Car people: How much to invest in BMW?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I bought a 2002 BMW 530i today for just $3,400. The mileage is approx 130k; she’s in good shape, but having what seem to be usual troubles around this time in a car’s life (malfunctioning computer sensors, sticky passenger window, alignment). I have an appointment to have these issues looked at and repaired, if necessary.

I own another car as well that is in great shape, totally reliable, etc. Therefore, being without transportation isn’t an issue. I’m already deeply in love with the BMW; in some publications it has been cited as one of the best cars on planet Earth and car forum folks report their well-maintained cars are still going strong at 300 and 400k.

What is your philosophy?
A) “the car was so cheap so I’ll just do basic repairs and then buy another cheap one when she dies”; or,
B) “The car was so cheap I’ll do the repairs necessary to keep her running for years to come.”

*You probably already know this, but BMW repairs are notoriously expensive
*And here’s what I didn’t know until tonight when the dash lit-up: this beast has more buttons and switches and gadgets than an airplane cockpit This is going to be an adventure, as the owner’s manual is missing!

2

“Don’t buy a used BMW without a warranty.”

3

I have owned 3 and I regret to say, I have not been impressed. They have not held up well and repairs are very expensive.

If you can afford it though, they are nice for the first couple of years.

4

You can probably find the manual for sale or download online. I’d post those issues on the forum you mentioned and see what kind of feedback you get.

5

To answer the question at hand, I usually repair until the cost of necessary repair(s) is close to what the car is worth. For instance, my current ride is headed for the junk yard soon. The lower control arm on the passenger side is kaput. That repair, in itself, is justifiable (a $500 repair on a car worth $1,500). However, it also needs a knock sensor in order to pass emissions later this summer, the AC quit working and the oil seals need to be replaced.

I bought it for $1900, drove it for 2 years, and will get about $350 from the junkyard. It’s just not worth repairing.

6

Personally, I like to (or rather, used to in my younger days) buy cheap, older, mass-produced cars where you can pop on down to the local pick and pull and be nearly guaranteed of finding a replacement part. The replacement may not be 100% reliable, but it works pretty well with philosophy A – keep it running for another couple years, if the replacement (which probably has a couple hundred thousand miles on it itself) craps out, go get another one.

I don’t see that working very well with a BMW, although you’ve got the benefit of the 530 using a lot of the same parts as a crapload of other 3- and 5-series BMWs. I had a friend with a discount 540i that blew some electronics and had to spend something like $2200 for a few ignition bits and some sensors. We were going to do the work ourselves but the parts alone were about 75% of that cost, so DIY wouldn’t really have saved him a whole lot.

Anyway, in your situation, if the rest of the car is nice, I would go with philosophy B. You weren’t blind to the realities of old BMW ownership, so set aside a few grand a year for repairs and keep it in nice shape.

7

Invest in a scan tool, a jack and jack stands, a good set of tools (wrenches, a ratchet, and variously sized sockets), a service manual, a jar of anti-seize lubricant, and several cans of WD-40 and P.B. Blaster.

Many of the minor things that go wrong with older cars are not all that hard to fix yourself; requiring only as much skill as needed to turn a ratchet. For stubborn parts, I find that cussing like a sailor seems to make them come off easier. :smiley:

8

If I bought a daily driver for $3k - $4k I wouldn’t plan on putting much money into maintenance. I’d do the alignment and anything else required to keep it road safe. Something like the window and sensors I might try to replace myself. Those types of things, particularly a window switch, you can get fairly cheap - it’s the labor you end up paying for out the nose.

9

If you cannot do the work yourself and cannot afford to take it to the shop on a regular basis, don’t get a BMW. BMWs are lots of fun to drive, but they have many sensors and plastic pieces that go bad. It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. The cars drive so well that people put up with high amount of service they need. You got the car at a good price, but don’t be surprised if you’re spending $1000/yr on maintenance. Even things like brake jobs can be expensive because the rotors are replaced with the pads ($4-500).

The good thing is that there are lots of people who are into BMWs and have made how-to videos on how to fix just about everything on the car. No matter if you want to fix the passenger window or swap out the transmission, there’s a video which will show you how.

A couple of good sites for BMW parts are pelican-parts.com and bavauto.com.

10

Owner’s manual download.

