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Brig the car you want, to a mechanic you trust, and pay him for a thorough mechanical check.
If the dealer doesn't want you to do that, then you have your answer why the price fell so easily.
I was watching various Youtube channels on what to buy and not to. There are definitely lots of money pits that are BMWs. However, some Japanese cars are just as money pits because many people beat on them.
When I go shop for a car say $7000 range. You can buy a 08' Camry or Accord for that much that is over 150k mi. I saw many used CRV and RAV4 07' sells for $7k with 150k mi on them.
It depends. If you know what you’re doing and have some mechanical aptitude you can win with an older Beemer. A coworker of mine is driving a 2006 750i that he got for $2,200 and some hours of his repair time. And it is a clean and solid car. You have to shop carefully for parts, mainly on eBay like he did, otherwise BMW parts can be costly — Break My Wallet, like BMW can stand for.
It’s a great car. And a good success story. I might take pictures of it and post them over on the interesting cars thread because of his story.
Me? I’m riding a 15 year old BMW motorcycle. It’s my 3rd BMW motorcycle. The first one, I bought it with 60,000 miles and then I put 80,000 more miles on it before selling it.
I don’t think this thread is about BMW motorcycles. That 2006 750i looks and runs great.
Take a look at what they are getting for any clean E30's............shocking. Bring a trailer .com is a good place to look. 05-10 3 series were actually decent. Inline 6 motors, no turbos unless you bought the 335
It depends upon which BMW, since the engines and transmissions can be solid in some models. The electronics can be a weak point, which is why Bangle-era 7-Series are worth less than an Accord from the same era. A well maintained 6-cylinder 3-Series can be a decent car. A Z-series BMW can be quite reliable as well, but it's a relatively simple vehicle.
There are more potential buyers for an Accord than a $9k BMW, so I can see why they'd want to move the inventory.
So true. I owned a 2000 Z3 for 17 years. My only expenses were maintenance, oil, brakes, and tires. I loved that car.
Not to segue the topic, but "some" older BMWs are tolerable, "many" are beyond worthless and just need to have money thrown at them...constantly...to keep running. Example of the former: my 1989 BMW 325ic (convertible) with tank-like heavy-duty everything, seldom broke and is timeless in looks. The latter: my 1996 BMW E39 540i Sport, with six speed, an evil-fast sedan. I never went a month without throwing money at it, beyond about 60K miles or 6 models years. Hard pass.
There are a few...very few...worth every cent of the money thrown at them. Visualize this: me, 1995, shopping BMWs in Concord, CA. The Berkeley BMW dealer had the 1989 325ic mentioned above for N dollars, 100K miles and immaculate. They had also an 1986 BMW M6, dark blue w/dove interior, for N+ $5K. I could NOT come up with the extra dough, times were leaner and I was a very young professional. I got the convertible and had seven great years with that car; the First World Problem is the What If...what if I'd snagged that M6, I may own it to this day and they are damn near unicorns and as close to the Ultimate Driving Machine moniker as ANY BMW I've seen, before or since, a few M3s notwithstanding.
I was browsing some used cars on the lot near me and the used car salesman came over and told me that if I'm interested in a special offer. He said $1500 off this week for some cars including the one I was look at. This is a $9000 BMW, it would be $7500. Not bad, way below KBB price. Another car a Honda Accord 15' he would only do $500 off that. But business must be slower than normal for them to offer without asking.
I am asking $8,000 for my 2009 Nissan Versa sedan with 138,000 miles.
But.
I will discount to you $4,000. So you can purchase my Nissan Versa for only $4,000.
It depends. If you know what you’re doing and have some mechanical aptitude you can win with an older Beemer. A coworker of mine is driving a 2006 750i that he got for $2,200 and some hours of his repair time. And it is a clean and solid car. You have to shop carefully for parts, mainly on eBay like he did, otherwise BMW parts can be costly — Break My Wallet, like BMW can stand for.
It’s a great car. And a good success story. I might take pictures of it and post them over on the interesting cars thread because of his story.
Me? I’m riding a 15 year old BMW motorcycle. It’s my 3rd BMW motorcycle. The first one, I bought it with 60,000 miles and then I put 80,000 more miles on it before selling it.
I don’t think this thread is about BMW motorcycles. That 2006 750i looks and runs great.
That’s two BIG if’s. Most people.....simply don’t work on their cars. Bmw and mb are status vehicles. Well they were. Now.....anyone can buy one
Should I spent 6K on my 2000 323ci? 68K miles. My other car was stolen and I have been looking to buy a used car.But I have a used car!
Do you have an indication as to the problems with your BMW? You might get a second opinion from an independent mechanic, since they may be more experienced with vintage BMWs than the dealership, and may know how to fix the problem without just replacing a host of parts. If you knew a mechanic and could ascertain the problems and spend $1500 in parts, then it would not be a bad fix. I would at least see if you could get a second opinion from an independent mechanic, but there will be other issues that crop up sooner with a vintage BMW, especially if it's a daily driver, so I would consider that as well. A more specialized BMW may be more collectible in the future, but a regular 3-Series will not generally command a premium, so the investment may not pay off from an economic perspective.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
n 1970 a man named Leon Sampson, who was a strong man in an Australian circus won a bet for $20,000 by eating a car, a real car. I’m guessing it wasn’t a giant pick-up, but something more like a little Volkswagen. And he did not eat it all at dinner one night. It took him four years to do it—but he did it! He ate the whole thing, the tires, the motor, the door, the windshield, the seats, the radio—the entire car! I’m pretty sure he didn’t eat anything that would poison him like the battery or the oil, but everything else went into his stomach. Here is how he did it: he ground everything up into tiny pieces, some not much bigger than a grain of sand or a pile of dust. Then he would mix it into his soup or mashed potatoes. And, after four years the car was eaten and he was $20,000 richer. He also became famous. So famous, in fact, that someone bragged he was going to do something even more amazing—he was going to eat a school bus! Whether he did or not, I don’t know. But I do know that Leon Sampson ate that car—and now, you know it too.
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