They're cheap because of differed maintenance. The last owner buys it, drives it, breaks it, goes to the dealership and realizes how expensive it is, then sells it cheap and the cycle continues until an eventual car guy like us buys it, falls in love with it, and parts with thousands of dollars playing catch up with all the maintenance it needs. This is why I will not buy ANY BMW under $8,000 that doesn't have a binder full of service records. Took me eight months to find the perfect car. Looked at well over ten cars and paid for each one's pre-purchase inspection out of pocket. I even turned one down because in the service records, it showed a 6700-mile void between one oil change. Tldr the car I ended up buying was a stock E92 335 from a guy in his 60s and religiously maintained it with 60k miles. I paid a good $13k for it but so far six months later I haven't had to do anything except routine maintenance. The high pressure fuel pump, gaskets, injectors, all of it was addressed in its life and has the dealership records. Moral of the story, BE PICKY WITH ANY CAR YOU WANT TO BUY.
@@Darksaige the twin-turbo motor gets a lot of flack, but for me it's been nothing but a hoot to own and drive. Got that plug-and-play 400 HP kit but took it to a professional tuner and it's making 478 WHP. Bmw's are actually pretty reliable IF you're willing to maintain it a little extra harder than a Toyota. I've also noticed that parts are HELLA cheap and doing the work myself is really easy. Most expensive part on this car is the injectors, hpfp and maybe the turbos but they've already been replaced by the previous owner. I've already brought an engine crane and stand and plan to do the rod bearings and oil pan gasket preventatively and the parts legit cost less than $60.
@jaylinmoseley3910 the original 335i twin turbos caught major flack back in the day. But to me it was expected as it was NEW tech and the first run rarely goes all the way great. But look at them today! I currently own 2 BMW 3 series with my oldest being in my possession since 2011 and its a 2000. And my current being a 2011 and I've had it for 2 years now. Like you I do my own work until the job is bigger than me (electrical or internal motor) then I send it to a tech I trust who now runs his own shop. VERY FUN CARS when cared for properly
If you can't fix it yourself, don't buy a used out of warranty BMW. With some tools and some quick jacks, my BMW has been actually easier to fix than my Toyota.
As a former bmw mechanic. They are great cars... But you need a specialist to fix it, or it's going to be fixed wrong and cest more to put right. Also when they brake they drive perfectly until something else brakes, Then something else, and now that you have 3 things broken it's to late. Sure you could catch it when it was $50. But now the belt shredded and pulled into the timing chain and now the valves are bent.... You could have just replaced the o ring on the oil cooler.
Yup. You have to take your bimmer to a specialist. BMW parts are actually quite affordable. I had my rear tail lights on my E90 M3 for $145 for BOTH sides. My 240SX tail lights were $350 EACH before they were discontinued.
Yeah, it's one of those cars that are a dishonest mechanics dream, if they know what parts to never replace. I worked for an appliance repair guy that did exactly that. He actually tried to instruct me to do the same with a broken motor mount on a clothes washer. He said to replace the rubber bushing, it breaks down every few weeks. The landlord was blaming the college tenants, forcing them to pay the extra fees. My boss was in on it with the landlord, or had tricked the landlord with that bogus explanation of what broke. The post OBD1 BMW cars all require aircraft style maintenance tear downs to keep running. You're talking about one oil seal in 300, in a motor that could fail catastrophically as a result. I'll take a less efficient, less powerful, more reliable, more redundant motor every day of the week. But, that's no longer on the menu. By the time the consumer could maintain and modify the E36 BMW pushed into more exclusive technologies. As a former designer... I get why a car will never be as reliable as the machine that made it... BMW does not make great cars. The last great car they made was back in 1999. BMW branding is great, their cars are an afterthought. Their branding makes you think it's possible to keep intake valves clean without pulling the head.
Bought a used 2006 550i one fine day and it was a truly awesome car with a fanged, feral beast under the hood that terrified me the first time I floored it. 3 months later, a deer decided to hop across the highway right in front of me. The insurance inspector took one look at the hood and told me they'd cut me a check and tow it off to the scrapyard. It did at least pay off the small loan I took out to buy it. Won't ever buy another one unless I hit the lottery or something.
@@toddr3093Nah, not really. He might even be lucky, as the N62 (which the aforementioned E60 has) is notoriously unreliable, unlike the N52 in the E60 525i, 528i, and 530i which is nearly bulletproof (aside from valve cover gaskets, water pumps which need to be replaced every 100k-ish miles if you prefer the OEM one for some reason, and standard maintenance).
Huge E90 fan owned every model except the M, too pricey.I currently have a 07 E93 the drop top space gray with red interior🔥. Picked it up 4 years ago with 65k miles one owner well taken care of. I daily the car and have only spent about 2k in maintenance, how ever I do 90% of the work my self, and never ever ever go to the dealer for repairs find a local bmw shop and you will have a better ownership experience
Same - I've owned BMWs for 30 years. Always have done my own wrenching. Currently have a hot e30 with a 3.5: engine I fitted 12 years ago, and an e92 320d daily drive. Bought the e92 at 5 years old, one owner with full service history and 40,000 miles for 1/3rd its new price. Now has 100,000 miles & has been nothing but reliable. Before that I daily drove the e30 for 15 years. After initially fixing a few neglected things from previous owners, it was nothing but reliable the whole time I owned it. Yes - they need maintenance. Maintain them and they can last a long time. By comparison my wife's Hyundai that we bought new in 2015 has had a gearbox failure and has had the interior (leather has gone hard and cracked up) and paint fail (peeling off), with 80,000 miles on the clock, while my e92 still looks almost like a new car.
@@aartezz4212 Hasn't been my experience, but I picked up a 2013, assuming that by then BMW had probably ironed out the kinks in the last year of production. I do service at half the interval that they service indicator says though (which probably helps - the service intervals are ridiculously long on the e9x) and bought a very well maintained, low mileage car to begin with. If you buy an early e90 with high mileage and unknown service history then you're no doubt asking for trouble.
