Thoughts on BMW Cars...

[AKguy]

BMW's are a love-hate relationship. Mine was the one posted here w/a little under 304,000. I owned it for 8 and a half years, most of which I ran it up and down the highway or used as a DD.

They will require maintenance like any other vehicle, but if you find a good indie mechanic the cost isn't that much more than maintenance on any other type of vehicle. When they get higher mileage, it becomes a parts replacing game. With mine, heater core, heater core valves, diff bushing, radiator, water pump, coolant hoses, valve cover gaskets, etc. The only thing BMWs are really bad about is their cooling systems - I don't know if it's the materials or what, but they cooling system components are ****. The hoses, the water pumps with the damn plastic impellers, the radiators with the composite outlet that gets brittle and cracks, etc. Always keep an eye on the temp gauge.

But the major drivetrain components are typically very solid (engine, trans, diff). I sold mine on Sunday, and when the guy was test driving it, he asked if he could gun it. I said "sure, won't hurt my feelings." Well he gunned it alright. Up and down about 10 different side roads. That car ran like scalded dog, as I knew it would.

My only recommendations would be to get a clean one with maintenance recs and 175k or less, and try to stick with the E30/36/46 body styles. Those are the last of the iconic "driver's cars". The new ones are nothing but cadillacs with a BMW badge. E36 M3 is great, E46 330 ZHP would be a real catch too. Of course, it'll take a little more to put either one of those in your driveway.

 

[AKguy]

Ahhh... some of that ZHP sexiness

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/4842734544.html

 

[harrycalahan]

BMW's are a love-hate relationship. Mine was the one posted here w/a little under 304,000. I owned it for 8 and a half years, most of which I ran it up and down the highway or used as a DD.

They will require maintenance like any other vehicle, but if you find a good indie mechanic the cost isn't that much more than maintenance on any other type of vehicle. When they get higher mileage, it becomes a parts replacing game. With mine, heater core, heater core valves, diff bushing, radiator, water pump, coolant hoses, valve cover gaskets, etc. The only thing BMWs are really bad about is their cooling systems - I don't know if it's the materials or what, but they cooling system components are ****. The hoses, the water pumps with the damn plastic impellers, the radiators with the composite outlet that gets brittle and cracks, etc. Always keep an eye on the temp gauge.

But the major drivetrain components are typically very solid (engine, trans, diff). I sold mine on Sunday, and when the guy was test driving it, he asked if he could gun it. I said "sure, won't hurt my feelings." Well he gunned it alright. Up and down about 10 different side roads. That car ran like scalded dog, as I knew it would.

My only recommendations would be to get a clean one with maintenance recs and 175k or less, and try to stick with the E30/36/46 body styles. Those are the last of the iconic "driver's cars". The new ones are nothing but cadillacs with a BMW badge. E36 M3 is great, E46 330 ZHP would be a real catch too. Of course, it'll take a little more to put either one of those in your driveway.

Thanks for your review. I haven't seen anything stand out as a huge, repetitive problem other than the cooling system. They offer water pumps with cast impellers to remedy that. All manufacturers have gone to plastic end tanks on their radiators. The days of copper are gone so thats not just limited to bmw. And knowing me, I'm sure I could modify the plumbing to a more robust design if it does turn into an issue. I've modified and corrected a lot bigger issues before with my own diy engineering. Higher mileage repairs do not bother me. The only concern I really have is the under dash electronics such as dash cluster/gauge issues and hvac/climate controls. I hate under dash work. Other than that, I'm not too worried. I've found every part I would need locally and what I can't get, I can get on ebay for a fraction of the cost. This will not be my only vehicle so if it does go down, no big deal. Worst case scenario, I get the car, hate it and sell it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained or lost. I keep coming back to the E36. Those are more in the price range that I'm looking to spend and there's been several with under 100k miles and stick shift. Yes, a complete record history is a must with me for just about any used vehicle purchase.

 

[brad sweet]

Thanks for your review. I haven't seen anything stand out as a huge, repetitive problem other than the cooling system. They offer water pumps with cast impellers to remedy that. All manufacturers have gone to plastic end tanks on their radiators. The days of copper are gone so thats not just limited to bmw. And knowing me, I'm sure I could modify the plumbing to a more robust design if it does turn into an issue. I've modified and corrected a lot bigger issues before with my own diy engineering. Higher mileage repairs do not bother me. The only concern I really have is the under dash electronics such as dash cluster/gauge issues and hvac/climate controls. I hate under dash work. Other than that, I'm not too worried. I've found every part I would need locally and what I can't get, I can get on ebay for a fraction of the cost. This will not be my only vehicle so if it does go down, no big deal. Worst case scenario, I get the car, hate it and sell it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained or lost. I keep coming back to the E36. Those are more in the price range that I'm looking to spend and there's been several with under 100k miles and stick shift. Yes, a complete record history is a must with me for just about any used vehicle purchase.

they do sell aluminum rads that work well in replacement of the plastic crap and last forever or until you move to Florida LOL!

