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I am craving a BMW 3 series from around 2004-ish. However the miles on those are high 70k-100k. Should I go that route or just do the typical Honda, Toyota, etc..? I dont want to see anyone slamming BMW, just give me facts.
You're talking about the E46 - which is fairly sound and reliable if well maintained (they are relatively more reliable than their bigger 5 and 7 series counterparts). But you will have to recognize that regular maintenance/service for BMWs is still going to be fairly expensive - you will pay more for cost for ownership than a garden variety Honda or Toyota, for sure.
I'd check out some of the BMW enthusiast forums for clues or experience.
You're talking about the E46 - which is fairly sound and reliable if well maintained (they are relatively more reliable than their bigger 5 and 7 series counterparts). But you will have to recognize that regular maintenance/service for BMWs is still going to be fairly expensive - you will pay more for cost for ownership than a garden variety Honda or Toyota, for sure.
I'd check out some of the BMW enthusiast forums for clues or experience.
I've heard that BMW fuel pumps are failure prone (not sure the scope or details on this), and what someone else said, maintenance and repairs will cost more.
Look up the costs of BMW parts on fcp-euro.com and compare to other brands. You'll find that they're about the same, and in some cases cheaper. As long as you get the work done at an independent mechanic, I don't know where the supposed high cost of BMW maintenance comes from.
I had a 1996 328is, and it was ONLY expensive to maintain because it was so old and everything was failing.
Look up the costs of BMW parts on fcp-euro.com and compare to other brands. You'll find that they're about the same, and in some cases cheaper. As long as you get the work done at an independent mechanic, I don't know where the supposed high cost of BMW maintenance comes from.
but you can't really go by an online website. Going through the dealer is how a lot of people go for parts, directly or indirectly. A lot of independent shops who need to get OEM parts will likely go through the dealer.
Look up the costs of BMW parts on fcp-euro.com and compare to other brands. You'll find that they're about the same, and in some cases cheaper. As long as you get the work done at an independent mechanic, I don't know where the supposed high cost of BMW maintenance comes from.
I had a 1996 328is, and it was ONLY expensive to maintain because it was so old and everything was failing.
Cool and what's funny is that i live around the corner from this place that specializes in BMW's. They also have a Nissan GTR in front. So a place like them would be ideal?
but you can't really go by an online website. Going through the dealer is how a lot of people go for parts, directly or indirectly. A lot of independent shops who need to get OEM parts will likely go through the dealer.
if you want reliable and very price sensitive, I will suggest you to go with a Honda or Toyota.
e46 is extremely reliable. The motor is rock solid & can easily go pass 200-300k miles without missing a heartbeat. most of my bmw friends with e46 have pass 150k easily. The headaches are mostly either electronics or electrical related. For example, look up bmw dead pixels. I have that on my bmw which is annoying but it was fixed a few yrs back. My CD player (if anyone listen to CDs anymore!) crapped out pretty early on. My old Toyota CD player seem to last forever!
Like any used car, at about 100k on the odo you are looking at quite a lot of routine fixes which can be rather expensive. Someone mentioned the fuel pump which is accurate...I believe the 2004 corrected to a composite fuel pump over the plastic...but I could be wrong. If you go to any dealer, whether is bmw or Toyota,...its pretty expensive. If you find a quality indep. mechanic, then you are golden. If you do a DIY, you can save quite a bundle. The bmw parts do cost nominally more than Toyota/Honda parts. Where some people save on Toyota/Honda is using generic brands. Most people complain BMW repairs are expensive is because they go to the dealers where it always seem to be 1-2k in repairs at every annual visit with the higher mileage ones. Personally I would look for a car that is well maintained by a real car enthusiast of any make.
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