Hi…I have to buy a car within a week..with budget around 15K. I was considering buying from pickles auction/ buy it now camry 2013 around 60k km./ corolla/cruze 2013 around 40k km for 13000 $.
I saw some Bmws 2006 with private sellers km ranging 100k - 150k Around $15k.
What are the cons of buying old bmw?
I am 30 male going from L to P1 this week…
Please advice,,,,,,or more suggestions. Thanks
BMW - my parents 2012 BMW just needed a computer thing replaced. $6000.
Stick with a corolla/camry.
Do you need a sedan? Something a tad smaller i30? Mazda 3?
Mazda 3 is more expensive than Hyundai i30, may be you mean Mazda 2 ?
Used. But yeah, Mazda 2 as well.
Food for thought - a $60k+ car's parts and maintenance costs won't suddenly drop to the level of a $30k car when it depreciates.
You can get a VW Golf 1.4l twin charged for around $15k as a private sale. Would have done around 50-60k and be about 4/5 years old.
There was a scandal around the gearbox 3/4 years ago that has dropped the resale value dramatically - these cars were around 30k when new.
1.4l economy with the power of a 2l - wipes the flloor,with a Corolla/Hyundai/Mazda
I would prefer sedan.
I personally would go the 2006 BMW, but maintenance costs will be higher (I have one - 2003 with around 160k on the clock). I budget around $1k a year (usually not this much needed) and put it down to the price of being able to drive a car I enjoy driving and couldn't afford to drive if it were newer.
Being older there are some great forums and youtube videos for DIY. This makes maintenance costs significantly less. If you're not inclined to do anything yourself, it could be quite expensive. On this note, I'm no mechanic, and there is a lot I wouldn't touch, but there are easy things you can do yourself once you know how (e.g. I did an electric window regulator).
If you like cars and are happy to accept such a proposition, then go for it. Just make sure you get one which has been looked after and has a full service history. If, on the other hand, you just want something reliable to get you from A-B cheaply (most OzBargainers' goal) then the Toyotas will be much better suited.
I'm sure you all know that there is more than one "2006 BMW" model on the market and combination of series and engine plays significant role in running costs.
Something like 320-325-330 will live quite happily without major issues. On the other hand repair costs of the high trims of X5/6 & 7 series (especially engines….) will make you cry and go to the bank for mortgage.
320i oil leaks like crazy, one of the most unreliable BMW's you can buy out of warranty. Would never touch - slow, underpowered, povpack.
323i/325i/330i with the N52's are reliable engine wise.
335i - unreliable as hell but the sweet twin turbo's and tuning capability more than makes up for this. 2011+ changed to a more reliable single turbo setup but not as much fun.
Totally agree with 320 being underpowered and thirsty. BMW with Kia Rio inside.
From the smallish ones I'd prefer 123d, it is crazy little thing.
Camrys are reliable, you can flog the sh!t out of them and they'll not let you down - except when you drive them hard they don't offer much anyway
What a feeling ! Toyota :)
Email a note to Paul Gover at the Herald Sun. I did, he replied and published my letter and his response which would have helped others.
Got a good income and don't mind spending quite a bit more along the way for more frequent servicing / parts etc? Go the BMW. Same goes for the other german upper end cars (old audi, old merc etc). They need tlc.
Otherwise get something that is pretty reliable, has loads of parts available for a reasonable price, and because there are millions of them in this country, everyone knows how to fix: a corolla.
more frequent servicing? They only want an oil change every 30,000 km. My 2008 320D gets serviced less than once a year.
N=1.
so 100% of those surveyed??
It depends on how you feel about your daily ride. Is it to get you from A-B or is it to put a smile on your dial every time you turn that key?
You cannot put a value on pleasure.
I have owned 15 BMW's over the last few years and have never had a single issue with them.
Check with your insurance company though. BMW + P plate = big premium.
Don't bother with the BMW or specifically, anything from euroland. It'll run your coffers dry when things break. Sure, people say "they are reliable" and "mine's never broken" but when it does break, it can cost fortunes! That also includes Holden's since virtually every vehicle except for Commodores are rebranded cheap euro trash that are built to a price.
Anything from japan or a later model Korean (Hyundai/Kia) would be a good bet. Hyundai in particular tends to pack good value and reliability in their cars. You'd be better off posting in the automotive section of whirlpool, or at least, doing a search on buying used vehicles. There are all sorts of issues and pitfalls and things to look out for that they can help you with.
Also, don't buy at auction. You can't give the vehicle a proper road test and trial to see if there are any faults in it. You're basically throwing all of your money on the promise that it runs good. Yes, even though they all have to have RWC that doesn't tell the whole story.
Do a search on sites like carpoint in your area. You can likely get good deals and are able to select from a much wider range of vehicles.
I only know four people who have bought Hyundais and every single one of them has had problems. One even had a rear axle that hadn't been fitted correctly on the original build, so the rear tyres wore down incredibly quickly.
There is a reason why they lose value so quickly-they are poorly built with cheap components.
I also have a mate who bought a brand new Kia Optima which has a problem with one of the valves which means it blows smoke and loses power on hard acceleration. His first service was 200 ks late so they won't honour the warranty.
I only know one person who bought a brand new Hyundai but they too had massive problems. They ended up selling it while under warranty because they didn't trust it (or Hyundai to do the right thing). They won't buy Hyundai again.
I wasn't going to comment about this because of my sample size of one - but coupled with your observations (a bigger sample) it is a bit more relevant.
I own a hyundai i30 and I hate it -I have been having problems ever since Iprurchased it over a year ago . Its currently at hyundai as they try and fix it! Its a cheap poorly made vehicle with low quality products but they get away with it by making the exterior and interior look stylish and decent. DO NOT PURCHASE A HYUNDAI! The service departments are feral to deal with too!
Also please don't buy a Cruze they are terrible vehicles also notorious for using low grade materials and most owners hate them from the amount of issues they have.
I love inline 6 BMW'S , but my money would be on a Japanese built corrolla
I had a 2007 Hyundai Tucson. The problems I had with it! Once the power cable plug disconnected from the stereo and I didn't have music for a week. Another time a part of the exhaust had rusted and my local mechanic fixed it for $30. When the car was 5 years old the battery died. 3 problems in 7 years.
I contacted seller of BMW….He said he bought this car just two months ago for her wife…but she doesn't like it..that's why they want to sell….I think this says all story…lol
Indeed. Avoid it like the plague.
There's obviously a ton of issues with it.
link us haha
Obligatory "buy a GTR" post.
Corolla or Camry definitely. Solid build & always reliable.
Friend of my father is a mechanic (specialising in gearboxes) and cautioned against the Cruse or anything euro, as they are the ones that require the most work.
Decide to buy Camry late 2013 or early 2014 with around 40K km….
Lol Cruze.
Go for Corolla, you can't go wrong with Japanese reliability and low maintenance, or even consider the brand new Hyundai i30 at $19,990 drive away at the moment, good luck :)