Hi guys, Read the whole post before you think I am crazy. My inlaws bought a new car the other day. My father in law offered me their 2005 5 series with an astounding low 85k miles. He said we can have it. I currently drive a 2003 Acura TL type S with an astounding low 102k miles on it. My Acura has had 0 problems outside of a new transmission the dealership gave me under warranty in its third year. My father in laws says the car has had no real issues now. What is maintenance like on a nine year old European car? Do I get normal oil changes? Or are they all $150 like my friends complain about? I pretty much drive 50-70 miles a day. Just to and from work. The only reason I am posting this is I am trying to figure out of this free car would become a never ending bill. Before you ask, no, I can't just flip it for cash. That would be messed up.
Maintenance will be a pain in terms of price and at 9 yrs old you'll be approaching a significant repair soon that will cost you a couple thousand dollars. Have you called your insurance company to see what coverage will cost for the BMW? That would be my deciding factor.
The BMW with those miles shouldn't give you too much trouble. But things will start going wrong next year (the miserable 10 year mark) and you'll spend roughly $1,000-2,000 a year just to maintain it. Stuff like bushings breaking, random leaks, electrical problems, your tires will wear out faster..it's all annoying problems. Keep in mind all of BMW's lifetime fluids are designed to last only 100-150K miles. Pretty soon (roughly 100-105K inspection) you'll need to flush brake fluid and engine coolant, get new spark plugs, water pump, radiator, belts, and thermostat. Maybe you'll need an alignment and new rear brakes. Oil changes for that model shouldn't cost you more than $70 and that's only once a year, but since you drive too many miles, you would need to get it done 2 or 3 times a year. I wouldn't recommend it as a daily driver with those roundtrip miles. Why not get it for your wife or maybe even drive it to work half the week?
Depending on how it was taken care of before, it will most likely be a never ending bill. Around the 90k mileage mark, you have to look at a lot of things: brakes, break lines, bushings/bearings, struts, ect. The list goes on. Nothing will be a cheap fix, so make sure the car is in excellent shape. It is a beautiful car though!
With the exception of insurance, what's the harm in taking it? If it requires a significant repair in the next year or two, simply tell your in-laws that you cannot afford the repair and will either sell it for what you can get (offer them the net proceeds), or see if they want it back.
I'd take it. Just get liability on the thing. Its not like you owe money on it. You can switch between that and your Acura as daily drivers to keep mileage and wear down on both vehicles. If one has a problem, drive the other. The maintenance thing is overrated. Most of the maintenence can be done yourself. The only things I'd have a shop do are flush the transmission fluid and brake fluid -- transmission because there are special tools to do the flush which most people don't have, and brakes because if you're unfamiliar with it, you can endanger your life. The rest of the fluids are easily flushed and replaced. The actual mechanical bits of the brakes are easy to work on, and most suspension issues are easy to work on, as well -- save for maybe replacing struts (that may be outside of the scope of a driveway mechanic). If you don't want it, you can always give it to me! It would be a serious solid for a young man like myself, and I'm sure I can maintain it. Hell, we might even be able to work out some sort of payment (not too much so you wouldn't feel bad about it). I'm currently buying a house, so money is tied up, but those cars a great so I'm sure I can make some moves once I'm closed on this house.
Just to be clear I have a 15 mile commute each way. I said 50 a day in case I have to go somewhere random. I feel like I drive very little. Knowing my in laws all the maintenance was done at BMW even after the warranty expired. That is just their nature. Part of me thinks that since nothing has happened to my Acura it is due up for something soon. I would not keep the Acura. I have had three cars for two drivers and it is a waste especially since they are similar in age. I would like give away to someone in need in my family or sell it below value to someone it could make a difference to in their life. Got to pay forward what people do to me. Is it just me or is that an incredibly low amount of miles? I thought I had a low amount but 85k? I know people that put 60k in a year.
Three things. 1. the cooling system is really sensitive and not the best in the world. Spend the cash to replace the water pump, hoses, thermostat and the plastic radiator reservoir on the side of the radiator. The reservoir is not just some over flow catcher, it is made of plastic and if it cracks (which they do over time) you will lose all of your coolant and overheat the car (very bad). It's all pretty easy to change if you know what you are doing but if you do not then don't try it yourself. You have to bleed the air out of the cooling system when you replace components like the water pump and plastic reservoir or your car will overheat when you run it. This is not an old chevy pick up truck with a 350 in it that you can just dump water and anti-freeze in and start driving. 2. The car has a history of oil leaking between the oil pump housing and the the block after several years. No need to worry about it until it happens but if the car develops an oil leak that is typically where it comes from. It's is typically just an o-ring that has gotten hard and is pretty easy to replace. 3. The power steering fluid reservoir has a filter built into it and needs to be replaced from time to time. If it gets clogged the power steering pump will cavitate and your car will make a very scary sound when you try to turn the steering wheel. The reservoir is fairly inexpensive and easy to replace. The pump is expensive and difficult to replace. Overall they are great cars and very reliable. I have 2 of them and one is a 95 318ti that I still drive to work and it still gets over 30 miles a gallon and runs like a new car.
I'd rather keep an 11 year old Japanese car than an 8 year old German car if it was all about affordability and reliability.
first world problems :smh: like great phisophizer calvin murphy once said, "if it's free, it's for me! "
If it has been serviced at the BMW dealership and only has 85K miles on it, you really should take it. You are not driving very many miles on it and it is probably already in good operating condition. If you are really worried about it, then get a secondary market warranty.
maybe you should think about selling your acura and use that money for any future repairs if they arise in the next 2-3 years. and at that point you can sell the bmw also and you will then have the money from both cars for a down payment and less interest on a loan for whatever car you get at that point.
If memory serves correctly, BMWs that aren't the 3 series are very unreliable cars (according to Consumer Reports). Great cars when they work, but expensive to fix and maintain, and they break more than most cars. Unless they wouldn't be annoyed/offended, if you took it and sold it, i would tell them "thanks, but no thanks." Most of my friends that have had 5 series BMWs loved them when they got them, and hated them by the time they got rid of them (due to cost of owndeship and frequent trips to the shop).
Most of the concerns on the maintenance have been covered here. But my $0.02 -there's no comparison in driving experience between the 5-series and the TL. With the amount of time you spend in the car, you should take the BMW on that basis alone.
Drive it and see if you like it. If you like it, get it checked out. When it breaks, you can determine if it's worth keeping. Sell/trade it in then. Till then, you'll get to experience owning a BMW and might understand why they tout themselves as the "ultimate driving machine". Btw, oil changes are $150 if you go through the stealership. If you are mechanically inclined, buy 6 quarts of synthetic oil, the filter and DIY. Costs less than $40 and you'll get the satisfaction of knowing you did a great job. BMW used to recommend 15,000/per oil change but has since changed it to 10,000/mile or once a year.
