Quote:
Originally Posted by NC325i
I did a pre-purchase inspection when I purchased it from a BMW dealership and they told me "Most" of what was wrong, including the valve cover gasket, but they neglected to tell me the prices. With this being my first BMW purchase, or first non-American car, I was under the impression that much of what needed to be replaced would be a lot cheaper than it ended up costing me on the 325i.
Brakes for the rear, both pads and rotors ran me almost $575 out the door. I upgraded my rear brakes to drilled and slotted rotors with EBC race pads for less than $250 on my last car and it took roughly 2 hours to install on my own. I was certainly not expecting brakes, tires, the valve cover gasket, front windshield trim, and a headlight to cost almost $3,000. Had I known that, I would have continued to look before purchasing. I got a deal on the car, but not $3,000 off the blue book value.
My personal belief is that a car with a warranty, even if the initial costs are more, will be worth it in the end because the regular maintenance is always taken care of. VW's for instance when purchased brand new have the first 3 years covered. Everything but tires and gas/diesel is taken care of for you down to the oil changes and the such. But in the end, there are many cars and manufacturers because everyone likes different things from their cars. Some are willing to deal with more maintenance for a slightly higher quality car.
The above paragraph is something that the OP should take note of. The BMW would be a nicer car but the other cars, since new, will have warranty. Its a trade off. And about my car, I made a mistake when purchasing it before researching repair costs enough and I am paying for it, quite literally.
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I completely agree with you. I'm going through the same thing right now. If i would have known that the maintenance on these cars were so ridiculously high, I would have gone with a different car. I bought my 07' 335i with 80k for 19k. In a years time I have spent over 3k in maintenance and still dealing with oil leaks. It's ridiculous. I thought these cars would be more reliable in that sense.
I actually just bought myself a 2014 FRS and it has been the best decision I've ever made and currently trying to sell my 335i. BMW's are good to lease or buy CPO with warranty. Other than that expect to be raped on the maintenance even with going to an indy shop. Trust me and trade that in and get yourself the FRS/BRZ it is worth it and plus you can't beat the reliability and peace of mind.
Just my .2 cents.