[OliverR]

I currently own a n54 '07 335i with 146,000 miles on it and its been a absolute blast. However recently my turbos gave out and the repair just isn't worth for me. I've been looking into buying a "new" one with less miles and I found a 85,000 mile 2011 nearby at a dealership for $12k. I already asked them to try to hold it for me until I can go look at it next week. I know the n55 engines are more reliable than the n54, but im starting to get cold feet. I'm a college student working at restaurant so I don't have tons of money to throw at the car, however I have a decent chunk of cash saved up for a down payment and I feel more than comfortable making the ~$200 monthly payments on a loan. What im scared of is the repair costs. I'm planning on putting away whatever money I can sell my current n54 335i for and using that as my backup savings for any repairs I have to do down the road. Am I stupid for considering another 335i? part of me feels like i should be smart and buy a old honda or something and sacrifice the fun of having a fast and pretty car. What do you guys think?

[mapleleaf1773]

Thats a question your gonna have to ask yourself.

But listen, any "older" vehicle you buy could have issues and repair costs.

You do know the BMW platform though. If you DIY alot then ....

Sorry no straight answer I know.

Listen, my friend Chuck and me bought "new to us" used cars at the same time. He thought the way your describing, he has a boring Malibu and I have my BMW.

I'm happy, he is "i should have listened to you" lol

[TunafishE93]

Life's short.. Get what you want.

[matamua]

Originally Posted by OliverR

I currently own a n54 '07 335i with 146,000 miles on it and its been a absolute blast. However recently my turbos gave out and the repair just isn't worth for me. I've been looking into buying a "new" one with less miles and I found a 85,000 mile 2011 nearby at a dealership for $12k. I already asked them to try to hold it for me until I can go look at it next week. I know the n55 engines are more reliable than the n54, but im starting to get cold feet. I'm a college student working at restaurant so I don't have tons of money to throw at the car, however I have a decent chunk of cash saved up for a down payment and I feel more than comfortable making the ~$200 monthly payments on a loan. What im scared of is the repair costs. I'm planning on putting away whatever money I can sell my current n54 335i for and using that as my backup savings for any repairs I have to do down the road. Am I stupid for considering another 335i? part of me feels like i should be smart and buy a old honda or something and sacrifice the fun of having a fast and pretty car. What do you guys think?

If a surprise $1k is going to kill you financially, maybe you should keep looking.

That being said, Before my e93, I bought an es300 with about 125k on it because they are "reliable" and I was financially strapped. 5k purchase, $4k of work in 2 years of ownership. I ended up selling it for like $900 just to be done.

I bought my e93 knowing that many of the big ticket items (turbos, hpfp, and index 12s) had already been done and I was closer to having more disposable income. Since buying it I've done paddle shifters, OFHG/WP/belts/pulleys, ABS pump, VCG/RB PCV/walnut blasting, plugs/coils, radiator, and oil pan gasket. I've also done upgraded IC, charge pipe and MHD1+. New wheels/tires. Pads and rotors on all 4. All told I'm about $6500 in maintenance/repairs/mods after having spent about $8500 (smoking deal). Because I'm planning on driving it for a few more years (just turned 75k on the clock) instead of buying a newer m3 or an older 911, I'm winding up for m3 control arms, DPs and a LSD.

Is it crazy that I'm spending this kind of cash on my 14 year old car? Maybe. Do I love it? Absolutely.

[Jesda]

No. But if you want it go for it.

[OliverR]

Originally Posted by mapleleaf1773

Thats a question your gonna have to ask yourself.

But listen, any "older" vehicle you buy could have issues and repair costs.

You do know the BMW platform though. If you DIY alot then ....

Sorry no straight answer I know.

Listen, my friend Chuck and me bought "new to us" used cars at the same time. He thought the way your describing, he has a boring Malibu and I have my BMW.

I'm happy, he is "i should have listened to you" lol

Yeah I know if I don't get one I'm gonna miss my old car whenever I see a bimmer on the road. Thanks for your response, I'm definitely feeling more confident about buying one now

[OliverR]

Originally Posted by matamua

If a surprise $1k is going to kill you financially, maybe you should keep looking.

