Just how long do BMWs last?

[nicoteena]

I'm in the market for a new car and I'm looking at mid-90s 325i sedan or 328i sedan (preferable). I'm a second year college student and I plan to keep the car for 10+ years. For those of you who have had your cars for a long time, or have older models, have you had any problems with it? If so, a lot? What kinds? Were repair costs a lot? I looked at the Consumer Reports Guide online and it was somewhat helpful. My main concern is that it will last me for the 10+ years I plan to have it. Thanks!

[Wayne 962]

Every car will need updates and repairs over ten years. Brake pads, transmission service, and oil changes are the most common.

I have a 318is with 121K miles on it. My business partner has one with 200K on it. They are very reliable (some say the 4-cyl is more reliable than the six, I tend to agree), and should last a very, very long time if properly maintained...

Did you have any specific questions related to longevity?

-Wayne

[Jeff at WallWerks]

I agree with Wayne. I have an 86 and 87 325 that I bought from the first owner, who was a fanatic about maintenance.
Both of my cars are in fantastic shape and have 175 and 180K on them. Everyone I have talked to says that they need a valve job/top end around 150 -180 and the bottom will go about twice that long (provided the car has had its oil changes and valve adjustments along the way)

The newer (e36 car) 325 and 328 is a bit more long term in the sense they went back to timing chains instead of the belts in my cars.

good luck

jeff

[nicoteena]

Yeah, I know proper maintenence will be necessary for any car; I completely believe in preventive care. I was just concerned because BMWs appear to be more expensive than, for example, a Toyota would be to repair; I don't want to spend this much to buy a car and have to worry about too many repairs.
But it sounds like it all comes down to taking care of it...

Jeff, what do the interiors of your cars look like? Do interiors age well?

Thanks for your help!

--tlm

[Jeff at WallWerks]

Hi there:

Both of mine are good, but they were california cars. They have shown less than normal wear, but I am recovering the seats just to make them perfect.

As far as parts go, I have a toyota Rav4 and everything on that car costs twice what BMW parts cost. (again, the guys at pelican are a bit more reasonable than others with the glossy catalogs)

All the average stuff like tune up parts, brakes, shocks etc are
in line with anything else.

take care

jeff

[daves325]

Tim...

I just bought an 86 325e that wansnt reallly taken care of ( I got it real cheap)...and even though it wasnt, the motor is in great shape besides the fact that it had a blown head gasket.

It seems Im replacing just about everything except the transmission.

In short, all cars over a certain age will require parts that serve their purpose as everything has a "service life". and I dont really think BMW parts are any more in cost than Toyota or Nissan.....ask me how I know.

The distinction between a German car Vs a Japaneese car is the construction and engineering, the German car being superior . Japaneese cars tend to be more.....luxurious while the BMW is practical and non sensical.

Dave.

[nicoteena]

mmm. Well I'm glad the BMWs are getting good reviews
Now comes another question. I don't have as much to spend as I would like (to get a newer car in better condition, that is), and I was wondering if it is better to spend more on a car with less mileage on it or the same amount for an older model. Some of the cars I am looking at have 10k+ miles than they should have (at 10k/year). Would a car with a lot of miles more likely to need repairs or parts replaced sooner/more frequently? Or is it okay to buy a car that is a little cheaper but has more miles on it?

[daves325]

Tim....

Good questions you pose & tough ones to objectively answer as theres no algorithm to the used car market.

If you can, try to find a car thats been a one owner vehicle & freeway driven VS city driven, that is, for at least the majority of its miles........this almost insures that it hasnt had to operate in extreme stop & go conditions.

How do you do this?.......find a later model BMW (as your poclketbook affords) that has higher than normal miles on it.

Its hard to put alot of miles on a later model , city driving unless its a TAXI!

The flip side of the coin is to do what I did.....buy an older car that has around 200k miles on it that needs some cosmetics and maybe mechanical work REAL CHEAP...(like my $400 86 325e)

My car sells for anywhere from $1000-$4000 and if your handy & have tools you can make a fun project out of restoring an older BMW to be a like new car that will give you years of service. Parts from Pelican are pretty reasonalble compared to the dealer.

So, even though you may buy a fixer, putting $2500 into it is still very equitable for you as you wont lose that money even if you keep the car for a short period of time.

Lastly, if youve got a county police auction nearby, you may want to check that out for a late model BMW for pennies on the dollar.

The drawback is that you wont know the cars history but drug dealers & pimps seem to have a history of taking care of thier vehicles.....

Hope this helped out..

Dave.

[nicoteena]

Thank you all! You've been very helpful. I'll probably be back with more questions...
I'll let you know how it goes Thanks again

[nicoteena]

Do any of you know how much it would cost for a good paint job? Or any suggestions for where I could look for that information?

[BMW325is]

the shop that works on my car has a 89 325 with 275,000 miles and the thing purrs

[Banditt]

My uncle recently sold his 79 320i for $4000. It had 475,000 miles on it, and was running great when he sold it. He sold it because the familly grew. I bet there are a bunch of people who have had em 700,000+ miles.

[Wayne 962]

After tearing into my 325is engine, I may disagree. I have oil and coolant in my intake manifold, and filling up one of the spark plug holes...

???

-Wayne

[nicoteena]

How old is the car? Are you the first owner?

[Wayne 962]

2nd owner, 79K miles 1993...

This is a bad sign:



and this too:



The first image is the spark plug hole completely filled with oil. The second image is oil and coolant mixed and located inside the throttle body and intake manifold...

-Wayne

[Jeff at WallWerks]

dude:

that looks bad! the good news is that you can get the e36 motors without a computer for under a thousand bucks. I have heard that the first gen e36 (325 motor) was somewhat problematic, while the 328 (early one, single vanos was really good)

bad way to end the year.

[Wayne 962]

I'm eyeing one on eBay that's $800. I'll pull the head off and then do a buy-it-now option if it looks bad...

-Wayne

[nicoteena]

I've been trying to figure out what my monthly budget will be and am wondering how often I will have to pay for maintenence. Aside from the usual maintenence and preventive care (oil changes etc), how often do you have to have it worked on? I don't want to invest in a car that I constantly have to repair...

[Jeff at WallWerks]

maintence is a very wide ranging thing.

If you drive about 10-15K per year, you should only have to change oil a couple of times, depending on what you use(synthetic vs. reg oil)

the valves should be checked about every 50-60k, and adjusted if need be. a valve cover gasket (about 20 bucks at Pelican, 50 at the dealer) probably about 250 if you let someone else do it.

Brakes about the same intervals, again depending on how you drive. New pads & rotors, about 125 bucks if you buy the parts at Pelican, about 350 if the dealer does it (per set of wheels)

there is a pattern here.

Trans and differential fluid about every 50k and try and change that brake fluid every year or two.

Plugs, cap and rotor about every 60k. Just cost me 90 for all of this at Pelican and I even bought a new oil cap just to keep vacuum level up.

Unless something really bad happens, thats it. Again depending on how you drive, a clutch should go 100k. If you replace your shocks/struts with Bilstein or other performance shocks, that should also be a 100k part.

Everything else is reasonable, but I used to drive Porsches, so its relative. Either way, you will save major cash dealing with the guys at Pelican.

good luck

ps: again, better to spend an extra thousand on a car with as much documented history as possible.

[nicoteena]

Is a lot of that work something I can do myself if I learn? Or does that kind of work require a lot of special equipment, etc.?