Used BMW - myth or not

daktula1

Hello knowledgeable forum folks:

I am in the market for "a car". So for the longest time I have been hearing that BMWs have a very high maintenance cost - yet at the same time I see the roads littered with beamers at least where I live - Northern VA area. Obviously they are popular. So my question is should I go for a used BMW and is the supposedly high maintenance cost an overstatement that outweighs the satisfaction and luxury of driving and owning a high quality car?

I see this 2012 BMW 528 XI 4D Sedan with 29 K miles listed for 31K (MSRP for a new is around 51K) . Is that a good price?

kyfdx

I don't have a lot of experience with newer BMWs, but my wife does have a 2011 model that just came out of warranty about 5 months ago.

First service since maintenance plan expired:
Oil Change
Air filter replacement
Coolant flush/replace
Differential service

Total: $600

Also, padded leather on glovebox door was separating from the plastic door. Estimate was almost $500. Service manager requested BMW cover it, which they did (out of warranty comp). I had to pay 5% of the part price ($13).

The vehicle has 57K miles and is due for a new set of runflat tires.. approx $950 out the door.

We bought this vehicle at 2 years old with 28K miles for $32K, so, we had the benefit of warranty/service coverage for nearly two years. That at least gave me a sense of how reliable/expensive it would be to maintain/repair. Not sure I'd have the guts to drop $31K on one out of warranty.

Now, I have an '06 BMW that I drive... I've had it 5 years and probably spent $5K on service/maintenance, most in the last 3 years.. But, I love the car, so I don't care.