I've owned 7 of them over the years. Grew out of that stage after better, more dependable choices became available which offered different types of fun driving experiences. Glad I did.
That’s very true, but the car someone might want is an older model. For example, i like the 2013 BMW M3 with the Competition package. It’s also one of the last M3s that’s two door and has a V8 with a manual option. You can’t find that “new” now.
It’s that the price of the maintenance and repairs don’t go down on the car so the repairs are still price of the car that was like $70,000 new and you bought it for like maybe 20k
I have personally owned seven, and everything was maintained because I could afford to do so. Out of seven, ranging from a 318 to 650M 10 cylinder, only one serious problem on a 325, and it was the failure of the harness to the L tail light assembly.
Owned an e90 335d and an e46 with the m54. Both were great cars and the 335D will probably be the best vehicle I will ever own. Good MPG, great power and torque, very reliable. You get it all. Yes some maintenance items are more expensive but oil and brakes are really the same cost as any other "sport/performance" type car.
I think the most I’ve ever spent 900 at indie shop. Basically because they charged me dealer prices for the parts. But I didn’t have a hydraulic lift for the repairs. Honestly you can fix most of problems yourself.
My dad once run over a deer in his 2018 BMW, no damage, but some sort of pedestrian protection system activated unnecessarily. It cost about 2.500 euros to get it fixed. And another 400 euro, half a day and a 300 km trip to the dealer to delete the warning light on the dashboard. It's not even a nice car, it's an eco box active tourer and repairing practically no damage costs more, than my whole car.
Nope. BMW's have so many important parts that should absolutely NOT be made out of plastic, but they are. Which is one of the many reasons why they are so expensive to maintain.
Purchase Tip 4: Make sure there isn't a long list of previous owners with low mileage till turnover. Purchase Tip 5: If it was owned by anyone under 35, get that checkbook ready, it was driven, likely sideways. I have a 325 CI and an S4, and the upkeep on the S4 is MUCH higher because it's a far more complex high-end car, but the 325 also had one previous owner who was an elderly lady.
@@MR_stone69 My wife's little 325 CI is gold, damn thing never brakes and is cheap to fix. I need to replace a steering pump for $150. It all depends on the model. If it were an M4, that would cost a grand.
Highly equipped used German cars come with the guarantee of needing lots of care and maintenance as they age. If you want the driving experience that a high performance vehicle can give, every thing should work as designed. Tho, it’ll cost you! Great video!
I've owned 10 cars in 30 years. The only car I've kept for 14 years - and counting - is a BMW 6 Series coupe (E63, LCI). It has never left me stranded, it's great to drive and looks special.
BMW isn’t the only one that puts out a drivers car anymore. The past 10 years of Cadillac sedans benchmarked the previous generations of BMW’s. And they held up well in my experience. They also have a lot of aftermarket support with way cheaper parts. But when GM produces a good car they somehow always forget to market it.
In my 50 years of owning/driving over 40 cars I can't recall a time of greater disparity between how much car I can afford to BUY and how much I can afford to OWN................
I've had 3 BMW's from new. The first two had a lot of problems with oil leaks and coolant leaks after about 30k miles. My current one, a 2022 has been very reliable and has only been in the shop for oil changes and a sunroof creak that was fixed the first time.. I'd say they turned the reliability around for sure...
Your 2022 is too new to have failures. Wait until those plastic parts get older. My 5-year old 2017 330i left me stranded in the middle of nowhere when a plastic radiator pipe with the flimsiest of connectors broke off at both ends. My mechanic was unfazed: "We see a lot of these".
@@fred420 That's smart of you but it doesn't mean that BMW has 'turned the reliability around'. Every car should last through it's warranty period. I have driven nothing but BMWs since college (almost 1 million miles) and they have all been reliable - until my 2017 one.
2022 and already sunroof creak. Thats not reliable. It's a myth that BMWs are suddenly reliable since 2019 . I own a 2020 lexus es350 and a 1998 BMW528i. I work on my BMW myself. I see too many less than 5 year old BMWs in the mechanic shop. Far from reliable if you cant fix it yourself
The ultimate leasing machine. I actually just got a very good deal on a very slightly used ‘25 X5 and yes, I know it will depreciate a lot. But at this point in my life I like being able to buy or sell a car when I want to, vs lease. I might revisit this at some point.
2011 335D here. 170K miles. Drives great. If you maintain your car and do the proper work it’ll last. I wont lie tho, it’s actually been since January in the winter since I’ve dealt with it but yes the coolant can definitely be a headache. And oil sometiems
They buy it to look cool and rich. But then when they go to the mechanic they realize they are not about that life! Stop buying cars to look cool or rich.
even though they may be cheap, the parts and maintenance will reflect that of higher end cars. many independent shops do not possess the specialized diagnostic equipment for starters. specifically, BMW probably rakes in more revenue over replacement parts than the sale of actual cars.
I’ve owned my 2007 n54 335i since 2014, it’s been an adventure in my wallet. The car is currently sitting but it’s an incredible car to drive. If I could I would buy a 228i with a b48. Stickshift of course, because stickshift for life.
I used to have a 2007 335i when it was 2-10 years old, and also a 1995 Jeep Cherokee with 225k miles. I'd take the Jeep on road trips because I trusted it more to get me where I was going. The Bimmer was wonderful to drive, terrible to own. I actually picked the 335 over a 2007 corvette because it was just as fast at my elevation, and the handling felt more confidence inspiring for me. The Vette would've held its value FAR better. Oh well- at least I didn't buy it new.
