The BMW 5 Series and MINI Cooper ranked Most Appealing in their segments in the J.D. Power and Associates APEAL Study. BMW and MINI brand models stand for boundless driving pleasure and high level of customer satisfaction worldwide. During the course of the Mondial de l’Automobile 2008 in Paris (4th – 19th October, 2008), the BMW Group has received two awards. The BMW 5 Series and the MINI Cooper have been honoured by J.D. Power and Associates as Most Appealing Midsize Premium Car and Most Appealing Compact Car in the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study (APEAL), which determines the degree of satisfaction of customers purchasing new cars in North America.
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It comes as no surprise. Friends and colleagues have often talked openly of BMW and Mini as the object of their desire. However, I would put a word of caution to believing wholeheartedly at all this reports. My dad has been a firm believer in Japan brands as cars which deliever a value for money proposition. Over the numerous cars he owned, almost all were Japan brands. I do not remember them giving much problems except for the odd repair needed for wear and tear components.
In the past eight years, he decided to pamper himself with cars for a couple of European marquee since he has retired. The first was from a reputable brand that was famed for safety. However, the local distributorship soured the experience when time and again they tried to refuse our warranty claims. The rotary knobs for air-conditioning control literally melted under our tropical weather.
In came a second European branded car as a replacement. Three years on, it has served as a good workhorse. However, the plastic cover for the headlamp had started crazing and my dad seems pretty irritated. There are some minor irritations with the mechanical bits but most of all, the car being lightly turbo charged sounds like an airplane taking off when the cooling fans switch on to cool down the engine compartment during those sweltering hot days.
As with all reports, my days in university research has thought me to take all survey results and reports especially from overseas with a huge pinch of salt. I am sure both my dad’s cars would have performed flawlessly back in their native country. Both were designed for temperate climates and it seems both have struggled to adapt to the local Singapore weather.
The other issue here is costs. Buying cars in other countries can be a lifetime affair with basically no limit to the car’s lifespan as long as it does not suffer a life-threatening failure. In such circumstances, I would be tempted to shell out top dollar for the dream car. Here in Singapore, we have a peculiar 10 year usage limitation (subject to extension) for all passenger cars. Effectively, that amount of money plonked down has a 10 year expiry date. It does not make sense for me to spend on that dream car since it should, like every other cheaper or dearer car here in Singapore, have a date with the junkyard after 10 years.
I got my little runabout for almost 2 years now. Other than the odd clutch cable snapping which is still under investigation by the manufacturer, the fuel economy has been the subject of envy among my colleagues. I believe car investment is Singapore is an entirely different kettle of fish. It is more about getting a mode of transportation from point to point for me at least.
Naturally, together with my wife, we still dream about that coupe or cabriolet that lets the starts peek at us while we cruise down the highway. Hopefully, this will become a reality should we work overseas in future.
