[esteem_lover]

Kontoo, 19L is very steep for a 4 year old petrol BMW. Like I have said before in the used cars thread, petrol bimmers command very low resale value and there are hardly any takers. Would suggest you bring it down to 15L or less or just wait for another 320d and plonk another 2L extra to fetch that. Knowing that the car is in Bangalore, the resale values are on the higher side, but still not worth it at that price.

A new 325i starts at 24L ~.

[Kontoo]

@ suhaas: thanks. even me thinks around 17.5 L might be a good deal. The dealer, however, maintains that 19 L is the last price. Will make an offer for 17 and see how it goes.
@ esteem_lover: yes, I agree that the price looks high. I do not know about Chennai / Pondy but even a 320i (new) costs around 31.3 L OTR in Bangalore

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Maintaining the car will cost you a pretty packet for sure. Expect service-bills of not less than 25k on a yearly basis. Blame it on the synthetic oil that requires frequent changes.

As far as I know, there are no issues with that particular model. A family friend of ours owns one and they've enjoyed a fuss-free ownership experience so far.

Your estimate is pretty spot on, i'd say at 25k annually. But the frequent changes to synthetic oil is untrue, infact synthetic is far longer lasting. BMW's require oil changes only once every 15k kms.
The good thing about BMW's is that the service on demand hence there is no set parameters based on intervals. iDrive will notify you everytime there is work required. The brakepads and rotors last approx 30k kms and oil changes every 15k kms. Other expenses will depend on your driving style and history/condition of the car.
Thus I would recommend getting this car, my experience with BMW has been good, they are pretty hassle free compared to other Germans. And for below 20 lakhs it's hard to match this kind of performance, safety, value and snob value for new cars at similar price. The FE is the only deal breaker, if at all this is a concern to you, don't expect more than 7kmpl in the city.
If you can negotiate the price to 10% lower, I think it's a great deal. Good Luck !

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Kontoo

@ suhaas: thanks. even me thinks around 17.5 L might be a good deal. The dealer, however, maintains that 19 L is the last price. Will make an offer for 17 and see how it goes.
@ esteem_lover: yes, I agree that the price looks high. I do not know about Chennai / Pondy but even a 320i (new) costs around 31.3 L OTR in Bangalore

I mentioned the ex-showroom price, which is what you use to bring the price down and show no interest in the variants. If you have decided to quote 17L, I am sure you will get a call within 24 hours with the offer for 18L, do not budge and sit on the 17L (which also is high).

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Your estimate is pretty spot on, i'd say at 25k annually. But the frequent changes to synthetic oil is untrue, infact synthetic is far longer lasting. BMW's require oil changes only once every 15k kms.
The good thing about BMW's is that the service on demand hence there is no set parameters based on intervals.

Thanks Sahil. I know that Germans like oil changes frequently. It's a pleasant surprise to learn that BMWs are not that fussy when it comes to oil-changes.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I mentioned the ex-showroom price, which is what you use to bring the price down and show no interest in the variants. If you have decided to quote 17L, I am sure you will get a call within 24 hours with the offer for 18L, do not budge and sit on the 17L (which also is high).

John, 17 may seem high, perhaps in a city like Chennai where the road-tax and registration isn't as high. In Bangalore, all that must be considered. Of course, a lot depends on the condition of the car too, and only a thorough test-drive will help.

[VSD]

Originally Posted by Kontoo

Sorry to hijack this thread Nitin.
I am in a similar predicament now. Have come across a 2008 BMW 325i with about 48k kms on the Odo. It has an auto transmission. The price quoted is 19 L. Should I go for it? What could be the annual spend on maintainence of such a car? The car looks in great shape. Are there any generic issues with BMW's of the year 2008? Would appreciate any feedback on the same. Thanks in advance

You should try to get the price down a couple of lakhs. I sold my 4.5year old 2007 325i for 11lakhs. Even for bangalore taxes 19lakhs is ridiculously expensive. My car had crossed 65000kms though.

[Aroy]

When you can get a brand new 320d for less than 30L, 19L for a 4 year old petrol is quite steep. Here is how the price is calculated by used car dealers for German Cars

. Take the IDV value of new car = I = 90% of ex showroom price, so the value is :
. 1st year = 0.8xI
. 2nd year = 0.65xI
. 3rd year = 0.55xI
. 4th year = 0.45xI

There is no credit for the Insurance and Registration amount in general while evaluating second hand cars. For a fast moving Japanese marque you may get upto 30% more than the above calculation as there is a good demand, but for German Luxury cars, sadly the vaue plummets like a stone.

So if the ex-showroom price = 25L, 4 years old car's value is 25 x 0.9 x 0.4 = 10.13L. If the car is well maintained and has full history, you may go till 11L. This is about right as the 2.4 Accord; a low maintenance car; also fetches similar amount.

In case you doubt the calculation, you may verify the actual valuation from an Insurance Agent dealing in automobiles - find out what is the amount you will get if you loose the car.

Owners may demand the sky, but rarely realize it.