@@blackhawk7r221 since people have been stealing KIA cars, KIA issued a recall on some older models. Basically it puttinf a metal bracket on the ignition to protect it. People would rip it all apart, and use a pair of pliers to start the car. The metal bracket prevents that, since it well metal. The screws are snap off screws, so they also cant take the bracket off. Plus jbweld to hold it onto the ignition itself. Hope that helps
If they are unreliable because of “advanced electronics”look at the isf they are almost 2 decades old and you cannot find one under 20k but like he said you can find a 7 SERIES for 6k so In conclusion bmw’s are GREAT under warranty and Lexus will always age like wine💯
I just bought a 1 owner 2017 F85 X5M 4 months ago. Mom owned, baby socks and baby pram bits, and golf t’s in the spare tire compartment. I sent an oil sample to get analyzed in to see metal, silicone, etc for engine wear. Nothing. The amount of enjoyment ive had is crazy. I come from muscle cars, my 500hp camaro seems lesser now. The amount of fun driving and usability is amazing. New in the spec I got was 123k without tax/title. I paid 36.8k w 70k miles. I researched all the weak spots. The propeller shaft I replaced. Turbo intake boots, coils, plugs, and all fluids. All the Achilles heals I fixed. Been really fun, an done lot of the work myself. Now car I can tune. My insurance is 2/3 of my camaro which I found odd. God bless depreciation.
the reason your insurance is cheaper is because your Camaro most likely didn't have anti collision technology, automatic braking if it detects your gonna hit something, blind spot monitoring, 360 parking camera, etc. Those features knock your insurance down a ton cause the chances of a slow speed crash is much lower.
I mean, BMWs really was being caught a lot of flack because of supposed "unreliable" nature when the reality isn't obvious. When idiots thrashing BMWs, they expect it to last a lifetime, but ended up selling early and the people who didn't know these BMWs history of running can be caught flat-footed. Maintain the car well and the car could very well served you for years to come. It's the basis of driving cars.
Bought my E92 manual with 66k miles last year. I have babied it and just did rod bearings. If you account for the cost of maintenance, its a great car to own. Sure, the maintenance is crazy, but don't buy a 25k BMW if you only have 25k. Buy it instead of a new 45-50k car. Every dollar I spend on it hurts, but I'm addicted to the sound of the S65. Any expense makes me consider a new car but what new car with a V8 would I buy for a reasonable price? The cost of my BMW all in is the same as a mustang lol. No American cars offer the interior quality of my plastic filled E92. Especially considering they aren't expensive or hard to replace. If you like BMW and you know what you're buying, you'll love it. Don't just buy the pretty white BMW at the used lot, research its flaws and look for that when you are looking over the car. Also look at the cost of repairs for those things. Don't buy it hoping they wont need to be fixed or replaced, instead buy it expecting to replace or repair those things. There will still be wrenches thrown in though. I expected the rod bearings and expensive fluids and stuff. I was not prepared for $250-$300/Per ignition coils :/
I'm not BMW expert, but I say just go with the late 80's to mid 90's ones. They are pretty damn simple and the looks are stunning. My dad had one that came from a hard NY life and sadly the cylinder head cracked... Still I think the old ones are as cool as it gets without all the unneeded tech and you can STILL repair them yourself. As for why they are cheap? NO ONE wants to front the bill to keep these puppies in tip top shape. Cheaper to get rid of it than live with it.
I have owned 4 BMW's and all have been reliable. Not a single one left me stranded and I still own two of them. I even owned a Mercedes, a Durango, a mitsubishi, and so on...not a single one drove as nicely as the Bimmer, nor did they perform as well. If you take care of your car, it will take car of you. You get what you pay for.
Just do your research and know what you’re getting yourself into. If you go into it expecting no issues you’ll likely never buy another BMW ever again. If you go into it expecting the absolute worst you’ll fall in love with the car and learn BMW’s really are the ultimate driving machine
Reason #6: BMW's are designed on purpose to fall apart after the warranty runs out - so many critical parts are made of plastic (radiator neck, water pump, glove compartment assembly, etc.), and then there are all the myriad electrical gremlins like ignition issues that can suddenly leave you stranded on the freeway. My 535 IS started needing constant ongoing repairs after 5years/70,000 miles and by default I was forced to become my own BMW mechanic. Yes they drive well when they're driving properly, but "the ultimate driving machine" they are definitely not when one considers all the inopportune times you'll spend fixing it and the nagging concern that pops into your head sometimes while you're driving down the road with your wife and kids that something in the car might breakdown. My 15 year old Mazda 3 with 140,000 miles on it has only required routine maintenance - and it feels totally dependable and more agile than my BMW ever did because it's lighter and has lower gearing and so is more fun rowing the gears. If you want inevitable extra unnecessary stress in your life buy a used BMW. If you want a good used car best of luck with BMW. I suggest you buy Japanese (unless YOU WANT to learn auto mechanics or you're prepared to allocate some potentially serious cash to alleviate your headaches...).
I love used Bimmers! If you can fix them then you can get some good deals. Few things I’ve learned, don’t buy one if the a/c isn’t working or if it has vacuum leaks or vanos issues. Oh, and always drive in sport mode!
@@RGarcia88 No, actually it is Bimmer when referring to the cars. It’s Beamer when referring to motorcycles! I’ve been in the Bimmer game for a min son! 🤣
BMW is well known as "Most catastrophic mechanical failure car" all over the world. Damn weak Rear differential and Transfer case will bring the car into the scrap. Strange bicycle chain is used for high performance engines (N47, N57, N20). And unavoidable cylinder head rebuild due to high temperature operation and it will leads to shitty oil and coolant leak. Do go for Audi if you like German car. Audi also cannot avoid leakage issue, but they do not have serious mechanical defect unlike BMW.
I had an 08 335i and holy shit i ended up oaying more for repairs than istalling all my after market parts 😂 its so fun to drive when its good but then when you see the half engine or full check engine light with the chime my stomach would sink. I like my 07 Toyota solara. Just change the oile once and a while and your good to go.
They're cheap because, despite costing too much to buy, they use cheap plastics ON THE ENGINE. They should use aluminum from the factory but they use low quality plastics on places that get hot pretty quick. When you get a BMW, upgrade as many parts/components in the engine compartment as you can to aluminum.
kislux You are so well-informed about luxury accessories and bags. You've obviously done your due diligence and the comparison to the US is very informative...because of course, I live in New York. thank you very much.
