Thinking about buying a used BMW

[Al4as]

wow! am I just out of touch with reality here or 11K of repairs in 25K km is just extremely high?.

I guess Im used to my old tercel 94. Perhaps 1, 2K MAX of repairs in 3 years and 70K km, now a 200KM total. That [censored] just never breaks. But its ugly, rusted and so boring to drive.

[petp_the_greek]

my first car was a used BMW 7 series...loved that thing, had it for a VERY long time. maintenance and repairs are an absolute KILLER (DcifrThs's experience is not uncommon). after having to constantly shell out $3K+ every 8 months for repairs and maintenance i gave it up and got a new one.
they are amazing cars, but be sure you can afford the upkeep if youre buying used or else theyll bankrupt you. if you cant, get a brand new honda....the new civics si's are VERY cool cars.

[DcifrThs]

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wow! am I just out of touch with reality here or 11K of repairs in 25K km is just extremely high?.

I guess Im used to my old tercel 94. Perhaps 1, 2K MAX of repairs in 3 years and 70K km, now a 200KM total. That [censored] just never breaks. But its ugly, rusted and so boring to drive.

[/ QUOTE ]

well it was 5k right off the bat when i got it inspected (was PISSED off about that)

then it was 2k for 130k checkup and fixing everything in the dealership in NY

then it was another 1k here 800 there, 1.5k here etc. for tons of stuff going wrong.

but now i'm all set and happy for now (the light issues will probably be another 1k)

i don't mind though since the car is such a dream

Barron

[pig4bill]

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i have 3 things that need fixing now but i'm lazy and they aren't masssively important and they next available loaner car is in like a month lol...(back left break light is out, back left turn signal is out, back left reverse light is out)

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Is it just burned out bulbs? Look in the owners manual and replace them yourself. Get the bulbs at Walmart (they have the EXACT same Sylvania, etc. bulbs) and a few minutes and you're done. Some BMW's are the world's easiest cars to replace bulbs on. Dunno about 7 series but my 3 series was easier than changing the bulb in a desk lamp.

Yes, about the inspection, get it BEFORE you buy the car. If the seller won't let you, find another car. It will be the best $150 you ever spent.

[DcifrThs]

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i have 3 things that need fixing now but i'm lazy and they aren't masssively important and they next available loaner car is in like a month lol...(back left break light is out, back left turn signal is out, back left reverse light is out)

[/ QUOTE ]

Is it just burned out bulbs? Look in the owners manual and replace them yourself. Get the bulbs at Walmart (they have the EXACT same Sylvania, etc. bulbs) and a few minutes and you're done. Some BMW's are the world's easiest cars to replace bulbs on. Dunno about 7 series but my 3 series was easier than changing the bulb in a desk lamp.

Yes, about the inspection, get it BEFORE you buy the car. If the seller won't let you, find another car. It will be the best $150 you ever spent.

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the seller was a friend of mine and didn't know obv. it was running fine for him and i had no reason to doubt.

i did try the bulb thing already. i think it is more fuse/electrical oriented since new bulbs dont' work.

thanks,
Barron

[Al4as]

Haha, I dont know if it isnt extremely common sense everywhere in the world, but theres absolutly NO WAY I buy any cars without bringing it somewhere for inspection. If the seller wont let me, Ill tell him to go [censored] himself, Ill spite in his face and buy somewhere else lol
Seriously, I really doubt any sellers wont let me do it. It looks soooo shady.

all these repairs begin to scare me tho... 1K for a few lights ? damn [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[MarkD]

"(the light issues will probably be another 1k)"

You realize that lights for a car cost like $20-50 (this is probably on the high side) right? And it's about 10 minutes (at most) to change it yourself right?

I've never owned a BMW but I doubt is "that" different. It sounds old enough that it would not be a whole bunch of LED lights. Look in your trunk and follow the wiring. This is like paying 1k to have someone change the light bulb in your kitchen. It's mind boggling.

[Taylor Caby]

i bought a used bmw and absolutely love it. i don't know when they started doing this, but my car has 5 year or 50,000 mile warranty. Everything is paid for by BMW until you go over that plateau.

I picked up an 06 325i with 15k miles for 34k (over a year ago). Since then I haven't spent a dime maintaining it and will probably hold onto it for quite sometime. I'd definitely buy another BMW.

tc

[ahnuld]

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i bought a used bmw and absolutely love it. i don't know when they started doing this, but my car has 5 year or 50,000 mile warranty. Everything is paid for by BMW until you go over that plateau.

I picked up an 06 325i with 15k miles for 34k (over a year ago). Since then I haven't spent a dime maintaining it and will probably hold onto it for quite sometime. I'd definitely buy another BMW.

tc

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yeah thats a really good deal, especially for people who dont do many road trips but fly places instead. Prob. only put on 8-9k miles a year.

[kaj_kyle]

BMW has awesome customer service, but im not sure they do much for u if u get it used. The 3 series is the best basic luxury car imo, and if u can afford getting it new it might be worth it as the new model (06+) is a lot nicer. Taylor got pretty lucky getting 2006 a year ago, new model 3 series r pretty rare.