mileage vs year when purchasing a preowned car?
 

I'm looking at some preowned bmw 328i/335i coupes anyone have advice on what I should be looking for in terms of mileage to year? Ive come down to a 2007 with 46k a 2008 with 36k and a 2011 with 48k :eyecrazy kind of leaning towards the 11 as it is certified and the other two are not

Average person drives 15k miles a year. You could use that as a baseline if you wish.

fake mileage for first two card...

on that model BMW I'd go more by the number of boogers on the steering wheel vs. lingering cologne smell.

btw, I'm only gettin back atcha for dropping that disgusting tofu bacon pic in my stuffing thread.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh fair enough

happy holidays! I'd bet you can't go wrong with any of those cars, pending a good solid inspection to make sure.

I'd go with the one that's the coolest color.

If you are buying a used car then skip the dealers and find a guy who does wholesale and goes to the auctions or buys trade in cars from dealerships. You can save a shitload of money and then who the fuck cares of it is certified:2 cents::2 cents::2 cents: or not.

you too! either way I'm going with grey or silver :)

I would but my main concern is that they are no longer making these two models so if something goes wrong i could be slightly fucked :Oh crap

You won't be, car makers usually support their cars for 20 years minimum, 1994 would be when that would maybe start to be an issue but a 3 series BMW will have parts made for it forever and ever.

12-15k/year is average. My own car 4 years and 2 months old only has 32-33k on it but that's cause I live in Chicago so anything I need to do is within a few miles max. Would be even lower but I've run the bitch to Tampa 2-3 times around Christmas.

If those models are similar in features I'd probably be looking at the 2011 as well as I'd rather have something newer that was actually driven then something 7-8 years old with low mileage as odds are if low it was city miles and city miles are horrible for cars, stop/go/idling etc... where highway miles aren't as hard on the car and blow the bitch out. :2 cents:

I hope so!

didn't even think about it that way, I'm definitely leaning in that direction, thanks!! :thumbsup

Check the BMW owner forums. Read up on these cars and see what the weak links are.

I'm not familiar with BMW, but it looks like 07, 08 and 11 are from the same generation (2005-2011). Again, not familiar with BMW, but there usually aren't major mechanical upgrades throughout the span of a single generation. If the car was engineered well to begin with, the first year and the fourth year are mechanically the same (differing only in minor cosmetics). You can really use that to your advantage when used car shopping since cars go down in value moreso by year than mileage. On the other hand, if there has been desirable improvements throughout the generation to correct mechanical issues then you would want to get the last car of the generation.

Many years ago when I was actually a mechanic my girlfriends mom was trying to sell a car so I had my buddy come peep it cause his aunt needed a ride. Next day the Mom calls me and says what did you guys do to my car it runs great. Told her we beat the shit out of it on the test drive. Don't think she ever had the car go over 40 as all city miles so by beating the hell out of it we cleaned out some carbon build up, told her wouldn't hurt to jump on the expressway once a week or two and break 40mph to maintain the smoothness. :1orglaugh

Oh but seriously whichever one you get, clean interior real good with some anti biotic cleaners. Everything you can wipe down!

Your biggest concern is ensuring that you have a good mechanic to maintain them. I find that the euro cars generally don't break down as much (compared to their North American counterparts). But when they do, they are a lot more expensive to diagnose and fix. Find someone who specializes in Bimmers. It will save you money in the long run

mileage is meaningless. seriously. A 10K mile car owned by a punk is a much worse buy than a 100K mile car owned by a boring person.

most important is who owned the car, & second to that, the quality of construction of the car. As you are looking at BMW, the quality is solid. Its the previous owner you should be most concerned about.

given that dealers have little to no knowledge of previous owners, then you must look at the quality of the dealer. You must buy from a solid dealer that wont rip you off, or bullshit some reason they cant honor a warranty. Most dealers are shady as fuck. so you need to be careful about who you buy from.

& dont force yourself into a decision you are not 100% on. There are always more cars coming up for sale, every week.

GL. :)

My ex owns a mercedes/beamer shop and did all the maintenance on my old benz and even on my 4runner :) will be booty calling him if anything goes wrong :1orglaugh

agree completely, this is an actual bmw dealership and its in beverly hills, they have great reviews and the sales rep has been super helpful, I haven't even been up there yet and he's ran all around the lot just for me LOL I feel a lot better going with the certified pre owned on the 2011 because it covers me for 6 years and another 50k miles, whichever comes first

See if you can buy from a guy that works at home. I average about 6000 - 6500 miles per year, and I usually own two or three vehicles and split that up a little.

My current 2014 370z that I bought in early August, has just a little over 1800 miles on it now but I've been driving it more than usual because it's new and fun to drive, but still just putting a little over 120 miles per week on it.

BAD advice, specially for a novice :2 cents:

I have a 2008 335i and it just cost me $2,100 in repairs. It drives beautifully though, and in every other way is a great car. It just is expensive to keep up.

When you resell the car the 2011 will still be in the same decade and seem much newer to prospective buyers. But without knowing the prices it's hard to give a good opinion.

Besides the years & miles, it also depends HOW it was driven. Did it see salt roads in winter? Did it tow heavy loads? Crappy roads? Was the driver prone to gunning it and stopping fast, etc?

Since so many other things can create wear and tear, try first finding the car with the age and range you are fairly comfortable in, then get it inspect yourself. Then take even minor things to the buyer and use those to get a lower price on the car. This way you'll save money getting a reliable car that you really want.

