BMW owners

[DVCJEN]

I am looking for a new vehicle. I have narrowed the field and one of the vehicles I am considering is a BMW. Now let me start by saying that I know very little about cars. A friend told me I may want to reconsider a BMW because it is hard to find anyone that can do even routine maintenence on them and the nearest BMW dealership is about 40 minutes away. Is my friend right? Is it really difficult to find someone that can do basic maintence on a BMW? Like I said I do not know a lot about cars and would appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thanks.

 

[caitycaity]

in my area it's not, but i live in a pretty urban area. my dad has also not had problems, but he lives in a more built up area as well.

 

[damo]

I love my BMW. If you are buying a new BMW, they will probably want to service it at the dealer. Check with your favorite home-town mechanic as to whether or not he would service a used BMW.

 

[LindaR]

We are VERY rural............my boss had a BMW and while it was under warranty we had to drive 100 miles to the nearest dealership for maintenance. The mechanics AT the dealership said that they were hard to work on! Later, she found a very good mechanic who "specialized" in German autos (that's all he drove in his family). So, I guess it depends on your area, how difficult it will be for you to have the servicing done, etc. Personal choice!

 

[Jennifer S]

My dad had a BMW less than a year. He did not like it. He said his Audi drove much better- so now he has 2 Audi's.

I'm not sure where I heard it but I thought someone said they are expensive to fill w/ gas. Do they need diesel fuel? Is that more? I don't know. Just something I heard someone say.

 

[LindaR]

They require premium unleaded!

 

[dizluvr71]

I saw this post and thought of a friend who has a BMW, she absolutely loves it and this is her second go. She switched for awhile to a Mercedes and had nothing but issues from the get go and is now back to a BMW. She never had any major issues with the BMW however I think like others have said she went to the dealer for her service.

Anyways, best of luck to you on whatever your decision may be.

 

[Dodie]

Your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill mechanic cannot service a late model/current BMW (or Mercedes for that matter). You will need to take it to the dealership (or a special mechanic) for service. In turn, service is more expensive for these vehicles, parts are more expensive for these vehicles, and I believe most of them require or recommend that you use premium gasoline (OBVIOUSLY more expensive).

That said - you're talking about a nice car. Just may not be very practical for you?

 

[Hillbeans]

You may also want to test drive a Saab....they're in the same class, and I absolutely love mine.

I've averaged 27 MPG in the (almost year) i've had the car. It rides very well, but it does take premium gas - however I get about 400 miles per fill-up.

Also, the first 3 years I get all maintenance and services for free.

 

[Griggle]

I have leased 4 different BMW's in the past 15 years and will be getting a fifth come this November, after taking the past 3 years "off". I can't wait to get back behind that wheel. It's a superb car.

I have never used premium gas in any of my beemers, and have never had an issue. BWM advises to use gas of at least 89 octane - so regular gas should suffice. (Unless this advice has changed in the past three years - but I was behind a 7 last night @ the gas station and I'm almost positive I saw him putting reg. into his car).

In regards to maintanence, for every car I have leased I have received a 3 year full bumper to bumper maintanence program from the dealership. I haven't paid a dime for oil changes, reg. check ups and the services entailed with those, et c for any of my cars. My last one even covered wiper blades (something the first three did not....???). I've always received a loaner car from them (often "better" than my car....7's and even a Z3 once! fun!) and their service (in my opinion) is second to none. So, even though the dealership is 40 minutes away - it could be worth it if you get a maintanence package.

Good luck with your decision!!!

 

[DVCJEN]

Thanks so much everyone for your input. It gives me several additional items to think about. I have wanted one for a while and financially it is feasible-- but the convienience of service may be the thing to further investigate. Thanks again everyone!

 

[MAH4546]

Your normal, everyday, run-of-the-mill mechanic cannot service a late model/current BMW (or Mercedes for that matter). You will need to take it to the dealership (or a special mechanic) for service. In turn, service is more expensive for these vehicles, parts are more expensive for these vehicles, and I believe most of them require or recommend that you use premium gasoline (OBVIOUSLY more expensive).

That said - you're talking about a nice car. Just may not be very practical for you?

BMW's warranty is considered the best in the industry. Just about everything in the first four years or 50,000 miles, including oil changes, new wiper blades, and new brakes, is free.

I'm more of an MB fan myself, but I do highly reccomend BMWs. I recently sold my '02 745, but it was a great car. No problems at all with it. However, the warranty was about to expire, and I don't want to deal with the expenses when things need to start being replaced.