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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-Series 2006
6997 messages, Last post on Jun 11, 2009 at 1:07 AM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2007 8:07 am) I would buy it but that brings up another question...Is there coverage beyond 6/100K? That is where the next demarcation is for keep/sell decisions. Regards, OW
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Replying to: circlew (Aug 15, 2007 8:38 am) I know some people don't want to hear this, but if someone asks me my advice, I usually advise them to think about disposing of their BMW just before the 100K mark. I think we reach the law of diminishing returns on these cars at about that point.....that is, the cost per month for a high level of reliability, cosmetics and maintenance reaches an uncomfortable level. I mean, if you are shelling out $275 a month to keep an old BMW in top fettle, (averaging out maintenance and major repair work, like a transmission) and there are lease deals at $389, well it's tempting to start all over again.... |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2007 9:49 am) Agreed, but it's been my experience that you can run an E30/36/46 3 Series or E34/39 5 Series up to at least 130K-150K for less than $100/month- the monthly average usually usually works out to $50-$75. People forget that those $389/month lease deals usually require a $2500-$3500 "Capitalized Cost Reduction" -AKA down payment- and mileage is calculated at 10K-12K per year. Insurance and property taxes will likely be higher as well. And of course if you don't buy the car at the end of the lease term you have spent quite a large sum of money and have nothing but memories to show for it.
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Replying to: roadburner (Aug 15, 2007 11:40 am) But my friends with used BMWs out of warranty spend way, way, WAY more than that, because they don't do any of the work and they are too busy to economize all that much. I'm usually the one they call for advice so I hear all the stories. They aren't as conscientious as you obviously. |
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Replying to: carnaught (Jul 17, 2007 9:21 am) Oh...and the best part...600 miles on one tank of premium fuel on a recent long road trip...which averages out to just over 36 mpg. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2007 9:49 am) Ah, well, i know a few people with older beemers too, and the cars that might typically average $275/mo for running costs aren't the same ones that have $389 lease deals. In other words, i think an older 328i costing 275/mo is an extreme statistical outlier. I mean, that's $3300/yr. I've never even been in that ballpark, much less averaged that. I haven't tallied my records, but i think that since my warranty expired i've put about $100/mo into mine, and it was lower until some recent major maintenance items (ball joints, clutch, etc). One of the big v12's? An m5? Oh, yeah, maybe even a low estimate, but a lease deal on one of those is likely to be a grand a month.
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Replying to: dhanley (Aug 15, 2007 3:51 pm) now being the good maintainer you are, this may never happen to you, but transmission failures on 4-5 year old BMWs is certainly not unheard of. Yes of course 7 Series or M series is gonna cost you beaucoup bucks after warranty. Perhaps $275 a month is the outer limits here for all but that 10% or so of 3 series owners that might suffer the catastrophic failure after warranty. .
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2007 4:27 pm) Timing belt! We don' need no stinking timing belts, my E39 has a timing chain. BMWs,before the recent infatuation with electronic gadgetry were built for the long haul. There are lots of old ones around. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2007 4:27 pm) BMW NA hasn't offered a car with a timing belt since 1992. Even so, it's not like it's an unpredictable occurence- just change it at the interval specified in the manual. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 15, 2007 4:27 pm) IIRC, dhanley has an honest to God, 5-Speed, three pedals under the dash, stir-it-yourself manual. When was the last time you heard of a BMW 5-Speed manual failing in a 4-5 year old car? In fact, chiming in here in support of D&B (i.e. dhanley and roadburner), excepting for those early E46 323is (plural not "is") unfortunately equipped with an automatic transmission, I cannot think of any non-M BMW with an I6 engine built in the last fifteen years or so that would cost more than $100 per month on average to maintain. And if you are a DIYer, I suspect that the number is closer to $50-75 per month. Best Regards, Shipo |
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