Bought my 528i used after seeing it - it looked well-taken-care-of and had 1 owner and a completely clean record. Come to find out this car would be the biggest pain in my ass I've experienced so far. On first service, the brake pads needed replaced and there were holes in the oil pan as well as transmission tunnel. The transmission failed afterward due to a botched repair, which was then fixed as well, the repairs totaling $4,000 by that point. Most recently, the car just failed and I had no idea why. Finally came to find that somehow the starter has gone bad. This, before potentially also needing a new alternator, was quoted at being a $2,000 replacement. If you're thinking of going with a BMW, I implore you to get any other generation. Get something 2003 or older so you can get it cheaper and wrench it yourself, or get something 2018 or newer so you have something more reliable that can potentially get repaired under warranty.
Bought my 528i used after seeing it - it looked well-taken-care-of and had 1 owner and a completely clean record. Come to find out this car would be the biggest pain in my ass I've experienced so far. On first service, the brake pads needed replaced and there were holes in the oil pan as well as transmission tunnel. The transmission failed afterward due to a botched repair, which was then fixed as well, the repairs totaling $4,000 by that point. Most recently, the car just failed and I had no idea why. Finally came to find that somehow the starter has gone bad. This, before potentially also needing a new alternator, was quoted at being a $2,000 replacement. If you're thinking of going with a BMW, I implore you to get any other generation. Get something 2003 or older so you can get it cheaper and wrench it yourself, or get something 2018 or newer so you have something more reliable that can potentially get repaired under warranty.
- Jordan G., Madison, AL, US