Anyone have experience buying a used car?

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: z0mb13

Also reliability on 840 is not comparable at all to the 3 series. IIRC the 840 pretty much had two inline six engines, and its much harder to maintain/fix

I missed this before, and it's not true. This is correct for the 850, which uses a V12 that is essentially as you describe - two engine computers, intakes, throttle bodies, fuel pumps, etc. One for each bank of 6 cylinders.

But the 94-95 840 uses a much simpler 4.0L V8 motor that is much more standard in terms of how it operates and - aside from the problems they had with the Nikasil blocks early on - has proven to be a very reliable motor, as long as it is maintained properly. The same motor was used in many 5 and 7 series models as well. Actually, that's a major reason I opted for an 840 over an 850 when I bought the car.

I would say the reliability is about the same. You can go on Ebay all day long and find cars using the M60 V8 with 150+K miles on them and running great.

Here's a 1993 740ilwith 214k on it

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: JS80
I'm thinking of buying a 2003 BMW 330Ci, has 46k miles on it. What should I ask to see? Should I get it checked by a mechanic (duh?) ? Does anyone know if this car has any reputation or history of breaking down?

1) Look at the vehicle report (Carfax or Autocheck)
2) Check out KBB to try to negotiate price or whatnot.
3) Ask questions. Why are you selling? Ever been in accidents? Any warranty left? Regularly maintained? Any service done (timing belt, new motor, transmission)? Do you have receipts for maintenance/service? Ever smoked in? Ever raced?
4) Get it inspected.


I think z0mb13 is selling that exact car.....you're in luck.

Actually, it is his car

 

[eleison]

I own a 2001 330i. The main thing that will go wrong with a ~45K 3-series are the control arms. Basically those will last arround 65K. The brakes are probably going to get a little worn. Those will probably last until 65K. The rotos are probably good until 90K. There have been issues with the window motors... could affect your car.

All in all, BMW are expensive to maintain unless you are a car enthusiast (sic?) and like to work on your own car. A person told me a bmw is a like a beautiful girl. They are nice to look at but they cost an arm and a leg to maintain; and very temperamental .. I agree with this statement.

I agree with having a budget of $2 - 3K a year for maintenance and upkeep ...


After its all done and said, for some reason, when I do get a new car (my car has 97K right now ;-P I'll probably get another bmw..


-Eleison

 

[BoomerD]

BMW= Break My Wallet.

I've owned, driven and wrenched on Bimmers for more than 30 years. GREAT cars when they work right, PITA when they don't. I'm fortunate to have found a GREAT parts supplier in SoCal who has saved me hundreds if not thousands of $$ over the past 6-7 years. I got one older 7 series that I have more or less completely rebuilt, and Gary has been a great help on parts. Until I got hurt 3 yrs ago, I did almost ALL my own work on my cars, but since, I have to farm out most of it to an independant Bimmer shop...$90/hour labor rates hurt the wallet a bit...
For MOST used BMW's, the standard is to expect to put as much as 10% of the original selling price into parts and repairs. Then, figure 5% every year after that. They are performance cars, and require more maintenance than most run-of-the-mill cars will.
The oil filters for my 7's cost about $4/ each for OEM filters, exactly the same as from the factory, without the BMW Roundel on them...
PM me and I'll give you the contact info for my parts guy if you want it.

 

[z0mb13]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: JS80
I'm thinking of buying a 2003 BMW 330Ci, has 46k miles on it. What should I ask to see? Should I get it checked by a mechanic (duh?) ? Does anyone know if this car has any reputation or history of breaking down?

1) Look at the vehicle report (Carfax or Autocheck)
2) Check out KBB to try to negotiate price or whatnot.
3) Ask questions. Why are you selling? Ever been in accidents? Any warranty left? Regularly maintained? Any service done (timing belt, new motor, transmission)? Do you have receipts for maintenance/service? Ever smoked in? Ever raced?
4) Get it inspected.


I think z0mb13 is selling that exact car.....you're in luck.

Actually, it is his car

Heh heh heh

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: eleison
I own a 2001 330i. The main thing that will go wrong with a ~45K 3-series are the control arms. Basically those will last arround 65K. The brakes are probably going to get a little worn. Those will probably last until 65K. The rotos are probably good until 90K. There have been issues with the window motors... could affect your car.

All in all, BMW are expensive to maintain unless you are a car enthusiast (sic?) and like to work on your own car. A person told me a bmw is a like a beautiful girl. They are nice to look at but they cost an arm and a leg to maintain; and very temperamental .. I agree with this statement.

I agree with having a budget of $2 - 3K a year for maintenance and upkeep ...


After its all done and said, for some reason, when I do get a new car (my car has 97K right now ;-P I'll probably get another bmw..


-Eleison

the used car vehicle inspection at the dealer should catch this? how much does it cost to fix the "control arm"?

 

[thomsbrain]

bring cash, and cash only. if it is a popular car or you're looking for a good deal, have the cash in hand before you start looking for a car, because by the time you get the cash, the car will be sold. decent craigslist cars sell within 12-24 hours of first posting. you need to be able to jump on it.

as far the mechanic thing goes, everyone always gives the advice of "having a mechanic look at it" and i honestly don't see how it works in the real world unless you are good enough friends with a mechanic that they can go with you. and even then, without their lift, they aren't going to be able to tell you anything you couldn't see for yourself. no seller is going to let the car out of their sight for you to take it to a mechanic and no seller is going to want to stand around at the mechanic for an hour with you, especially when there are likely 5 other buyers lined up for the car. and if there aren't other buyers lined up, you're probably not looking at a good car/deal. personally i'd rather put the inspection money towards the inevitable repairs that come with a used car. and if it has something REALLY wrong with it, then you can just flip around and sell it again. with a used car, you just have to accept that there will be maintenance costs. with a BMW, those costs will be very high. it's up to you if that is acceptable or if you'd be happier in a Yaris.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
bring cash, and cash only. if it is a popular car or you're looking for a good deal, have the cash in hand before you start looking for a car, because by the time you get the cash, the car will be sold. decent craigslist cars sell within 12-24 hours of first posting. you need to be able to jump on it.

as far the mechanic thing goes, everyone always gives the advice of "having a mechanic look at it" and i honestly don't see how it works in the real world unless you are good enough friends with a mechanic that they can go with you. and even then, without their lift, they aren't going to be able to tell you anything you couldn't see for yourself. no seller is going to let the car out of their sight for you to take it to a mechanic and no seller is going to want to stand around at the mechanic for an hour with you, especially when there are likely 5 other buyers lined up for the car. and if there aren't other buyers lined up, you're probably not looking at a good car/deal. personally i'd rather put the inspection money towards the inevitable repairs that come with a used car. and if it has something REALLY wrong with it, then you can just flip around and sell it again. with a used car, you just have to accept that there will be maintenance costs. with a BMW, those costs will be very high. it's up to you if that is acceptable or if you'd be happier in a Yaris.

A Yaris? LOL eff that.