I found a 2009 BMW 328i auto with 90k miles for $4500. I know BMW ain't the most reliable and get expensive to fix, but with fairly low mileage, is this a good buy?
Personal opinion is hard pass there’s no such thing as a good bmw purchase let alone a used one
Those cars aren't friendly to the average DIYer. Their water pumps are electric and will cost $500 just for the stupid part, not including the labor to put it in. They're also failure prone. Several years ago I wanted a used 2008 328xi with similar mileage and knowing this, along with several other stupid design choices (the front drive axles on the AWD model runs through the oil pan, and the cowl cramps access to the back half of the motor, making even spark plugs a pain). Find a low mileage 528i or 328i from the early-mid 90s with a standard transmission and that's about as modern BMW as I would go. The 5-Series is the E34 and the 3-Series is the E36. Stay away from V8 5-Series cars from that period if you go that way. The engine blocks access to the steering systems. I had a 540i and it ran great, but couldn't fix a lousy power steering leak without pulling the engine out.
Have you ever noticed that you seldom see older BMW'S out on the roads?
That's a tell, right there.
Let me put BMW pricing and depreciation in perspective. From 2016-2020, I owned a 2007 BMW X5. Amazing vehicle. The market price for a used X5 in 2020 was about $8k-$10k. This had an MSRP of $65k+.
The same year Toyota Yaris 2007, at the same exact time in 2020, had a market price of the same, $8k-$10k. This had an MSRP of <$19k.
How is that for deprecation of a BMW vs a Toyota?!
Why do BMW’s depreciate so much? IMHO, while they are amazing vehicles when they are running, they cost an arm, leg, and torso to maintain over the long run.
So my recommendation. If you are willing to put in some combination of time, labor, and/or money, the car you are looking at could very well be a fair deal. But know what you are getting into, because maintenance for a BMW is insane.
If you aren’t willing to put in the time,, labor, or money, go with a Toyota or Honda.
A good purchase for a BMW is the one that someone else buys it and you drive it. If you really want one, lease one and get it out of your system.