11

My general philosophy is “Buy cheap, Keep cheap”. Do just enough to keep it running and live with some faults. But I’m a cheap bastard.

BMW’s are pretty easy to work on, in my experience, but the newest I own (of 5, currently) is a 97. I do most (all, actually, but I can’t rule out future stuff) of the work on them myself. I wouldn’t want to pay someone to work on them. Thankfully, they are pretty solid and don’t need much work that I can’t handle.

But the flipside is that some stuff just doesn’t get fixed. Got to live with some minor flaws. The rear passenger window no longer is functional, and believe me, there ain’t no way I’m getting that thing apart without destroying it, so it stays shut. Same with the sunroof on another one. Don’t use it anyway.

Great cars, though. That’s why I have so many! Actually, the prices of most of mine are starting to increase with time. e10 prices are going absolutely crazy! I just pulled this at random: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-2002-2002Tii-1972-bmw-2002-tii-project-car-/161640170042?forcerrptr=true&hash=item25a281423a&item=161640170042&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

12

A few years ago, you could find the factory BMW diagnostic software on the torrents sites. The versions I am referring to had been modified to run on a windows machine. When I downloaded them, they needed a RS-232 port, but I think they have patches that allow you to run the input through a USB port. Regardless, the factory diagnostic software is very valuable if you want to keep this car.

There are some good BMW forums out there. Seek them out. They may be able to help you with the software. You will not get good support from a BMW dealer for this vehicle. Yeah, they will take your money and can get the parts, but their technicians do not know the car. They are only trained on the new ones. A 12-year-old car was built when they were in elementary school. If you need work you cannot do, you will have to find a good BMW mechanic. The dealer techs only work for 5-10 years before they realize they can make more money opening their own shop, so if you are in a city with 250,000 or more, you should be able to fine one.

You don’t mention whether it is a manual or automatic transmission. This is important, since at the time, they stated the automatic transmission fluid was “lifetime”, that is it was designed to last the lifetime of the transmission. The dealers would not change it. It needs to be changed every 100,000 miles or so, so if you have an auto, be sure the have the fluid changed (with the expensive BMW fluid). Oh yeah, everything on a BMW is expensive; every fluid is different (and ore expensive than that used on other cars). They do make cheaper parts for BMWs, but they are not worth it. The cheap parts don’t last a week.

Oh, I bought a 1998 750iL (V-12) four years ago for $8000. I put that much into it. It is a great car. For $16,000, I consider it a deal. But, it does have issues. Still, from driving from Houston to Atlanta, I don’t think I’d want any other vehicle. Big as a tank, but rides like a rocket and gets better than 22 MPG at 70+ on the highway (in town, it really sucks, though). The 5-series s a bit smaller, and the 6 cylinder is half the V-12, but they are well built, and they aren’t referred to as the ultimate driving machine for nothing.

Congratulations! Of course, the important thing is, what color is it?

13

I want to echo these statements:

Don’t buy a used BMW without a warranty.

*I have owned 3 and I regret to say, I have not been impressed. They have not held up well and repairs are very expensive.
*

I bought a beautiful 2001 330Ci with 89k miles back in 2010 for a great price but no warranty. It had one owner and the thing was a real joy to drive, especially on a nice day/night with the top down.

Unfortunately on a regular basis something went wrong with it, things I never saw with my reliable Japanese or Korean cars. Fuel pump, power steering, automatic roof opener crushed a plastic piece of the car, outside door handle broke off (the BMW mechanic told me that was a security feature), etc. Every time I took it into the shop it cost at least $1,100. And when I took it to a BMW shop I always had to leave it there for a few days due to the incredible backlog of car repairs they were doing (that’s a bad sign). After owning it for three years and putting $6k in it for repairs I sold it.

14

BMW = “Bayerischer Mist Wagen” (Bavarian Shit Car.)

:wink:

15

Aren’t you glad you asked?

16

No you mis–translated it.
Bring Money in Wheelbarows
:wink:

Very nice car. Can be spendy to keep up. My personal philosophy is to keep a car (new or used) in condition to hit the road on a multi thousand mile road trip at any time. Doesn’t matter if I bought it new, or for $500 I will get it into that condition and keep it there.
Strands me a lot less this way.
I will admit, I consider a check engine light an insult to my manhood and abilities, so I put the car into a condition so it doesn’t do that to me.