High Mileage BMW (Would you buy)?

Stageshoot

I need an Estate Car for work and Dog.

It will be a second car for Dog Days out and longer work trips when my current car feels a bit cramped

I have been offered a 10 Reg BMW 318D ES Tourer, for a very competitive price, but it has 135k miles on the clock.

It is one owner from new and has full BMW main dealer service history stamped all the way up to last month (11 Stamps in the book)

Full MOT from an independent Council MOT Station,

Has a scuff on the front bumper so will need that spraying to make it mint but apart from that its very good inside and out

After some major haggling I have been offered it for £6500, taxed for a year and with the years MOT (Tax is only £30 anyway but thrown in is always good).

I would plan on keeping it for maybe 3 years, adding maybe 15k a year to it.

What do you think is this viable it will be up to about 180k / 6 Years miles by the time I come to sell it

I have only every bought new or nearly new before so I have to admit high milage gives me the heeby geebies, but everyone seems to say the motorway cruiser diesels are fairly bullet proof, and as its past life was on the motorway commute day in day out, its not really like a high mileage town car.

It drives lovely by the way, no knocks bangs or rattles and no advisories on the MOT.

What do you think, Worth a risk, or run a mile. (Price wise it seems to be about £3k - £4k lower than comparible 40-70k mile cars)

Advice from anyone who has done this sort of thing would be most welcome.

colino

While well looked after beemers can gobble up the miles, I think the problem with this one is your intended use. I've never been over enamoured with the space in the back of a 3 series estate. Have a good look over, take the dog!

Stageshoot

colino wrote: »

While well looked after beemers can gobble up the miles, I think the problem with this one is your intended use. I've never been over enamoured with the space in the back of a 3 series estate. Have a good look over, take the dog!

Dog is fine, already tried her in the back and she is comfatable with room to stand / Lie down and turn around no problem, only thing i would do is put some black sticky rubber stuff on the top of the rear bumper as claws dig in so easily

(Current Main car is a Fiat 500c) soanything is more space in the back for the dog than that!!!!

dianasnan

See if the vendor can offer a warranty with it.

someone I know sold a very high mileage BMW (300,000 miles plus) and was advised to pay a couple of hundred pounds to include a 3 month warranty with the car to encourage buyers.
It sold.

colino

I don't think the price is outrageous if it is from an established dealer and has a bullet proof history and is in the right colour. However buying a leggy car in the first place needs a good price to begin with and usually means your are keeping it to wring every bit of value out of it. Perplexed slightly if it is a full historied car but with a council MOT.

Stageshoot

colino wrote: »

I don't think the price is outrageous if it is from an established dealer and has a bullet proof history and is in the right colour. However buying a leggy car in the first place needs a good price to begin with and usually means your are keeping it to wring every bit of value out of it. Perplexed slightly if it is a full historied car but with a council MOT.

It had a main dealer MOT when it reached 3 years old in May 2013, but the selling dealer has put a brand new Mot on it from a local council owned (No Repairs) MOT station, to sell it with a full MOT and also to prove it is independent and not just a in house "Cooked" MOT

Guest101

Think you're fine, depending on price ofcourse. But as for reliability, you'll easily get 200k on average, if you keep up with services.

BlueC

The mileage wouldn't bother me at all but I personally wouldn't buy a 318 or an ES. It is as bottom of the range as it gets, and tbh for that model the price isn't anything amazing. You see 09 plate 320 SE models for a grand more with fewer miles and they have better engines and much better spec.

colino

Council MOTs are a joke. The guys doing the job ordinarily are there to legalise the local authorities fleet, not be over scrupulous of a nice marques foibles. Lets face it, if you have a mate who is a council plumber (i.e., bloody useless and couldn't hack it in the commercial world), you wouldn't trust to fix a leak. Why would you trust a council wage taker, with virtually no real life experience, to do a proper MOT?

Weird_Nev

There's nothing inherently wrong with a high milage car - especially not if it's young and with full service history. The main problem is resale - that is, there will come a time when you sell it and you will then be in a market against many cars with fewer miles. It will be hard to sell, and you will lose money. This needs to be reflected in the price you pay for it initially.

I think you can do better with your £6,500
Autotrader shows a number of '08 cars with similar spec and milage as low as 95k miles to choose from.

That said, if you're happy with the condtion and spec of the car, and intend to use it as a dog carrier, it'll probably serve you well.

FWIW, I bought a BMW 328i Estate (1998) with 166k miles, and ran it for 2 years and 18k miles before selling it. I bought and sold it for £700.....

GAZ237

Deal sounds good to me. Nothing wrong with the 318.

135k with FSH is nothing.

In 3 years time you will be selling a 6 year old Bmw with under 200k.

I drive a 318is convertible 95k. Most reliable car I,ve ever owned.

I,d say go for it.