That being said, Before my e93, I bought an es300 with about 125k on it because they are "reliable" and I was financially strapped. 5k purchase, $4k of work in 2 years of ownership. I ended up selling it for like $900 just to be done.

I bought my e93 knowing that many of the big ticket items (turbos, hpfp, and index 12s) had already been done and I was closer to having more disposable income. Since buying it I've done paddle shifters, OFHG/WP/belts/pulleys, ABS pump, VCG/RB PCV/walnut blasting, plugs/coils, radiator, and oil pan gasket. I've also done upgraded IC, charge pipe and MHD1+. New wheels/tires. Pads and rotors on all 4. All told I'm about $6500 in maintenance/repairs/mods after having spent about $8500 (smoking deal). Because I'm planning on driving it for a few more years (just turned 75k on the clock) instead of buying a newer m3 or an older 911, I'm winding up for m3 control arms, DPs and a LSD.

Is it crazy that I'm spending this kind of cash on my 14 year old car? Maybe. Do I love it? Absolutely.

I surprise $1k isn't gonna cripple me, but will definitely hurt lol. I know I'm gonna pay for maintenance and repairs down the line. It's just a question of how much yearly repair costs am I gonna be facing. I probably spent around $2k a year for my n54, but since it was also my dads weekend driver he covered around half. Im not gonna have that luxury this time around since it's the first car I'm buying all on my own. I'm hoping the reliability of the n55 over the n54 will reduce how much I can expect in maintenance cost. That's my biggest concern.

[matamua]

Originally Posted by OliverR

I surprise $1k isn't gonna cripple me, but will definitely hurt lol. I know I'm gonna pay for maintenance and repairs down the line. It's just a question of how much yearly repair costs am I gonna be facing. I probably spent around $2k a year for my n54, but since it was also my dads weekend driver he covered around half. Im not gonna have that luxury this time around since it's the first car I'm buying all on my own. I'm hoping the reliability of the n55 over the n54 will reduce how much I can expect in maintenance cost. That's my biggest concern.

How DIY savvy are you? If you can do some of the work, you can probably swing it.

[tcphoto]

It sounds like you’re already in over your head, I would find a way to fix the turbos and live without a car note or find a 328 and sell the 335.

[rick100]

200 ish monthly payment can't even get you a new civic last time I checked.

Its not a smart decision to purchased a 10 year old BMW in you current situation. Nobody can tell you if the car is reliable or not but chances are you ll be spending money on it rather sooner than later.

To me you best option would be to get something newer with less than 60 000 miles and preferably some type of manufacturer warranty left , so 2016 plus , if you want to do the monthly payment route and avoid headaches on repairs.

I dont know your current car maintenance records , but if its not in bad shape , replacing the turbos may be the best option , I m not too familiar with the N54 platform but I remember reading that there are many cheaper options to get the turbos replace/ fix . I would personally go this route if I was in your current situation .

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by rick100

200 ish monthly payment can't even get you a new civic last time I checked.

Its not a smart decision to purchased a 10 year old BMW in you current situation. Nobody can tell you if the car is reliable or not but chances are you ll be spending money on it rather sooner than later.

To me you best option would be to get something newer with less than 60 000 miles and preferably some type of manufacturer warranty left , so 2016 plus , if you want to do the monthly payment route and avoid headaches on repairs.

I dont know your current car maintenance records , but if its not in bad shape , replacing the turbos may be the best option , I m not too familiar with the N54 platform but I remember reading that there are many cheaper options to get the turbos replace/ fix . I would personally go this route if I was in your current situation .

+1

If the car is in good shape, replacing the turbos will be cheaper in the long run compared to buying a newer car. Making payments on an older turbo BMW while in college is not a good idea financially.

[ptpending]

N55 have it's problems and they are quite costly, dig this forum or n54tech
if you do not want big buck surprises, look for N52 based E9x

[tgyberg]

Fix the current car

[Vivek.]