I used to have a 2007 335i when it was 2-10 years old, and also a 1995 Jeep Cherokee with 225k miles. I'd take the Jeep on road trips because I trusted it more to get me where I was going. The Bimmer was wonderful to drive, terrible to own.
I cannot consider "one of the most reliable brands" when it's at the average mark on the charts with Dodge and Jeep 🤣 Lexus, Toyota and Buick, yes, most reliable. My E46 gave me 14 years of nearly trouble free driving. That is, other than routine old school timed complete maintenance, control arm bushings and wheel bearing all around. It was a very controllable vehicle and always enjoyable to drive.
I made the mistake of buying a brand new 328i coupe in '09 and never again. In 2021 I had to replace the valve-cover, oil pan, and oil filter housing (Gaskets). In 2022 I had to replace the DMTL Pump. In 2023 I had to replace the radiator & coolant reservoir. Now in mid 2024 it seems like the engine mounts are shot. Like I've said endless money pits and it only has 268,4XX miles. All said and done its probably around 4k total in repairs which I could've just put that as a down payment and bought a new car altogether instead of keeping this POS. And I forgot about that one wheel speed sensor that broke and lit my dashboard like a Christmas tree, that was like $200, and all the other routine maintenance like brakes/ rotors.
You had me 268,000 miles lol if you’re being serious about your whole comment.. I see why you have a bunch of costly repairs. My Toyota is a 1999 and has 250,000 miles on it and it’s just starting to have issues. Not too major but still. Your car is 10 years NEWER than mine yet your car has more miles on it than mine.
Good luck Supra owners! Keep $5-15K around annually for maintenance and repairs -- especially those timing chains in the back of the engine after the powertrain warranty expires!!! It's NOT a Toyota underneath its Austrian-made skin.
They're cheap because of differed maintenance. The last owner buys it, drives it, breaks it, goes to the dealership and realizes how expensive it is, then sells it cheap and the cycle continues until an eventual car guy like us buys it, falls in love with it, and parts with thousands of dollars playing catch up with all the maintenance it needs.
This is why I will not buy ANY BMW under $8,000 that doesn't have a binder full of service records. Took me eight months to find the perfect car. Looked at well over ten cars and paid for each one's pre-purchase inspection out of pocket. I even turned one down because in the service records, it showed a 6700-mile void between one oil change.
Tldr the car I ended up buying was a stock E92 335 from a guy in his 60s and religiously maintained it with 60k miles. I paid a good $13k for it but so far six months later I haven't had to do anything except routine maintenance. The high pressure fuel pump, gaskets, injectors, all of it was addressed in its life and has the dealership records.
Moral of the story, BE PICKY WITH ANY CAR YOU WANT TO BUY.
Exactly! As a former service writer for BMW I was coming to say the exact same thing. Drive, break, switch and do it again
Maintenance for a BMW means staying on top of replacing all the things that fail. Not oil changes and tire rotation.
@@hamsterbrigade Exactly!!! That's a third of the fight for keeping one running good.
@@Darksaige the twin-turbo motor gets a lot of flack, but for me it's been nothing but a hoot to own and drive. Got that plug-and-play 400 HP kit but took it to a professional tuner and it's making 478 WHP. Bmw's are actually pretty reliable IF you're willing to maintain it a little extra harder than a Toyota. I've also noticed that parts are HELLA cheap and doing the work myself is really easy. Most expensive part on this car is the injectors, hpfp and maybe the turbos but they've already been replaced by the previous owner. I've already brought an engine crane and stand and plan to do the rod bearings and oil pan gasket preventatively and the parts legit cost less than $60.
@jaylinmoseley3910 the original 335i twin turbos caught major flack back in the day. But to me it was expected as it was NEW tech and the first run rarely goes all the way great. But look at them today! I currently own 2 BMW 3 series with my oldest being in my possession since 2011 and its a 2000. And my current being a 2011 and I've had it for 2 years now. Like you I do my own work until the job is bigger than me (electrical or internal motor) then I send it to a tech I trust who now runs his own shop. VERY FUN CARS when cared for properly
If you can't fix it yourself, don't buy a used out of warranty BMW. With some tools and some quick jacks, my BMW has been actually easier to fix than my Toyota.
Stop lying. Over half of these tools needed are not easy to find in your local parts store. On top of that 1 missed oil change can be catastrophic.
@@vaughnbilbo8191stop being over dramatic Karen
Maybe it's been easier to fix but has it been cheaper than fixing the Toyota?
@@digitalcthulhu143 I never said cheaper parts.
120K miles on my B58. Only issue has been my gas cap lmao
As a former bmw mechanic.
They are great cars... But you need a specialist to fix it, or it's going to be fixed wrong and cest more to put right.
Also when they brake they drive perfectly until something else brakes, Then something else, and now that you have 3 things broken it's to late. Sure you could catch it when it was $50. But now the belt shredded and pulled into the timing chain and now the valves are bent....
You could have just replaced the o ring on the oil cooler.
Breaks no brake!
Yup. You have to take your bimmer to a specialist. BMW parts are actually quite affordable. I had my rear tail lights on my E90 M3 for $145 for BOTH sides. My 240SX tail lights were $350 EACH before they were discontinued.
Yeah, it's one of those cars that are a dishonest mechanics dream, if they know what parts to never replace. I worked for an appliance repair guy that did exactly that. He actually tried to instruct me to do the same with a broken motor mount on a clothes washer. He said to replace the rubber bushing, it breaks down every few weeks. The landlord was blaming the college tenants, forcing them to pay the extra fees. My boss was in on it with the landlord, or had tricked the landlord with that bogus explanation of what broke.
The post OBD1 BMW cars all require aircraft style maintenance tear downs to keep running. You're talking about one oil seal in 300, in a motor that could fail catastrophically as a result. I'll take a less efficient, less powerful, more reliable, more redundant motor every day of the week. But, that's no longer on the menu. By the time the consumer could maintain and modify the E36 BMW pushed into more exclusive technologies.
