There is a CPO 2015 BMW 328i xDrive with around 30K miles listed near me for around $22K, I am strongly considered buying it, it seems like a good price. It would be my first BMW, but not my first European luxury car.
Which brings me to my concerns. I've heard a lot about BMWs famous unreliability. My current vehicle is a 2008 Land Rover LR2 with 78K miles, which I've had several problems with in the last few years. From two major repairs in 2018 that cost over $1500 to fix, (front suspension and rear diff repair) to a handful of minor issues that cost $200-$500 to fix since I've owned the vehicle, I am concerned about dealing with this again.
I don't mind one or two minor repairs a year. But the major ones I've had to deal with are two stressful. Yes, I can afford it, but arranging a ride to work while my car is in the shop and they're waiting for parts to come in from England is just a hassle for me, and I would rather not deal with it again.
One thing to mention is there is a BMW dealership in my town. As long as they are good about loaner cars for vehicles not purchased at their dealership, that's one big hassle I get to avoid. However, I'm unfamiliar with how friendly BMW dealerships usually are. Although, obviously, I'd rather not deal with shelling out over $1000 for major repairs every year or more.
What does everyone think? I don't expect the reliability of a Japanese car. I know there will be things that go wrong, I don't mind a $200 - $400 repair once a year or so, but more than that is just too much for me.
I do drive a good bit, around 15K miles a year, and would plan on selling the car around 105K miles or so. Any guidance is appreciated.
Thank you.
Last edited by toasty8; 02-19-2019 at 12:02 PM. Reason: Added Paragraph Spacing
if $200-400 once per year is the max you're willing to spend on repairs, I'd stay away from a BMW.
The CPO warranty is nice, but there are plenty of exclusions.
ASE and BMW Master Certified Technician
How much should I expect to spend?
I don't think they're very unreliable, with CPO for the 5 year total warranty, you may be ok for the year. $400 a year in maintenance may be ok if you do the work yourself exclusively, otherwise it's not enough, because most shops charge half that for diag...
Repairs, although you won't have too many early on, those can add up, especially if you defer maintenance or simply cheap out on everything.
-Abel
- E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
- 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
- 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
- 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
- 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
- 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
- 2016 Mini Cooper S
The only things you may run into is a battery in the next 1-3 years (variable), which requires the replacement battery to be registered into the car, and possibly the xdrive transfer case output flange may be problematic, but it seems to be mostly on the diesels because of more vibration. It's not unheard of on the gas 4 cyl, those have some vibration too.
If you can, avoid the xdrive, unless you must have it.
There are some timing chain issues with stretch, but they seem to be covering it. Listen for rattles in valvetrain/head area.
-Abel
- E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
- 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
- 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
- 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
- 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
- 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
- 2016 Mini Cooper S
How long is the warranty? Just one year, correct?
If you plan on taking it to the dealership for everything, $400 a year probably won't cut it.
I don't think the F30 328i is unreliable up to 105,000 miles - as I do see some higher mileage F30s, but many have had regular repairs here and there, and labor and diagnostic fees add up. Heck, run flat tires could sell for over $2K alone.
I'd say plan at least $1,000 per year, for your ownership starting with a 4 year old F30 with 30,000 miles and ending at 105,000 miles (roughly 5 years), and if your wrong at the end of the year, keep the extra for tires...
After 105,000 miles, your looking at the next stage of maintenance (gaskets, suspension components, etc.) if they haven't already had to be premature addressed.
you gotta eat and you've gotta drive, enjoy both as much as you can
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