Wanted: BMW repair cost horror stories... - Page 6

Wow!
That sounds unreal--12 cylinder w/ turbo-charging??
Have you driven one?

That should have been escalated to BMWNA - there's a TSB (technical service bulletin) out about that issue, no way it shouldn't have been covered.

Its not the money that pisses him its the shitty quality. You shouldn't have to go once a month to get your "quality" car fixed for the same thing over and over. He is not getting rid of it he is just going to keep it for when he is off island and get an actual "big timer" car.

My daily driver is an 84 325 (90K miles) so my experience probably doesn't transfer to the average BMW driver. A total overhaul of the AC has been my only major expense. Everything else has been routine maintenance like brakes, tires, etc. I have an unbelievably good mechanic as well.

I have owned 2 bmw's an e46m3 cabrio and currently my daily is a 2001 bmw 740i sport


my m3 had issues as I drove it so hard and drove it all god's half acre too. my 740i looks awesome and has 150k on the dash


get a PPI before buying used and find a good indi shop who will work on your car for less

Big timer was a Joke. Sorry you missed it.

The point is if you buy a Used car--which I'm not into--there is a better than average chance that it will be troublesome for a variety of reasons...whatever the brand.

And if your a sucker for punishment you buy a USED sports car that will cost a great amount of Resourses and grief as well.

Disclaimer: I might eat that rolleyes when my car burns down my entire apartment complex and sets the finest fire in Midtown Atlanta since the scorched Earth policy days of Bill Sherman.

I had to reiterate something that I said earlier... (Perhaps in a different thread)

I've always bought used.

I'm currently driving an 05 BMW 545i with all the options.

I paid $26,000 (cnd) this last fall, and the car had 60k on the clock.

I've put 300 bucks into it for a new thermostat, and I've bought summer rims/tires.

Please explain how my $26,000 will cost a great amount of resources as opposed to a new one ($90,000'ish CND) ?

Plus... I went to my dealer inquiring about a CPO 335i coupe... They'll give me 23k for my car (I'm in a smaller market, which brings higher trade in values)
I'd like to see someone with a new 550i lose 3k in depreciation after 8 months of driving.

Well, there were some X5s that were burning down people's houses, but they were new, so you should be OK.

--Andre

European cars are expensive and they will nickel and dime you. This is something you have to be prepared for. Out of the six cars I have owned all but one were European. If you can only afford to buy one out of warranty it is going to be a love hate relationship. I have a MB G500 and maintenance is expensive. $350 for an A service and $700 for a B service. Window regulators cost $1000. Just put new brakes on the car that cost $800. The navigation system costs about $5,000 to replace. I would avoid getting a car with navigation...they create more problems.

For something cheaper like a 3 series the costs will be less but still much more than a cheap Japanese car.

No. My next V-12 will likely be a DB9 or SL65 (but probably the DB9). Three years. I was just poking at the minor point yall were debating with so much Foo and Fuu. Damnit. Think its worth pursuing months later? I remember telling the BMW rep that Pontiac's warranty service treated me better. Hmmm....I have three cars now, all bought used. Th Jag has cost me the most, but cars of that vintage all do. I did my homework (for the most part) when buying each car. But I really don't think the money I have spent in maintenance would be any less had I been the person to put all mileage on the car -- that is what we are talking about, right? I might have been able to amortize it over a longer period, but the total cost would not be less, especially as my purchase price was so low since I didn't pay the depreciation. Heck, the BMW alone will have to cost me 25k in maintenance before its cost to me makes up those 3yrs worth of depreciation on the market. I don't feel like I am sustaining a loss because of the 30k miles that were on the car -- in market terms I am, because I can't flip it for MSRP, but subjectively there is no loss. ~ H

Yes, but I might be the wrong guy to ask - I'm going after GM for a $1100 mis-charge from March 2010 when I bought the Solstice. As the saying goes, all they can do is say "no."

The thing about cars is that most people don't know a thing about them, yet they enjoy driving/being seen in it, those are the people you hear the most complaining about maintenance costs/problems. Most modern cars are reliable as long as you do scheduled maintenance you should be good. One piece of advice i will give anyone, only deal with dealerships if you car is under warranty other than that, pardon my language, F$#K t Stealerships! Find an independent specialist. For a 2001 Jaguar XK8, Jag dealer was quoting me $850 and adding a "free complimentary 150 point inspection" to a job that could've been done somewhere else for $50. These people in the service department in dealerships are on commission, they have no soul, they will charge your grandma $2000 for a brake job on an Honda Civic.

I'm getting conflicting points in this entire thread... but too sum up: If you love your car, and are willing to put in the effort, it's worth owning a classic BMW? I have no experience in car repair, but I still have my sights set upon owning a BMW 2002. It has that mix of looking cool, classic, and affordable (as compared to other options). Am I mad in wanting this as my main car?

It really depends, in this case, since its a much older car. Maintenance would be cheap, but you'll have a hard time finding original parts in case of anything, because its a euro classic.