BMW ?

[Uncle Bill]

Need a car to commute to to the cities daily. 64 miles one way.

Was thinking about a used BMW 5 series.

Some out there around $10 grand with approx 100 K miles.

My questions:

Is there any life left after 100K ?

Will the cost of maintenance on a used (no warranty) BMW become a negative factor ?

Anyone own one ? I have not.

I had a nissan maxima for awhile but the maintenance ($180.00 battery cable, $600.00 used alternator) was killer. Am I getting into the same thing ?

Thanks!

[Scott K]

I think you will run into the same issue with the BMW, high parts cost.

[CJH]

I had a nissan maxima for awhile but the maintenance ($180.00 battery cable, $600.00 used alternator) was killer. Am I getting into the same thing ?

Thanks!

The parts on a BMW are more expensive than a Maxima. 'Nuff said.

Not exactly your typical commuter vehicle. If you weren't putting on so much mileage, it wouldn't be as much of an issue, because you would do alot less maintenance. My wife drives an Audi S4 and the maintenance is not cheap.

[muddpuppy]

I gave up on a VW due to High cost of ownership (repairs. A friend of mine had a lower end BMW loved the car but part costs and Mechanic hourly rates killrd him.

[Valv]

Don't forget also they are rear wheel drive, not exceptionally good on snow and ice. If you find a X model they are AWD

[deadeye]

Any car is going to be pretty spendy if your going to the dealer and getting their parts. Going from a Nissan to a bimmer will certainly not drop your maintenance costs. I have work experience in both of those dealers and they are two of the more expensive ones out there.

If your worried about that kind of stuff get a Kia for a commuter. Then you got a warranty that's golden. If your looking for luxury you got to pay for it.

[Ufatz]

Every man should own, at least once, a nice BMW- 5-series or better. They are a true driving delight and are beautifully put together. Cruising in a solid BMW is what driving is all about. Yes, it will cost money up front and it will cost money to maintain . On the other hand, if you get a new one or a solid used car you will not be driving to the shop every other day either.

Go for it. It you find you can't afford it, sell it and move on. But you will always remember "back when I had this nice little BMW...."

Bimmer's and Benz'es.....what is all about.

[dougger222]

My wife has BMW as her third vehicle. She parks it in the Winter and drives it in Summer along with her old Mustang. The old Mustang is nice with the throaty V8 4 barrel motor but without power steering and brakes it's not a joy to drive. As a complete opposite the BMW is awesome to drive. It's a 328CI sliver two door fully loaded mint 130K miles. Bought used a year ago a from the original owner a good friend of mine. The only thing I had to do to is is swap out the tranny fluid (ya it's a slushbox, my wife don't drive stick).

We have a very good mechanic who's a personal friend of ours and he works for about 1/5 of what a BMW mechanic charges. Regular maintance is not much different from other vehicles and it's a lot cheaper than my wifes Excursion diesel! Fuel mileage is pretty good at mid 20's.

Most people who buy one BMW will buy them for life. Before I bought hers I asked all the home owners with BMW's if they liked them and even the grumpiest of people smiled when they talked about there BMW's. Keep in mind most poeople with BMW's can easily afford maintance. Last Fall picked up a set of tires and rims for the Beemer from a guy who had two 2010's in his garge. Both black 3 series one 2 door one 4 door one auto one manual, both all wheel drive. His was the 2 door with a turbo.

Personaly I don't see much difference between the 3 and 5 series. The big jump is when you go to a 7. A good friend of mine is planning to buy a M6 soon. Used they are not too bad.

[Uncle Bill]

Thanks, all good information !

Will avoid the the BMW.

A car with front wheel drive is pretty darn important in winter.

Was surprised to find out, other than the X models, they are not FWD.

Thanks again.

Will keep looking.

[CJH]

All BMW's are real wheel drive unless they have the X (all wheel) drive.

Good luck on whatever you find.

