I would love to have a BMW but unfortunately I'm not rich and am finding that the only BMW's in my price range have pretty high mileage. I just wanted to know how well this car will hold up with high miles before I have to start dumping tons of money into it. Basically if I wanted to spend say around $9,000 dollars what is a fair mileage range for a 1999 or 2000 and is it even worth spending my money on it? Thanks for all you help.
2007-06-23 18:25:24 · 11 answers · asked by kia151 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ BMW
Auto transmissions on these cars have been known to fail, so if you are looking for an AT car, AVOID these cars at all cost.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bmw_trans.html
Other bugs to look out for if you are looking for an MT car:
1. Weather strip felt lining can separate from the rubber in hot temperatures (parked under the sun). I replaced mine TWICE.
2. Ball joints should be gone by now if the previous owner did not replace them. And replacing the ball joints on this car means replacing the whole control arm. You can go cheap by replacing just one, but recommended to do both - since the other joint is probably on its way out. Bavauto.com sells the arm and mount for about $400 (pair). I recommend to use the Meyle parts instead of the stock parts. Not much more expensive.
3. Rear shock mounts are known to fail on many 3 series cars, they cause it to click whenever you go on uneven roads. No bad effects otherwse, just annoying. Go for a Meyle part if you want to switch them out.
4. Look out for the door spring/stop at the hinges. Abuse can cause these to crack and pull out, repairs on this area are expensive due to the welding/spraying needed.
5. Cooling system thermostat & waterpump have been reported to be unreliable. Bavauto has replacements for them as well as very good articles in their newsletters about these parts.
6. Final stage resistor for the climate control system has been redisigned by BMW since production of these cars - also due to reliability problems. It's only a $75 part but replacing it can be a pain - need to crawl under the passenger footwell area... symptoms are the climate control fan speed goes "wild"... up and down without apparent reason.
7. That little (useless) cell phone antenna on the roof can break easily especially if you live in the cold climates and you try to brush off snow from the roof with a snowbrush. Get a more durable screw-on replacement from eBay.
8. There were complaints on the built-in subwoofer (if so equipped) in the trunk causing excessive vibrations on the rear speaker board. Some have tried stuffing the speaker board cavity with tissue paper, but simply unplugging/removing the unit wouldn't cause too much degradation in sound quality in my opinion - since the low-powered subwoofer really didn't do much to begin with.
9. If the car has been driven hard/run on track events, there have been reports on rear subframe separation/cracking under the trunk area. Welding would be required.
Other than these bugs, you shouldn't need to dump much more money into the car other than simply doing oil changes and regular maintenance.
2007-06-24 06:41:23 · answer #1 · answered by Snowie 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I can't say that I know too much about cars, but my bf has a BMW and I will tell you the reasons why he bought it: first of all, it is expensive because it's a high quality car,right? Unlike the japanese or even the american cars, which are a lot cheaper, when you buy a BMW you get what you pay for and this is quality! A BMW or a Mercedes can hold up to 300.000 miles without any major problems. It all depends on how you maintain your car, how you drive it and take care of it. If you can find a BMW under 100.000 miles, and which has been well taken care of, don't hesitate! The downside is that the auto service is more expensive - if you don't live in Europe. Good luck!
2007-06-23 18:43:16 · answer #2 · answered by blah blah 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1999 Bmw 323i
2016-12-10 07:28:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you know how to work on a car go for it. Dealer service, the car will bankrupt you.
7 year old BMW is going to need a new cooling system.
Radiator, waterpump, thermostat. Hoses. Tons of small plastic parts. Hoses and belts.
Maybe a new battery.
You are also looking at new shocks and shock mounts (about $1000)
New control arm bushings
O2 sensor needs replacing around 100,000 miles
I don't recall if the 323 is one of the ones with the Vanos problem. I think that started on 325. If it is you are going to need to replace it.
Upside this is a very solid car. Power train is good for about 300,000 miles. Give or take. Interior is good for about 200,000.
2007-06-24 06:38:01 · answer #4 · answered by andrew*debbie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2000 Bmw 323i
2016-10-01 05:33:45 · answer #5 · answered by vishvanath 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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The best way to get a BMW is to get a Certified Pre-Owned. They usually come with some sort of warranty and you know that they are good to go because the dealership has checked them out thoroughly. BMWs can stay on the road forever, if they've been taken care of. Consider who you are buying from and ask to see all the records.
2016-03-26 22:52:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to have the car inspected at a dealership before buying. The car you're talking about is an e46. Early models (99-01) could have problems with subframe mounting points. Rear shock mounts usually need to be replaced frequently, or upgraded. If the car is close to needing new rotors (new rotors every 2 sets of break pads) that'll cost you 600-800 per axle Shall I go on?
2007-06-24 05:08:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bmw's are known for their powertrains, so as far as the engine and transmission goes, so long as its been taken care of, ie oil changed on a regular basis, they can drive almost forever,
Now when it comes to the electronics, and amendities bmws arent always spot on, things like window motors seats door handles and almost anything electronic not dealing with the engine wont last as long, and are the things to be worried about first.
I would say anywhere from 70,000 to about 100,000 miles in good condition you wont have to worry much.
2007-06-23 23:20:04 · answer #8 · answered by encroven 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
200 Bmw 323i
2016-06-26 02:09:03 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you will be suprised to know that a bmw hold up really well with hi milage, I am a bmw techinician who works at the testing facillty the concentrates on high milage testing. we have cars that have over 150,000 miles on them with litle to no problems with them. The key is to keep up on the routine services/ maintanences.
2007-06-24 06:36:08 · answer #10 · answered by taycarver20 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