Top 10 things you need to know before buying a new or used BMW

Originally Posted by jntskip

" BMWs are not as reliable as Japanese cars and they do require more maintenance"
Truly? What sort of maintenance?

Would you recommend that someone who drives 30K miles/year and desires to run a car up to 300k buy a 99 528 with 110,000+?

I'm looking for a rough service car that rides well, corners well, handles potholes and overfilled potholes well, and has decent power. I was thinking this might fit the bill.

Recommendations from anyone?

Thanks

I think what you need is a well maintained 80s like an E28 BMW build some fine cars in the 80s these cars have the bear essentials. Todays new BMW have all the gadgets primarily due to pressure of the Japanese imports, anyway that is what I think. My E28 has been in the family now for 15 years and has over 200,000 KM on the clock. Great car.

Originally Posted by Alang12

While the deisgn of the new 3 Series in beautiful, the new design is very vulnerable to parking lot dings. This is espcially true due to the raised cornice metal cornice that runs the length of the vehicle. Unlike the 2005 and older models, there is no guard strip to prevent door dings and the cornice takes full impact of a parking lot door ding. I recently has $800 worth of damage done to the drivers door in a parking lot. What I recommend is a product called Door Defenders. I found these on the net. They are long, tubular cushions that attach magnetically to the car and protect the doors. I bought a pair and intend to use them to prevent another such mishap. You can find them on the Internet.

Anyone out there really use one of this Door Defenders????
You think this product will increase more hater or truly protect you. I just wanted to hear some opinion.

Good post KrisL, just a minor typo on line five.

5. Historically, manual transmissions are more reliable that automatic or steptronic transmissions.

Cheers

Hello Everybody!

I am Balint from Hungary and I have a Bmw E39 528i!

Very Good this Web page!

Originally Posted by KrisL

First of all, cars themselves are never "worth it" - they're depreciating assets. Not only that, but mods usually decrease resale before they increase it. Will you get $800 of enjoyment out of it in its current state?

Do you think you'd get $2800 of enjoyment out of the car in the modded state? ...or perhaps you'd get more enjoyment out of a newer (87+) 325i (a BMW that could be purchased for around $2800)...

Just some things to think about..

Any car I personally bought for $800 I'd just drive it until it didn't drive any more .

I don't know if is the right place for this, but bullet point number two above has me thinking. I'm currently considering a 2008 328i. At this time, I'd rather buy than lease, both because my payments would be much lower (I'd be putting down a substantial down payment) and because I've always purchased cars. The car I'm looking at will have 6 MT, SP, leather and Xenon lights, and that's it.

The dipstick part is ok because it easy to check the oil through the instrument cluster but not having a temp gauge is stupid because you don't know if the car is overheating until its overheating. Everything is electric. Dumb design.

Guys,

Guide me which Bimmer should I buy....
I am not very handy in car repairs but some time I try to be and enjoy it.
Now as I am working from home so had enough time to do these kind of things. I want to buy a BMW which can be customized (body-wise) looks nice, I am not racer but love to quick pick.
Basically by looking outside, I like more 5 series ....

As I am new, so suggest me which bmw should I buy to start and customize its exterior by-myself. I have not much budget. I am thinking of spending 2000 - 4000 on car (would love to spend 1000$, if i can get some reliable piece) and can spend 2000$ more on customization.

Thanks.
Edit: I also cannot afford to go to dealer for maintanice. So would prefer to do myself, no matter how much time effort it takes if it is possible or will go to local shops not dealer.
Thanks.

This is good info!

Thanks Kris. Your post reminded me to join BMW CCA. I entered you as a referrer.

BMWDB

I have just taken the PLEDGE---no more high end cars out of warranty----when I get the
title for this 540i---we will be a one car family-UNDER WARRANTY !!!!

All the neat features of German cars are great until something goes wrong.

The only disagreement I have with the 10 points--TIRES---

Go to Tirerack or Discount tires---I just got 4 Hankook Ventus 12's staggered for 400 bucks
delivered! I have used these before and they are great value.

Costco is great for Mobil One at approx 4.75/qt in the 5 quart container.

I f you enjoy going to Sporting events and paying 8-9 Bucks for a 16 oz beer then by all
means go to your dealer for routine maintenance. There are great mechanics around
outside the dealers----ask club members for the names!

thanks for the pointers.

What can you tell me about purchasing an extended warranty?

I have a 335XI with 43,000 miles and one month left on the warranty.

Need to get an extended warranty and not sure which one or how much to pay or where to get!

Please help if possible,

thanks,
John

3 series

5 series

7 series

x5

if u just stuck like that call a friend with a quattro

Good stuff!! I just bought my first BMW
It's a 97 328is. I have a simple maybe
stupid question. I only have 1 key and it
doesn't lock the doors/trunk only starts the car
do I need a differentKey?and if so where would b the
cheapest place to get 1?

