joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

Am I the only person who thinks he made a nice move?

There's not a single doubt in my mind if someone came up to me and offered to do an even trade with the new 540i and my GS, i'll take the offer.

The BMW in our family never had major issues like others, but we didn't keep it past 40k miles. It's true they start breaking apart at high miles, but I can't imagine a brand where a car doesn't start to wear-out/break past 80-90k..
I can't stand hearing comments when people talk about their friends' BMW/Audi "issues". No one knows if it was an used car with 100k miles or a brand-new one off the factory line. How was it driven, maintenance, demo unit, etc..
Of course that used BMW your friend bought coming off of a 3-year lease will need repairs within few years of purchase. It was beaten to hell.. Only thing that's probably pristine on that car is probably the turn signals..

praetor

If OP is happy with a BMW then it's a nice move. That's the only opinion that matters. If you read the BMW forums, most of the people there don't really rank reliability as high as Lexus owners. They are all about the driving experience. I have read good stories and bad stories with the Germans. But if it makes you happy, so be it. Enjoy it.

lamikela1

Hey to each his own! The BMW's are nice looking cars and just like every bad thing that's said about these cars not everyone experiences this. I have never owned a Bimmer but did look at them before purchasing my GS. I did not like the way they nickle and dime you for every little option.

Good Luck to you DallasGuy1!!!

UDel

It is not unusual at all for a properly maintained car that is not abused to not wear out or break past 80 or 90K. My GS had over 100K miles and was not wearing out or breaking, the issues it had actually happened at 48K(door lock actuator, stereo throwing up weird symbols/volume/power switch did not work but rest still working, creaks going over bumps in cold weather, few other small things) miles to about 55K miles, everything else mostly like new. Had Honda Accords with well over 100K miles and they were not having any issues after 80K or 90K or past that. Parents Acura's had/have over 100K miles and never had issues, Acura CL has over 160K miles and other then regular maintenance just needed new engine mounts which my dad did his self without any real issues, still drives like new.

BMW's and most European cars generally have significantly more issues once you put some miles on them and they tend to be much more expensive fixes then Japanese brands, there are some exceptions but not many and the amount of money needed to be spent on them can be absolutely staggering. I am not trying to bash European brands and cars, I generally like them more then Japanese and I would have bought a E39 5 series over my GS if I was not warned by BMW owners not to do it if you don't want to spend a lot of money on maintenance and reliability issues, I would be driving the last generation Audi A8, Merc CL coupe, or Merc CLS if they were not such money pits, same with a 8 series or Jag XK8 coupe as they are more my style then any Lexus, Acura, or Infinti.

I hope the BMW turns out alright for you, they are nice.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

Am I the only person that have a hard time of understanding the term "drives like new?"

to say a car with 160k miles "still drives like new," is very hard for me to gasp. I know it's a figurative term, but I don't get how an used car buyer knows how the car drove when new. Sorry, but it's impossible to dial back a car to feel like how it was new...

dougm213

After the first few words, I thought your were going to say, "At least you didn't sell your wife." :-)

dougm213

How about this - Friend purchased a new AUDI TT (non-lease) after 3 years low miles (25K), had numerous small items (electronic - fuses bulbs, switches sensors) gone bad and a transmission.

Would you like a Mercedes story on someone having issue (I forget something engine related) 3 years old, purchased, called dealer and they said bring it in with 49990 miles on it and went beyond the 50K warranty limit while driving to the dealer less than 5 miles over. They would not honor warranty. Said should have towed it in.

Another Mercedes, 4 years old, 60K, a capacitor fails, $3500 dollars. Yes, only the capacitor was replaced.

A funny true story, a friend took his car into the dealer for an issue estimated to be $500. Went to pick it up and was told it was $2k, did the usual (you told me 500, they said sorry). Went out to the car, started it and decided to go back into service. With many clients there. Walked of tot he service person who asks "Is there something wrong?" to which he replied, "Yes, there is no one in the back seat," service person "what?" to which he replied, "well I got so screwed in here, I thought there would be a woman in the back seat for a BJ", all the customers laughing so hard. He traded in the next day(don't recall what car he got). Just couldn't take it anymore.

spoogenet

Whether it's a good move is dependent on his needs, wants, and opinion on the trade-offs therein. So really, he's the only one who can draw that conclusion.

