Re: bmw-digest V9 #1259

[John Virnig <javirnig@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark -

Bimmers are not cheap to maintain, but a late model ANYTHING shouldn't run you into the thousands to
maintain.  My advice is to locate the car you're looking for at a dealer (I know, I know, but hear me
out) who has a car that is "BMW Certified".  This means that the car has been maintained properly,
thoroughly checked out and reconditioned, and all the major components (check www.BMWUSA.com for
details) are covered under an extended warranty for 6 more years or up to 100,000 miles.  Since the
cars have to be turned in to BMW before their factory warranty runs out, they are all under 50,000
miles so you're covered for anything big for the next 50,000.

BMW also publishes their recommended service intervals.  In that publication (available at any
dealer) you'll see stuff like oil service, various inspections and whatnot.  Many of these things you
can perform yourself if you have the inkling and know-how which will save you many hundreds of
dollars annually.  And there have been countless articles posted to this digest and others explaining
how to take care of resetting service lights.  And if you really get down to it, the maintenance
checks they publish are not really out of line with the rest of the industry and will pay off in the
long run.

They aren't cheap to own, but they are very rewarding.  Good luck.

j

>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 07:32:34 -0500
> From: "Muller, Mark V." <MMuller@domain.elided>
> Subject: Need some advice ...
>
> I have now driven a few BMWs, but have never owned one.  They are terrific
> cars - nothing else out there is quite like them!  However, I have now heard
> from two mechanics (one is my brother in law and another is a close friend)
> who are, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about the repair costs for
> them.  My plan was to buy a 1995 or 1996 540i for $25k-$30k and keep it for
> ten years.  I was hoping the annual maintenance would average out to $1,000
> or so, but I'm told that just regular maintenance will be that much, and
> that the inevitable compressor, clutch, etc will end up costing me about
> $2,000 year, or more.
>
> I really don't want to own a car that will break down a lot, or cost me more
> than $2,000 per year to keep up.  Maybe I'm just too poor to own a 540i?
> What do you think?  All comments appreciated.
>
> Regards to all ... mvm.  mmuller@domain.elided
>

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