KrisL, great post on the BMW awareness. I have a 2005 545I sport and we are in love. My car and me. One of my buddies told me that I should get the clear protective over the front of the car. I did not and in 3 years the front looked like it was sand blasted. Just yesterday I picked my car up after having it repainted. It is gorgeous. Now I have to replace these cracked rims. The question I would like to ask is about chipping my car. I have not been able to find any upgrades for a 2005 545I

Good post!

Originally Posted by Prontopunto

if u just stuck like that call a friend with a quattro

or you can just purchase real snow tires and drive sensibly for the conditions......my personal experience is that any car can get stuck. One make is not inherently better than another on snow. It comes down to how traction is created through the tires and then how that is applied by the person pressing the 'go' pedal'.

Originally Posted by ClayW

Im 17 years old and i just bought my first BMW, and i HATE it!dont get me wrong, the car is great, its that bmw addiction ive had ever since i got it is what makes me mad.lol.I LOVE EM!

anyways, i have a couple of Q's so heres the deal.
i just bought an 83' 320i for $800 off of my buddies dad.its a manual.the inside is in PERFECT condition, the outside has a few rust spots but nothing a little bondo and new paint job cant fix . and it has about 130,000 on it.BUT! the first owner was a little old lady who put on about 90% of the miles and garage kept it.the second and third owner bought it to restore but it ended up just sitting there.

so now that i have it, being the 17 yr old i am with big dreams and little income, i wanna know if its worth droping money into.i looked everything up, and from new rims and lowering springs to a decked out inside it will be around 2000 bucks.i know its a stupid question but, is it worth it?

What language this?

Originally Posted by ClayW

Im 17 years old and i just bought my first BMW, and i HATE it!dont get me wrong, the car is great, its that bmw addiction ive had ever since i got it is what makes me mad.lol.I LOVE EM!

anyways, i have a couple of Q's so heres the deal.
i just bought an 83' 320i for $800 off of my buddies dad.its a manual.the inside is in PERFECT condition, the outside has a few rust spots but nothing a little bondo and new paint job cant fix . and it has about 130,000 on it.BUT! the first owner was a little old lady who put on about 90% of the miles and garage kept it.the second and third owner bought it to restore but it ended up just sitting there.

so now that i have it, being the 17 yr old i am with big dreams and little income, i wanna know if its worth droping money into.i looked everything up, and from new rims and lowering springs to a decked out inside it will be around 2000 bucks.i know its a stupid question but, is it worth it?

Sorry about my previous post. Couldn't help it. But about new rims and lowering springs on a BMW it is never worth it. Why would anyone do this to a BMW? It's insane.

Originally Posted by woozhp

I certainly think it is. Serious enough to cancel my order for an '08 coupe! Dipsticks always tell the truth. Not only can you check your oil level with a dipstick, but you can also visually check it's condition. I want a new BMW, but I'm not ready to encourage some bastard beancounter in Munich.

Entirely your choice.

Originally Posted by Young K

Great Post!
I'm new to the forum. I feel like I made a HUGE mistake. I just ordered a 328i - montago/saddle bag/step/premium/cold weather and in an effort to save a few dollars, I opted out of the sport package. I know it is only a G, but I didn't want to have to get a second set of tires and swap them out every season.

Did I just 'F' the car up before I even got it?

You bought a perfectly good BMW. You could you f it up?

Hi, newby here. I bought my wife an 09 3281 hardtop. Traded a 350z soft top. After a year traded my Nissan for a 010 528I. I went from made in USA to Japan then BMW. Best experience in driving ever. Only problem I can fine is the paint. ( Road stone and scratchs ) Also the runflats. Great idea, bad results. I have well over 50k with no maintenance problems.

Based on all of the used BMW that I've purchased; Always check when the belts and water pump/thermostat were replaced. Paint used by BMW seems to be a POS brand...lol

great thread here

I have another question about my 2003 BMW 745LI, I recently got my mechatronics sleeve replaced along with the pan, bottom gasket and filter. I bought three quarts of tranny oil from BMW my self and brought it to the mechanic. I got a transmission fail safe mode error and noticed there was a leak this is what triggered the transmission service. The car had the transmission fail safe error however was shifting fine before the service.



I want to emphasize that before the car went into the shop is would shift a little hard into first every once and a while. All other gears shifted smooth and perfectly. I picked the car up yesterday from the transmission service and I noticed a distinct difference immediately. The car is shifting hard into every gear, as if it was a manual transmission. I have noticed that the RPM are also fluttering when coasting. It shift really hard coming to a stop from 4th to 3rd and 3rd to second. If stopping abruptly it slams into first gear from 3rd, it feels like as if I was getting rear ended. Right before I got home coming out of a complete stop it reved up and then slammed into first gear. I don't understand how the car drove for the most part perfectly before the service and now so terrible after the service. Please help

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

Something's wrong with my brakes. My car has nearly 70K miles, and the wear indicator has not illuminated yet.

Congratulations. You're probably a very good "strategic" driver, looking ahead and anticipating slow-downs. I generally get about 60-70K out of my brakes, but I think that's rare among BMW (or most other) drivers, from what I've seen on the roads (brake lights every few seconds, even in fairly steady 60-70 mph commuter traffic)
.