Originally Posted by bdj23:
My wife drives like a grandma so yeah, the pedal never touches the floor with that thing. I would say it probably hasn't had any highway driving in a month or so.
Also, I'm obviously no mechanic and internet searches on car problems tend to lead you down the worst path.
One time occurrence is likely nothing. If it keeps up, maybe. [Reply]
Originally Posted by lewdog:
It's a FORD so you should already be in fix or repair daily mode.
They did at least have the courtesy to circle the problem. :-)
Originally Posted by bdj23:
I'm gonna keep an eye on the oil level and see if it's just cobwebs or if something is leaking and go from there.
I've just had terrible luck with medical bills/car problems/house problems in the past 18 months. God only knows how much I've spent.
In the old days it was possible to push some oil past the head gasket at maximum output. It didn’t do it at parked because it wasn’t using any power.
Since it’s a turbo I’m guessing it’s a tiny bit of lag in the spooling of the turbo. Asshats with diesels tune them to do that on purpose because they think it’s cool to “roll coal”. I can’t think of a dumber thing to do, but it happens.
Keep an eye on the things you said. Listen to the turbo when you pull onto the interstate (It will take power to do it, not just idle RPM). If it’s a good consistent whir, it’s good. If it sounds rough or inconsistent, drive it straight to the dealer.
My guess is it’s good.
Sorry to hear about your bad luck with bills. [Reply]
I know we have a few BMW owners here so how much truth is it regarding how much more expensive BMWs are to maintain than most car brands? Car prices have come way down especially on luxury brands. I have noticed that many 4-5 year old BMWs have a good sticker price likely due to leases turning over, so this luxury market gets flooded with cars these ages. Most cars in this age range are 50-60% depreciated from their cost new.
Is the low up front cost not worth repairs coming its way? BMW doesn’t seem horrible with reliability but specialty parts make any repair or maintenance expensive?
Originally Posted by lewdog:
I know we have a few BMW owners here so how much truth is it regarding how much more expensive BMWs are to maintain than most car brands? Car prices have come way down especially on luxury brands. I have noticed that many 4-5 year old BMWs have a good sticker price likely due to leases turning over, so this luxury market gets flooded with cars these ages. Most cars in this age range are 50-60% depreciated from their cost new.
Is the low up front cost not worth repairs coming its way? BMW doesn’t seem horrible with reliability but specialty parts make any repair or maintenance expensive?
Looking at 430i sedan FYI
I don't own one.. but you know what my business is.
BMWs are a 100% no touch from me. Would not let my family touch one, wouldn't recommend one to my friends. Literally, when looked at in the realm of quality/maintenance/cost of ownership, the absolute worst brand you could buy.
Not only are they more expensive to maintain, they are not quality cars. They WILL fail sooner rather later, somehow. Then you get to pay extra extra to get them fixed because the parts are expensive, they come from Germany, and nobody wants to work on them. The shops and people that do, charge a premium because of the tools and knowledge needed, and because they are the pain in the ass.
Originally Posted by lewdog:
I know we have a few BMW owners here so how much truth is it regarding how much more expensive BMWs are to maintain than most car brands? Car prices have come way down especially on luxury brands. I have noticed that many 4-5 year old BMWs have a good sticker price likely due to leases turning over, so this luxury market gets flooded with cars these ages. Most cars in this age range are 50-60% depreciated from their cost new.
Is the low up front cost not worth repairs coming its way? BMW doesn’t seem horrible with reliability but specialty parts make any repair or maintenance expensive?
Looking at 430i sedan FYI
My daughter had a 335i for a few years. Maybe we got lucky but it was pretty worry free. [Reply]
Loved my 3 series BMW until the warranty was up. Every time something broke it was at least a grand. Once it reached 100,000 miles it broke down every month. [Reply]
Originally Posted by lewdog:
I know we have a few BMW owners here so how much truth is it regarding how much more expensive BMWs are to maintain than most car brands? Car prices have come way down especially on luxury brands. I have noticed that many 4-5 year old BMWs have a good sticker price likely due to leases turning over, so this luxury market gets flooded with cars these ages. Most cars in this age range are 50-60% depreciated from their cost new.
Is the low up front cost not worth repairs coming its way? BMW doesn’t seem horrible with reliability but specialty parts make any repair or maintenance expensive?
Looking at 430i sedan FYI
I did quite a bit of research before buying my first one, without really having a preference towards BMW, Audi, etc. In other words, I wasn't desperately trying to convince myself to buy a BMW over any other fast car.
I drove American made cars in my teenager years and 20s, with 3 cars having pretty shitty outcomes and being undrivable under 100k miles... including a shredded transmission at 80k miles on a Chevrolet. So, the only thing I was trying to talk myself into was a foreign made vehicle of some kind.
Reliability.... everything I read that wasn't anecdotal basically leaned towards how freakin' reliable a brand like Toyota was versus lumping in a bunch of car makers after them...... meaning, the number of major mechanical issues across many vehicles (including BMW and Chevrolet) wasn't crazy significant. You get down to like Jeep and a few others that are significantly worse.
I think for purchasing a BMW, look at how long the engine has been around... of course there's more variability with issues when you buy the newest engines out there and not one they've been making for years.
Cost.. yeah, the few things I've had to purchase (or someone's insurance had to purchase) are expensive. Once had a rear view mirror ripped off and it was like $600 to replace. Someone rolled into me at a stoplight once and I believe their insurance had to pay several thousand because of all the sensors and stuff in the bumper.
Longevity... I personally haven't taken one to 100k+, but it wasn't due to the worry of future issues or anything. I sold one at ~55k miles that had zero issues and have ~20k milles on another with no issues.
Lease vs buy vs new vs used... I know you're looking used anyway, but all the research I did pretty much washed out. I think some believe leasing is always the way to go because of outdated mantras of buying depreciating assets, but capitalism says if one was clearly always better than the other, the economy would adjust.... and it has. Thinking about the warranty of a new car, driving it in its best years, trade in value, etc.... I did quite a bit of math and one was never the clear winner. Buying a less expensive used car obviously helps get you into one, but if you want it for the long haul then driving the first 50-70k miles is worth it.
Overall... there's a reason people spend the extra money on them. They're fucking awesome. I'd personally splurge on an inline 6 if I were you (I test drove a 3 series and the turbo lag was too much for me), but the transmissions are silky smooth, the power vs efficiency is superior, the ride is superior, the interior is nice, etc. I miss the V8 rumble of the last Chevy I owned, but that's pretty much the only thing I miss about it. [Reply]
We have a 2009 3 series that we had built to order. It has been one of the best vehicles we have owned. It has been maintained religiously by the dealer which I say is key to having a trouble free experience. I can't complain for a 15 year old car that has been paid off since 2011. I did recently have to have the rear struts replaced that pushed $1500 dollars to replace but I looked at it like, meh, 3 car payments. [Reply]
Originally Posted by lewdog:
I know we have a few BMW owners here so how much truth is it regarding how much more expensive BMWs are to maintain than most car brands? Car prices have come way down especially on luxury brands. I have noticed that many 4-5 year old BMWs have a good sticker price likely due to leases turning over, so this luxury market gets flooded with cars these ages. Most cars in this age range are 50-60% depreciated from their cost new.
Is the low up front cost not worth repairs coming its way? BMW doesn’t seem horrible with reliability but specialty parts make any repair or maintenance expensive?
Looking at 430i sedan FYI
Sorry, thought I put the link on this post. CarFax link is on there too.
