Need some advice about buying a 2005 318ci please...

[bmwdxb]

Hey all, nice board here! I need some advice from you all since I am considering getting a 2005 318 ci. Its got 25,000 KM on it and has gone in for servicing at 18,500 KM.

The car seems in great shape and is immaculate inside and out. The warranty expires in Sept 2007 (it was registered in Sept 2004). There is no service plan with this car, warranty is 60,000 KM or 3 years.

Since I have not owned a bmw before, I need to get some info about maintaining this car:

1. What can I expect to pay on average over the next 3 years (upto 75,000 KM) per year for servicing and repair?

2. What are the usual service intervals assuming normal driving, and what is the average cost per servicing?

3. The dealership is asking about USD 28,750 for this car (it is loaded, but no navigation or electric seats, and the leather seems to be pleather but I'm not really sure) and it has stock rims.

4. Should I get the car inspected at BMW? They want to keep the car for 2 days though so dont think the dealer will agree to that!! They are asking about USD 300 to do a full inspection.

Would really appreciate some advice on this as Im going to make a decision very soon...

Other cars I am considering are the Audi A4 2006, and the VW Passat.

Thanks

 

[bmwdxb]

Anyone??

 

[bmwdxb]

No one can advise??

 

[codex57]

You're not going to be paying that much less in maintenance on the Audi. VW/Audi's reliability history isn't exactly stellar.

It's hard to say what "average" is. In the US, we now have free maintenance. Without it, I'd expect around $100-1000 a year could happen.

If you do one of the major inspections, I'd go to an independent. Should only cost about $300 US instead of the $800 or so the dealer charges.

 

[bmwdxb]

Hey thanks for the reply! Man Ive been doing a lot of research past few days...

So is it true Audi's reliabilty isnt so great? But what about The VW Passat? I test drove the car yesterday, and it was sweet! Fully loaded with all the toys. But then I read in plenty of sites that VW's reliability has been awful Is this true?? I dont want the car in the shop all the time, esp a new one! And this years model Passat is a new one so I expect there would be problems?

Audi's maintenance is similar to bmw then? I thought it was quite less, maybe Im mistaken.

Well, looked again at some cars, thing is, Ive always had my heart set on a convertible, and they are hard to come by here, esp the 2005/5 models There's a 2003 330 convert for sale at a decent price, with about 55,000 km. But its out of warranty almost so Im quite hesitant about it..

Very confused at this point...!

 

[bmwdxb]

Also you mentioned youd go to an indp garage for the major inspection. Would that void the warranty by any chance?

 

[codex57]

You won't void the warranty by going to an independent as long as you keep the records. Not in the US anyways. However, if the work will be done under warranty, I'd just take it to the dealer. In the US, you can realistically hit Inspection I under warranty, but if you have Inspection II coming up, you'll be out of warranty for that so I'd go to an independent in that case.

Yes, Audi/VW's reliability is not great. BMW has problems too, but they tend to fall under the electronics category. Annoying and once in a while expensive, but your car will still get you from Point A to Point B. Audi/VW's rep is that their powertrains have problems of various kinds. That's not cool and is guaranteed to be expensive.

 

[bmwdxb]

Hey,

Thanks for the reply. Well I went back to that showroom and really like the 318 ci. Took it for a drive and it felt solid.

I noticed that the the first servicing the last owner did was at 18,700 KM (~12K miles). Is this about normal? Also, the computer says that the next servicing is in 11,900 KM (~7500 miles). So is the next servicing a major one (Inspection I) or is it something else?

I am taking it to a good independent BMW service centre day after to get a full check, they are taking about 175 USD for a complete check (about 3 page report on everything).

I hope everything works out as the coupes are not easy to find here!!

By the way, is it true that the auto tranny goes at about 130-140 K miles? Does this apply to 05 models too?

Also, I have a quick question about depreciation. How does this model depreciate? Does it hold its value fairly well if properly maintained? Also, Im wondering with the new shape out now, will it be effected even more?

Thanks

P.S. Is the price being asked reasonable? Its coming to about 27K all in all. Car specs:

318 ci 2005
Warranty will Sept 2007 (car was registered in Sept 2004)
29,500 KM
Leather Seats
6 CD Changer
Manual Seats
Xenons
Sunroof
LED Tail Lights
Immaculate Condition Inside and Out