[mxchris727]

My mother is purchasing an 08 335 E93 (like mine) with 99K miles for 10k OBO. It's been meticulously maintained at the same dealer since new. Now, I can definitely work on it on the weekends for her if it needs, but is this a good purchase? I don't what it to leave her stranded. I live and work in Boston, so I'm not always readily available.

The prior owner is very wealthy and threw $$ at it; whatever the dealer recommended (Fairfield County used cars are always like that). However, it's going to the dealer before we purchase because it's not boosting properly. I'm thinking that the vacuum lines are bad; but they'll check everything. The POs records show that the battery, water pump, OFHG, and many other things have been replaced within the last 20K miles. The dealer is going to pull the rest of the records since new so that I can make sure that the turbos were done at some point.

Any thoughts? I have attached the Carfax; the previous owner bought it CPO with 73K from BMW of Greenwich. Now, it has two owners and sits right under 100K.

Funny thing is, my father instantly connected with the PO regarding
unrelated business. So, now the guy doesn't care what he sells the car for, just wants to get rid of it and not screw us over.

[Captain comic]

If car has no active steering - your mother (if she's not a hulks mother) will curse you for such a heavy steering and she'll break her hands and joints. Buy her some nice 5 series or a mersedes cabrio

[mxchris727]

Originally Posted by Captain comic

If car has no active steering - your mother (if she's not a hulks mother) will curse you for such a heavy steering and she'll break her hands and joints. Buy her some nice 5 series or a mersedes cabrio

She's driving my father's new Mercedes C class right now, and doesn't like how light the steering is. I'm sure that the stiff steering is not an issue. Plus, the X-drives have much heavier steering than the RWD models.

My father is going to trade in that C-class sedan for a C-class coupe for himself. I'll post pictures if everything works out; they're really nice cars. I would take one hands down over a BMW if I wasn't so picky with an auto.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by mxchris727

My mother is purchasing an 07 335 E93 (like mine) with 99K miles for 10k OBO. It's been meticulously maintained at the same dealer since new. Now, I can definitely work on it on the weekends for her if it needs, but is this a good purchase? I don't what it to leave her stranded. I live and work in Boston, so I'm not always readily available.

While these are not run-forever Toyotas and Hondas, they aren't Ferraris (or Fiats) either. In 27 years of owning 4 different BMWs, we've had 3 instances of having to have a tow (accessory belt and water pump on our '91 525i, and a transfer case on my '01 330xi). Un-modified and well-maintained, they don't break often. Granted the HPFP and water pump are concerns; she managed before you were able to work on her cars, she'll manage now.

[CTinline-six]

The car sounds like it was well maintained, but I'm not sure I would recommend an N54 to someone who can't really be stranded. That's not to say it will happen, but I have a feeling you will be working on it a lot. An N55 or N52 car would probably be a better idea for her.

My GF's car (325i) has needed to be towed twice. Once for the starter, and once for the water pump. The starter was in her driveway, so no big deal. The water pump was on the side of the highway a long way from anything, and this is on an N52 car.

As long as she is aware of the potential problems and breakdowns, and is okay with that, then it shouldn't be an issue.

[Indyeah]

N54 is not considered a particularly reliable motor. If not being left on the side of a road is a big priority for you then an n54 with 100k miles that isn't boosting properly may not be the best choice. The 2007 model year in particular had terrible issues with the HPFP. The turbos are 10 years old at this point. If you want more reliability and can sacrifice power, consider a 328i. If you want the power but want something more reliable, consider a newer 335i with an n55.

[rick100]

07 335 , I would say no. Specially for your mother who probably can not work on the car or would pull to the side everytime something insignificant happens

Specially when the preventative maintenance needs to be kept up to date on these cars.
Most women are oblivious when it comes down to this

I say "most" because some are very knowledgeable.

Maybe your mom falls into the "some" category , then she should be fine

[mxchris727]

I'm agreeing on it not being the most reliable choice. However, she works in New Canaan which is only one town over and drive to clients in Westport. So besides the occasional trip to LI, it shouldn't be seeing too many miles.

My car has been nothing but reliable. If the dealer gives it an okay, and I find the turbo have been done once before and are fine now, I may pull the trigger on it.

My plan is to do a 100K service which includes: transmission fluid, differential fluid, power steering fluid, coolant, air filter, cabin filter, and an oil change just to make sure that good oil is in there. Maybe I'll even do the shocks as they are cheap. Also, I'll do the DME MOSFETS as preventative care.

[delmarco]

Car Fax is literally a BMW service record for this vehicle.