I've had alot of bmws and am very, very familiar with them. I actually even code them.

Generally, the larger the engine in the car the lower the mileage per year is (at least in europe). It's very common for a 2007-2008 M3 here to have 50k km on it, but a 320d from 2007 will have 250k on it.

Go with the 2011. 46k miles is still fuck all. I have roughly that on my 550i (also 2011). It will have the newer CIC navigation with harddrive, which works *much* better - more responsive and much better graphics. A car that sits breaks more then a car that is driven... smaller chance it was in an accident too - it's rare to find a car from 2007 to 2008 that wasn't painted somewhere... on a scale of 7-8 years something MUST have happened.

the 2011 is 22

to be more specific i think this is the one Certified 2011 BMW 328i Coupe 3 For Sale in Los Angeles CA | Stock: TBE755434

Lets see the other two?

thats one of the most illogical things ive heard. Are you aware you can drop off any car, no matter what year it was made, at a garage? You can even let them check what's wrong with it, buy the parts on ebay yourself, and let them fix it. You can find brand new parts for pretty much any car nowadays, it's all still being made.

You can still buy original parts for a 20 year old e36 at bmw dealerships..

1. how many miles or how much time is left on the warranty for the certified?
2. a tow truck drive told most of his pick ups were mercs and bmw's with electric issues

I have a truck with nearly 170k miles on it, runs like a champ.

yea i know, dropped the buying parts yourself in there because for big repairs it's worth it, it's always at least 3 times cheaper than leaving it up to the dealership or garage.

You didn't say which year was which.

I had a 335 for 4 years so have a pretty good understanding of the cars and what goes wrong.

** edit

Just saw an earlier post, the 2011 is the 328.

Re the 335 models

2008 > 07 (there were early production niggles)

Most issues (hpfp, turbo wastegates) now covered by warranty extension.

From the original car build date whichever arrives first
HPFP: 120k/10yrs
Wastegates: 82k/8yrs wastegates,

so they're close to expiring for an 07.

Elec waterpump can be an issue. They usually go at 60 to 75k without fail, sometimes earlier. In built obsolescence maybe ;) Just be prepared for it, $1300 at the dealer. 6 hours on your garage floor and $600 DIY. Sometimes it messes the battery up at the same time. You shouldnt install a reg battery from walmart if it does. They have been known to explode, bmw approved battery and you should get it registered via the dealers system.

Unless you need 4 doors, the e92 coupe holds its value better and it looks nicer. Color scheme and toys also make a difference come resale.

TBH, id go for the 2011 328

I'm now down to these two:

Certified 2011 BMW 328i Coupe 3 For Sale in Los Angeles CA | Stock: TBE755434

Used 2012 BMW 328i Coupe For Sale | BMW North America

warranty runs on both for 6 years or 100k

Absolutely the 2011 in this case. The 2012 has no navigation/idrive, so immediately you will feel like you are driving a cheaper car + will be harder to sell later. That missing headlight sprayer panel is a bit suspicious, paired with those headlights (only m-package - which this car does not have - has white LED rings, other ones have yellow - at least in europe) so it might have been hit somewhere in the front.

There's mention on their website that the CPO warranty is calculated from build date. So a 6 year warranty really means 3 years left on that 2011 by the looks of things. Check through the warranty for exemptions and remember you likely paying for it anyway, since cpo or not, they are not going to build 3 years cover in for no profit.

The 2011 was more than likely leased originally (handed back a few miles short of the original 50k bmw warranty) the paperwork will confirm either way.

328's don't tend to get driven as hard as 335's but if it was leased it depends on how the lessee treated the car knowing they were going to hand it back.

I know you said you have a mechanic but certified pre-owned is the best move. Nothing to worry about then, your repair records will be from a dealer(to show when you sell it). Non- certified raises some concerns, may be because of prior damage or it was picked up as part of an auction, etc.

I didn't like BevHills bmw. Maybe they are better now at the new facility.

wow, nice info!

I have a friend that has a shop 500 meters from my house that rebuilds bmw. Practically only does bmw and i'm there once a week or so to visit, so i've seen *ALOT* of these cars completely stripped down to bare metal and fixed.

Certified 2011 BMW 328i Coupe 3 For Sale in Los Angeles CA | Stock: TBE755434

this is the winner :) best options over the others, realized the 2012 is completely stock, wish me luck on thursday!

A car with lesser miles is best naturally but there are plenty of owners that never service cars. A car with 30k miles or less over 2 years would be good enough to be resold at the dealer anything more would just be wholesaled. The millage over first 2 years is all that matters for valuations other wise you just buying a cheap car. I had a Baur and although a classic it is an old car so it really has no real value it is just a cheap car.

I find these guys are a lot more knowledgeable about cars than the average GFYer

Official Kelley Blue Book New Car and Used Car Prices and Values

Plus it's not white, can't stand white, good luck :thumbsup

Auto auctions can be a crapshoot. Lots of repos end up at auto auctions. Due to the prior owners' financial hardships, those cars tend to have problems from delayed repairs and maintenance.

:2 cents::2 cents::2 cents:

Owned a 316i, fun ride. BMW makes great cars. Good luck!

id go for the mileage, year model is useless if it is daily driven compared to a car who is bought years back but seldom used.

So how'd this go? Got any pics yet? :)