 

[wozbean]

E30's are super cool too. And pretty easy to work on from what I hear. My friend has had 2 - E30 M3's. FUN to drive.........

 

[AKguy]

Thanks for your review. I haven't seen anything stand out as a huge, repetitive problem other than the cooling system. They offer water pumps with cast impellers to remedy that. All manufacturers have gone to plastic end tanks on their radiators. The days of copper are gone so thats not just limited to bmw. And knowing me, I'm sure I could modify the plumbing to a more robust design if it does turn into an issue. I've modified and corrected a lot bigger issues before with my own diy engineering. Higher mileage repairs do not bother me. The only concern I really have is the under dash electronics such as dash cluster/gauge issues and hvac/climate controls. I hate under dash work. Other than that, I'm not too worried. I've found every part I would need locally and what I can't get, I can get on ebay for a fraction of the cost. This will not be my only vehicle so if it does go down, no big deal. Worst case scenario, I get the car, hate it and sell it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained or lost. I keep coming back to the E36. Those are more in the price range that I'm looking to spend and there's been several with under 100k miles and stick shift. Yes, a complete record history is a must with me for just about any used vehicle purchase.

Aftermarket radiators and water pumps typically solve the problem. The hoses still tend to get eaten up pretty fast thought (2-3 years for some).

My controls always worked, but the E36 are notorious for the radio light going out, or a few pixels on the OBC burning out, the numbers on the odometer appear and disappear when they get higher mileage. All of my buttons worked and I had no burnt pixels on the OBC, but my radio light did go out (could only see the station in bright sun light, no biggie as I knew what all my presets were). My odometer started going in and out around 220k. If I parked the car for a while (to eat lunch) or cranked it the morning after sitting, the numbers would be visible. But after about 20 minutes of driving (I guess from road vibration or something) only the top or bottom of the numbers would display. I always knew approx. how many miles were on the car, but sometimes I'd have no way of knowing the EXACT mileage at that moment. Even if it went out, the mileage would still be counted.

Overall the E36 is my favorite style. I had a BMW tech that always worked on mine and he's an E30 fanatic, but he would always say the E36 is the last of the iconic BMW "driving machines". I disagree. I think the E46 still had a lot of the BMW "ultimate driving machine" spirit. It's the E90's that ruined it for me.

But good luck in your search. If you don't find an E36 you like (so many on the market now are completely trashed) you may want to also check out 04-05 E46 325i or 330i sports. They're slick looking cars, the 2.5 and 3.0 are extremely reliable, and they can be had with 100-125k for under $10k.

 

[AKguy]

And the reason I say 04-05 325 sport, they had a minor face lift and nice looking 5 spoke wheels (not those gay 7 spokes on the 02-03).

Too bad this one has gay ass "dove" interior (yuck).

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/ctd/4848544367.html

 

[Tex06]

......The only concern I really have is the under dash electronics such as dash cluster/gauge issues and hvac/climate controls. I hate under dash work. .....

The 3 BMWs my friends have owned all had electrical issues. Window switches quit working, LCD displays in the dash going out, gauges malfunctioning, they were a nightmare. Cars drove good, but all three had noisy suspensions and warning lights (which blew one date when the girl didn't trust his car, lol. Techie girls man.....) and the plethora of electrical issues I fixed in and after college cured me of ever wanting one. One car was a '95 525i and made it to 400k before getting traded in, the other was an '03 325 (I think....maybe 323?), and the last was an early 90s (91/92 maybe) coupe. Don't remember the numbers.

Oh and the power seats failed on all three. That sucked.

Get a Pontiac if you want sporty. Reliable, fast, and good looking (but hey, I may be biased here).

 

[AKguy]

Oh yea, no. BMW's suck and have electrical issues. OP should instead buy an Obama bailout mobile that can't even stay in business.

First off, your friends either had lemons or slacked on maintenance. Second, it's laughable that you put Pontiac and reliable in the same sentence. GM vehicles have dash boards that are lit up like christmas trees after about 100k.

 

[Tex06]

I've got a Pontiac, Buick, and a Chevy Truck I average about $1000/yr for all three in maintenance. Probably rack up 10-12k per vehicle over a years driving. My cars may be old but they run well and don't give me problems often (usually if they do it's owner induced, I'll admit that).

Every Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Fiat, Porsche, and Benz I've even known has a higher cost of maintenance than you average Japanese, Korean, or American sedan. And if you don't keep up on maintenance, any car falls to pieces. Some just are faster at it than others.

The G8 is a very nice sedan, esp if you're not worried about gas mileage. The GTO is even more fun seeing as it's a coupe and can come with a manual transmission. But either with an automatic is still a sold choice.

And it's not like buying a used vehicle is helping the original manufacturer. The individual you buy from probably didn't get any of the bailout.