Only stand outs that would turn me off, when compared to other E9x CarFax reports-including my own car that have substantial BMW service history data recorded, is the brakes being replaced frequently as in every 7k to 10k miles from day one. Also the tires were replaced quite frequently hinting that the car came with the awful Conti CSS RFT that my car had. I noticed the car had a glove box repaired/replaced around the same time a [broken] window was repaired. This could mean someone broke into the car and pried open the glovebox to get a valet or spare key. i could be wrong here but I do remember, since this car was driven near to where I live in Westchester, years ago when the Local News reported that BMW cars were targeted for break ins because theives were keen to the E90/E60 glove box spare key which could be used to start and drive away the BMWs after the cars were broken into. My local dealership also mentioned this at the time that they were lots of mashed up gloveboxes because people were breaking in and trying to get into the glove box to steal keys.

Said and done it was a well serviced car but I won't recommend any n54 car to someone who doesn't plan on DIYing stuff, tuning the engine or being prepared to be stranded on the side of the road.

Tell your Mom to get another BMW, even an E46 (2001 to 2006 328ic/330ic) may be better or just another car in general.

[mxchris727]

Originally Posted by delmarco

Car Fax is literally a BMW service record for this vehicle.

Only stand outs that would turn me off, when compared to other E9x CarFax reports-including my own car that have substantial BMW service history data recorded, is the brakes being replaced frequently as in every 7k to 10k miles from day one. Also the tires were replaced quite frequently hinting that the car came with the awful Conti CSS RFT that my car had. I noticed the car had a glove box repaired/replaced around the same time a [broken] window was repaired. This could mean someone broke into the car and pried open the glovebox to get a valet or spare key. i could be wrong here but I do remember, since this car was driven near to where I live in Westchester, years ago when the Local News reported that BMW cars were targeted for break ins because theives were keen to the E90/E60 glove box spare key which could be used to start and drive away the BMWs after the cars were broken into. My local dealership also mentioned this at the time that they were lots of mashed up gloveboxes because people were breaking in and trying to get into the glove box to steal keys.

Said and done it was a well serviced car but I won't recommend any n54 car to someone who doesn't plan on DIYing stuff, tuning the engine or being prepared to be stranded on the side of the road.

Tell your Mom to get another BMW, even an E46 (2001 to 2006 328ic/330ic) may be better or just another car in general.

Wow, the theft idea is surprising. I'll look into the dealer records to see exactly what was done.
As for an E46, absolutely not! I've had a few- they are crap. The build quality was awful (plastics and paint), and she can't drive something that old. Honestly, this car is not for the long-term. It's really an inexpensive yet nice placeholder until the new 3-series comes out. My father just doesn't want her to get stuck in another lease in the meantime. If it all works out well and the car treats them as mine treats me, we may keep it for use at the vacation home. The upside of the E93s is that they hold their value very very well.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by mxchris727

Wow, the theft idea is surprising. I'll look into the dealer records to see exactly what was done.
As for an E46, absolutely not! I've had a few- they are crap. The build quality was awful (plastics and paint), and she can't drive something that old. Honestly, this car is not for the long-term. It's really an inexpensive yet nice placeholder until the new 3-series comes out. My father just doesn't want her to get stuck in another lease in the meantime. If it all works out well and the car treats them as mine treats me, we may keep it for use at the vacation home. The upside of the E93s is that they hold their value very very well.

Ok if it is a short term thing then she should be fine. Just get AAA and add any tow service to your car insurance and you will be fine.

I agree I had an E46 for the last 8 years before getting my E90 and the E90 has better quality parts that hold up well over time.

Another thing she will want to do is get rid of the run flat tires since the car seems to eat those pretty quickly according to the service history.

[mike@x-ph.com]

I would not buy a 100k BMW as my daily driver

[08TUNDRA]

Sheesh, IDK what all the negativity here is for, The car seems like it was very well maintained, and if you continue to take care of it you should have a great car for not that much l, I'm second owner of my n54 e92 and in the 3 years I've owned it it has never left me stranded, I have gotten my share of half engine lights and did my water pump when It started to show symptoms but if you already own a 335i you're familiar with the costs associated with it, not only so but from what I'm picking up your parents are more than financially stable enough to afford the maintenance on this thing. GO for it OP and let's see some pics of it lol.

[arhoads335i]

The fact is these things are not ticking time bombs, do motor mounts, belt tension-er, injectors and water pump it will be fine. And if its stock just do oil changes every 6-7k. The problem is that the car is at 100k right now. I will suspect that the Control arms and struts will need to be replaced.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by arhoads335i

The fact is these things are not ticking time bombs, do motor mounts, belt tension-er, injectors and water pump it will be fine. And if its stock just do oil changes every 6-7k. The problem is that the car is at 100k right now. I will suspect that the Control arms and struts will need to be replaced.

