Would you buy a BMW with 77,000 miles? (van, SUV, mileage)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Most car manufacturer's today don't have a lot of excess material thickness on their disc brake rotors. So, unlike the rotors of the 60-70-80's, where there was enough iron to turn the rotors true when needed, the rotors must now be replaced because they'll be underspec for thickness when turned after normal wear.
This is a trend throughout the entire industry; a lot of shops could not properly turn a rotor within specs and surface finish. Even the heavy duty transport market today replaces drums and rotors rather than turn them, due mainly to liability concerns. Worse yet, a lot of turned rotors are more susceptible to damage from improper wheel torquing on installation ... I've seen a lot of rotors damaged from some idiot with a rattlewrench in his hands far exceeding the torque spec for a wheel when chaning tires. It's a critical enough issue that no professional today should be mounting a wheel without a torque wrench, and working the bolts in the correct pattern. I've seen new rotors warped and pulsating brakes resulting on installation ....
My point here is that virtually every car now has this consumable replacement issue. So don't let this routine expense be a deciding factor in your purchase, because it hits almost every car line equally ... just like tires, serp belts, idler pulleys, wiper blades, etc.
Anybody going through front brakes on a Bimmer in 12,000 miles either doesn't know how to drive, is abusing the brakes, or simply does a lot of local stop and go driving in heavy traffic. It's a very rare, low mileage ... or else, they're getting cheap aftermarket parts which cannot perform properly in their car. I've seen this with a lot of aftermarket junk parts ... some low quality (but they're cheaper!) brake pads won't even last 4-6,000 miles in any car.
BMW, for one, also supplied their front wheel bearing cassettes as a pressed together assembly with the hubs. We had to replace a lot of these when the front wheel bearings failed or were damaged (like from hitting a curb when parking); they have far less service life (mileage) than what we'd come to expect from BMW's older models. Along with the front suspension design that places a lot of stress on all the bushings and wears the stock items very quickly ... we saw a lot of "steering wheel shake" like an out of balance front end due to this problem ... even minimal wear and aging on these components in the cars causes a lot of problems. IMO, you simply have to regard these as a routine replacement wear item on these cars.
BMW has long gone down the road of a unique electrical system in their cars. The latest technology (but not in the OP's car) even uses a new battery type that has a different charging rate/voltage than standard in the industry, and a computer controlled charging system that optimizes the energy use of the alternator to charge the battery. It literally will allow the battery to discharge heavily under certain conditions to save fuel, with a program that allows the battery to be quickly recharged when it's fuel efficient to do so. The correct battery is only available through BMW dealers, at a hefty price. Use the wrong battery (even if it fits), and the charging profile will damage it and quickly destroy the battery, if not also damage the alternator/computer system in the car.
So, this is one of those cars in the marketplace I have very mixed feelings about at this time ... after being a BMW owner/tech & independent service specialist since 1968, with many happy years of excellent BMW driving and ownership. (I still own several from the 1970's).
While I'm not afraid of 77,000 well cared-for miles (or 100,000, for that matter ...), I am very aware that the cost of keeping one of this series of BMW on the road is a bit more expensive than a lot of other cars. Be aware, too, that these cars are designed to be driven ... just easing around in a BMW will not keep the intake manifolds clean, for example ... and can cause a lot of running problems which are expensive to repair.
Only you, greenie, can determine if the cost-to-value of the comfort, features, and ride of the BMW is worth the money to you. And only you can determine if the seating is comfortable enough for you to spend your money on.
If you're willing to spend $15K on one of these cars ... well out of warranty ... and you're worried about maintenance costs/failure issues, then I'd be looking at the large number of new cars available for the high teens which come with a full warranty and more updated systems/computers. They won't be BMW's, but they might be better transportion for you.
IMHO, not to worry about mileage too much. Those vehicles go over 200k and I know in some cases over 300k. I do think that the price is a bit too high. I own 2002 530i, 60k miles and love it.... and would probably sell mine for about 21k. And, in your case the vehicle is 3 series, manual, older yr, more miles.
Yes, buy it; check out 'edmunds' for mileage averages and pricing. Fun to drive, safe, cool. I've had several 3-series and 5-series.
