec and was quite beaten up on the outside (curb rash, broken front splitter, few scratches) but the interior was in pretty good condition and in working order for a 2021. The other was also a 2021 and it was in really nice shape but I knew the owner and they were never hard on their cars. I guess time will tell for the M340i, lots are past their warranties and I suspect the adaptive suspension will give up at one point. I am probably going to replace the G next summer and the M340i is on the list, I would prefer a stick because I have been driving the XS since 2017 and it was my first auto. I have been wanting a stick again and that is also why the B8.5 S4 is high on the list. I don't know if the S4 would be a good decision long term since the newest ones are 2016 and is over a decade old. M340i has newer updated models but again, its auto. This is part of the internal dialogue I have with respect to replacing the G on a daily basis. Sometimes I just want a C or E63 or even a GLC63 and deal with the maintenance issues after I melt a few tires off that thing.

 

My biggest concern with the M340 is the 48v mild hybrid system that got added a few years ago. Adaptive suspension is going to be $$$ when it eventually wears out, but I'm not sure I'd want a car without it at this point.

 

Not ever having owned a car with the B58 engine, I can't really comment as the the reliability of that engine. But, honestly, all of the issues I had with my M3 (other than the water pump failing twice in less than 18K miles) were not engine or drivetrain related.

 

What was the issue with the water pump? Known defect of some sort? Twice in 18K miles in unheard of as water pumps lasted longer in the 1970s. When are folks seeing them fail on the G? 200K miles?

 

IIRC, weren't those water pumps the ones with the plastic impeller that kept shattering? Then BMW "upgraded" the impeller to a resin/composite material? Been a long time so I could be wrong. Only real PITA on my E36 (328i) was the damn air pump and emissions crap. Didn't own the car long because, well, 4-doors...not for me but was a blast to drive regardless.

Aisin water pump failures on these cars are extremely rare- I've only come across a handful and they were here on the forum. In all cases the shaft seal fails and coolant leaks out of the "weep hole." Using tap water, cheap coolant, or not following regular maintenance (flush/fill) can contribute to this "premature" failure though anything can happen.

The B58 has its own set of issues including injector failure and PCV issues and there is not a modern BMW engine that doesn't experience a valve cover leak or a VANOS-related issue at least once in its lifetime (thanks emissions crap). Still, it does seem to be a highly favourable engine. For Toyota to adopt it says something about it's bones.

That said, BMW I-6 engines are legendary and pretty damn solid. There's nothing smoother than a inline 6 humming along. It is usually ancillary components that cause issues (VANOS, HPFP, PCV, numerous gaskets, etc.) and, of course, poor maintenance. Knock on wood, my N54T at 81k miles has given me zero issues though I follow a more aggressive maintenance schedule (oil changes every 5k miles, period) and rarely "get on it." The turbos on the other hand...

The "M Adaptive" suspension can be hit or miss depending on the roads in your area. For me, in "Comfort" you end up bouncing like a yo-yo" whereas on "Sport" or "Sport+" every bump can shatter your jaw. Full disclosure, my area has the worst roads anywhere- even "fresh pavement" is rife with unevenness. In the case of my Zed/4, the springs are the biggest issue which I am trying to sort out now. But, yes, when the Adaptive Shocks fail you can expect to pay >$1K per corner to replace.

 

One day you will need to show me how to quote 4 different user posts in one reply.