By today's standards, 40k is low mileage. To accept less as "normal" or reasonable is up to you, but BMW has driven many of us away who don't believe cars should be disposable commodities, especially given the high price tags.

Not meant to be a conspiracy theory, but dealerships tend to make more on service than sales. Do the companies engineer for that? Who knows...

Had an E46 BMW. Bought new, drove fairly gently. In the 140k miles and 12 years we had it, here's a list of issues we encountered. None of them were due to insufficient maintenance or poor treatment.
* Replaced thermostat at 6 years, 8 years, and 10 years.
* Broken sunroof visor slide -- didn't replace, estimated ~ $800 repair due to a $0.12 broken plastic clip put on only 1 side of the slide. (engineered to fail)
* Replaced cabin fan control resistor pack. Common issue. (never in my life have I heard of resistors wearing out)
* Replaced valve cover gasket at 7 years.
* Replaced passenger window control switch.
* Replaced leaking radiator at 8 years. No visible damage, looked like cracked from its own deterioration.
* Replaced "burnt out" HID bulb at 7 years. (Maybe somewhat expected)
* Got a free replacement for the BMW logo on the front grill during a routine service.

We had a coupe. Friends with similar sedan models also had repeated replacements of the window motors or regulators, also a common issue. The coupe, due to heavier windows, had an adequately robust design.

Now those are 3's. Friend of mine with a 535 of similar era had a number of issues with his electronics. Again, not because he drove it hard or anything like that. They're well maintained cars that simply were not engineered or manufactured to last. Indeed with heavy use, the turn signals worked great.

They were fun to drive, comfortable, attractive vehicles.

I drove my Honda like I stole it. Bought it used, put 110k miles on it myself, didn't change the oil as regularly as I should have. Aside from a seatbelt latch malfunction, an airbag recall, and routine timing belt service -- all other repair items were due to harsh driving (wore out 2 drive axles) or road damage (rock impact to radiator).

praetor

That's actually not bad at all by BMW standards. I was expecting stuff like oil leaks and busted transmissions.

mikedozz

Any pics of new Bimmer?

Luffy808

I think ppl who buy BMW love how much sportier it is, I wont lie, I would have bought one, but I went with a Lexus due to the fact of reliability and longevity of vehicle. Plus to maintain most European cars you have to have a lot of money, which is why I went with a Lexus. Whenever I ask my friends who own a BMW or Mercedes, they tell me not to get one, because the maintenance is a B****! LOL. Anyways, its up to the individual on what they want to own/lease or drive. Im happy with my purchase.

2Squared

My two coworkers that owned the BMW's I mentioned were brand new.

dchar

Both cousins had problems with their low mileage leased BMW. One had radiator issues within the first 50 miles/first week of owning his 440i Gran Coupe and the dealer kept the car for over a month. He was stuck driving around in a 230i while they worked and waited for parts on his car (huge downgrade). Told me the other day that the warning light just came back on. Other cousin had several issues with his 335i and 335is Coupes leases (less than 35K miles) where the cars went into limp mode or wouldn't start (not battery problem) and had to be towed. No mods whatsoever.

So seeing these problems firsthand has turned me away from BMW, new or used.

Supposedly the owner of the BMW dealer next to my Lexus dealer bought the Lexus dealer and he was surprised of how fast turn around was at the Lexus service department. Most people brought their cars in for maintenance at Lexus, while many people had significant issues at BMW and needed to keep loaners for a long period of time. They would constantly run out of loaners.

jmull3r

iTrader: (1)

if he's only gonna have the BMW for like 3 years i can't see much happening to it

Dallasguy1

Actually this was my third car within last 2 years 12"535/13"GSFsports/14"GSFsports. I am gonna be getting a 15/16 preowned this time around and sell as soon as I get bored without loosing a lot of money.