As a former designer... I get why a car will never be as reliable as the machine that made it... BMW does not make great cars. The last great car they made was back in 1999. BMW branding is great, their cars are an afterthought. Their branding makes you think it's possible to keep intake valves clean without pulling the head.
lease it for 3 years, ABUSE it then give it back, lmao!!
BMW The Ultimate Maintenance Machine
Bought a used 2006 550i one fine day and it was a truly awesome car with a fanged, feral beast under the hood that terrified me the first time I floored it. 3 months later, a deer decided to hop across the highway right in front of me. The insurance inspector took one look at the hood and told me they'd cut me a check and tow it off to the scrapyard. It did at least pay off the small loan I took out to buy it. Won't ever buy another one unless I hit the lottery or something.
Lol you got hosed my boy
@@toddr3093Nah, not really. He might even be lucky, as the N62 (which the aforementioned E60 has) is notoriously unreliable, unlike the N52 in the E60 525i, 528i, and 530i which is nearly bulletproof (aside from valve cover gaskets, water pumps which need to be replaced every 100k-ish miles if you prefer the OEM one for some reason, and standard maintenance).
Dude looking at 16 year old cars and saying 70% in 5 years
The only people I really see driving BMW’s are young dudes in their early 20s.
Well then looks like I’m joining the club😂😂
I see a lot of of old folks driving them too😭
95% are jerks that drive according. Then that’s what you get with a hand me down Bmw
As a 30 year old now. I can confirm I had it in my 20s then I was like I need to buy a house 😂
Totally true LOL the older cheaper ones are the young dudes in their 20s and the newer leased ones are the older folks that are 1st owner 😂
Huge E90 fan owned every model except the M, too pricey.I currently have a 07 E93 the drop top space gray with red interior🔥. Picked it up 4 years ago with 65k miles one owner well taken care of. I daily the car and have only spent about 2k in maintenance, how ever I do 90% of the work my self, and never ever ever go to the dealer for repairs find a local bmw shop and you will have a better ownership experience
Same - I've owned BMWs for 30 years. Always have done my own wrenching. Currently have a hot e30 with a 3.5: engine I fitted 12 years ago, and an e92 320d daily drive. Bought the e92 at 5 years old, one owner with full service history and 40,000 miles for 1/3rd its new price. Now has 100,000 miles & has been nothing but reliable. Before that I daily drove the e30 for 15 years. After initially fixing a few neglected things from previous owners, it was nothing but reliable the whole time I owned it. Yes - they need maintenance. Maintain them and they can last a long time. By comparison my wife's Hyundai that we bought new in 2015 has had a gearbox failure and has had the interior (leather has gone hard and cracked up) and paint fail (peeling off), with 80,000 miles on the clock, while my e92 still looks almost like a new car.
E90 is the biggest 💩 you can buy
@@aartezz4212 Hasn't been my experience, but I picked up a 2013, assuming that by then BMW had probably ironed out the kinks in the last year of production. I do service at half the interval that they service indicator says though (which probably helps - the service intervals are ridiculously long on the e9x) and bought a very well maintained, low mileage car to begin with. If you buy an early e90 with high mileage and unknown service history then you're no doubt asking for trouble.
@@aartezz4212 thanks for the words of wisdom 🙏. I’ll post it for sale today . Didn’t know I was driving 💩. Life changing reply thank you
@@Soltor1974 no problem mate 😁
I've owned 7 of them over the years. Grew out of that stage after better, more dependable choices became available which offered different types of fun driving experiences. Glad I did.
I was told the rule with luxary cars of " if you can't afford it new then you definitely can't afford it used."
That’s very true, but the car someone might want is an older model. For example, i like the 2013 BMW M3 with the Competition package. It’s also one of the last M3s that’s two door and has a V8 with a manual option. You can’t find that “new” now.
L take
It’s that the price of the maintenance and repairs don’t go down on the car so the repairs are still price of the car that was like $70,000 new and you bought it for like maybe 20k
I have a 2017 M240i. It's an amazing car. they do require maintenance but I'm not afraid. Get one with the B58 and you are sure to have a better time.
BMW = Break My Wallet
BMW = get a fkn bigger wallet povvo asf
Says the guy that paid 140k for a 60k truck
😂😂😂😂
So a plastic electric water pump located by the exhaust? This is considered German high tech engineering? I'll stick with Honda and Toyota.
I have personally owned seven, and everything was maintained because I could afford to do so. Out of seven, ranging from a 318 to 650M 10 cylinder, only one serious problem on a 325, and it was the failure of the harness to the L tail light assembly.
Owned an e90 335d and an e46 with the m54. Both were great cars and the 335D will probably be the best vehicle I will ever own. Good MPG, great power and torque, very reliable. You get it all. Yes some maintenance items are more expensive but oil and brakes are really the same cost as any other "sport/performance" type car.
I think the most I’ve ever spent 900 at indie shop. Basically because they charged me dealer prices for the parts. But I didn’t have a hydraulic lift for the repairs. Honestly you can fix most of problems yourself.
My dad once run over a deer in his 2018 BMW, no damage, but some sort of pedestrian protection system activated unnecessarily. It cost about 2.500 euros to get it fixed. And another 400 euro, half a day and a 300 km trip to the dealer to delete the warning light on the dashboard. It's not even a nice car, it's an eco box active tourer and repairing practically no damage costs more, than my whole car.
I've seen/read about BMW's having far too much PLASTIC in essential wear locations, am I wrong?
Nope. BMW's have so many important parts that should absolutely NOT be made out of plastic, but they are. Which is one of the many reasons why they are so expensive to maintain.
Show me a car that uses less plastic than BMW………….. I will wait!
@@AgonxOCrange Rover.
@@fabbz94 False, given that RR uses BMW engines!
