Suggestions Needed to Buy an Used Car (< $7k Range BMW)

LMr777 on 25/06/2019 - 00:31
Last edited 26/06/2019 - 20:27 by 1 other user

Experts

I am looking to buy an used car (<$7k range). I was eyeing on few BMW entry level cars. I found a few in facebook market place thinking that 170,000km to 210,000km was pretty decent but looking at some of the threads here, I am not certain either its a good idea to go with that many kilometer.

Any suggestions on what are the things to keep in mind whilst buying an used car? I am keen on BMW however open for other manufacturers as well.

Thanks

Edit: Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Appreciate it!

Automotive

Comments

  • GangGang on 25/06/2019 - 00:41
    +17

    You'll be spending more money maintaining a BMW than the car is worth,especially an old model.

    You're asking us tightarses about help getting a used car. Advice would be don't get that make.

    • Mr777 on 25/06/2019 - 00:46

      Thanks, can you elaborate "maintaining a BMW" please? Is that the parts are more expensive than other manufacturers?

      • GangGang on 25/06/2019 - 00:49
        +3

        Yes you're right. Also is the part easy to get?

        Servicing will also cost extra compared to japanese/Korean make cars.

        • Kangal on 25/06/2019 - 07:43
          +4

          They're also lower quality, break down more often, and parts are scarce.
          If this was Europe, go for it. But we're at the opposite side of the world, with a tiny population/market.

      • dcep on 25/06/2019 - 11:08

        less reliable / more breakdowns , than camry

  • [Deactivated] on 25/06/2019 - 01:03
    +11

    Entry level BMWs are as shit as every other company's entry level car, but with the added bonus of having more expensive maintenance. Don't bother, if your budget is 7k buy a good, low kms Japanese or Korean car and save up for a nice BMW.

  • Cave Fire on 25/06/2019 - 01:18
    +3

    $6-7k can get you quite a few nice sports cars if that's your thing. Or a more recent lower km economy model (camry, corolla, civic etc). Ironically, a newer economy model might go better than an older sports model. You should go <100 kms if possible for those ones. If you like BMW all good just be prepared for all costs to be roughly 20% higher + more maintenance issues.

  • whooah1979 on 25/06/2019 - 05:54
    +8

    BMW
    170,000km to 210,000km

    A high KMs euro tinbox. What could possibly go wrong?

  • brendanm on 25/06/2019 - 07:46
    +4

    Don't buy a sub $7k base model bmw. Noone will be impressed, you won't be impressed, and maintenance will cost more than Korean/Jap things.

  • Euphemistic on 25/06/2019 - 07:49
    +1

    You have seen the threads o here and yet still ask the question. It has all been explained before, but if you want someone to validate your choice of BMW you probably won’t get it. Pretty much every other thread in a similar vein is recommending a Toyota. I might add a Hyundai to that, and some others would too, it you won’t get a recommendation for An old BMW on ozbargain.

    However, saying that “It’s your funeral”. You ultimately get to decide wether the risk of expensive parts is worth having a fancy badge in the driveway. There are some here who would say that $7k will never get you a reliable car and that you need to buy with warranty. I (and others) will on the other hand would say you can, but you need to be wise in your decision and pick something with cheap pars repair costs and that is common to reduce the risk.

    • nubzy on 25/06/2019 - 09:41

      I agree, 7k is a very healthy budget for a quality car. Something like a Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla within the 6-7k price range will be very reliable and serve you well for years to come. If you want euro then you should up the budget a bit and I would be looking at Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Renault and Peugeot rather than BMW/Merc etc.

  • altomic on 25/06/2019 - 07:52
    +2

    eyeing on few BMW entry level cars

    OPs next post - "I bought a used BMW recently -it broke down and now repairs are going to cost $5,000"

    seriously OP - go for hyundai i30/i20, corolla, kio rio

    if you want a euro car then get a peugot.

  • dogboy on 25/06/2019 - 08:28
    +1

    I would buy anything but a Camry or a Corolla because life is too short to be that boring.

  • Ryanek on 25/06/2019 - 08:31
    +3

    There's nothing more expensive than a cheap BMW.