[Jaypo]

There is always Acura. Front Wheel drive, good luxury, and bullet proof!

[B.R.O.]

There is always Acura. Front Wheel drive, good luxury, and bullet proof!

Not really, A simple internet search will show all the transmission troubles an Acura has, (or Honda which is what it really is with the bells and whistles) It is an inherent problem though with any v-6 or higher h.p car thats front wheel drive,,the geometry doesnt allow longevity. My rear wheel drive car has over 200k on the original tranny, show me that on a front wheel drive v-6...pretty rare. Unless maybe you drive like grandma which is pretty hard to do commuting.

I commute just over 110 miles a day and suffered for years in a Honda 4-banger (got the Honda as I was sick of my g.m cars breaking down and calling a tow..happens more than you'd think putting on lots of miles)

I decided lifes too short to be miserable everyday with a rough ride to save a few bucks on repairs and fuel. A few years ago, after months of research I got a Lexus....best move I ever made.Quality and luxery that cant be beat.

It is a rear wheel drive but the traction controls built in are awesome,..tranny actually has a snow function (along with power function ) . I have no more trouble in the snow than anyone else.(same thing the guy I bought it from said) And the ride is so smooth and quiet,,,along with power when I want it, all while still getting 25 to 27 mpg freeway.

Your original instincts were right, just need to do a little more research. In the end its your time spent and if you want it to be pleasurable you get what you pay for. But that said if you are on a budget I will always drive a 10 year old Lexus over a 4 year old anything else cheaper..

[solbes]

My suggestion is to look for an Acura TL or TSX. The TL is a little larger like a 5 series, but is front wheel drive and has a nice powerful 6 cyl. Very reliable and cheaper parts/labor than the german cars. BMW drivers will tell you that torque steer makes powerful front wheel drive cars semi-worthless. They kinda have a point, but the TL is still a nice car.

I have the TSX and I love this car (also front wheel drive). It has one of the best 6 speed manuals on the market (silky smooth and lightweight magnesium case). It also has about the best non-boosted 4 cylinder (2.4L) you can find at 205 hp. It gets us 30-32 mpg on the highway and can move nicely when you stick it. I would not recommend the auto tranny as much though, just takes too much fun out of the 4 cyl. Corners well and is really fun to drive, when the wife lets me.

[B.R.O.]

Solbes, The TL is a nice car but the auto transmission cost for just the replacement part before labor is $3600 , which is pretty common if you do he research..not too cheap. I also liked the tsx with the manual trans, except for the road noise thru the floor and if you spend enough time in stop and go traffic the stick is a huge pain... the 2.4 it has is also available in every accord made in the last 10 years the tsx just has a higher tuned version that has a little higher h.p requiring premium fuel.

[Ufatz]

For what it's worth fellas let me make an observation: We owned several front wheel drive cars when we lived in AK.....tried them all as they came along, low end and top end of the market. I was never that much impressed with their ability to go in snow any better than any of my rear-drive cars or trucks. Nice powder snow sure, they crawled right along. But tough going and they pull ya all over the tundra. If you have not driven a front drive in slippery conditions try to get some experience at it before you drop big bucks thinking it will solve your winter time problems.

My best snow cars: Volvo PV 544, Land Rover long base, Chevy Tahoe and a rompin' stompin' big American made pick up with the biggest V-8 they could stuff in it,weigh in the butt-end and good tires.

[solbes]

Lots of cars out there have auto tranny problems, especially if their owners neglect their tranny lube changes. I don't see TL's having a much higher rate than a lot of other cars out there, but I guess I haven't checked into it extensively. TL comes in a 6 speed manual too! Even with stop and go traffic, I will never get myself to buy an auto tranny on a car with a sporty engine and suspension.

