How long will these cars last?

[s4awd]

If you're going to out heavy miles and hope to keep it for a while get a Lexus. I purchased a BMW once..... Never again. I've been leasing them ever since.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by s4awd

If you're going to out heavy miles and hope to keep it for a while get a Lexus. I purchased a BMW once..... Never again. I've been leasing them ever since.

Are you not loosing even more money if you lease a new car evert 3 or 4 years?

[s4awd]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Are you not loosing even more money if you lease a new car evert 3 or 4 years?

If you buy the car, it will depreciate and you lose money. When you lease you pay for the depreciation. You pay a little more but you are not stuck with the car. Like renting a car. Have fun with a new car and give it back. Just don't lease a used car

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by s4awd

If you buy the car, it will depreciate and you lose money. When you lease you pay for the depreciation. You pay a little more but you are not stuck with the car. Like renting a car. Have fun with a new car and give it back. Just don't lease a used car

But let"s say you lease 2 F80s over the course of 8 years, 1 every 4 years, you will pay more than simply buying the first F80 and keeping it over 8 year and repairing it, no?

[Damasconian]

Originally Posted by JTmarlin

You do not want to own this car without an extended warranty....

These cars are so much more involved then they were 5-10 years ago, I was listening to a podcast with Steve Dinan talking about the 6 computers in the intake tract and multiple sensors in the MAF. Then you consider the rear sunshades, parking cameras, sensors, dct, just to name a few things that can go wrong and cause serious $$

I'd like to hear that podcast, where did you find it? You learn so much from interviews like that. Thank You

[F83]

Originally Posted by s4awd

If you're going to out heavy miles and hope to keep it for a while get a Lexus.

Yeah but.... (Do I have to say it?)

[F83]

Originally Posted by s4awd

If you buy the car, it will depreciate and you lose money. When you lease you pay for the depreciation. You pay a little more but you are not stuck with the car. Like renting a car. Have fun with a new car and give it back. Just don't lease a used car

If you are going to get behind a new car every 3.5 years then yes you are better off leasing (unless you put a lot of miles on it). However, the money you save by buying isn't in the first 3 years of ownership - its in the second 3 years, and especially in the third 3 years if you keep them that long. That's because by far the biggest depreciation hit happens in the first three years. After that the curve levels out a lot and (assuming your car payments are done) you just drive the car for "free".

[s4awd]

Originally Posted by F83

If you are going to get behind a new car every 3.5 years then yes you are better off leasing (unless you put a lot of miles on it). However, the money you save by buying isn't in the first 3 years of ownership - its in the second 3 years, and especially in the third 3 years if you keep them that long. That's because by far the biggest depreciation hit happens in the first three years. After that the curve levels out a lot and (assuming your car payments are done) you just drive the car for "free".

Yes until maintenance of the car starts to eat away at the 'free" part.

[F83]

Originally Posted by s4awd

Yes until maintenance of the car starts to eat away at the 'free" part.

Yep that's been my approach. When it just gets too expensive, time to trade it in. But that IME is like 10 years out, certainly not 3.

[04cobra]

Originally Posted by F83

Yeah but.... (Do I have to say it?)

LEXIZONE!!!!!!!!111111

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by georgere

Previous generations required special oil, short change intervals,

The baseline recommended oil change interval on both my E46 and E92 M3s was 20k km (12k miles) and 25k km (15k miles) respectively...

I kept both cars for 7 and 6 years respectively and put over 100 track days on each, never had an engine issue following the BMW oil change intervals. Since I tracked regularly, the on-board calculated intervals were reduced to about 15~20k km, but I still don't consider this "short" intervals.

[BhamDavid]

I have owned a 2000 323 convertible and a 2001 530 since new. I do my own work and take very good care of them. The most major problems I've had are a cam sensor failure, an alternator failure, a couple of window regulators failed, and a cracked expansion tank. I did proactively rebuild both cooling systems a few years ago and both have had new brakes and refreshed suspension pieces.

Parts are not all that expensive bought on the Internet. BMW has a great community of people that maintain their own cars so it's easy to diagnose common problems and find DIYs for them.

Both cars look and drive like new. They have been very inexpensive to maintain. The cooing system and suspension work on each car costs less than what one month's payment will be on the M3 I have on order.

I plan to do my own work on the M3 and I'm sure by the time it needs any major work, there will be a community of like minded M3 owners to share information with.

Don't believe the myth that BMWs fall apart after the warrant expires or that they are expensive to maintain. Of course, if you don't maintain any car and treat it like shit, you will get what you deserve.

