Cost of ownership of a BMW over other makes of car

chris73

Could someone give any indication how much a BMW 320TD Compact SE (2003) would be worth in 3 years time with approaching 150k on the clock?

Not sure about the BMW value with 150k, £2000 maybe, even though it's a diesel, the mileage would put a lot of people off.

You are joking right??, having spent months looking for the right car I found that there are BMW diesels with 170k Miles going for £7500+ and an 140K mile X reg'ed 330D on a local forecourt for £8995

After the first 3 years depreciation on these cars is extremely low, so my guess would be £5000 - £5500.

I paid £8300 from Ebay for a 03 Reg'd 320D SE with 92K miles and full service history.

A friend bought the same car from another Ebay dealer but with 83k Miles for £8800

The forecourt price locally from a private dealership ranged from £9499 - £10k for similar milage.

For £11k you could easily get a low miler '03 or a average mileage 6 speed '04

Also note that 01 to early 03 models of the 320D had a huge number of turbo failures which cost in the region of £2000 - £3000 to repair. As documented on BMWLAND and Honest John

Mileage really is not a problem with these cars, as they are made to cruise the Motorways and Autobahns in comfort. Just make sure that the service history is full, current and stamped and that it has had regular oil changes.

Most of the Ebay cars come from Motor Auctions, with businesses and leasing companies disposing of their vehicles when the warranty expires (3 years) and being sold on cheaply to the trade. Usually they go through the auction in their raw state, so If you don't mind a little cleaning and valeting in return for a bargain then the motor auctions are possibly the best place to look. Although high mileage they usually have been looked after, and the lease agreement means that they have been serviced religiously in line with the warranty.

chris73

The badge doesn't sway any more money out of my pocket

Yes, I would tend to agree, although if you shop around and avoid the main dealer forecourts there are bargains to be found. For example, I paid no more for a 320D SE, 3 years old than I did for my Vectra in 2000 when it was a similar age. So you don't have to pay more money just for the badge from a private sale or auction.

Buying a German car doesn't automatically mean trouble free motoring either, prior to this I owned a VW which gave me no end of trouble. Like anything else, buying a car is a case of buyer beware, knowing what to look for and doing the research, and some luck involved too!.

I will say however, that having owned a wide and varied selection of cars from several mainline manufacturers that the BMW is better built. Doors which close with a reassuring "thud" rather than the tin can style clunk, no rattles from the dash / interior trim and at driving speed the Common Rail diesel engine is far quieter than the direct injection models (TDI) in fact it is quieter than some petrols.

So, I fully agree, don't pay over the odds just for a badge, and certainly avoid dealer prices for used models, but with a little patience and effort and shopping around there is no reason why buying, running and owning a BMW should cost you more than any other car.

deepseadiver

If you want a Beemer then personal lease one. There are some good deals around as they dont depreciate as fast (hence cheaper lease for a car worth 20-25K.) You can keep your cash in the bank and not have to worry about any depreciation, car tax or warranties.
I had a 14K budget and was paying a loan on my old car. I now lease a 1 -series diesel with better MPG for £235pm. I ve now got my 10k in the bank and it costs me about £15 a month more than my previous one with the loan. and its brand new(Hope this makes sense!)

x-clusive

As the owner of an older BMW than the one you are looking at buying I would like to make the following comments.

3 series compacts are the ugly sister of the BMW family. In my personal opinion it would be harder to sell on than an equivelant coupe or saloon.

E46 prices should start to come down soon as the new 3 series body shape become more common.

Another alternative to consider could be Audi A3 tdi