BMW 3series hard to maintain?

[xyppam]

Dear All,

Kindly suggest how expensive is it to keep and maintain a nice 1995-1997 BMW 318i? I've seen some nice bimmers being sold at the price of a Honda City, and somehow believe that a 10 years old BMW would be better than a 5 years old local crap.

If resale isn't the issue, do you suggest buying a BMW 1997 instead of a 2004-5 city?

[owais01]

dont know abt the mantainence costs but i have heard BMW is not very cheap to mantain....
Moreover a 2nd Hand BMW is a big trouble maker,,,
But Obviuosly as a car its way better than any local car !!!!!!
Even the 97 onez...
If the condition of the bimmer is good...Then u shud go fer it !
Forget local crap !

[Bilaltq]

The 318i (e36) apparently has problems with the cooling system- owners have reported overheating during normal drives. It can be caused by any part of the cooling system- thersmostat, water pump etc. BMW did a recall on the 318i's for the cooling system.

http://repairpal.com/bmw-318i-1995/common_problems

Other than that, it wouldn't be too hard to keep a BMW well maintained. Assuming you keep rigorously up to date with maintenance. But yes if someone goes wrong, you've got a headache for parts.

[xyppam]

Thanks Bilal and Owias.

Does maintainence come up regularly in BMWs?

Moreover what can be considered as ''low mileage'' when it comes to Bimmers? I've seen 10 years old German cars (BMWs, Mercedeces, Audis) being imported into eastern europe from germany with around 400,000 km on the clock, and it was considered ''no big deal''. Is it the same case here in Pakistan?

[OptimusSS]

@xyppam

its simple actually. if u get a decent one it'll be way better than a city/corolla. i have a 1997 e36 running perfect no prbs whatso ever. the catch in buying an e36 is that you get the best possible one. cause usually nothing goes wrong, but if u get a tired old one than be ready to visit the mechanics regularly.
i always say if u get a crap mehran ull get it fixed in under 5k even in one day, but if u get a messed up bimmer than no mechanic can help you even after spending loads.

about the heating prb its no big deal if u check the water level regularly, cause this has no separate reservoir to add more water when the level is down in the cooling system.
one thing you should look out for is the suspension. chances are it wont be perfect.
the parts are no issue. i can give you the info about the suppliers, but be ready to pay a bit more than ur local car parts.

mail me if you need any help.

[xyppam]

Thanks Optimus.

How much should one pay for a nice 318, 1996-8 in your opinion? A couple of guys are demanding around 0.7-0.9 Million for their 318s, but I've also heard that the asking price is ''widely negotiable'' in these cars. Is it true? Or just a myth?

[SaM_vitz007]

My freind owns a black 316i 1996 model.Its good,good acceleration its also RWD,Manual transmission.Its a perfect car.But its maintainance is not cheap.Also availability of spare parts are so rare.But i love its drive.

[OptimusSS]

you can even get an e36 for 4 lacs, but its better to get a mehran than that.
well if its a real clean one you may pay a bit more than 0.7 but the average abused car can be bought for around 0.6mill, its better to pay a bit more right now than to spend it at the parts n labour later. well the negotiability factor depends on the car.

[Bilaltq]

Thanks Optimus. How much should one pay for a nice 318, 1996-8 in your opinion? A couple of guys are demanding around 0.7-0.9 Million for their 318s, but I've also heard that the asking price is ''widely negotiable'' in these cars. Is it true? Or just a myth?

Technically, that myth seems to have some truth in it. There's no yardstick around to determine the proper price of these cars- people just demand higher prices because it's imported, and this one happens to be a BMW.

But my honest opinion and suggestion to you would be to just go for the City. It IS crap compared to the BMW, but a) it's newer, and b) the obvious worry of something going wrong isn't such a pressing issue everyday. You can get it mended pretty easily- of course THAT'S not going to be very cheap either (considering honda parts)