Would you buy a 04-545i with 160k Miles ( 200k kms)

[Rolm]

Would you buy a 04-545i with 160k Miles ( 200k kms) I will be looking at an 04-545i with 160KM this Saturday. I have my reservations because of the high miles. What should I look for and what are typical high cost fixes I can expect in the future. I still can't get my head around a car with an odometer with over 200K kms just too many zeros. Maybe I can tape over the odometer.


Sorry I did post this in a general discussion forum by mistake, I don't visit this site often as I have a 2010 X3 bought new and no issues Oops I now remember I do have one issue I hate the steering wheel.

[beshannon]

No.

Far too many miles for me, unless you need to stay within a budget, even then, no

[pcy]

If the car has been taken care of well and the price is right, I would consider.

Look at the total cost of owning this car for next 5 years vs. other car(s). You can expect high maintenance $$ on a car with 200K kms. However, if you are paying very little for the car and you can do some of the maintenance yourself, then go check it out.

[aquila163]

If you are buying that car because you can't afford a low mileage car , then you can't afford that car either.

[mbsl98]

If the car has been taken care of well and the price is right, I would consider.

Look at the total cost of owning this car for next 5 years vs. other car(s). You can expect high maintenance $$ on a car with 200K kms. However, if you are paying very little for the car and you can do some of the maintenance yourself, then go check it out.

Right on. Its a balance of car condition, owner willingness/ability to tinker, and access to good independant mechanic. There are lots of BMW owners with newer cars that wouldn't touch a used one with 100k miles on them, but if that were the norm then our $60k+ purchases would have about zero resale value at 5 years. Well used is a bit of a gamble that you won't get tagged by more than one or two of several very expensive potential repairs, but that can be a good gamble if the car has been well treated so far. In my view, I think a good car is unlikely to cost you close to the $10k/year or so that a new one will cost, in almost all circumstances. These are expensive whether new or used, but used should still win teh economic battle if priced correctly up front and WELL CARED FOR. Don't overlook the potential for those same very expensive repairs to hit the newer used car as well, despsite having cost a lot more to buy. If you look at the issues, most of them seem to be electronics, and electronics don't generally fail due to mileage. The underlying mecdhanicals of these cars are very robust.

[turboawd]

If you are buying that car because you can't afford a low mileage car , then you can't afford that car either.

well, someone has to buy those high mile cars.

if the car looks clean, and the price is right....go for it. but expect to replace a part here and there every so often.

[amar67]

Right on. Its a balance of car condition, owner willingness/ability to tinker, and access to good independant mechanic. There are lots of BMW owners with newer cars that wouldn't touch a used one with 100k miles on them, but if that were the norm then our $60k+ purchases would have about zero resale value at 5 years. Well used is a bit of a gamble that you won't get tagged by more than one or two of several very expensive potential repairs, but that can be a good gamble if the car has been well treated so far. In my view, I think a good car is unlikely to cost you close to the $10k/year or so that a new one will cost, in almost all circumstances. These are expensive whether new or used, but used should still win teh economic battle if priced correctly up front and WELL CARED FOR. Don't overlook the potential for those same very expensive repairs to hit the newer used car as well, despsite having cost a lot more to buy. If you look at the issues, most of them seem to be electronics, and electronics don't generally fail due to mileage. The underlying mecdhanicals of these cars are very robust.

I almost always buy used cars. I agree with these the comments above. You also need to consider all your personal factors:
- is this a primary family car?
- will you use it for daily high mileage commute?
- how much do you depend on this car?

If you consider these and whatever else you can think of along these lines you will have your answer. My circumstances are such that I keep an extra car around so I'm never in a compromising position. So if I have a car like this, I can use it more for enjoyment rather than primary use... I guess I'm saying if you love the car, it's in good shape and want to have it for the enjoyment of it, then with the money you save... make sure you have a dependable beater for work purposes standing by...

[veghmark97]

Would you buy a 04-545i with 160k Miles ( 200k kms) I will be looking at an 04-545i with 160KM this Saturday. I have my reservations because of the high miles. What should I look for and what are typical high cost fixes I can expect in the future. I still can't get my head around a car with an odometer with over 200K kms just too many zeros. Maybe I can tape over the odometer.


Sorry I did post this in a general discussion forum by mistake, I don't visit this site often as I have a 2010 X3 bought new and no issues Oops I now remember I do have one issue I hate the steering wheel.

Hey! Did you buy it? I'm looking at the same 2004 BMW 545i with 4398cm3 engine performing 333HP with 130.000km mileage. If you bought it, would you recommend it? Experiences so far? Expenses of servicing?

[Fred39]

Yes I would consider buying a 160k Miles 04-545i. But I would need to know number of previous owners, service history and if it had been used as a company car.

[ExVolvoGT]

Yes I would consider buying a 160k Miles 04-545i. But I would need to know number of previous owners, service history and if it had been used as a company car.

Agreed...Service history is monumental...good luck!
RB