[roesler723]

Hey guys whats up. Like the title says I'm looking to get rid of my current car and hopefully purchase a 06/07 AWD e90. I currently daily drive a 2008 Civic LX. It's my first car specifically purchased to be used as a commuter to and from school, but I just can't deal with the lack of power it has (especially on highways). It has roughly 72k miles on it and I would like to sell it privately and then use that money to buy a 3 series. I understand at this point and with this mindset that I'm gonna be looking at a private purchase with higher mileage. I'm not very familiar with European cars other than people typically claiming its the biggest PITA to own them, so I'm looking for some buying advice and information in general.

My main question is what is actually considered high mileage for a BMW? What types of maintenance and serious repairs would one expect from one with say 100k and up on it? I came across a silver 2007 328xi with 122k miles, clean title/carfax, 19" competition wheels, tinted windows, and "all the features" (lol). It's priced at $9,000. Is 122k miles too high? Does that price reflect this car well?

Here's a link to the post:
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/4489839349.html

Any advice, tips, or information is greatly appreciated guys. Thanks in advance.

[Twix]

Expect to spend at least $2000 per year on repairs and maintenance.

[markus037]

check to see what has been done recently in terms of maintenance. these cars are reliable if looked after. id be weary of getting an auto, especially if the gearbox oil hasnt been changed when specificed. BMW says "lifetime" but ZF says every 60k

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by roesler723

Hey guys whats up. Like the title says I'm looking to get rid of my current car and hopefully purchase a 06/07 AWD e90. I currently daily drive a 2008 Civic LX. It's my first car specifically purchased to be used as a commuter to and from school, but I just can't deal with the lack of power it has (especially on highways). It has roughly 72k miles on it and I would like to sell it privately and then use that money to buy a 3 series. I understand at this point and with this mindset that I'm gonna be looking at a private purchase with higher mileage. I'm not very familiar with European cars other than people typically claiming its the biggest PITA to own them, so I'm looking for some buying advice and information in general.

My main question is what is actually considered high mileage for a BMW? What types of maintenance and serious repairs would one expect from one with say 100k and up on it? I came across a silver 2007 328xi with 122k miles, clean title/carfax, 19" competition wheels, tinted windows, and "all the features" (lol). It's priced at $9,000. Is 122k miles too high? Does that price reflect this car well?

Here's a link to the post:
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/4489839349.html

Any advice, tips, or information is greatly appreciated guys. Thanks in advance.

122k miles is considered high mileage, that being said if the engine has been maintained regularly and the car has not been abused there is no reason why the engine would not last another 122k miles.
Check how often the car has been maintained and where.

[roesler723]

Hey guys just a little update - still looking around for an e90, I feel like I might wanna go for an 06 330xi rather than the 328xi. Maybe you guys can give some insight on a comparison of the two. I found a 330xi with about 104k miles on it from a local dealer and they're asking $12k for it. Is this a good price? What would be a good price if I bought it? I looked at the car fax and it was originally a lease by the first owner, then a personal driver by the second two drivers. What is odd to me, however, is that car fax has 3 previous owners, but the dealer claims it only has 1 previous owner...strange. No accidents/damage reported and seems like maintenance has been done regularly. I didn't see anything about a water pump/thermostat replacement though which is good and bad I guess. Would that most likely mean it would probably go soon if it hasn't already? Any insight on this as well as the deal in general would be very helpful.

From what I can tell from the dealer site pictures, it looks pretty clean all around, inside and out, specifically the leather for an 8 year old car with 3 owners. Mmmmm and those xenon angel eyes

Here's the autotrader listing:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...71385424&Log=0

Here's the dealer's listing:
http://www.avenueautowholesalers.com/vehicle/184859164

Give me some advice and help guys! Thanks!

[hockeyplayer]

Whatever car you end up buying, pay for a pre-purchase inspection at a local reputable shop that is VERY familiar with BMWs.

Doing this can save you thousands of dollars and many headaches down the road.

[roesler723]

Originally Posted by hockeyplayer

Whatever car you end up buying, pay for a pre-purchase inspection at a local reputable shop that is VERY familiar with BMWs.

Doing this can save you thousands of dollars and many headaches down the road.

Yeah I would never buy a used car without a PPI. How much do independent shop that know BMW's typically charge? The local mechanic my family uses charged $50 when inspecting my Civic. Am I correct in saying take it to get a PPI at at a local shop compared to a BMW dealer? Less expensive I assume..

[Luken]

Originally Posted by Twix

Expect to spend at least $2000 per year on repairs and maintenance.

Honestly, in the grand scheme of things for owning a bimmer or a car period, that's pretty light. I bought my car last august...repairs and stuff so far are tires, spark plugs, coils, oil changes, brakes...I think I'm like 1600 in.

[bomorgan123]

By the way, this silver 330xi "sport" doesn't have the sport package. If it did, it would have sport seats, sport steering wheel, and 18" rims, probably 158's. Kinda misleading.

[Efthreeoh]

OP, take my advice, don't get a BMW. Owning a BMW at any mileage regardless of it over 100,000 is not the same as owning a Japanese car. If you do not have a good mechanical skill set and can't DIY your maintenance and repairs, you will be in a world of hurt. Older BMWs are expensive to maintain. I've got over 650,000 combined miles on 3 BMWs, so I speak from a high level of experience. I DIY almost all of my maintenance and repairs.