@@AgonxOC ohhhh then shit 😂
Purchase Tip 4: Make sure there isn't a long list of previous owners with low mileage till turnover. Purchase Tip 5: If it was owned by anyone under 35, get that checkbook ready, it was driven, likely sideways. I have a 325 CI and an S4, and the upkeep on the S4 is MUCH higher because it's a far more complex high-end car, but the 325 also had one previous owner who was an elderly lady.
Or just don't buy a bmw
@@MR_stone69 My wife's little 325 CI is gold, damn thing never brakes and is cheap to fix. I need to replace a steering pump for $150. It all depends on the model. If it were an M4, that would cost a grand.
@@ELXABER what's your wife number?
Highly equipped used German cars come with the guarantee of needing lots of care and maintenance as they age. If you want the driving experience that a high performance vehicle can give, every thing should work as designed. Tho, it’ll cost you! Great video!
I've owned 10 cars in 30 years. The only car I've kept for 14 years - and counting - is a BMW 6 Series coupe (E63, LCI). It has never left me stranded, it's great to drive and looks special.
I gave away an E36 BMW back in the day. Happiest day of my life.
BMW isn’t the only one that puts out a drivers car anymore. The past 10 years of Cadillac sedans benchmarked the previous generations of BMW’s. And they held up well in my experience. They also have a lot of aftermarket support with way cheaper parts. But when GM produces a good car they somehow always forget to market it.
I agree with this. A number of companies waist money developing or importing great cars then do nothing to market them.
Buy it for 4K and spend another 20K for the parts.
In my 50 years of owning/driving over 40 cars I can't recall a time of greater disparity between how much car I can afford to BUY and how much I can afford to OWN................
Great format, overview, pacing... really enjoyable. New sub.
I've had 3 BMW's from new. The first two had a lot of problems with oil leaks and coolant leaks after about 30k miles. My current one, a 2022 has been very reliable and has only been in the shop for oil changes and a sunroof creak that was fixed the first time.. I'd say they turned the reliability around for sure...
2014 BMW 328i used no issues yet.
Your 2022 is too new to have failures. Wait until those plastic parts get older. My 5-year old 2017 330i left me stranded in the middle of nowhere when a plastic radiator pipe with the flimsiest of connectors broke off at both ends. My mechanic was unfazed: "We see a lot of these".
@@MrGrumpy1 I won't have this car in 5 years. I don't keep any German car out of warranty, not even for 5 minutes. haha.
@@fred420 That's smart of you but it doesn't mean that BMW has 'turned the reliability around'. Every car should last through it's warranty period. I have driven nothing but BMWs since college (almost 1 million miles) and they have all been reliable - until my 2017 one.
2022 and already sunroof creak. Thats not reliable. It's a myth that BMWs are suddenly reliable since 2019 . I own a 2020 lexus es350 and a 1998 BMW528i. I work on my BMW myself. I see too many less than 5 year old BMWs in the mechanic shop. Far from reliable if you cant fix it yourself
The ultimate leasing machine. I actually just got a very good deal on a very slightly used ‘25 X5 and yes, I know it will depreciate a lot. But at this point in my life I like being able to buy or sell a car when I want to, vs lease. I might revisit this at some point.
2011 335D here. 170K miles. Drives great. If you maintain your car and do the proper work it’ll last. I wont lie tho, it’s actually been since January in the winter since I’ve dealt with it but yes the coolant can definitely be a headache. And oil sometiems
Because they are trash after warranty expire
Right on time! I’m in the market for a 335 that’s reasonably clapped.
They buy it to look cool and rich. But then when they go to the mechanic they realize they are not about that life! Stop buying cars to look cool or rich.
even though they may be cheap, the parts and maintenance will reflect that of higher end cars. many independent shops do not possess the specialized diagnostic equipment for starters. specifically, BMW probably rakes in more revenue over replacement parts than the sale of actual cars.
He actually said, "BMW is more reliable than Honda right now." PBBWWAAHAHAHAAAAA!!!
I’ve owned my 2007 n54 335i since 2014, it’s been an adventure in my wallet. The car is currently sitting but it’s an incredible car to drive. If I could I would buy a 228i with a b48. Stickshift of course, because stickshift for life.
I used to have a 2007 335i when it was 2-10 years old, and also a 1995 Jeep Cherokee with 225k miles. I'd take the Jeep on road trips because I trusted it more to get me where I was going. The Bimmer was wonderful to drive, terrible to own. I actually picked the 335 over a 2007 corvette because it was just as fast at my elevation, and the handling felt more confidence inspiring for me. The Vette would've held its value FAR better. Oh well- at least I didn't buy it new.
8:42 i work at KIA and we get lots of cars with a recall to protect the ignition, or cars that have been stolen.
Tell us a bit more about that.
@@blackhawk7r221 since people have been stealing KIA cars, KIA issued a recall on some older models. Basically it puttinf a metal bracket on the ignition to protect it. People would rip it all apart, and use a pair of pliers to start the car. The metal bracket prevents that, since it well metal. The screws are snap off screws, so they also cant take the bracket off. Plus jbweld to hold it onto the ignition itself. Hope that helps
@@irregularone4542 Gotcha
How can you get a PPI if you’re new to an area and don’t have a mechanic?
If they are unreliable because of “advanced electronics”look at the isf they are almost 2 decades old and you cannot find one under 20k but like he said you can find a 7 SERIES for 6k so In conclusion bmw’s are GREAT under warranty and Lexus will always age like wine💯
You gotta make certain trade offs to live with a Lexus, but I agree if you're ok with those compromises it's the way to go.
It blows my mind how much more reliable modern BMWs have become. It's like the N54 and N63TU are forgotten artifacts.
BMW owner here. Good presentation. (liked & subscribed)✌
I bought my first BMW this year. Absolutely love it. New S1000RR. 😁
I'm still buying them fun cars I love working on them never found dealing with any to be hard in all honesty
I just bought a 1 owner 2017 F85 X5M 4 months ago. Mom owned, baby socks and baby pram bits, and golf t’s in the spare tire compartment.
