Used car philosophy

[PropellerHead]

I share the opposite approach to buying a car. I still own my first BMW- a 1975 2002 that I have had for 30 years. The next was a 2000 E39 that I have owned for 15 years.

I purchased my *first* 2004 E53 in May of 2004 with ~32k miles on it. New car with a zillion miles on it in less than 5 months. It was a 3.0. The best thing about that purchase was the CPO warranty and maintenance extension that I used well into the 6th year. It became a well sorted X5 over the time that I ran it up to about 100k miles.

In contrast, my 2nd 2004 was a 4.8is with ~11k miles on it in 2011. 7 years old, no CPO and ridiculously low miles. I'm a maintenance freak, so I proactively replaced all the hoses and other plastic bits within the first year. I experienced zero issues related to sitting around. With about 78k miles on it now, the car has been solid for the past ~5 years as I've driven across country twice and back.

That experience shared, any used BMW is going to require some TLC. Whether that is hours of paint polish and wax or some nagging problem that drove the PO crazy. You should be prepared with a maintenance fund that you've told yourself you will spend. How much depends on whether you DIY or not.

If I liked the E70 even a little, I'd hit the lower mileage example. By now anything that was a year 1 issue with the 2007's has been sorted and a remediation plan exists. Finding an online DIY community and/or a trusted mechanic can make all the difference here.