Thoughts on BMW Cars...

[Patronus]

No hype here. I've always loved the way they look. $4-5k for a BMW with 100k miles or less not a reasonable price for what you're getting? Maybe, maybe not. Thats Mr Wannabe Yuppie to you sir. Yeah Volvos blow goats in the looks dept. Not interested in Merc's. Seriously, you should see what I drive right now and you would realize what is and what is not uncomfortable. My cheeks wouldn't know what to think after sitting in a german crafted leather seat.

Audi FTW.

 

[Zeake]

Lexus or infiniti

 

[Patronus]

Lexus or infiniti

LOL. Yeah. Last time we went car shopping I told my wife she could have any car she wanted...as long as it was a Ford. Her Lexus is in the garage right now...and my Ford is getting rained on.

 

[Stringbender]

I went with the Acura TSX ............solid performer.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Thats exactly what I'm trying to do. Spend a limited amount on transportation while having a sporty and updated ride. I'm buying transportation at the already depreciated value. If I planned to have the maintenance farmed out, then yes it would not be an intelligent move -for my financial situtation-. But because I work on everything I own, my family owns as well as my friends vehicles and toys, why not? I consider myself to be quite competent at mechanical preventative maintenance and I enjoy it, so why not? Why go from Honda to BMW? Like I've already said, I want something different thats sporty and sharp. A little grease under the nails never ran me off...

You're contradicting yourself. Whether you can do the maintenance or not, if you are trying to save money, this is NOT the way to go. There are other sporty options that won't give you the headache or expense. Think Asian and don't look back.

Give me an example on the maintenance. I'm assuming this was done at a dealership? Details man, I need details. The 2004 5 series are the one's I'm looking at.

It's been a while (2007) so I can't recall the specifics but I bought it used from my best friend. He's got more money than sense (and he's got plenty of sense) so all of the suggested maintenance was done at a dealership. It had 70k on it when I bought it. Within a week smoke starting coming out of the A/C vents. Took it to the dealer as I knew they'd have all the records and was handed a list of 'suggested maintenance) that was around $2k. The only specific I can remember was a front suspension bushing. Why in the hell would a bushing need to be replaced that soon? I've have Toyotas, Nissans, a Chevy, Hyundai and NEVER had a single repair of note on any of them. I couldn't dump that thing fast enough (and people were lined up to buy it).

Lets here yours. I've had a '90 Accord for almost 11 years and its been a fantastic and reliable vehicle but it's beginning to become a bit of a hoopty. I've kept it painted and stock to avoid needless police interference but it's also hard to pick up a date in. So its time for something different. I've never looked at BMW's but I couldn't believe how cheap the used ones are!

Read what you typed and think about the reasons why for a slow second or three...

 

[I.P. Freely]

Lexus or infiniti

Agree, and the money you save on repair bills you can buy a motorcycle to travel the world. Remember, "with age comes the cage" any cheesedick can drive a car, but not everybody can ride a motorcycle, lol.

 

[harrycalahan]

You're contradicting yourself. Whether you can do the maintenance or not, if you are trying to save money, this is NOT the way to go. There are other sporty options that won't give you the headache or expense. Think Asian and don't look back.
It's been a while (2007) so I can't recall the specifics but I bought it used from my best friend. He's got more money than sense (and he's got plenty of sense) so all of the suggested maintenance was done at a dealership. It had 70k on it when I bought it. Within a week smoke starting coming out of the A/C vents. Took it to the dealer as I knew they'd have all the records and was handed a list of 'suggested maintenance) that was around $2k. The only specific I can remember was a front suspension bushing. Why in the hell would a bushing need to be replaced that soon? I've have Toyotas, Nissans, a Chevy, Hyundai and NEVER had a single repair of note on any of them. I couldn't dump that thing fast enough (and people were lined up to buy it).
Read what you typed and think about the reasons why for a slow second or three...

While I appreciate your opinion (I did ask for it), I don't think you can appreciate where I'm coming from (mostly due to you having to dump a ton of money in your Bimmer). I understand the reason behind the low resale value. I also understand that the majority (not all) of BMW's targeted market doesn't own a single tool and couldn't change their own flat tire (nor do they care to). I'm just a middle class grease monkey looking for a lower mileage car of a different (new to me) manufacturer to replace my high mileage car. I've put a combined 175k miles on my vehicles and I have NEVER once taken them to a repair shop with the exception of getting tires. Auto body, paint, wheel alignment, engine/trans rebuilds and everything in between I've done. I'm set up for taking care of any vehicle and with what I do for a living, I could modify or make my own part if needed. Having said all that, I may or may not even get a Bimmer. The good news is, if I do and it doesn't pan out, it can be sold away. I've been in my car for 11 years and its simply time for something different. Thats all.

 

[GeauxLSU]

While I appreciate your opinion (I did ask for it), I don't think you can appreciate where I'm coming from (mostly due to you having to dump a ton of money in your Bimmer). I understand the reason behind the low resale value. I also understand that the majority (not all) of BMW's targeted market doesn't own a single tool and couldn't change their own flat tire (nor do they care to). I'm just a middle class grease monkey looking for a lower mileage car of a different (new to me) manufacturer to replace my high mileage car. I've put a combined 175k miles on my vehicles and I have NEVER once taken them to a repair shop with the exception of getting tires. Auto body, paint, wheel alignment, engine/trans rebuilds and everything in between I've done. I'm set up for taking care of any vehicle and with what I do for a living, I could modify or make my own part if needed. Having said all that, I may or may not even get a Bimmer. The good news is, if I do and it doesn't pan out, it can be sold away. I've been in my car for 11 years and its simply time for something different. Thats all.

I understand all that. If money is an issue, which you implied it is, odds are you'll have a lot more reapairs with a used BMW than anything Asian. Whether you do it yourself or not, it's not "free". But it seems this is just another thread where the OP's mind is already made up and is looking for endorsement. Nothing wrong with that (I've done it). It was the best driving car I ever owned. I didn't sink a penny into it. I sold it as is for exactly what I paid for it (plus the oil change cost I did get) with FULL disclosure including the dealer printout of needed repairs and still had multiple buyers lined up.
Enjoy your new BMW.

 

[harrycalahan]

I understand all that. If money is an issue, which you implied it is, odds are you'll have a lot more reapairs with a used BMW than anything Asian. Whether you do it yourself or not, it's not "free". But it seems this is just another thread where the OP's mind is already made up and is looking for endorsement. Nothing wrong with that (I've done it). It was the best driving car I ever owned. I didn't sink a penny into it. I sold it as is for exactly what I paid for it (plus the oil change cost I did get) with FULL disclosure including the dealer printout of needed repairs and still had multiple buyers lined up.
Enjoy your new BMW.

Why'd you have to go and call out my endorsement scheme for? Is it that obvious that I resort to the interwebs for positive reinforcement to bolster my wild ideas? Seriously, thanks for your comments/experiences.

 

[ajsawyer]

Probably the most useful website for BMW owners: http://realoem.com/bmw/select.do

I've owned an e28, e32 and e46 and they were all relatively cheap and easy to maintain as long as I didn't get hosed on parts.

I used realoem once on my phone to find the part number for a suspension part while sitting in the lobby of a repair shop. They quoted $600 for the part + installation, I googled the part number - found one for $60 and installed myself.

Just make sure you run a carfax before you buy anything.