4 ms·

An older bmw could easily cost you 3-5k a year in repairs . Couple that with lesser but still substantial depreciation and you might find it too be a lot more e

by rdtwo 5y ago

An older bmw could easily cost you 3-5k a year in repairs . Couple that with lesser but still substantial depreciation and you might find it too be a lot more expensive than you thought.

smileysteve 5y ago
Anecdotal. But I haven't spent $5k in repairs to my 17 year old bmw in the 10 years I've owned it. I do budget for $1k a year though.
- rdtwo 5y ago
  You are in the bmw sweet spot I think. Newer ones have even more complex and expensive parts but reliability isn’t better and access is difficult
  - rconti 5y ago
    But they've been saying that as long as I've been buying used BMWs (20 years). It's just a way of conveniently saying "you'll be wrong in the future".
    - mulmen 5y ago
      My experience with BMWs is that they do tend to have ridiculous flaws, like the main bearing problems in the E90 M3s and the V10 M5s, or the fuel pump issues on the E90s in general. But BMW will set them right. The reality is BMWs just have a lot of stuff on them and so it is a numbers game. Things are going to break. Cars are a hostile environment. This is compounded by the fact that it is a BMW. I expect everything to work. If it was a used Corolla I may not complain as much about the seat mechanism not working perfectly every time. Additionally BMW also expects the car to work perfectly and the car is eager to tell you any time something is abnormal. This creates something of an illusion of unreliability. An old Toyota also has a lot of problems, you just don't notice until you go looking. And finally, dealers are predatory. They take advantage of the reputation of BMWs as expensive unreliable cars and sell unnecessary services, which perpetuates the expensive/unreliable reputation.
      - smileysteve 5y ago
        Thanks for the anecdote; Makes me glad I have an e46. About the only thing that didn't make it 80k miles on my car was the plastic headlight reflectors. (and that coolant expansion tank that fails 5 years on the dot) I'm also lucky enough to be trained in vehicle maintenance; The only service I've had done by professionally were recalls and when I didn't have garage available to do the expansion tank (and Pep Boys didn't have a supply chain, so I got my choice in parts)
  - smileysteve 5y ago
    Sure. I'm pre turbo. The electric water pump is undoubtedly better for long term, but had initial issues (on the other hand, it has a clear engine code and is easier to access)
    - mulmen 5y ago
      I have a 2010 BMW 335, which is twin turbocharged. It is on electric water pump #3 in less than 100k miles. My mechanic tells me not to worry about coolant change intervals because these water pumps will never last that long anyway. The electric pump is great from a performance/efficiency perspective because the car can make choices about coolant temp irrespective of engine speed. It's a horrible device from a reliability perspective though. I have already been stranded by it once. My turbos are "fine". But I know they will fail in the next 30k miles. In talking to my mechanic the prices fluctuate quite a bit, so I am going to start keeping an eye out and just buy a pair to have on hand when mine finally let go.
      - smileysteve 5y ago
        The previous owner of mine installed a new water pump at 80k miles, and I did it again at 150k. Similarly don't have to change the coolant because the coolant expansion tank will break in 5 years time. (the corner is plastic and can't take the pressure.
- mulmen 5y ago
  My 2010 BMW had $5,000.00 in repairs in the first year after the warranty expired. That doesn’t include the $15,000.00 in unnecessary repairs the dealership quoted me. In the four years since then repairs have been closer to $2,000.00 a year. The electric water water pump alone was $2,000.00. $1,200.00 in parts and $800.00 in labor. This is basically a “maintenance” item. The car has less than 100k miles and is on the third pump.
  - rasz 5y ago
    you got scammed, VDO 11519455978 is $330

by rdtwo 5y ago

An older bmw could easily cost you 3-5k a year in repairs . Couple that with lesser but still substantial depreciation and you might find it too be a lot more expensive than you thought.

smileysteve 5y ago

Anecdotal. But I haven't spent $5k in repairs to my 17 year old bmw in the 10 years I've owned it. I do budget for $1k a year though.

rdtwo 5y ago
You are in the bmw sweet spot I think. Newer ones have even more complex and expensive parts but reliability isn’t better and access is difficult
- rconti 5y ago
  But they've been saying that as long as I've been buying used BMWs (20 years). It's just a way of conveniently saying "you'll be wrong in the future".
  - mulmen 5y ago
    My experience with BMWs is that they do tend to have ridiculous flaws, like the main bearing problems in the E90 M3s and the V10 M5s, or the fuel pump issues on the E90s in general. But BMW will set them right. The reality is BMWs just have a lot of stuff on them and so it is a numbers game. Things are going to break. Cars are a hostile environment. This is compounded by the fact that it is a BMW. I expect everything to work. If it was a used Corolla I may not complain as much about the seat mechanism not working perfectly every time. Additionally BMW also expects the car to work perfectly and the car is eager to tell you any time something is abnormal. This creates something of an illusion of unreliability. An old Toyota also has a lot of problems, you just don't notice until you go looking. And finally, dealers are predatory. They take advantage of the reputation of BMWs as expensive unreliable cars and sell unnecessary services, which perpetuates the expensive/unreliable reputation.
    - smileysteve 5y ago
      Thanks for the anecdote; Makes me glad I have an e46. About the only thing that didn't make it 80k miles on my car was the plastic headlight reflectors. (and that coolant expansion tank that fails 5 years on the dot) I'm also lucky enough to be trained in vehicle maintenance; The only service I've had done by professionally were recalls and when I didn't have garage available to do the expansion tank (and Pep Boys didn't have a supply chain, so I got my choice in parts)
- smileysteve 5y ago
  Sure. I'm pre turbo. The electric water pump is undoubtedly better for long term, but had initial issues (on the other hand, it has a clear engine code and is easier to access)
  - mulmen 5y ago
    I have a 2010 BMW 335, which is twin turbocharged. It is on electric water pump #3 in less than 100k miles. My mechanic tells me not to worry about coolant change intervals because these water pumps will never last that long anyway. The electric pump is great from a performance/efficiency perspective because the car can make choices about coolant temp irrespective of engine speed. It's a horrible device from a reliability perspective though. I have already been stranded by it once. My turbos are "fine". But I know they will fail in the next 30k miles. In talking to my mechanic the prices fluctuate quite a bit, so I am going to start keeping an eye out and just buy a pair to have on hand when mine finally let go.
    - smileysteve 5y ago
      The previous owner of mine installed a new water pump at 80k miles, and I did it again at 150k. Similarly don't have to change the coolant because the coolant expansion tank will break in 5 years time. (the corner is plastic and can't take the pressure.
mulmen 5y ago
My 2010 BMW had $5,000.00 in repairs in the first year after the warranty expired. That doesn’t include the $15,000.00 in unnecessary repairs the dealership quoted me. In the four years since then repairs have been closer to $2,000.00 a year. The electric water water pump alone was $2,000.00. $1,200.00 in parts and $800.00 in labor. This is basically a “maintenance” item. The car has less than 100k miles and is on the third pump.
- rasz 5y ago
  you got scammed, VDO 11519455978 is $330