Based on your questions it sounds like you will be sensitive to the cost of maintenance. If you have to ask, then you are not prepared for the commitment. I'm not trying to be a pompous ass about it, but trying to get you to understand the commitment you are getting yourself into. Most previous Japanese car owners can't come to grip with it.

[hockeyplayer]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

OP, take my advice, don't get a BMW. Owning a BMW at any mileage regardless of it over 100,000 is not the same as owning a Japanese car. If you do not have a good mechanical skill set and can't DIY your maintenance and repairs, you will be in a world of hurt. Older BMWs are expensive to maintain. I've got over 650,000 combined miles on 3 BMWs, so I speak from a high level of experience. I DIY almost all of my maintenance and repairs.

Based on your questions it sounds like you will be sensitive to the cost of maintenance. If you have to ask, then you are not prepared for the commitment. I'm not trying to be a pompous ass about it, but trying to get you to understand the commitment you are getting yourself into. Most previous Japanese car owners can't come to grip with it.

^^THIS^^

[parabola]

8-9 year old high mileage BMW...what can go wrong?

You want little more power than Civic and AWD, how about...Subary Legacy? It will be much cheaper to buy and own than a BMW.

[fravel]

I made a similar transition OP, coming from a 2000 Honda Accord EX that lived well past 250,000 miles with little more than oil changes and changing brake pads.

I bought an '06 330i with about 73k miles on it when I graduated from college. So far, here's how my repairs/maintenance look:

#1. Decided to swap spark plugs at 80k miles as regular maintenance. I DIY'd the labor, plugs were ~$90 IIRC. During the swap I discovered a valve cover gasket leak, which is a common failure on these cars.

#2. Valve cover gasket was ~$50 in parts for the new bolts/gasket, again with DIY labor. I would expect a shop to charge anywhere from 4-6 hrs for this job. It's not particularly hard, just time consuming.

#3. Last summer I discovered a leaking coolant hose, the hose was only $30 but to change it required me to completely depressurize the AC system due to it's location. It was a minor problem but the job was a bear. Again, DIY, but I'd expect to pay at least 4 hrs labor for it.

#4. Personally, I only use OEM oil in my car. With a filter that equates to a cost of ~$75/oil change just for materials. Factory interval is 15,000 miles but I only go to 7,500 miles. YMMV.

#5. I decided to service my transmission via fluid and filter change, again as regular maintenance. The ZF transmission fluid isn't cheap (>$20/liter I believe), and you need at least 7 liters. Additionally, the transmission filter is integral to the transmission pan, so you've got to change the entire pan in order to change the filter, that part is ~$180. I did not DIY this as I didn't have a good way to measure transmission temperature. My indy only charged me 2 hrs labor for this work.

#6. At 110k miles or so my struts were shot. I picked up a Bilstein B12 kit as a replacement, I believe I got it on sale for $825. DIY again, but I would expect 6-8 hrs of labor for a shop to do this. It took me a full 2 days but I was more or less learning as I went.

#7. Brake pads and rotors were also gone at that time. I purchased new rotors from ECS tuning and got pads with a lifetime warranty from Autozone. Cost was about $500 in materials, DIY labor. Brakes are easy, and if you're a novice to working on your own car they're a great place to start learning.

#8. Battery finally died after 8 years. Snagged a replacement at Walmart for $120 and registered it myself via OBDII cable and bmw logger software. I've heard the dealerships quote as much as $500 for this.

I'm sure there is more, but you get the point.

Looking through that list you'll notice that nothing there is anything particularly crazy. I haven't experienced any catastrophic failures that have left me stranded lest I fork up several grand for repairs. However... I've spent a fair bit of money just maintaining the car. I don't regret the decision to step into a bimmer at all as the car makes it worthwhile everytime I sit behind the wheel... but you're in for a shock if you're expecting the same carefree ownership you've had with your civic.

[ChubbyWilly]

Originally Posted by bomorgan123

By the way, this silver 330xi "sport" doesn't have the sport package. If it did, it would have sport seats, sport steering wheel, and 18" rims, probably 158's. Kinda misleading.

That would be 162s sir.

I purchased my 330i, which were only built for the '06 market, for 15k from a dealer but it also only had 60k miles on the clock. No accidents, all maintenance records and shows that battery was recently replaced by BMW. As far as maintenance goes I've spent $70 on oil change (do it myself) and $500 on two rear tires. And jut to be safe I also purchased used car warranty which you can get either through your dealer (not recommended), insurance company or credit union (What I did).

[hockeyplayer]

Originally Posted by fravel

I made a similar transition OP, coming from a 2000 Honda Accord EX that lived well past 250,000 miles with little more than oil changes and changing brake pads.

#7. Brake pads and rotors were also gone at that time. I purchased new rotors from ECS tuning and got pads with a lifetime warranty from Autozone. Cost was about $500 in materials, DIY labor. Brakes are easy, and if you're a novice to working on your own car they're a great place to start learning.

...but you're in for a shock if you're expecting the same carefree ownership you've had with your civic.

I totally agree with everything this person said. It's not a Civic, that's for sure. Only one thing to add...if you aren't familiar with working on cars then as he suggested the brakes are a fairly easy place to start. But PLEASE do everyone on the road a favor and make sure you have someone who knows what they are doing show you the ropes! Don't mess around with your brakes if you don't know what you're doing.

Good luck.