BMWs with high mileage more efficient than lower mileage

Kotek Besar

I'm in the market for a used BMW. Never owned one before. Looking at 318i or 320d. Either 2008 or 2009. Will be buying the UK as I'm based there currently.

Looking online mainly, but went to see a couple at a dealer the other day. He specialises in ex-fleet vehicles, with relatively high mileage (80 - 100k). Now, he was telling me that, with BMWs at least, the higher the mileage the more efficient the engine. He said that people who spend a grand or two more for a car with 60k miles on instead of 80K / 100k are crazy.

Am I being spun a yarn here or is there any truth in that?

Another question, he was saying that they cost no more to service than a vauxhall / other cheaper-end car. True or tripe?

The Pontiac

Kotek Besar wrote: »

I'm in the market for a used BMW. Never owned one before. Looking at 318i or 320d. Either 2008 or 2009. Will be buying the UK as I'm based there currently.

Looking online mainly, but went to see a couple at a dealer the other day. He specialises in ex-fleet vehicles, with relatively high mileage (80 - 100k). Now, he was telling me that, with BMWs at least, the higher the mileage the more efficient the engine. He said that people who spend a grand or two more for a car with 60k miles on instead of 80K / 100k are crazy.

Am I being spun a yarn here or is there any truth in that?

Another question, he was saying that they cost no more to service than a vauxhall / other cheaper-end car. True or tripe?

Yeah, I can safely say he's talking out of his arse.

Supergurrier

This is like the time i had a customer in asking me why Italian leather suite cost more and i proceeded to tell him that Florintine leather was made from special cows that were kept in fields with no barbed wire, lol

Senna

A 4yr old ex-fleet with 80k isn't high mileage.

burke027

<Ollie> wrote: »

Yeah, I can safely say he's talking out of his arse.

I agree totally all we do in our garage is bmws so he is really talking out of his arse. And secondly all BMW parts will be more expensive then say Opel or fiat or ford parts.

Matt Simis

burke027 wrote: »

I agree totally all we do in our garage is bmws so he is really talking out of his arse. And secondly all BMW parts will be more expensive then say Opel or fiat or ford parts.

Well, I found Alfa (bought in Fiat garage) parts to be consistently more expensive than BMW. BMW Servicing is pricey, but IMO actual parts are relatively not.

cabb8ge

Kotek Besar wrote: »

.........

Another question, he was saying that they cost no more to service than a vauxhall / other cheaper-end car. True or tripe?

Cost to service 320d or 318d or 520d compare to car like Insignia diesel about the same to be true I think. When thing go wrong BMW more expensive but service cost the roughly same true.

Wicklowandy

Id prefer a maintained high miler than some diesel that drove 150 miles a week anyday.

dgt

Matt Simis wrote: »

Well, I found Alfa (bought in Fiat garage) parts to be consistently more expensive than BMW. BMW Servicing is pricey, but IMO actual parts are relatively not.

+1

Alfa parts are considerably more expensive than the equavelent BMW or even Merc part

Eg spark plugs. We only buy NGK:

280SE plugs cost us about £10
525i plugs cost me €23
166 plugs were £36...

An M20B25 belt kit was about £70 while the 2.5 V6 in the 166 was an eye watering £350 + vat just for a belt, 2 rollers and tensioner!!! :eek:

A new rad for the 525i is about £150 while the 166 rad is near double that. Both are common enough problems with each car

Alfa bits can be very expensive and a lot of people don't realise this...

goz83

Matt Simis wrote: »

Well, I found Alfa (bought in Fiat garage) parts to be consistently more expensive than BMW. BMW Servicing is pricey, but IMO actual parts are relatively not.

I was looking for a plastic wheel arch liner for my 2001 318i in 2009/10. BMW wanted circa €200 and it was only the very front section, which is about 2 square feet of crap plastic. I had other parts quoted at random times and the prices were out of this world. Thank god for ebay.

Kotek Besar

Thanks for the input lads.

So, to be clear, higher mileage BMWs aren't more efficient than lower mileage ones and BMWs aren't as cheap as cheaper-end cars to service.