    • Cave Fire on 25/06/2019 - 11:50

      cheap porsche :)

  • donga100 on 25/06/2019 - 08:34
    +5

    Maintenance on European cars is not as expensive as most people on here think. Dealership service centres charge a fortune for it (as do most car brands) but if you go independent it is only about 20-30% more in my experience. This is mostly due to the more expensive synthetic oil that their engines require. Parts can be more expensive, especially new/genuine parts, but most of the cost of repairs is made up of labor costs anyway. You can compare prices of servicing on Supercheap Auto.

    In saying that, I wouldn't recommend buying any second hand car that has done 200,000km. You can get decent second hand BMW cars for around $15-$20k but if your budget is $7k I would suggest Korean/Japanese as your best choice.

    • MountFranklin on 29/06/2019 - 07:10
      +2

      This is very true. A lot of people bag me out for buying a BMW that's only run 50k - "service and parts going to be exy blah blah blah" yet they service their cars at dealerships which costs more than me taking my car to a reputable Indy garage.

  • Presence on 25/06/2019 - 08:47

    Do yourself a favour and Google basic maintenance like new headlight bulbs, new starter, new alternator, etc. You'll find it a lot more expensive than something Japanese.

    Look at an IS200/250/300 if you want something a bit more upmarket than a Camry or corolla.

    • OpayuOnam on 25/06/2019 - 12:54
      -1

      Is250 in that price bracket will mean early model high KMs which will very likely suffer from carbon build up.

  • SydEng on 25/06/2019 - 09:36
    +3

    This is a bargain site, people will give you shit the second you mention the word BMW. Saying that as a Bmw owner, I wouldn't get one in the $7k range or with anything over 150k km, things will go wrong. If you are a badge snob like me I'd get a lexus otherwise a golf is good at that price range.

  • Skramit on 25/06/2019 - 09:39
    +9

    Definitely go the BMW. Your mates will be fully impressed with your expensive taste. The chicks will dig your sick wheels and be throwing themselves at you for a ride in your fancy car. Nothing can go wrong.

  • dcep on 25/06/2019 - 11:09
    +2

    why go for entry level

    just straight on e30 M3 , high yield investment

    • OZBMate8911 on 26/06/2019 - 16:06

      Why wasn't this the first comment

    • [Deactivated] on 26/06/2019 - 21:26
      +3

      I don't think the 'high yield investment' meme actually applies to an E30 M3… that car is literally a high yield investment.

  • sparkles on 25/06/2019 - 11:11
    +1

    I read the title and had to come, assuming it had to be a troll post. Because WHY?

  • Ocker on 25/06/2019 - 11:25

    Being a high cost maintenance brand, both for parts and dealership labour rates of about $265ph, previous owner(s) may not have had the car properly serviced in the past and this would/could come back to haunt you. Just make sure you have a full service history to be safe.

  • wannagrababargain on 25/06/2019 - 11:30

    There are some sweet early 2000 BMWs you can get for <$7k however they will almost definitely need a certain amount of TLC. Each model have their well documented weaknesses. By now they're likely onto the 5th or 6th owner who are not necessarily aware of preventative maintenance required to keep these cars running properly. The cheap price of entry reflects this fact. If you know how to work on cars yourself you can fix a lot of the issues for cheap (the BMW parts network is massive) and have a nice car to drive. I would recommend against it if you are going to be paying someone else to do maintenance and repairs.

    • Baysew on 25/06/2019 - 11:43

      By now they're likely onto the 5th or 6th owner

      It's like the old line - One careful owner, the rest thrashed it

      • pegaxs on 25/06/2019 - 12:16
        +2

        Owed by mature, careful, lady owner…. (and her 3 teenage sons…)

  • ColstonAUS on 25/06/2019 - 12:13
    -1

    For 7k go get yourself a good condition VZ SV6 commodore or a BA XR6 Falcon, they have heaps of room , look pretty good, they go hard and are pretty reliable.

    They are super cheap to service, and if you ever need any parts for them they are always easy to find and cheap as chips because there are heaps of them, my last car was an 05 BA XR6 that I got for 2k with over 200000k's on it had a few problems but nothing ever too expensive, and my first car was a 99 commodore wagon, had 299000 on the clock when I bought it for 1k, sold it with 340000 on the clock and never had a single problem.

