Buying a used BMW Car | GTAMotorcycle.com

Buying a used BMW Car

-Maverick-

-Maverick-

Well-known member
My wife insists she wants one...a 4 series... her current Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-P is getting up in km's and starting to die. She's not used to car repairs as the Eclipse didn't break, and whatever did break I was able to repair it quite easily. Parts are becoming harder to find for Mitsubishi Eclipse now as they stopped making them in 2012...so whatever is left in the aftermarket is what's left, period. The 4 series BMW has caught her eye. I know this company is very proprietary and these cars have their issues and require scan tools that no one can get their hands on...so I won't be able to help her should it break. They all seem to be dumping them at ~ 130,000 km's... and that's what she wants to buy. Any used car guys out there? Would appreciate input.

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm not a mechanic or don't have a history with these cars.

However I do know a few people that have either had one or are in the industry (auto mechanic etc.).
There is a reason why a lot of the previous owner are dumping them at 130K .
To save yourself (and her) the headache and hassle with dealing with issue and the crazy costs of repair, I would stay away.


Sure they are nice and fun to drive but somethings are meant to be admired from afar.
 
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The most expensive BMW you can buy is a cheap used one!

IMO they are not terrible cars reliability wise (I have seen lots of high mileage highway ones around, 300,000 plus) but there are a lot of bad owners that buy one and don't maintain them properly (differed maintenance) trying to operate them at the same cost of a used Toyota, etc. This potential is cascaded if the car has had multiple owners... 130,000 km plus and multiple owners may be bad mojo on average.

They are more expensive to maintain properly than other brands (and there are brands higher than BMW), but that goes with the territory.
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Added, key will be to have an independent that specializes or at least is known to the BMW crowd to do your maintenance/repairs. Dealer is a no-go cost wise and they do not know old car problems and a non-BMW guy will typically be a mess that does not know BMW problems.
 
admittedly this won't directly answer your original question, but i've been looking at a 2-door car for a bit of time now, and while the 2 and 4 series have been on my radar, I've also been looking at the Lexus RC. It's in the same competition space as the BMW 4. It does not have have the market perception of the BMW, but it is a solid performing, if a bit unremarkable, car that is a Toyota in its DNA. The repair/maintenance history of that car is as stable as any other Toyota/Honda.
 
Maniac said:
It's total BS. All you need is a $5 cable form Ali.
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OBD2 stuff yes which more than not will get you going on solving the drive train problems with some automotive smarts.

Most, if not all, brands have proprietary deeper diagnostics beyond OBD2 that also deep dive into other items (like radio, GPS, ABS, HVAC, etc.) and in some cases also let you modify other items and settings. But this is not a BMW only thing. An example is the old GM Tech2 but many others for other brands. Some have "clones/bootlegged/hacked" versions online etc. to go on the cheap "with just a cable" or a cheap clone scanner tool....
 
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I would say [mention]backmarkerducati [/mention]was fairly on point.

All used vehicles are a dice roll. You could always be inheriting someone else’s problem. I would buy from a dealership if possible, CPO (certified pre owned) would be ideal. You’re going to pay for it, but you’re paying for peace of mind. There’s no guarantee something doesn’t snap 5km down the road, but that’s the same for any brand.

I wouldn’t say BMWs are more prone to break then any other brand, but certainly the Germans love to over engineer stuff..and not for longevity sake.

If you buy smart and take care of it you should be fine. But if something breaks…yeah shop rates aren’t cheap and neither are the parts.

All this being said there is a ‘difference’ when driving a euro performance sedan/coupe.
 
backmarkerducati said:
OBD2 stuff yes which more than not will get you going on solving the drive train problems with some automotive smarts.

