"To Bmw or Not to Bmw"

After reading posts for 8 months I have decided to stick my toe in the water. I know there are some flamethrowers out there so I am prepared for the roasting. I start by guessing I am not the first one to use this corny title. I do get to the point at the end.

To begin, I am a clear outsider because I have never owned a BMW. Trying to keep the sports car dream alive I started looking for something more practical and attainable. A sporty 4-door to haul the family in a pinch would be nice. I suppose it is no surprise to anyone on this forum that my research lead me to the BMW. A smooth six cylinder, rwd, 5spd and handling.

Almost ruined for life: I say almost because I did not drive the car. A coworker took me for a ride in his M5. No thrill ride but just showing the ability to press me back in the seat was quite impressive.

Driving Experience "Susan Komen": I drug my wife out to this great event on a rather nasty day. My first ever time behind the wheel of a BMW was a 330xi (not sure if it was an x). I would have loved a manual but hey to drive with no salesman was great. I had been reading about the handling so now I was going to get to experience it firsthand. I took the car down a long looping off ramp. I started down the ramp at a pretty good pace and then realized I was probably only at 60% of the grip limit so I pressed the throttle on around the loop and my wife literally screamed

. That was worth the price of admission!

I jumped back in line just like at Disney for another ride. My wife went with me for the next two rides. We drove a Z4 (2.5) which I did not like much for a variety of reasons. Next up was a X5 (4.4) - nice SUV but not as much fun as the 330. My wife left and I stayed to drive an 05 530i. The 530 was nice but did not overly impress me. I ended my day of driving with a 330ci ZHP. It was great fun leaving a poor X3 in the dust - not much of a contest but still fun. It was kind of funny to see all the X3's just sit there with no one wanting to drive them but I guess they just did not have the fun appeal in the fleet.

My Ride: Yes - it is a Mazda (RX-8? No, RX-7 Wrong again, Miata - No) -1992 Protege - Yes! I bought it new nearly 14 years ago. 125HP, 5spd, light - pushing 150K. A fun and reliable car although I am not a fan of fwd. The only concern at this point is safety - I don't think it or me would fair well in a crash (no air bags and terrible motorized seatbelts).

Cost of Ownership: This is a subject that keeps me from taking the plunge. I read of people spending 3K, 5, 8K or more just to keep their BMW's on the road. The warnings are everywhere about owning one of these cars out of warranty. I do some basic DIY stuff such as brakes, oil changes, plugs, etc.

I know you need a crystal ball but if I spend 10-12K on a 1998 328i then do I need another $5K set aside just to keep it running? I don't know if I could come up with 3K of repairs for the 14 years of ownership on the Mazda.

I would love to be able to drive a car that is always under warranty but the cost of a new one or CPO is just to high.

As for now the dream continues as I enjoy this forum and look forward to this year's driving experience!

Reply » "To Bmw or Not to Bmw"

If you find a reputable dealer owned by a family, like not Courtesy or Autoway, they might have an extended warranty you can purchase for an amount of time such as 2 years.

BMWs being maintanence nightmares are sometimes fake or just exaggerations. But sometimes they are real and they are usally told by people who had them in the 1970's-1980's, back then the warranties didn't cover much and most of the cost of the repair was due to the fact that the technology in the cars were so revolutionary that making the part was very expensive and also installing the part was a hassle and so labor was a large sum of money as well.

In recent years, however, BMWs have been amazingly trouble free for the most part. A few things you have to remember when purchasing a used BMW, or any car for that matter, is to make sure you have complete service records. Check over the records and make note if the car has any reoccuring problems that need to be taken care of or might be unique to the car. Also read up on what problems the model you are looking at has and see if it is an expensive problem, which I advise staying away from the car and looking at a different model. Also try to avoid 1st model year cars such as in 2005 the new 2006 BMW M5 came out and it has had a few major problems with the transmission failing and the engine drinking oil, and BMW will probably correct the problem in next year's 2007 M5. Also, don't buy a car with over 75k miles if it is a newer model, 2000+, since it has most likely been driven into the ground and might be a maintanence nightmare.

Lastly, if money is a concern and you are asking yourself, is this car going to cost more than it is worth, BMWs might not be for you. Yes I admit BMWs can sometimes be a hassle to maintain and be very costly on the wallet but if you keep up on the little things and don't ignore them until they become large problems you are most likely to have a rather trouble-free driving experience.

Reply » "To Bmw or Not to Bmw"

Quote:

Also, don't buy a car with over 75k miles if it is a newer model, 2000+, since it has most likely been driven into the ground and might be a maintanence nightmare.

Why do you say that? Given equal maintenance schedules, a 2002 car with 75,000 miles will be less of a headache than a 1999 car with 75,000. Are you suggesting that people who drive their cars more often are less likely to keep up with maintenance.

Reply » "To Bmw or Not to Bmw"

Quote:

Also, don't buy a car with over 75k miles if it is a newer model, 2000+, since it has most likely been driven into the ground and might be a maintanence nightmare.

Reply » "To Bmw or Not to Bmw"

Quote:

I am a clear outsider because I have never owned a BMW.

I don't know anyone who has owned one since birth though a few kookfudgeons claim said nonsense.

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