    If you're already set on a BMW then good luck to ya but I think you came to the wrong forum for advice on it, as like many others, my advice would be to stay away from them. My mate got an 03 model for 4k around the time I got my commy and 3 months later he was shopping for a new car.

  • pegaxs on 25/06/2019 - 12:15

    Need to budget $7k for the car, and another $14k for potential repairs.

    What's the old saying? If you cant afford a new BMW, you sure as hell cant afford a used one. :D

    • Euphemistic on 25/06/2019 - 12:24
      +2

      I think you meant:

      If you cant afford a new insert premium euro brand here, you sure as hell cant afford a used one.

      • pegaxs on 25/06/2019 - 15:55

        Works for every euro brand.

      • MountFranklin on 29/06/2019 - 07:16

        I can't afford new but I can afford second hand one. You can easily get one that has run 50k for 1/3 of original cost. All about service history and you can tell if the owner cared for the car.
        BMW recommend minor oil service every 25k. I do interim service every 8km myself

  • brad1-8tsi on 25/06/2019 - 15:26
    -2

    BMWs are great cars but if you get a good one for <$10k then budget about $3k/year at an independent BMW specialist to keep it maintained; $5k/yr if you are crazy enough to go to a dealership.

    You may not spend the $3k every year but budget for it.

  • Strahany on 25/06/2019 - 16:28
    +4

    If you want a BMW in that price range, get an E36. E46 and beyond start moving towards computer-controlled systems rather than mostly mechanical. Should leave a few grand spare so you can replace the cooling system (a known failure point) if the owner has no proof of it being done.

    Ignore the people who warn you against it. Clickableautomotive offers OEM parts at decent prices - can get everything you’d need. There are bad cars and good cars across all brands; admittedly, BMW make some dubious decisions when it comes to engine bay arrangement, such that more regularly service parts are tucked away in a harder-to-reach spot than, say, a Subaru. I’ve owned mine for 4 years and spent no more on it than I did my last 20+ year old car.

    • [Deactivated] on 25/06/2019 - 21:54
      +1

      harder-to-reach spot than, say, a Subaru

      Evil Subaru spark plug noises

  • OZBMate8911 on 26/06/2019 - 16:07
    +2

    The answer to your question is AU Falcon

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2019 - 17:43
      +1

      You could buy 4 or 5 for $7k

    • ngengerous on 27/06/2019 - 14:03

      If the OP is looking for a car with that 'cool' factor, the AU is definitely your answer.

      I owned one as a 20 year old guy for about 2 years, and between the fact that it was awfully ugly, and all the jokes online about it being the pinnacle of motoring perfection, almost all of my friends loved my car. Other friends owned WRXs, sporty hatches and other things, but the car which drew the most compliments was my sandy-gold Series III.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/06/2019 - 22:25

    Old BMWs are renowned for their reliability. I would recommend an E46, which doesn't have a rear subframe cracking issue at all. If not that, get an E60 M5, because that V10 will 100% not blow up, and it's SMG gearbox will 100% not fail.

    • MountFranklin on 29/06/2019 - 07:27

      There is not even one E60 M5 in Australia selling for less than $7k and if there was then it will have done over 200/300k.

      Rod bearing is a known major service that must be done around 150k mark and is a bitch to do.

      • Euphemistic on 29/06/2019 - 08:08

        I suspect you missed BurnerToasty’s sarcasm, a user not known for supporting anything but brand new premium brand vehicles.

        • MountFranklin on 29/06/2019 - 08:10

          Ah I did. Thanks. Can't tell when there's no emotive speech. It's the problem of modern day communications

          • [Deactivated] on 29/06/2019 - 10:26

            @MountFranklin: No, the sarcasm was obvious. The problem isn’t the communication, it’s your inference.

            There is also zero preventative maintenance that will prevent an E60 M5 rod bearing failure. They can go at any time, even if you replace them. It was a very poorly designed car.

            • [Deactivated] on 29/06/2019 - 14:34

              @[Deactivated]: My God that SMG was bad, hey. How did that tick all the boxes at BMW and be released on the public?

            • MountFranklin on 29/06/2019 - 18:27

              @[Deactivated]: I am sorry that did not pick up on what you meant. Thank you for the lesson. I really appreciate it.

    • whooah1979 on 29/06/2019 - 08:31

      E60 M5

      Every hero should have one of these.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G6xDyhau_0

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