BMW Only good for 5 Years?

The only big repair cost that I've had with my 2000 323i (105k miles) is the control-arm replacement. I could spend some more and get my leaky power-steering hoses fixed, and I have one flaky ABS sensor... The O2 sensors are coming soon, and that's $$$.

It's been a good car for me.

I've actually been thinking that it would not be a bad time to trade-in for a new 328, but it's a bit scary, with the financials in such turmoil...

I hear you. I was lucky enough to buy my "fun" car, a 128i convertible, over a year ago when I could still convert some investments to real money. I suspect I'll be keeping both it and the E46 for quite a while. Tom

With about $4K (extended service plan and extended warranty), BMW will cover all maintenance and repairs to 6 yrs/100K.

I have a 2003 E46 manual transmission with no options other than the sunroof. The car currently has about 138K miles. Since coming out of the warranty, I've had:

- Oil service.

- Inspection II.

- Driver/passenger power window regulators replaced.

- Cooling system replaced (thermostat, hoses, radiator) - thermostat failed and the rest was recommended by the shop as preventative maintenance because they claimed they were susceptible to cracking.

- Drive shaft flex disc replace - it was cracked.

All of that set me back about $4K. On the watch list are a leaking shock absorber, and wearing control arms.

But the car drives great and I try to keep it in good condition because it's my only car and I drive a lot (~25K mi/year).

My plan was to replace it after 7 years (which would be the end of this year), but since it's running good, I think I'm going to keep it. Plus there are a lot of things about the E90 that I don't like (dash, controls for seat adjustment, cup holders, etc.).

The mechanic told me that the transmission on the manual cars lasts forever; if it was an auto, he said he'd have recommended I sell it.

Anyway, for now I'm keeping it, and keeping my fingers crossed as well.

Just my story...I think the cars are designed to last long but they are expensive to fix. Not $5K/year expensive, but more expensive than an economy car (which is to be expected).

Anoop

on 6/1/09 1:45 PM tom_k said the following:

I am talking about CURRENT BMWs (>= 2006) especially the 5 series.

Not even 1 2006 or greater 5 series has become unusable after 5 years of operation....

Can I borrow your crystal ball?

As none of the post 2006 models have yet required any out of warranty repairs, I'd find a new BMW mechanic if I were you. Either he is reading tea leaves to predict the future or perhaps he gets a kickback on any extended maintenance/warranty contracts his dealership sells.

Tom

How about any 2004 owners? How many times have you been into the shop this year?

I have a recent 3 series and wondering what's going to happen in year 5-10. I know my last car (non-BMW) had some repairs, but didn't get bad until year