[Socks_McGee]

Hey everyone,

I'm stuck in the endless loop of analysis paralysis. I've been here before, it's not fun. Endless googling only makes things worse.

I'm currently looking at a 2011 e90 328xi, 62k (~40k miles), 6mt. On paper, it looks great, optioned well, reasonably low km, decent price (list 19,9)
I drive 350km (~220miles) weekly to get to work, and around.

The problem.. I'm stuck analyzing this thing. It's slightly out of warranty, and being sold by a dealer who clearly scooped it up at auction. No maintenance records (available if I have VIN???), and no nearby BMW dealer for PPI, though a mechanic is readily available down the road for inspection.

My main concern is the same as everyone else... Maintenance. Every car requires maintenance, every car has wear and tear items, but for some reason, it feels like the ENTIRE internet feels owning a BMW will bankrupt a small country.

Additionally, it appears that most people would rather ditch the car, as oppose to doing basic, routine maintenance. I'm not sure I get the perpetual car payment method, but to each their own.

I currently own a jeep, but with a child on the way, something with four doors is in my future.. With a criteria of sedan, manual transmission, small v6 and awd.. My options are incredibly limited...which has led me to the 328xi.

I don't mind doing routine maintenance myself, but complicated jobs are best left to a real mechanic.. There are a few Indy shops in my area.

Did anyone else go through this? Success stories? Warning signs?

Any advice is appreciated ..

[Volasko]

Dude... inline 6!! That engine is what put BMW on the map!

I believe if you call up BMW NA with the VIN they will send you the service history they have on file (work must have been done at a dealer). Good news is it probably done at a dealer because all new BMW's come with a full service warranty. If the company selling it is scared to show this info they could easily get themselves I would be cautious.

[Tzu]

Given what I've seen on the forums, and how people treat their cars, I'm probably never going to buy another used N54. Just IMO.

[LaserPower]

The "Internet" does not provide you with reliable statistics (assume you mean Google problems and lurking on forums) because there are more whiners complaining about how problematic their cars are and how expensive it is to fix than the people who have cars with no issues or who can afford to fix it without blinking an eye. So take everything with a grain of salt. Not to mention many cars with failures are high mileage modded cars that are asking more output from and putting more stress on an already tired engine and transmission that may not be purposefully designed with that kind of load to begin with.

Also it is good to keep in mind is that regardless of how much you paid for this one, it was a car with 40k-50k price tag to begin with, and when it breaks, it will require 40k-50k car parts to fix and it is not reasonable to compare the cost with cost of parts for a 20k Honda.

And for a car that is tightly packaged under the hood, expect higher labor cost to fix anything under the hood.

In the end it all comes down to how much you can afford. You have to pay to play. If you are not prepared for a 40k-50k car to break down without warranty then I'll suggest sticking with a new car at whatever price you can afford, or a certified pre owned with new car extended warranty.

[m42stanle]

Originally Posted by Socks_McGee

Hey everyone,

I'm stuck in the endless loop of analysis paralysis. I've been here before, it's not fun. Endless googling only makes things worse.

I'm currently looking at a 2011 e90 328xi, 62k (~40k miles), 6mt. On paper, it looks great, optioned well, reasonably low km, decent price (list 19,9)
I drive 350km (~220miles) weekly to get to work, and around.

The problem.. I'm stuck analyzing this thing. It's slightly out of warranty, and being sold by a dealer who clearly scooped it up at auction. No maintenance records (available if I have VIN???), and no nearby BMW dealer for PPI, though a mechanic is readily available down the road for inspection.

My main concern is the same as everyone else... Maintenance. Every car requires maintenance, every car has wear and tear items, but for some reason, it feels like the ENTIRE internet feels owning a BMW will bankrupt a small country.

Additionally, it appears that most people would rather ditch the car, as oppose to doing basic, routine maintenance. I'm not sure I get the perpetual car payment method, but to each their own.

