My open rant to (some) used BMW owners

[PropellerHead]

This may not be for everyone, but it is for those who it's for. I bet the reader will know if it's for them...

It always makes me laugh when people come around espousing that these are $80k cars and that they expect some sort of reliability bc of that. It's like they've forgotten what *they* paid for the very *used* BMW! Here are my questions to those folks:

Q: What did *you* pay for your X5? Was it less than sticker when new?
A: Then you must accept you will not get the same experience as the person who did. Duh.

Q: Did *you* get 4 years of free maintenance and BMW new car warranty included in the purchase price of your X5?
A: Then you must expect to pay for things that break after that time.

Q: Did you pick up, maintain, and drive your X5 from zero miles until the day you got a huge repair bill?
A: Then by purchasing the vehicle used, without warranty, and with zero input to how it was maintained, *you*- not BMW, your dealer, or your trusted indy mechanic are responsible for the costs. No one else. YOU.

Q: Can you make sense out of this?: "WHAT!!?? An $8,000 repair bill!!!?? But the car is only *worth* $19k!! I can't believe this is happening on an $80k car!!"
A: Neither can I

Aaaand finally, this:

Now take the responsibility that YOU signed up for when YOU decided to buy a used BMW and pay the damn price for what you drive. You say you love the drive? Well, pay for the drive. You say you love the look? Well, pay for the look. Just because you thought you could step in after years (and miles) of depreciation to own a nice car with zero responsibility to maintain and fix what breaks doesn't mean it's true. That's a fairy tale, Princess.

The reality is that you've paid for a badge. You thought you could step in with some value statement about how you're driving an $80k car for less than 1/2, (1/3, or even 1/5) that without responsibility or even the expectation of things that simply will break. You incorrectly correlated the reliability after years use, misuse, and resulting depreciation to your experience. I really don't care if you think that these things shouldn't break in your fairy tale land. Here in reality world, they do. Either fix it or flip it. The choice, just like the one you made to buy the thing... is yours.

/rant

Now many of us- especially in the E53 forums- understand all of the above. I think it's totally fine to come around looking for a shoulder to cry on when the maintenance fund takes a hit. Pain like that is never fun. It makes sense to come around and expect a little love or sympathy every now and then. You know who you are. You've accepted responsibility and you're keeping your used BMW on the road. Lord knows, you're not about to spend $80k on a new one.

And neither am I. At least not all at once.

[cn90]

OK.

[Ricky Bobby]

AWESOME rant Prop, spot on.

Keep on driving, and keep it shiny.

[TiAgX5]

Q: Did you pick up, maintain, and drive your X5 from zero miles until the day you got a huge repair bill?


This is the BIGGEST variable in ANY used vehicle purchase.

No vehicle manufacturer can design a vehicle that's "owner abuse/neglect" proof.

I picked up my X with 100k miles, for less then 1/4 the MSRP. I swapped ALL fluids, verified EVERY fuse was correct amp rating and sprayed EVERY chassis/exhaust system and suspension fastener/alignment adjuster with PB Blaster (soaks into the threads and makes future removal a non-issue).

Over 185k miles with no major issues.

[jljljl]

Originally Posted by cn90

OK.

but all in all, very true. that last Q & A, spot on.
Preach!

[upallnight]

While we are ranting, my biggest rant is for all the noobs that come here, post a question(s) about their BM Trouble U and the group is nice enough to offer advices but they never come back and post the solution that fixed the problem(s).

[cn90]

Okay.

[Ryoken]

Hell , I bought my 4.4 for about 4.000 $ maybe 3.5k £ which is low, and I expect it to break ,hell its a 13 year old car with 145k miles on, I don't care who makes it , bmw or ford , or even rolls Royce, its a going to break
ive had quite a few problems with the x5 , nothing major, just stuff to keep the trusty tool kit happy. trying to catch up with the servicing , front and rear bushes , was a long list
80k car mines worth 4 grand

[Motorsport1207]

👍 I fully agree. When I purchased my 06 4.8is I researched all the typical common problems and fixed them all even though they were not broken. Replaced all fluids. Just because I did not know what the yahoo did before me.

[mhoehn]

coming up on 9 months with our '-03 X5 3.0. had $137k on the clock when we got it. but, for $5,500, I thought it was a steal compared to all the other crap I'd been test driving. true, I have fixed about a dozen minor issues in the last 9 months, most were broken when we got the beast and the previous owner let them pile up. this is our 5th BMW, so we know the ropes. fix it yourself, with the wonderful help from boards like this. I gave the car to my 16 yr old daughter. she loves it (duh!!). and it will die a terrible death sometime during this year (hopefully not, but odds are against it surviving until she's 18). but, that day, when I get that dreaded phone call, I'm betting the X5 will take one HELL of a hit, and my daughter will walk away. German engineering will save the day. so ya, I bought the badge, and it's going to be worth EVERY PENNY.

Love the X5.

mike