Buying Used BMW Checklist

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Do your research

There are several different models with their own trim levels[/url], and depending on the model year, those trim levels may vary, so there's definitely a lot of details to think about.

There's also the cost of ownership and maintenance. Luxury cars, such as BMWs are the most expensive to maintain by far. BMWs do break, and they will be expensive to repair once they break.

Check the vehicle history

Get to know the history of the car. Verify it's got a clean title. Run its VIN. Check if it's been involved in any accidents or written off by an insurance company. If the BMW was in an accident, find out how it was damaged and how it was fixed.

Take the car to a mechanic for an inspection

Most dealerships allow potential buyers to take a car off the lot to have it inspected. Taking a used car to a mechanic before you buy it can help you avoid a car with damage or problems. Ideally, the inspection should include a test drive.
 
Originally Posted by Neely97
Check blinker fluid.


The blinker fluid for my BMW is made by the tears of German dwarfs who living in the Alps. It sells for $40 pint.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted by Neely97
Check blinker fluid.


The blinker fluid for my BMW is made by the tears of German dwarfs who living in the Alps. It sells for $40 pint.


Must be why it's so rarely used.
 
like any vehicle, one should research the issues that can creep up. Once you accept that, you need to take your budget and risk assessment of known issues into account. Income matters. Not everyone should own a BMW, Corvette, Audi... .
 
Most important is to do your research on the model you want and find it's potential problem areas to see if it is something you can afford/want to deal with. This is crucial, because even the same platform can have different drivetrains depending on trim level, model year, etc.

For example:

My 2009 328i has the N51 N/A inline 6 engine. Fairly reliable and easy to maintain in comparison to the N54 twin turbo inline 6 found in the 335i from the same year. One is a bit more expensive to maintain than probably your average Camry, the other is basically a maintenance nightmare but is capable of huge power. Not all of them are money pits like the internet hearsay would have you believe, but you have to know which models to avoid.
 
My BIL & SIL had 3 BMWs(listed below) at the same time. And I have driven them all at length. They're beautiful cars and nicely put together but:

Z4 - Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast but, way too uncomfortable and can't see out when the top is up. Very claustrophobic. In the shop often but, only sees summer use...KEPT!

328xi - Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast but, uncomfortable for a compact sedan of this size & stature. In the shop a lot...SOLD!

X5 - NICE!. Comfortable, quiet and just nice to drive. But was in the shop all the time...SOLD!

They're not for me. I love the idea of owning one or more however, I need more comfort. Their neighbors 5 series is more of my liking & comfort but, even though it's under warranty, she can't keep her's out of the shop either.

As beautiful as BMWs are, the reliability/dependability is the largest deterrent for me. And this is just from those whom I know who own them. And then there is the poor global reputation which makes them a deal breaker for me as well.
 
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Originally Posted by Char Baby
My BIL & SIL had 3 BMWs(listed below) at the same time. And I have driven them all at length. They're beautiful cars and nicely put together but:

Z4 - Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast but, way too uncomfortable and can't see out when the top is up. Very claustrophobic. In the shop often but, only sees summer use...KEPT!

328xi - Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast but, uncomfortable for a compact sedan of this size & stature. In the shop a lot...SOLD!

X5 - NICE!. Comfortable, quiet and just nice to drive. But was in the shop all the time...SOLD!

They're not for me. I love the idea of owning one or more however, I need more comfort. Their neighbors 5 series is more of my liking & comfort but, even though it's under warranty, she can't keep her's out of the shop either.

As beautiful as BMWs are, the reliability/dependability is the largest deterrent for me.



I'm curious what kind of problems they had...

I drive mine 100 miles a day for work and it has been pretty reliable so far. I also maintain 6 other BMWs for friends/family and they have been pretty good as well. They have small things here and there like other cars, but no catastrophic breakdowns as of yet or repairs requiring weeks of shop time. One of the cars I maintain is my nieghbor's 2004 330xi. The car is now 15 years old and has zero known issues.

Also a 328xi is not fast. Decently quick for it's class of vehicle but not fast.
lol.gif


Most of the issues I've encountered on BMWs have actually been caused by idiot shops not knowing/caring what they are doing when "fixing" them or from neglect.
 
seems BMW would have put their design skills for great steering and braking into debugging the cars. they need to hire some Japanese / Toyota quality people.
think how great that would be - a car that stopped and drove well that was not a maintenance nightmare
 
Originally Posted by chims
Do your research



The only real data point is age. BMW's deteriorate rapidly here in the South Florida sun. 3 years seems to be the point at which the plastics revert and become sticky. At 6-7 years, rotten foam blows out of the vents.
 
In many ways ,my '88 was the ultimate commuter's machine. Underpowered , by modern standards , The car was like a well worn pair of jeans when I bought it with 150K In 12 yrs and 200K additional miles , I maintained the car to a 99.% reliability rate in my driveway with hand tools. An N/A i6 is a beautiful engine, turbos just add giddyap between lights. I no longer enjoy car crawling as a hobby. I do miss "Rolling the twisties" through the Carolinas and WVA Blue Ridge. The lighter M 20 made the 528e very tossable. Thats what the Camry doesn't provide.
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Check the dealer ship for things like common maintenance and only the trick little thing that can be done by the dealer. Why do I say this because I've had family member that have owned BMW's. Their a pain in the shorts.
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by chims
Do your research



The only real data point is age. BMW's deteriorate rapidly here in the South Florida sun. 3 years seems to be the point at which the plastics revert and become sticky. At 6-7 years, rotten foam blows out of the vents.

Have you seen Lexus in the South exposed to the sun? Mercedes? or ANY car? I lived in Alabama and my friends kept GX470 in the sun. The car was literally 3 years old when airbag cover fell off one day due to sun exposure and plastic that pretty much twisted in every possible way. It is problem with every car there.
 
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