It already had a new waterpump at 51k miles according to the Carfax.

All those annual flat tires and constant brake replacement definitely suggest that some sort of suspension work or overhaul is impending.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

I would not buy a 100k BMW as my daily driver

Maybe not an N54, but an N52 is a perfectly fine daily driver at 100k. All cars will have problems, even those considered "reliable". How people research and deal with them is what makes the ownership experience good or bad. Obviously some cars/brands have more problems than others.

My friend's mom has a 2007 Honda Civic with 200k miles. The car has a few cosmetic flaws, the tires/brakes aren't the best, but it otherwise runs and drives fine. She bought a 2016 Honda HRV, and the car has already left her stranded 2 times due to some module failing. She is now driving her 2007 car every day again without issue, while the NEW one sits at the shop.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Maybe not an N54, but an N52 is a perfectly fine daily driver at 100k. All cars will have problems, even those considered "reliable". How people research and deal with them is what makes the ownership experience good or bad. Obviously some cars/brands have more problems than others.

My friend's mom has a 2007 Honda Civic with 200k miles. The car has a few cosmetic flaws, the tires/brakes aren't the best, but it otherwise runs and drives fine. She bought a 2016 Honda HRV, and the car has already left her stranded 2 times due to some module failing. She is now driving her 2007 car every day again without issue, while the NEW one sits at the shop.

"tires and brakes aren't the best"

You do you know you can change those, and also upgrade them, if you need. Tires and brakes do not make a car great or bad the way tranny and engines can.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by delmarco

"tires and brakes aren't the best"

You do you know you can change those, and also upgrade them, if you need. Tires and brakes do not make a car great or bad the way tranny and engines can.

I meant that referring to the car's condition to give an idea of how it was maintained. I actually just convinced her to do them and have rotors/pads on order and she will be getting tires since Honda still has the HRV. The car is one of those "still holding together but slowly falling apart" vehicles because it was never maintained. To my knowledge the trans fluid is probably original.


To be fair, there are people who shouldn't buy anything but new cars, because they aren't capable of maintaining a used car regardless of brand.

[BayMoWe335]

$10k is expensive for a 10 year old 335i with 100k miles.

[N52UNED]

Originally Posted by mxchris727

I'm agreeing on it not being the most reliable choice. However, she works in New Canaan which is only one town over and drive to clients in Westport. So besides the occasional trip to LI, it shouldn't be seeing too many miles.

My car has been nothing but reliable. If the dealer gives it an okay, and I find the turbo have been done once before and are fine now, I may pull the trigger on it.

My plan is to do a 100K service which includes: transmission fluid, differential fluid, power steering fluid, coolant, air filter, cabin filter, and an oil change just to make sure that good oil is in there. Maybe I'll even do the shocks as they are cheap. Also, I'll do the DME MOSFETS as preventative care.

It seems like your mind is already made up and are just bouncing the idea off folks.

Bottom line ... 35's aren't especially known to be as reliable as 28's. Plus it is a 100k mile car. Regardless of the drive train being in good order ... the car has 100k miles on it, there's lots of little parts that you should expect to replace sooner than later ... and these little parts add up ... it is a BMW they're not cheap to maintain.

But if you and your mother are OK with the idea that she'll be putting money into it sooner than later ... well that's your decision. I'd expect to figure about $1k for repairs maybe more within the next year. So definitely add that into the offer. AAA or maybe BMWCCA is a good idea as well.

Good luck with your decision.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Maybe not an N54, but an N52 is a perfectly fine daily driver at 100k. All cars will have problems, even those considered "reliable". How people research and deal with them is what makes the ownership experience good or bad. Obviously some cars/brands have more problems than others.

My friend's mom has a 2007 Honda Civic with 200k miles. The car has a few cosmetic flaws, the tires/brakes aren't the best, but it otherwise runs and drives fine. She bought a 2016 Honda HRV, and the car has already left her stranded 2 times due to some module failing. She is now driving her 2007 car every day again without issue, while the NEW one sits at the shop.

The reason why i would not get a BMW with high mileage is high labor and parts cost. Even if the car is reliable any shop visit is going to cost at least ~ $300 VS toyotas/hondas/Nissan with cheap parts and labor.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

$10k is expensive for a 10 year old 335i with 100k miles.

agreed.

That car should sell for about $8k