Most, if not all, brands have proprietary deeper diagnostics beyond OBD2 that also deep dive into other items (like radio, GPS, ABS, HVAC, etc.) and in some cases also let you modify other items and settings. But this is not a BMW only thing. An example is the old GM Tech2 but many others for other brands. Some have "clones/bootlegged/hacked" versions online etc. to go on the cheap "with just a cable" or a cheap clone scanner tool....
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Tell me you know nothing about diagnosing/coding BMW without telling you know nothing about diagnosing/coding BMW ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
Overall... This discussion is quite pointless, as previous gen 4-series were available in North America with 5 different engines, that all have different reputation. Which one are we talking about?
 
Yolo, get the car you/your wife wants. Since you mentioned you can work on cars, there are lots of resources on the Internet. You can get decent make aftermarket parts too if you want to replace some stuff. Sure, if there is a major breakdown you'll need to spend more - but usually, the car gives you a fair amount of warning (in most cases) before it breaks.

I own a used 2005 Volvo and I already know which areas the car needs attention. But I do agree that BMWs are different animals in comparison.
 
Maniac said:
Overall... This discussion is quite pointless, as previous gen 4-series were available in North America with 5 different engines, that all have different reputation. Which one are we talking about?
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The only one worth buying…440i!!!
 
My wife is a BMW fan, and we have had some. We maintain them as per the schedules and have little / no trouble. She also drives it like a car , not a space shuttle. I mourn our old 5 series, there were a couple 4's and they were fine , her current little 2 is a delight.
If you drive a lot and drive hard, these are premium cars and will cost to keep them in top shape.

Do not buy a European car if you cannot afford to keep it up.
 
Maniac said:
It's total BS. All you need is a $5 cable form Ali.
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I'm actually a Licensed Mechanic for domestic vehicles myself and know that my OBD2 scanner may scan the drivetrain, but not the PCM, BCM, SRS etc...

Also, these high revving 2 Liter Turbos with 8 speed transmissions seem to me like they have a pre-determined shelf life, that being ~ 150,000 km's (when people are dumping them).

Some of the engineering of BMW is mind boggling...the alternator bracket is also the oil filter housing. An alternator alternates, which causes a resonance. Gaskets do not like resonance and heat...thus I see a lot of the left side of the engine having to be taken apart to get at this gasket that costs $4.

Here's $600 US labor to get at a $4 gasket:


Whats with all the oil leaks from these German engineered cars? You would think they'd be bulletproof and oil leaks would not be a thing for this kind of money. Most ads for them indicate several "oil leaks repaired by dealer."
 
-Maverick- said:
I'm actually a Licensed Mechanic for domestic vehicles myself and know that my OBD2 scanner may scan the drivetrain, but not the PCM, BCM, SRS etc...
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Then don't use the OBD2 scanner, use a $5 cable with a proper software. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You should know it as a licensed mechanic lol
 
Maniac said:
Overall... This discussion is quite pointless, as previous gen 4-series were available in North America with 5 different engines, that all have different reputation. Which one are we talking about?
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The 428i.
 
As well, repair manual that dealers use (TIS) is available online (if you know how to find it) ;)
It's very well written and easy to follow.
 
Maniac said:
Then don't use the OBD2 scanner, use a $5 cable with a proper software. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You should know it as a licensed mechanic lol
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Scanning is not my only concern. My main concern is these cars appear to be throwaway cars designed to last ten years or 150,000 km's. Kind of like the phone market...planned obselecence. We are also looking at Audi A5's. The 2012's we've looked have rusted undercarriages and even fenders.
 
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Maniac said:
Then don't use the OBD2 scanner, use a $5 cable with a proper software. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You should know it as a licensed mechanic lol
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Correct version of RHEINGOLD will get him going on the Fxx. There are free download options and other options from "Torrent" sites.... Run from laptop etc.

Enlighten everyone (I am sure many are interested) on the "proper BMW software" that is 100% legit, no BMW IP issues and properly licensed and most importantly free (just need a cable)??????

But as I said, if not changing, programming, turning features off and on, or running deeper diags ODB2 will do most of what is needed.
 
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