As far as the 2.4 block in the TSX vs Accord. They are worlds apart in my mind, I've driven both. The Accord LX gets 177 hp and is tuned for mid range torque and fuel economy. The EX gets 190 hp and does start to intrude a little on the TSX doorstep (first gen TSX = 205, current = 201). The Accord is a great car too, but it is much more Camry suspension (family ride) than TSX (stiffer for cornering). I don't care much about road noise, but I realize this is important for some.

Ufatz, I was just comparing rear wheel drive to front wheel drive in the snow Of course a Land Rover, Tahoe, or 4x4 pickup will excel in the snow. I odrive a 4x4 pickup most days, and while I never have gotten stuck, it gets terrible fuel economy which makes it only a fair commuter vehicle.

[B.R.O.]

Solbes, All good points. Yea the tsx is a great car, I would love to have one for the m.p.g but would also have to have the stick and just wont put up with that in the traffic I face daily. I am so stuck on The lexus GS and LS models I don't think I will ever own a different car than one of these again. In my mind the best cars ever made for me and what I like.

Ufatz, I agree the whole you need a front wheel drive for winter is way overblown and in my experience's it hasn't made much of a difference, except for the far superior handling of the rwd when you punch it good going thru the apex of a tight corner in the twisty s

[gspman]

Quote:

Don't forget also they are rear wheel drive, not exceptionally good on snow and ice.

My sis in-law had a Beemer 5 series I think and hated it because of the rear wheel drive in the winter.

[Ufatz]

Yeah, and I drove a nice maroon 5'series all one winter along the coast, where it really snowed. It did as well as any other LIGHT short car would do. Snow, slush and slop are not what they are made for of course. I understand your sisters annoyance, but I'll bet she would have been just as annoyed in a Camry.

[caseymcq]

Are you looking at getting into a BMW specifically or something comparable? Is there anything else you would consider? Are you looking to get a really comfortable ride / luxury vehicle or would you be willing to sacrifice some of that for mpg's and less miles for around the same price?

The reason I ask is because I bought a 2007 Mazada 3 in June. It only had 12K on it and was well eqipped, but definitely not loaded. I paid $12,500 for it. I have a commute from Silver Bay to the west side of Duluth, about 65 miles so it is a similar commute to your drive. I have been pretty happy with it. I am typically getting 35 mpg (lowest has been 32, highest 40). I think I was lucky to find that year with that low of milage but I have seen numerous Mazada 3's with 30K for a little less than that. If you are looking at spending $10K and not wanting to get into something with 100K miles (and potentially not having to worry about repair costs as soon). I won't try to blow sunshine through your barn door, it is definitely no BMW (probably stating the obvious) but it still has a decent amout of punch for a four cylinder and handles pretty tight. I am 6' tall and it is a comfortable ride for me. I have yet to drive it in the winter but the tires look like they should go through the snow decently (not too wide).

[HawgMan]

Nice Car!!

Spendy Parts.....

[SkunkedAgain]

If you are going to drive a lot of miles, and don't want to have big maintenance costs, get a 4-cylinder Honda Accord/Civic or similar type of car. You just want something that has universal parts (not imported from Europe), is very common around these parts, and will get good mileage.

As to the TSX discussion, I owned a 99 Integra with the stick and it was a great car. Never had issues with it and it drove like a dream, a bit rough going over winter potholes but totally balanced out by the fun I had driving it. But to the OP's question, the cost of maintenance/etc would be a negative. I don't know if things changed, but back then insurance companies treated Acura Integras/TSX as both a luxury car and a sports car. That made insurance expensive and replacement parts weren't exactly cheap, but not bad compared to a BMW.

[solbes]

Our TSX has pretty good insurance rates. Not treated as sports car, it's a 4 cylinder 4 door sedan. It even got some reductions because of all the air bags it has. I haven't had to do repairs yet (90k miles), but I'm sure the parts will be a little more expensive than an Accord. Not even approaching the german autos though.

I will reiterate that I love BMW's. But I would only buy one on a lease or own short term so I could avoid the maintenace. Dealer charged my co-worker close to $200 for a new battery and it wasn't even the problem!