The guy at the garage was saying that an oil filter for a BMW 3 series is about £8. That's for a Bosch brand one, not BMW original, but he said it's just as good as they're all made in Germany anyway.

bmstuff

On the other end people buying servicable parts from the dealer need to shop around and do a bit of research first.
I buy original NKG plugs, same model as the dealer, for 5 euros online. Not 23 euros.

Car manufacturer make very little parts. More than 100 3rd manufacturers do provide parts to the car manufacturer. That include Valeo, Bosch, Lemforder, Behr, NGK etc.
Most of those parts are available outside the dealers network in motor factors for at least half the price usually, if not more. And they are 100% the same as you buy from the dealer since they are made from the same company.

bmstuff

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Thanks for the input lads.

So, to be clear, higher mileage BMWs aren't more efficient than lower mileage ones and BMWs aren't as cheap as cheaper-end cars to service.

The guy at the garage was saying that an oil filter for a BMW 3 series is about £8. That's for a Bosch brand one, not BMW original, but he said it's just as good as they're all made in Germany anyway.

This is just BS because all his cars are "higher" mileage. A higher mileage with perfect service history is usually better than a "lower" mileage with no service at all.
But still, this guy sounds like he wants to do you nonetheless. If he can align blatant lies like this, imagine what he can do on known problems with a car you might buy from him.
Personally I would stay away from this cow boy.

Many parts are made in Germany, they are not necessarily good.
Take Bilstein, they make lots of aftermarket sensors for BMW, most are crap.
I bought a german made water pump for the 540i in GSF about 3 years ago, died after 12 months. The bearing did not hold and the fan was spinning with a 30 degrees angle almost on the right and left.\
They are German made, but not to the original part specs. Lower specs, lower price, lower quality and lifespan.

Kotek Besar

Thanks bmstuff.

I'll steer clear from him then so.

Is it recommended to buy from BMW Approved?

Example, I quite like the look of this. Only 14k miles and just £12995. Any thoughts? Apologies - I'm a BMW "n00b", as it were.

ian87

I bought a 2008 320d last october. Driving circa 500 miles a week for about 50-60 in diesel. I drive fairly hard so I could do better to be fair. I bought all my filters last week and they were all mahle. The only difference between them and the BMW ones was the ones from my motor factors didn't have a BMW stamp inked on them. Made in the same factory, same part numbers, the lot. And a lot cheaper.
I change my cars as often as every 6 months as I get tired of them easily, not so in the 320d. Comfy when you want it to be, throw it into corners and kick the arse out when you to. Highly recommended!

The car posted above is nearly too low mileage.. I'd worry that dpf issues would appear due to it not being driven enough..

Kotek Besar

Interesting, thanks ian87. What are DPF issues?

ian87

Diesel particulate filter. Basically it filters out the nasties from the exhaust fumes. To work properly it needs to get up to heat for a prolonged time or it will clog. A low mile car like that would suggest this would not be done in day to day use of the car. When they get clogged they are highly expensive to fix/replace.

And I've just realised the car you posted is a petrol so disregard the above. Still good to know mind you!

Kotek Besar

ian87 wrote: »

And I've just realised the car you posted is a petrol so disregard the above. Still good to know mind you!

Indeed, thank you. Is it best to avoid petrols, due to poor economy over diesels?

bazz26

I'd be more concerned with the known timing chain issue on the BMW N47 diesel engine than the DPF.

pred racer

Op, this can be true of Diesel engines, but only up to about 5k km. they take a while of running to reach their proper mpg etc (vw transporters are well known for this, and alfa diesels) but your salesman is talking bollocks!

Eric Cartman

the one thing Id give him is , fleet cars - mostly motorway miles, a lot of cruising, would have been serviced on the dot usually.

BMW parts are the same price if not cheaper than parts for VAG cars and most jap stuff in my experience, theres a lot more blueprint part manufacturers too. Where BMW gets you is the labour cost, get a good indy and the difference in price between servicing a 5 series and an avensis would be less than 50 quid.