Quote:
Originally Posted by lewdog
I know we have a few BMW owners here so how much truth is it regarding how much more expensive BMWs are to maintain than most car brands? Car prices have come way down especially on luxury brands. I have noticed that many 4-5 year old BMWs have a good sticker price likely due to leases turning over, so this luxury market gets flooded with cars these ages. Most cars in this age range are 50-60% depreciated from their cost new.
Is the low up front cost not worth repairs coming its way? BMW doesn’t seem horrible with reliability but specialty parts make any repair or maintenance expensive?
Looking at 430i sedan FYI
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I did quite a bit of research before buying my first one, without really having a preference towards BMW, Audi, etc. In other words, I wasn't desperately trying to convince myself to buy a BMW over any other fast car.
I drove American made cars in my teenager years and 20s, with 3 cars having pretty shitty outcomes and being undrivable under 100k miles... including a shredded transmission at 80k miles on a Chevrolet. So, the only thing I was trying to talk myself into was a foreign made vehicle of some kind.
Reliability.... everything I read that wasn't anecdotal basically leaned towards how freakin' reliable a brand like Toyota was versus lumping in a bunch of car makers after them...... meaning, the number of major mechanical issues across many vehicles (including BMW and Chevrolet) wasn't crazy significant. You get down to like Jeep and a few others that are significantly worse.
I think for purchasing a BMW, look at how long the engine has been around... of course there's more variability with issues when you buy the newest engines out there and not one they've been making for years.
Cost.. yeah, the few things I've had to purchase (or someone's insurance had to purchase) are expensive. Once had a rear view mirror ripped off and it was like $600 to replace. Someone rolled into me at a stoplight once and I believe their insurance had to pay several thousand because of all the sensors and stuff in the bumper.
Longevity... I personally haven't taken one to 100k+, but it wasn't due to the worry of future issues or anything. I sold one at ~55k miles that had zero issues and have ~20k milles on another with no issues.
Lease vs buy vs new vs used... I know you're looking used anyway, but all the research I did pretty much washed out. I think some believe leasing is always the way to go because of outdated mantras of buying depreciating assets, but capitalism says if one was
clearly always better than the other, the economy would adjust.... and it has. Thinking about the warranty of a new car, driving it in its best years, trade in value, etc.... I did quite a bit of math and one was never the clear winner. Buying a less expensive used car obviously helps get you into one, but if you want it for the long haul then driving the first 50-70k miles is worth it.
Overall... there's a reason people spend the extra money on them. They're ****ing awesome. I'd personally splurge on an inline 6 if I were you (I test drove a 3 series and the turbo lag was too much for me), but the transmissions are silky smooth, the power vs efficiency is superior, the ride is superior, the interior is nice, etc. I miss the V8 rumble of the last Chevy I owned, but that's pretty much the only thing I miss about it.