I currently own a jeep, but with a child on the way, something with four doors is in my future.. With a criteria of sedan, manual transmission, small v6 and awd.. My options are incredibly limited...which has led me to the 328xi.

I don't mind doing routine maintenance myself, but complicated jobs are best left to a real mechanic.. There are a few Indy shops in my area.

Did anyone else go through this? Success stories? Warning signs?

Any advice is appreciated ..

The only thing I would be worried about is that a 2011 E90 with 62k km is almost certainly a 48-month lease return, which with 62k km is a perfect candidate for CPO.

So if it ended up at auction, could be a car that BMW passed on for CPO for some reason?

It's also possible it was an owned trade in to another brand but then I'd be worried about the scenario of a short term BMW owner was fed up after 4 yrs and went over to the dark side (Audi, Mercedes, Acura etc). Did that person ditch the car because of maintenance/reliability headaches or for some other reason?

I would definitely want to get a complete carproof (not carfax) and get a good maintenance history before making an offer including making sure recalls are done (there was a battery recall, VANOS bolts, and I think one other). If it's a CDN car with no maintenance history w/ BMW then I would be a little concerned. Scheduled maint would have been 100% free so there's no reason the previous owner would not have this taken care of other than laziness/neglect.

I could just be being paranoid - N52B25 and B30 are generally rock solid engines other than a few known issues (water pump, etc) which you should not need to worry about at that mileage. Scheduled maintenance is not too bad for these cars especially if you are willing to do some yourself and/or are taking it to a decent indy shop in GTA.

Good luck!

[Zebra99]

I highly recommend a newer BMW and make it a 328d since you put so many miles on it. Makes more sense for you in the long run, no maintenance worries and payment won't be that bad because you can still get it for under 50k new. Or find a used one if possible

[KiX1911]

Originally Posted by Zebra99

I highly recommend a newer BMW and make it a 328d since you put so many miles on it. Makes more sense for you in the long run, no maintenance worries and payment won't be that bad because you can still get it for under 50k new. Or find a used one if possible

I have to strongly disagree with you here...he's worried about maintenance and reliability and you offered a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel....I wouldn't .


To the OP, I suggest the in line 6...I drive 140 kms a day! 350 a week is nothing.

I'm sure you can look around for the issues in the future (water pump, gaskets) but if you plan on going to BMW for repairs and maintenence your headed for a ton for money being spent. Find a good indy shop and you'll be set.

B

[Zebra99]

Originally Posted by Killerx

I have to strongly disagree with you here...he's worried about maintenance and reliability and you offered a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel....I wouldn't .


To the OP, I suggest the in line 6...I drive 140 kms a day! 350 a week is nothing.

I'm sure you can look around for the issues in the future (water pump, gaskets) but if you plan on going to BMW for repairs and maintenence your headed for a ton for money being spent. Find a good indy shop and you'll be set.

B

Lol and you would instead recommend a higher mileage 6 cylinder with no balls? Not to mention it won't even get half in mileage what the diesel will and the maintenance on the newer car is $0 because you have a monthly payment. I'd rather be safe and have BMW assist as well than get stuck with an older bimmer on the side of the road with high maintenance costs.

[KiX1911]

Originally Posted by Zebra99

Lol and you would instead recommend a higher mileage 6 cylinder with no balls? Not to mention it won't even get half in mileage what the diesel will and the maintenance on the newer car is $0 because you have a monthly payment. I'd rather be safe and have BMW assist as well than get stuck with an older bimmer on the side of the road with high maintenance costs.

Apparently you missed the part where he's looking at vehicles around 19k and he's worried about maintenance costs. If he could afford a newer car with cpo, i dont think he would be worried about the costs. What happens after the warranty is done on that 320d? Gooood luck.

Again I don't change my statement, stay away from the 320d, stick with an inline 6. Just a simple search will show the n52 engines with 300,000+ miles.

B