C7 Reliability
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,375
Likes: 406
From: Florida
OP, if you are coming from BMW, you will find the Vettes to compare very favorably, and that would apply to C5, C6, and presumably C7, although this latest generation has no record. This is of course IMO.
For the last 15 years, my wife and I have always had a Vette and a BMW in the garage. I have owned E28 through E90, and last year, we finally got tired of Bimmer and went to Mercedes. Our last BMW was our 6th. IMO, the BMWs just don't hold up well as they age. The worst has been our 2006 330 with sports package, which was literally becoming a rattletrap at 65K in addition to all the usual BMNW problems: failed window switches, failed radio, dash trim coming off etc etc. My oldest car, a 1987 BMW 528, needed a new head gasket at less than 100K on the most un-stressed engine BMW has ever produced. It also needed $1,500 of new shocks. When I called Bilstein in disbelief (their Vette shocks cost $350), they explained that the shock is the same, but BMW specifies a proprietary bolt stack which is a custom order every time. The parts failures are ridiculous and the cars are over-engineered.
In short, BMWs drive great and feel great when new, but they just don't hold up. By contrast, my mother in law bought a 1999 Camry that is now at 270K with no major repairs, as been passed down 3 times, and still going strong. No one rattle, squeak, or broken / failed part on the dash. Now THAT's good engineering. Wow.
My Vettes, C5s and C6s, have been very good cars overall. All have been reliable overall with no major repairs. Chassis, engine, brakes are strong points. Interior trim and electrics, less so. The worst was my 2005, which was plagued with dead battery syndrome, long since corrected. It has been a great car ever since and I still have it around.
I think the C7 will improve over the C6 in the quality area, and from a performance standpoint, there is no comparison with the C6 or with what you now drive. Get the Vette, it's a no-brainer.
For the last 15 years, my wife and I have always had a Vette and a BMW in the garage. I have owned E28 through E90, and last year, we finally got tired of Bimmer and went to Mercedes. Our last BMW was our 6th. IMO, the BMWs just don't hold up well as they age. The worst has been our 2006 330 with sports package, which was literally becoming a rattletrap at 65K in addition to all the usual BMNW problems: failed window switches, failed radio, dash trim coming off etc etc. My oldest car, a 1987 BMW 528, needed a new head gasket at less than 100K on the most un-stressed engine BMW has ever produced. It also needed $1,500 of new shocks. When I called Bilstein in disbelief (their Vette shocks cost $350), they explained that the shock is the same, but BMW specifies a proprietary bolt stack which is a custom order every time. The parts failures are ridiculous and the cars are over-engineered.
In short, BMWs drive great and feel great when new, but they just don't hold up. By contrast, my mother in law bought a 1999 Camry that is now at 270K with no major repairs, as been passed down 3 times, and still going strong. No one rattle, squeak, or broken / failed part on the dash. Now THAT's good engineering. Wow.
My Vettes, C5s and C6s, have been very good cars overall. All have been reliable overall with no major repairs. Chassis, engine, brakes are strong points. Interior trim and electrics, less so. The worst was my 2005, which was plagued with dead battery syndrome, long since corrected. It has been a great car ever since and I still have it around.
I think the C7 will improve over the C6 in the quality area, and from a performance standpoint, there is no comparison with the C6 or with what you now drive. Get the Vette, it's a no-brainer.
Last edited by TTRotary; Aug 25, 2014 at 01:46 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 988
Likes: 81
From: Danville California
Having owned 5 BMW's over the past 25 years (4 3 series and a V-8 X5), I never experienced any problems with them, save for the X5 needing new navigation /iDrive software as it would not let me lock the doors. Overall, reliable, fun and fairly practical.
The C7, though is in a different league. WAY more fun, not as practical, but having owned it for nearly 11 months, it's been trouble-free and wonderful in every respect. On a recent trip to the mountains (200 miles each way with an elevation change from sea level to 7300 feet, I averaged 28 mpg at 75+ mph, without putting in in eco mode.) The Bimmers couldn't claim that.
The C7, though is in a different league. WAY more fun, not as practical, but having owned it for nearly 11 months, it's been trouble-free and wonderful in every respect. On a recent trip to the mountains (200 miles each way with an elevation change from sea level to 7300 feet, I averaged 28 mpg at 75+ mph, without putting in in eco mode.) The Bimmers couldn't claim that.