[Matt_B]

Depreciation on another new car will surely be far more than maintaining and repairing your M over the same period. For the typical owner at least, I'm sure there would be outliers.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by F83

If you are going to get behind a new car every 3.5 years then yes you are better off leasing (unless you put a lot of miles on it). However, the money you save by buying isn't in the first 3 years of ownership - its in the second 3 years, and especially in the third 3 years if you keep them that long. That's because by far the biggest depreciation hit happens in the first three years. After that the curve levels out a lot and (assuming your car payments are done) you just drive the car for "free".

Yeah I got it now for me, makes sense. If you will get a new car in 3 to 4 years then totally I can see why the leasing option exists. Now I understand.

[04cobra]

I mean, how much are you guys expecting to pay in maintenance on these things. Most people are paying 700-800 a month as is in lease/loan, that's almost $10k a year.....I feel like 2-3k a year in maintenance isnt really going to break the bank

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by F83

If you are going to get behind a new car every 3.5 years then yes you are better off leasing (unless you put a lot of miles on it). However, the money you save by buying isn't in the first 3 years of ownership - its in the second 3 years, and especially in the third 3 years if you keep them that long. That's because by far the biggest depreciation hit happens in the first three years. After that the curve levels out a lot and (assuming your car payments are done) you just drive the car for "free".

Originally Posted by 04cobra

I mean, how much are you guys expecting to pay in maintenance on these things. Most people are paying 700-800 a month as is in lease/loan, that's almost $10k a year.....I feel like 2-3k a year in maintenance isnt really going to break the bank

And that 2-3k a year is after like what, 4-5 years?

[JNoSol]

You still see E30 and E36 running around. A few of my buddies got E36 M3 with over 225k miles, tracked 4-6 times per year. With a strict maintenance, they will last a long time.

You might need to budget for a new set of turbos at 120-140k miles. By then, the price of turbos for the S55 should drop to about $3k USD/set (prediction).

[mrduder]

only time will tell, but i have to say, almost anything new these days is not built to last. all the tech that goes into these things is bound to break down fairly quick. i'd be shocked if these cars didn't have major problems in a few years time. that's why i leased. have fun with it and then let it be someone else's problem. hahaha

[moomeacow]

Originally Posted by C_Treadwell

I'm dreading the day I have to replace the turbo. If I keep my F80 past 4 years I will absolutely pony up for an extended warranty. Anyone have a recommendation on a good one?

extended warranty is like 5-6k I think for 7year /100k miles platinum, when I get my f80 i'm gonna switch to geico and get mechanical breakdown insurance which you can renew for 7 years or 100k miles. you can only buy it when the car is relatively new less than 15k miles and 12 months? i think. it covers everything and i was quoted like 51 dollars per 6 months, thats 102 per year times 7 years thats less than a thousand bux. it has a 250 deductible but if anything major happens it would pay for the whole 7 years easily on these cars. i'm planning to keep this car until the wheels fall off, i'll start looking into another wwarranty after the 7year/100k if I have to when the time comes.

[F83]

Originally Posted by mrduder

only time will tell, but i have to say, almost anything new these days is not built to last. all the tech that goes into these things is bound to break down fairly quick. i'd be shocked if these cars didn't have major problems in a few years time. that's why i leased. have fun with it and then let it be someone else's problem. hahaha

I agree with this comment as it relates to most things but not cars. Cars are just better built than they were 10 years ago, 20 years ago. 100k miles used to be considered "end of life" for a car without a major engine rebuild. Now, 100k miles (assuming you've truly taken care of the vehicle) is nothing at all. Most modern cars will easily go for 200 - 300k miles if cared for.

As others have said and I agree, my old BMW has about 100k miles on it and runs like it is brand new. Most importantly it also looks like it is brand new. Literally, people can't believe how old it is, or how many miles it has when they get in. All up I've spent about 5k on maintenance on the vehicle since buying it new. I have another $2k axel job coming up - so let's call it $7k. That is SO MUCH LESS than payments.

Of course, yes I did buy a new M4 but the point is, I kept the older BMW because it has years and years of life left - and will serve me well in the winter and other occasions when I don't want to drive my M.

[RocketBoots]

The most accurate answer is 'nobody knows'.

However, we would hope that the N54/N55 that the S55 is loosely based on taught BMW enough that the S55 is solid, which appears to be the case.

Cars are so loaded full of electronics/computers these days that it's a lot more difficult to work on the car yourself compared to and E36, E46, E39. There is a great BMW community, especially for M cars, with a lot of DIY'ers, so that does make it much better and easier. You still need more specialized equipment, I would think.

So to answer your question, I think these cars will have quite good longevity.

[Naz24]

Originally Posted by C_Treadwell

I'm dreading the day I have to replace the turbo. If I keep my F80 past 4 years I will absolutely pony up for an extended warranty. Anyone have a recommendation on a good one?

Just extend the BMW warranty