pantherfan69

Lately i keep having nightmares that something goes wrong with my 2006 530i, they are nightmares because I dont have a warranty hehe. So far i have spent more on fixes/aftermarket items on this 530i that I have owned for 8 months than on any other car I ever owned (and I have owned a LOT of cars). I love driving it, and it appears to be stable at the moment but i keep having that nagging feeling something is gonna die.

I talked with my wife about it, and discussed getting a mazdaspeed3 (something fast yet practical, that can carry my dog), that was a big NO from her, then talked about that new camaro (and I always hated chevy in the past), 426HP is tempting, but again it was a NO.

My wife only wants to consider BMW, Mercedes, or Lexus hehe. I guess she is spoiled now lol.

If you had a choice what would you do.

1) Keep existing 530i and pray nothing goes wrong
2) Lease a new BMW/Merc/Lexus losing all the money you invested in the 530i (about 2.5k in stuff), while hoping the dealer will give you 25k trade in value.
3) Get a BMW CPO vehicle

just wondering what the rest of you would do!

530inOK

Cars are going to wear and break. It's a given. If the wife is on board, the finances are in place, and an upgrade
gives you peace of mind...DO IT.

Howitzer

Keep the 530. Many people I know that have downgraded because of what you've said and have regretted it because a BMW is a BMW is a BMW. It is truly a unique driving experience that cannot be reproduced by any of the models you've suggested without heavy modification and even then........ it won't be the same. You'd also take a major hit in what you paid for the car after selling it.

Just set aside $1000 or $2000 per year for possible issues and make sure you do preventative maintenance on the car:

- change the oil every 7000 miles, (buy ONLY BMW oil and filter from the dealer and then have another shop install it or you do it)
- clean the fuel injectors with the BMW F.injection service, (dealer charges $150, totally worth it from my experience with the service)
- check battery life and alternator
- do a trans flush at 70k miles
- check control arms and wheel bearings for life after 60k miles
- check coolant resevoir for leaks, if its leaking, replace it or explosion may occur
- check your hoses and belts. If hose is not firm after cooling off a bit, replace it - bad hoses.
- use only premium Shell gasoline V-Power
- check for gasket leaks
- clean your air filter or replace
- change your spark plugs every 50k miles with NGK iridium plugs

These things will help your car run great for a long time.

pantherfan69

So far I have done the following

1) Replaced the rims and tires
2) Had the 60k service (inspection II) done, including tranny flush
3) Replaced the battery

There is a whistling/whining sound when the AC is on (seems to go away after awhile), making me worry that the AC compressor may be going out or something, though it blows nice and cold now. I guess all the threads here about not owning a BMW without a warranty are getting to me lol.

skelevirus

Carefull of that ac fan, mine went out and it was 3400$ to replace I was lucky it was covered under CPO or I woulda been bummed!! I got scared an traded mine for a 328 w 23 mi just to be safe

pantherfan69

Hehe yea its stuff like that which caused the bad dreams in the first place . I guess I read this forum too often lol. That and I am a BAD car guy, before getting married i would get something new every 6 months to a year.

My finances can handle a repair (though it will hurt of course), I think the hit to the pride will be the worst though, it ticks me off when jealous people take joy in seeing a 60k dollar car having trouble, when their honda, toyota, nissan, or ford doesnt have problems.

Considering BMW started off making Airplane engines, you would think these cars would be near failureproof!

porsche911targa

Provided you perform diligent maintenance, as pantherfan69 outlined, BWM mechanical parts are pretty much bullet-proof. If anything might go wrong it's more than likely going to be a sensor or some electronic component. There are a couple of things you could do for your peace of mind that might be cheaper than getting a newer car. You could try buying an extended warranty from a trusted third party vendor (search this site for name) or, assuming your car is paid off, you could bank the monthly payment you would make on another car and build a sizable fund for repairs (that's what I do). Chances are, that after 3 or 4 years of doing this you will not have used much of this fund and will find yourself with a huge down payment on your next car or if you hold the car long enough you may even have enough cash to buy your next CPO in cash (like I usually do). I usually keep my cars a total of 8 years with either no or very little payments in the first 4 years and use my phantom "car payments" for repairs and maintenance.

BTW, honda, toyota, nissan, or ford break down just the same only that their owners will try to downplay their woes since they're told that these cars never break and so they're ashamed to admit when they do. Google owners' stories and you'll see what I mean. GL with your decision.

flyingpuck

Whatever you do, NEVER DRIVE A BMW OUT OF WARRANTY!! Good luck with your decision!

pantherfan69

Your killing me!

e60hodzic530

I have no warranty ohhh ohhhhh