I sent an oil sample to get analyzed in to see metal, silicone, etc for engine wear. Nothing.
The amount of enjoyment ive had is crazy. I come from muscle cars, my 500hp camaro seems lesser now. The amount of fun driving and usability is amazing. New in the spec I got was 123k without tax/title. I paid 36.8k w 70k miles.
I researched all the weak spots. The propeller shaft I replaced. Turbo intake boots, coils, plugs, and all fluids. All the Achilles heals I fixed. Been really fun, an done lot of the work myself. Now car I can tune.
My insurance is 2/3 of my camaro which I found odd.
God bless depreciation.
the reason your insurance is cheaper is because your Camaro most likely didn't have anti collision technology, automatic braking if it detects your gonna hit something, blind spot monitoring, 360 parking camera, etc. Those features knock your insurance down a ton cause the chances of a slow speed crash is much lower.
Shes right.. .
"Nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW."
Great show. Are the 2008 to 2011 BMW 3 Series 4 cylinder engines and cars reliable?
I mean, BMWs really was being caught a lot of flack because of supposed "unreliable" nature when the reality isn't obvious. When idiots thrashing BMWs, they expect it to last a lifetime, but ended up selling early and the people who didn't know these BMWs history of running can be caught flat-footed. Maintain the car well and the car could very well served you for years to come. It's the basis of driving cars.
Totally agree with you as an owner of a BMW for 14 years and counting.
bullshit
@@zsb707 more bullshit
@@chadhaire1711 Does your mom know where you wander?
Absolute bullshit my old Toyota Tacoma has literally fallen off mountains and shrugged it off
Bought my E92 manual with 66k miles last year. I have babied it and just did rod bearings. If you account for the cost of maintenance, its a great car to own. Sure, the maintenance is crazy, but don't buy a 25k BMW if you only have 25k. Buy it instead of a new 45-50k car. Every dollar I spend on it hurts, but I'm addicted to the sound of the S65. Any expense makes me consider a new car but what new car with a V8 would I buy for a reasonable price? The cost of my BMW all in is the same as a mustang lol. No American cars offer the interior quality of my plastic filled E92. Especially considering they aren't expensive or hard to replace. If you like BMW and you know what you're buying, you'll love it. Don't just buy the pretty white BMW at the used lot, research its flaws and look for that when you are looking over the car. Also look at the cost of repairs for those things. Don't buy it hoping they wont need to be fixed or replaced, instead buy it expecting to replace or repair those things. There will still be wrenches thrown in though. I expected the rod bearings and expensive fluids and stuff. I was not prepared for $250-$300/Per ignition coils :/
I would def buy a used BMW. IF Trav lived nearby to inspect it beforehand and to help me with repairs afterwards.
I'm not BMW expert, but I say just go with the late 80's to mid 90's ones. They are pretty damn simple and the looks are stunning.
My dad had one that came from a hard NY life and sadly the cylinder head cracked...
Still I think the old ones are as cool as it gets without all the unneeded tech and you can STILL repair them yourself.
As for why they are cheap? NO ONE wants to front the bill to keep these puppies in tip top shape. Cheaper to get rid of it than live with it.
Give me advice,please. if wanna buy a used BMW 2 series 2020, is it good or not
No
@Kingkev0 😅😢😭
2022 530i xdrive with 38k miles (not a M package)listed for 29k before tax. Should i take it??
I have owned 4 BMW's and all have been reliable. Not a single one left me stranded and I still own two of them. I even owned a Mercedes, a Durango, a mitsubishi, and so on...not a single one drove as nicely as the Bimmer, nor did they perform as well. If you take care of your car, it will take car of you. You get what you pay for.
Hi do you think buying a 10year old M3/M4 with 100,000 on the clock is. A good or bad idea for a daily.
Bad idea
BAD BAD
1 catalytic converter to replace was 3200 dollars.
What the fuck!!!!!!!!
I bought a 5k x3 straight 6. After 20k, it still couldn't pass inspection, and bmw couldn't fix the... headlight
Ah, the check engine sound triggers my anxiety so fully.
I'm considering buying a 2021 M550i. Anyone know if this would be a good choice if owner took care of it of course.
If it were me, (and it is) I would stick with anything with a 40i designation. The B58 so far is proving to be a good engine. Heck, toyota used it
I wont ever buy one again after 2 died on me. Really makes you think. If you dont got money for repairs then dont bother
Where did you get the information about a bmw being more reliable than a Honda ?
My 2020 bmw m340i still drives like its brand new. I would say 2020+ bmw are very reliable
Yeah any newer bmw with the b58 motor
Toyota uses BMW B58 engine in some of their cars
Just do your research and know what you’re getting yourself into. If you go into it expecting no issues you’ll likely never buy another BMW ever again. If you go into it expecting the absolute worst you’ll fall in love with the car and learn BMW’s really are the ultimate driving machine
Once upon a time BMWs were bought by enthusiasts not guys that cried about warranties and lack of mechanical skills
Why does no one mention the fact that they are the most leased vehicle In the country. You can get a 2023 from a dealership with 15k miles under 35k
A brake job costs way too much! I paid 800 for a personal mechanic. 645$ for parts.
Reason #6: BMW's are designed on purpose to fall apart after the warranty runs out - so many critical parts are made of plastic (radiator neck, water pump, glove compartment assembly, etc.), and then there are all the myriad electrical gremlins like ignition issues that can suddenly leave you stranded on the freeway. My 535 IS started needing constant ongoing repairs after 5years/70,000 miles and by default I was forced to become my own BMW mechanic. Yes they drive well when they're driving properly, but "the ultimate driving machine" they are definitely not when one considers all the inopportune times you'll spend fixing it and the nagging concern that pops into your head sometimes while you're driving down the road with your wife and kids that something in the car might breakdown. My 15 year old Mazda 3 with 140,000 miles on it has only required routine maintenance - and it feels totally dependable and more agile than my BMW ever did because it's lighter and has lower gearing and so is more fun rowing the gears. If you want inevitable extra unnecessary stress in your life buy a used BMW. If you want a good used car best of luck with BMW. I suggest you buy Japanese (unless YOU WANT to learn auto mechanics or you're prepared to allocate some potentially serious cash to alleviate your headaches...).
