BMW's - Costly to keep maintained?

[Sed57 0]

Hi folks,

Sorry, this may of been submitted elsewhere but I've not registered and not sure where to look.

I've heard tale of the cost of European cars (BMW's, Audi's, VW's) can be anything from nothing special to HOLY CRAP MY WALLET, so before I seriously consider a BMW for my next car I figured I'd ask around to see if it's feesable.

I have no real expenses on my side, so I could probably live with a slightly higher cost than what I'm paying now for my little Toyota Celica, but that's not to say I want all my savings going on a car if needed.

I'm hoping you guys will be able to dispel or explain some of the facts and fictions I've been hearing, such as an every day mechanic as opposed to a BMW specific one, 3 series after 150k's, cost of parts when compared to japanese brand, etc.

Are they more expensive to run? Are the HIDEOUSLY more expensive to run? Are they no different than any other car (They certainly seem popular enough, the 318i anyway)? Anything I should be aware of?

Any info you can give, as well as local advise for myself (I'm around the Coatesville/Hibiscus Coast area) would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry if this should of been posted elsewhere! If so let me know and I'll move it as best I can

Thanks!

Sed

[M5V8 337]

Hi Sed,

And welcome.

This is a difficult subject as it's alittle subjective. I'm sure there are plenty of stories both positive and negative as to the costs of running this or that car irrespective of the brand.

At the end of the day it's really down to the car, how you maintain it.

From my personal POV.

I have a M5 with full BMW service history and a relatively low K car. It's always been BMW serviced and the cost in my opinion has been really brilliant ($3-400 every 2 years).

Compared to my other car which is a big HP jappa which basically lives in the shop and bills always include 3 digits.

I think this is the trick.

Cheaper, older, higher K import euros are that for a reason and you might struggle with the running cost if you are unlucky.

Good, low K, BMW NZ historied cars are the way to euro happyness.

[Sed57 0]

Thanks M5V8,

I suspect it's not going to be a black and white answer, but hopefully with personal experience from people like yourself I'll be able to piece together the pieces myself!

[Apex 693]

Are you buying a brand new car?

[Sed57 0]

I couldn't afford a brand new Corolla, nevermind a BMW, haha. I was looking at a '98 328i.

[hybrid 1043]

Paying attention to singapore imported vehicles get more a hard time because of the high humidity weather over there so tend to come with all sorts of premature electrical issues.

This isnt just BMW but audi's / VW / Mercs etc

I think around 98 they had wised up to all of this and started to internally seal circuit boards etc as 98 cars are amoung the last of the e36 generation.

European cars (and most other manufactures these days) use a percentage of recycled plastics for a lot of coolant parts. These have the tendancy to get brittle quicker over time. Around the 80,000 and 120,000 - 150,000 mark is when youll get most of the issues. Again this is dependant on where the car came from and as others say has the car adhered to its service program or not.

You can get a lot of high K cars that have stuck to their service programs religeously and be in a lot better shape than say a car and a much lower k that haven't. This is obviously not just subject to BMWs.

Another area is suspension, worn shocks, springs and rubber bushes and tires can make a car feel like a lemon.

Getting yourself a goodie, and it can be much more enjoyible that other car marquies. A very well balanced RWD car can be very rewarding. Its the reason a lot of us drive them and own more than 1.

Any more questions, just ask

An awnser to your question would be they are no more expensive to maintain than any other car. There are some good secondhand parts dealers and new parts are fairly easy to get if your into a bit of DIY.

The big thing is getting a car that is good from the start. Use a dealship or specailist BMW workshop to do a 'pre-purchase inspection' They will give you a lot more vehicle specific information than any generic AA check can.

They are more expensive to get done but well worth it. Several friends of mine have steered clear of some high dollar cars over the time because of the pre-purchase inspection report.

Welcome

[Apex 693]

I couldn't afford a brand new Corolla, nevermind a BMW, haha. I was looking at a '98 328i.

I only ask as it is an open ended question when you are talking old cars like that.

From experience all I can say when buying an old BMW is buy NZ new with as much known history as possible, if a car has always been garaged and has been serviced on time and looks to have been driven easy it will do you well, buy a cheap Jap import with no history and you may well end up spending what you save and more fixing it.

Keep in mind any car with 150,000km will require parts sooner or later be it a Toyota or a Peugeot, the truth is they are only designed to last 100,000km on basic maintenance when driven easy and looked after and you are essntially buying something that is past its use by date.

[elmarco 56]

As others have said - they can be more expensive in some circumstances.

I've not found them (or VW's for that matter) any more expensive to maintain than my wife's old Honda on like for like parts. For example, new brake rotors and pads were more expensive for the Honda than the 330ci. However, where they get expensive is when something breaks - but I'm not sure if they are worse for the big ticket items over a Jappa or not. Be aware that they tend to be more integrated electronically than the Toyotas or Hondas etc so can cost more in replacement parts - but this is the cost of the creature comforts that you are buying it for in the first place. A like for like Lexus would likely be similar in this respect.

They aren't the enigma they used to be, and there are plenty of places to get good service and spares. There is also plenty of experience on here with where to look, and what to do. If you get a good one to start with, you have already won half the battle.

[kiwi535 538]

the routine parts are probably slightly more expensive than genuine parts for any other make.Some genuine parts may be(i was quoted $1000 for a genuine radiator for my 1990 535).However i think the most importsnt thing to do is find someone who knows what thay are doing with a bmw.That means the dealer or a independent ..Or you may undertake the work yourself.There is a LOT of very good information about repairs on the net

[deeveus 81]

Are you buying a brand new car?

Good question or if you're buying new or BMW approved like I have a few times in the past your warranty and servicing requirement's are sorted.

[NZ BMW 368]

With all Euro cars I've owned (and that's only been two) I find there is a big spike in maintenance in the first 6-9 months and then it settles down. That's even with a pre-purchase inspection.

Edited July 31, 2012 by NZ BMW

[Neal 545]

Depends on the car in my opinion. Had a e36 for 11 years or roughtly 1200000 kms. The car was roughly 400 - 600 per year on dealer servicing for 12000-14000 Kms per year. Over $100 of that being on good motor oil once per year. However in the last year at the 210,000 mark I spent around 3k on wear and tear items via the dealer. However that car was maintained regardless of cost and would probably be good for another 200,000km.

[deeveus 81]

Good, low K, BMW NZ historied cars are the way to euro happyness.

A big 10 4 on that!