But expect to pay a lot for repairs, and given the mileage, the car will want some attention. Not every week, but probably every few months or so. I'd plan on budgeting less than a couple hundred per month for maintenance (save up). IMO it's worth it.
I think part of the problem is that people buy a $15K BMW and expect it to have repair and maint costs akin to a $15K new car. What can you get for $15K new? Not a whole bunch...
Just remember that you bought a car that was over $30K new, and repair bills will be that of a $40K car, since replacement components don't depreciate just because the vehicle does...so rebuilding a 320i from 1980 would still cost you $30-40K if you did it piece by piece...
Do your homework on this car, if it was well cared for, I would absolutely buy it. Just remember that instead of buying a $35K car, you'll be putting some funds into repairs and/or maintenance. If you aren't willing to spend maybe $1500-2000 annually keeping a used BMW in tip-top condition, I think you should rethink your choice and buy a Honda or Subaru or something.
IMHO, not to worry about mileage too much. Those vehicles go over 200k and I know in some cases over 300k. I do think that the price is a bit too high. I own 2002 530i, 60k miles and love it.... and would probably sell mine for about 21k. And, in your case the vehicle is 3 series, manual, older yr, more miles.
Again, thats just my opinion.
My BMW 535i just hit 300k miles. This engine will last for at least 500k with proper maintenance.
Here is a photo of odometer I took as soon as I hit 300k miles
The OP started this thread a LONG time ago. That said, I think an Accord is a much better choice in this economy. In order to really take care of a BMW, you need to spend about $1,000 a year.
BMW used to have a very very expensive servie due at somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000 miles. I do nto remember the details. I do remember that you could get them very cheap when they were due for this service because it was so expensive. That was almost 20 years ago so maybe that has changed.
If the miles were put on mostly in highway or rural driving, that drivetrain is still "young" and should do another 77K with no problems.
If it's been mostly in an urban setting, the car will have it's share of "urban rash" and the 77K may represent a lot of hard use.
Certainly older BMW cars from the 80's and earlier were famous for being able to rack up mega-miles and still run great. Then again so are Toyota, Honda, Subaru, etc.
At least the car has a manual, rather than the BMW automatic, which is not noted for being long-lived, trouble free, or cheap to replace.
Realizing this is an old thread, no doubt the OP has either bought the car or passed on it, but just to talk about BMW cars of this vintage (and then get into the earlier cars)
Sunsprit is right that BMW has been going off the deep end on technology lately, some of the stuff they are doing to save a little fuel IMHO is "too clever by half".- particularly the programmed thermostat that runs the engine coolant temperature up at low speeds. From what I have read, if you lose a radiator hose when the temperature is up, most likely you will end up with a warped head (good luck getting it resurfaced or straightened). The thing with the battery is to me in the same vein - will this elaborate scheme save me enough gas to pay for the difference when I buy the new battery? Something is telling me, "I doubt it".
Dude, be aware that every BMW fanatic loves his car and EXPECTS all kind of crap to happen to it. I had 2 BMW's. One was a 2001 325xit that I bought certified pre-owned with 75k on it. It was a nightmare. A buddy of mine told me he has had no problem with his 2001 325xi. However, everytime I would tell him what I had just replaced, he would say, "Yeah, we had to replace that too." My point is that BMW owners get used to a lot for the pleasure of such a car.
You will frequently replace power window regulators. Ball joints are common to go out. The batteries are huge and cost about $200. The water pumps are known to fail. Some of the GM built auto trannies fail (you wouldn't have to worry about that one!) Just about all of them have this weird thing go wrong with the A/C fan where it blows intermittently on its own (which has been know to happen when you are not in the car. That is why I was going through batteries so much@) If you get it, you will drive it like I did and go through expensive breaks and tires like crazy.
I know people will quote me and say things like " I never had a problem out of mine.........." But dude, for $15k, go out and buy a 2005 Infinit G35 6MT. Less car, but less trouble. Oh, did I mention that when you go to trade NOBODY wants a BMW with over 100,000 miles?
I say all this knowing darn well that you will go a head and buy it. You want it just like I did. It looks pretty on your side I know!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