BMW...Broke Man Walking.
maybe it's me, but almost $8K for a car that's pushing 20 years old isn't cheap (the opening 2008 335 BMW)
I love used Bimmers! If you can fix them then you can get some good deals. Few things I’ve learned, don’t buy one if the a/c isn’t working or if it has vacuum leaks or vanos issues. Oh, and always drive in sport mode!
Beamers not Bimmers 😂
@@RGarcia88 No, actually it is Bimmer when referring to the cars. It’s Beamer when referring to motorcycles! I’ve been in the Bimmer game for a min son! 🤣
@@RGarcia88the correct term is bimmer it’s German. Don’t know your cars eh?
I use to take my ‘89 635csi to a Shop called Bill’s Bimmers
why you care about A/C...? that is not difficult to repair if you have vacuum pump. it will be quite painful if the piston of compressor is locked up.
Got a e91 335d bought for £3200 had it 4 years bargain …..basically a super car once remapped and tuned
BMW is well known as "Most catastrophic mechanical failure car" all over the world.
Damn weak Rear differential and Transfer case will bring the car into the scrap.
Strange bicycle chain is used for high performance engines (N47, N57, N20).
And unavoidable cylinder head rebuild due to high temperature operation and it will leads to shitty oil and coolant leak.
Do go for Audi if you like German car. Audi also cannot avoid leakage issue, but they do not have serious mechanical defect unlike BMW.
My favorite BMW is any X5M but before there was a X5M it was a sport version and they were the srt8 jeeps way before there were sport suvs
I had an 08 335i and holy shit i ended up oaying more for repairs than istalling all my after market parts 😂 its so fun to drive when its good but then when you see the half engine or full check engine light with the chime my stomach would sink. I like my 07 Toyota solara. Just change the oile once and a while and your good to go.
Good job messing up the title, but I still love your videos
They're cheap because, despite costing too much to buy, they use cheap plastics ON THE ENGINE. They should use aluminum from the factory but they use low quality plastics on places that get hot pretty quick. When you get a BMW, upgrade as many parts/components in the engine compartment as you can to aluminum.
kislux You are so well-informed about luxury accessories and bags. You've obviously done your due diligence and the comparison to the US is very informative...because of course, I live in New York. thank you very much.
Those are all older cars what about used newer ones like 2018-2023 used ?
I have a 340 best car ever even with tuning
Debating buying on buying 2007 bmw 650i for 7500 canadian with 125k km worth it ?
They are the ultimate nightmare when they break down
😂😂😂
Only a fool with a lot of money by something like that
I used to have a 2007 335i when it was 2-10 years old, and also a 1995 Jeep Cherokee with 225k miles. I'd take the Jeep on road trips because I trusted it more to get me where I was going. The Bimmer was wonderful to drive, terrible to own.
8:56 Dodge ANYTHING and now reported here lately Camaro are just as at risk as the Kia Hyundai brand for getting stolen
Unless you have the skills and facilities to do ALL the work yourself, never buy a used BMW. Never ever.
4:22 I dread that damn noise 😓😓😓😓
I cannot consider "one of the most reliable brands" when it's at the average mark on the charts with Dodge and Jeep 🤣 Lexus, Toyota and Buick, yes, most reliable.
My E46 gave me 14 years of nearly trouble free driving. That is, other than routine old school timed complete maintenance, control arm bushings and wheel bearing all around. It was a very controllable vehicle and always enjoyable to drive.
Bro , I’m sorry but that chart does not look right to me 🤔
Get lexus sport cars instead
pay a subscription for heated seats!
In the next ten years my Honda civic will be worth 2x as much as a BMW of the same year
BMW (Bavarian Manure Wagon): The Ultimate DRAINING Machine.
This is why I bought a Honda
Didn’t Ideal just put a video out about Honda and their lack or reliability for the past 6 or so years.
Do you still live with your parents?
I made the mistake of buying a brand new 328i coupe in '09 and never again. In 2021 I had to replace the valve-cover, oil pan, and oil filter housing (Gaskets). In 2022 I had to replace the DMTL Pump. In 2023 I had to replace the radiator & coolant reservoir. Now in mid 2024 it seems like the engine mounts are shot. Like I've said endless money pits and it only has 268,4XX miles. All said and done its probably around 4k total in repairs which I could've just put that as a down payment and bought a new car altogether instead of keeping this POS. And I forgot about that one wheel speed sensor that broke and lit my dashboard like a Christmas tree, that was like $200, and all the other routine maintenance like brakes/ rotors.
So you’ve bought a new car 15 years ago, drove it the equivalent of 40 trips across America and you’re complaining about 4k spent in maintenance…right
You had me 268,000 miles lol if you’re being serious about your whole comment.. I see why you have a bunch of costly repairs. My Toyota is a 1999 and has 250,000 miles on it and it’s just starting to have issues. Not too major but still. Your car is 10 years NEWER than mine yet your car has more miles on it than mine.
That actually sounds pretty reasonable for a car with that many miles.
They also flood the repo market😂
I bought 2016 porsche cayenne. Now 2024. 150k mile. Just oil change and go.
G80 M3 is holding their value. Especially if it is a manual!
the main issue high maintence costs, ✌️
Good luck Supra owners! Keep $5-15K around annually for maintenance and repairs -- especially those timing chains in the back of the engine after the powertrain warranty expires!!! It's NOT a Toyota underneath its Austrian-made skin.
If you buy it from first owner with service history it wont be so cheap unless it problematic model..
Look after your car and your car will look after you, dont just drive destroy and sell. Service service service, some are abused totaly,
I mean Its mainly people abusing their cars complaining about them😭