So basically you're a little overwhelmed with expenses and the solution is to spend 12k to save 3 grand?

N54 and N55 share a majority of the failure-prone parts. If you feel your current car is sorted other than the turbos I'd say it makes a lot more sense to fix what you have than to get something else that's potentially but not necessarily less failure-prone than your current car.

[OliverR]

Originally Posted by Vivek.

So basically you're a little overwhelmed with expenses and the solution is to spend 12k to save 3 grand?

N54 and N55 share a majority of the failure-prone parts. If you feel your current car is sorted other than the turbos I'd say it makes a lot more sense to fix what you have than to get something else that's potentially but not necessarily less failure-prone than your current car.

The reason I'm considering the new car route over a repair is not because I want to save 3k, it's cause my car is old (146,000 miles) and I know it's just going to keep getting harder and harder to maintain as it ages. Whereas buying a 4 year newer car with 60,000 less miles is going to be cheaper to maintain. Not to mention it's a more reliable engine with the n55. Financially it makes more sense to me to use that money as a down payment on a new car that is going to save me more on maintenance costs then my monthly finance is going to be. Not to mention saving the money I get for my current 335i to use for repairs on a new one. Am I wrong? If I'm strictly choosing between repair and new 335i, it a seems like a win win to go with the new car. I get a new car and I'm saving money in the long run.

[TunafishE93]

85k is depending on maintenance history might cost you 3k in just maintenance... You might be looking at oil filter gasket, valve cover/gaskets, plugs, tranny service, brakes/rotors, tires.. My point is no matter how many miles these cars needs maintained and 80k miles car can cost just the same as a 170k car to maintain.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

85k is depending on maintenance history might cost you 3k in just maintenance... You might be looking at oil filter gasket, valve cover/gaskets, plugs, tranny service, brakes/rotors, tires.. My point is no matter how many miles these cars needs maintained and 80k miles car can cost just the same as a 170k car to maintain.

This.

A mostly sorted car with 146,000 miles can be less costly to own than a car with 85,000 miles that has had nothing done to it. Think about it as doing everything you just did to your car all over again on another one.

[335xs2dinan]

+1 on sticking with n54 and new turbos

[srey]

Would you sell the 07? I wonder what the going rate for an 07 335i with blown turbos is.

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by OliverR

The reason I'm considering the new car route over a repair is not because I want to save 3k, it's cause my car is old (146,000 miles) and I know it's just going to keep getting harder and harder to maintain as it ages. Whereas buying a 4 year newer car with 60,000 less miles is going to be cheaper to maintain. Not to mention it's a more reliable engine with the n55. Financially it makes more sense to me to use that money as a down payment on a new car that is going to save me more on maintenance costs then my monthly finance is going to be. Not to mention saving the money I get for my current 335i to use for repairs on a new one. Am I wrong? TL;DR: Yes If I'm strictly choosing between repair and new 335i, it a seems like a win win to go with the new car. I get a new car and I'm saving money in the long run.

Lets do the math from a pure expense perspective; I'll ignore financing costs and say you're spending $9k to have a newer car with a presumed lower maintenance cost. How long will it take you to spend $9k on repairs on your 146k mile car?
Note: This is after you've spent 3k on the turbos which I have deducted from the $12k cost of the N55 car.

My guess? A pretty damn long time. I'd hazard that putting the next 50k miles on the N55 car would cost more than half as much in maintenance as putting the next 50k miles on the 146k mile car. Let's call that figure 2.5k and 4k respectively. So in 50k miles you'd have spent $7k on your current car and $14.5k on the new one. Even if you get 3k for your 07 with blown turbos you're still 4.5k in the hole.

If you want the newer car because you like it more and want it that's one thing, But I don't think that saying it will cost you less in the long run is true.

[2one3E90]

Once u do the first bite U want more. I have two e90s now

[jacbo]

Replace the turbos and keep the car you have. If you can't pay the 12k straight up, then don't bother. Loan payments + fuel + running costs + surprise parts breaking = lots of money