[techietaichi]

BMW's as all of us know has a certain draw to certain types of people. We love the style, the power, the ride and the luxury. Hell, I certainly do, but as much as I'd like something like a 335 or an M3/5, anticipated maintenance costs bring me back to reality. Really it scares the crap out of me. Being able to say, "Twin Turbos" and then go roaring down the street would feel great, but if those suckers ever broke down on me, I'd probably weep over the cost of repair or replacement. OUCH! That's why I drive an entry level 3-series. Maintenance costs don't rub me the wrong way and when I do have to pony up, I still have dough in the bank, lol. Still though, the 335 and M3/5's still call to me.

Are my anxieties about maintenance costs unfounded? Do you think about future or anticipated maintenance costs when buying a new beemer? I'd enjoy hearing what you all think.

[CarEnthused]

I think it would be stupid to not look at the cost of maintenance as one of your purchasing factors but you have to weigh the risk with the reward.

My job pays me well and my personal finances are such that I am able to save money and still live reasonably. It's all about having savings and being financially smart. If you don't have a few grand in savings then you might be in trouble if your car breaks down.

So speaking generally, if you bring home $3k a month and spend about $2,500/mo then you're probably not in the position to go for a car that could set you back a few grand if something goes majorly wrong.

There are also those who are financially able to handle those situations with ease but don't want the inconvenience. I think that's a whole new factor to consider.

[Yvette]

if you are able to mod, you can afford maintenance factors.

[Mardio]

The 06 325 is a good reliable car, I had mine for seven years and had little issues with it. I guess with time your finances grow and you become more confident in a bigger purchase. Be patient and your time will come. If you are scared of the maintanance costs obviously the time is not now.

[ken1137]

Yes, whenever you buy a used car maintenance cost should always be a factor regardless of the brand. That being said, that factor ($$$) differs per brand and model. My 325 and 328 didn't cost much at all, my 135 a bit more, but my 335...my injectors were replaced, my A/C blower, brake light, and yesterday my water pump. I highly recommend setting a side $$$ for repairs, or buying an aftermarket warranty. My aftermarket warranty just kicked in and my water pump dies one month later

FYI...I bought my daughter a used Rav4 for college. It's been 4 yrs and all I have done to this day is replace fluids and filters

[MrPig]

Originally Posted by ken1137

Yes, whenever you buy a used car maintenance cost should always be a factor regardless of the brand. That being said, that factor ($$$) differs per brand and model. My 325 and 328 didn't cost much at all, my 135 a bit more, but my 335...my injectors were replaced, my A/C blower, brake light, and yesterday my water pump. I highly recommend setting a side $$$ for repairs, or buying an aftermarket warranty. My aftermarket warranty just kicked in and my water pump dies one month later

FYI...I bought my daughter a used Rav4 for college. It's been 4 yrs and all I have done to this day is replace fluids and filters

Pretty much this, though with my e30 I certainly thought with my heart (car penis?) and not my brain when buying. I spent more money on maintaining her over the last year and a half than I did on my e90 in 2 years. Having said that, I don't regret it in the least and most of the maintenance was preventative with very few actual parts being replaced (only things it needed were seals, plugs and a dizzy cover/rotor).

[e90 John]

I just bought an e90 335 about a month ago with 45k miles out of factory warranty. I definitely considered maintenance. I am some what mechanically inclined and can do some wrenching myself. But, I also purchased an aftermarket warranty to give me additional coverage/peace of mind.

I think something to consider is your snails are covered until 82k. But, you can purchase and extended warranty (aftermarket) and a extended service contract (esc) from BMW. So, I think this could hedge some of maintenance costs you potentially could incur.

[ctuna]

High performance tires don't last long.
And the cost of high performance runflats can really hurt.
Especially if you come from a car where you are used to getting
50k off a set of tires.
Its the repair costs that hurt maintenance isn't to terrible if you find a
good Indy or can do some DIY.
With any Turbo car the likelihood of having to do repairs goes up.
Most turbo cars will need the turbo's replaced and some new turbo hardware
in the life of the car.

[AndyR83]

Turbos and hpfp are covered very long term regardless of the rest of the car's warranty status

[bahasad]

Maintenance costs didn't come into play when deciding to get rid of my Acura for a BMW, however maintenance costs did come into play when I was deciding between an 07 335xi or my 08 328i. I always have spare cash ready for maintenance but 2000 or 3000 dollar repair bills are way out of my budget

[theblackmamba]

You can't be scared to play -- this goes for all aspects in life; you see an attractive woman at the bar but you decide to not say anything to her because she'll turn you down? Nope. The opposite, strike a conversation with her; 9 times out of 10 you'll be the guy who's having dinner with her tomorrow night. Scared to buy a house? what about repairs? You won't buy a $500k house that may need repairs because it 'will get expensive'?

That's no way to live your life -- but you should live within your means. So if you can't afford an M3 then don't go get one, etc.

Back onto the concept of the vehicle. ANY vehicle will need maintenance. Valve cover gaskets on a Nissan Murano cost around $1500 to do at the dealership. Repairs are repairs, maintenance is necessary on all types of cars. If the turbo's for a 335 fail, then you've got the warranty up to 82k, any owner of a turbo car will tell you that at some point its either upgrade or repair.

When you buy a car you factor these things in. Complete Brakes on an e90 are upwards of $1,200 dealer wise but parts are $4-500.

[Craigito]

My take is since I do mostly all of my own maintenance (oil, plugs, fluids, brakes etc) it saves me enough money to deal with the eventual break down of a higher cost repairs or big maintenence jobs that I might not want to tackle (turbos and for example).

So the short answer is no it doesnt affect my purchase choice.

[fazman]

It always should be an important factor of an overall buying decision so your true cost of ownership doesn't get out of hand. But then again, bmw has u covered by selling u different plans based on your needs. The have various maint plans. They have glass breakage plans, wheel and tire plans, cpo, ext maint plans, ext bumper to bumper warranty plans. You can basically hedge your risks based on how much coverage u want.

[Kayani_1]

Yes, off course maintenance costs should always factor in. As they say it is easy to buy a luxury car harder to maintain it.

[digitalink]

+1 to everyone who said maintenance cost should come in to factor regardless of model or brand.

My indy mechanic charges a competitive rate compared to any independent shop I've priced which are often cheaper the chains and dealerships. He is a specialist in his field (German Vehicles) so not only is he competent, but he is honest. So in many aspects, I feel like I SAVE money by owning a BMW.

The OEM parts I've purchased seem to be no more then purchases I've made for my Toyota or Mazda. In fact when I replaced the thermostat for my E46 330Ci, it was significantly cheaper than a neighbors beat-up Pontiac Grand Prix.

During the lifespan of my 330Ci, a friend had to put significantly more money into his Caviler which was a money pit and could never stay running. My largest purchase was a full set of tires.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've owned BMWs for six years now and I'm still confused when people tell me it cost more to maintain my car then theirs.