Are used premium cars as BMW 3 series really expensive to own and maintain?

burlingtonfl6

I'm old enough to remember when a 3 series was a premium car and highly sought after. 
Very few used examples would become available and dealers would be all over them in the auctions.
Now BCA offer BMW sales every other week with lots of a few hundred at a time.

MEM62

burlingtonfl6 said:

I'm old enough to remember when a 3 series was a premium car and highly sought after. 
Very few used examples would become available and dealers would be all over them in the auctions.
Now BCA offer BMW sales every other week with lots of a few hundred at a time.

It is still a premium car in my opinion.  The fact that they now sell in larger numbers, with periods of new sales outstripping the Ford Mondeo, does not detract from the quality of the car.       

fred246

High quality with poor reliability.

angrycrow

Can't comment on BMW as I am not a fan but one of my cars is an older audi, I do most of my own repairs but pay for servicing to keep the full service history going. I also run a vag group hatch back. Parts for the Audi come in around double the price of parts for the hatchback. Servicing for the Audi at an indy is the same cost as main dealer on the hatchback.

The issue is running an older car means things are more likely to give up. In last 2 years the Audi has had alternator, heater matrix, soft top glass rebonded, glove box repair, arm rest lid repair, removed carpets to dry them after the roof glass leaked. All front suspension arms replaced, new brakes and pads front and rear, 2 new tyres. The alternator cost me £280 as I did not fancy doing it. The rest of the jobs cost me under £600 in parts. Plus a minor service at £150 and a major service at £200 and cambelt change at £400. Plus tyres at £100 a corner.
I make that £915 a year maintainance costs. If I had paid the labour on the work I did that would climb to around £1500 a year.
A car that was £30,000+ new comes with higher repair costs than a £15,000 car. 

MEM62

fred246 said:

High quality with poor reliability.

If you say so  :-)