[Kontoo]

Originally Posted by Aroy

When you can get a brand new 320d for less than 30L, 19L for a 4 year old petrol is quite steep. Here is how the price is calculated by used car dealers for German Cars

. Take the IDV value of new car = I = 90% of ex showroom price, so the value is :
. 1st year = 0.8xI
. 2nd year = 0.65xI
. 3rd year = 0.55xI
. 4th year = 0.45xI

There is no credit for the Insurance and Registration amount in general while evaluating second hand cars. For a fast moving Japanese marque you may get upto 30% more than the above calculation as there is a good demand, but for German Luxury cars, sadly the vaue plummets like a stone.

So if the ex-showroom price = 25L, 4 years old car's value is 25 x 0.9 x 0.4 = 10.13L. If the car is well maintained and has full history, you may go till 11L. This is about right as the 2.4 Accord; a low maintenance car; also fetches similar amount.

In case you doubt the calculation, you may verify the actual valuation from an Insurance Agent dealing in automobiles - find out what is the amount you will get if you loose the car.

Owners may demand the sky, but rarely realize it.

Thanks Aroy.
I do not doubt your calculation. However, the Bangalore market seems to be totally different. The car in question is already sold. The dealer tells me it was sold for 19 L. Even if you were to discount about a lakh from that, it would have been sold for 18 Lakhs.
I notice that your calculation does not take into Account the premium for a Diesel pre-owned car given the current differential in fuel prices.

There is another car that has come up for consideration now. A BMW 320d AT, 2007 August model, 52,800 on the Odo. Condition of the car is pretty good. What would you say is a fair price for this car in Bangalore?
Cheers!

[Akshay1234]

Buddy for a few lacs more you can get a car which has done much less kms. Personally I wouldn't want to buy a car done 50k kms, especially German since they are so sensitive to driving style and could start showing major problems if not driven well.

Consider getting a car done less than 30k kms, since it will feel that much more new and you might save in the end on part replacements.

Also what do you think about buying from other cities? I know for sure you can get better deals in Bombay. Yes the difference would probably be covered with your road tax but you still have a car with much lower mileage.

Here are 2 -
http://www.carwale.com/used/cardetails.aspx?car=D346989
http://www.carwale.com/used/cardetails.aspx?car=D335098

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Kontoo

Thanks Aroy.
I do not doubt your calculation. However, the Bangalore market seems to be totally different. The car in question is already sold. The dealer tells me it was sold for 19 L. Even if you were to discount about a lakh from that, it would have been sold for 18 Lakhs.
I notice that your calculation does not take into Account the premium for a Diesel pre-owned car given the current differential in fuel prices.

There is another car that has come up for consideration now. A BMW 320d AT, 2007 August model, 52,800 on the Odo. Condition of the car is pretty good. What would you say is a fair price for this car in Bangalore?
Cheers!

I would not give more than 50% of the on-road price for a 5 year old car. That is what the insurance companies value your car at.

Please remember that barring a few exceptions like the Mercedes W124, most of the current German Cars require a lot of maintenance after 4-5 years of use (go through the ownership experiences of these cars in this forum), from which a new car owner is spared as there is an extended warranty available. With normal services requiring upwards of 40K and consumables priced at least three times that of Japanese equivalent, maintaining a German car beyond 5 years is an expensive effort, hence low prices in the rest of India.

It may be that Bangalore is an unusual market, where you can find a buyer at inflated rates, but rest of India does not really support these prices.

My advise is that you save up and buy a new BMW. You will have a hassle free four years of ownership. The price differential is not all that much, considering that in the next four years you may have to spend between 1 and 4 lacs on repairs. (easily achieved, as documented by a lot of users)

With the current scenario, you have to discount for a Petrol car rather than include a premium for a diesel one.

[Kontoo]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I would not give more than 50% of the on-road price for a 5 year old car. That is what the insurance companies value your car at.

Please remember that barring a few exceptions like the Mercedes W124, most of the current German Cars require a lot of maintenance after 4-5 years of use (go through the ownership experiences of these cars in this forum), from which a new car owner is spared as there is an extended warranty available. With normal services requiring upwards of 40K and consumables priced at least three times that of Japanese equivalent, maintaining a German car beyond 5 years is an expensive effort, hence low prices in the rest of India.

It may be that Bangalore is an unusual market, where you can find a buyer at inflated rates, but rest of India does not really support these prices.

My advise is that you save up and buy a new BMW. You will have a hassle free four years of ownership. The price differential is not all that much, considering that in the next four years you may have to spend between 1 and 4 lacs on repairs. (easily achieved, as documented by a lot of users)

With the current scenario, you have to discount for a Petrol car rather than include a premium for a diesel one.

@Akshay: thanks mate. Will keep that in mind. Buying from Mumbai may not make sense as one would end up paying the road tax in Karnataka all over again.
@Aroy: Guess you are right. I had a look at quite a few other BMW's which are all quoting around the same price. Will look for one with lesser kms on the Odo or wait for a couple of years more.

[ajmat]

You need to consider the liability angle

It will be out of BSI after 5 years. Cost of repairs will hit you. The autobox though long lasting cannot be repaired but replaced. The ECU's for the engine, ABS systems cost a bomb.

If you have an accident, the insurance will not pay out in full. A friend of mine crashed his 3 yr old BMW. He did not take BSI etc. He needed to pay 25% of the 12 lakh bill.

Think hard, if the price is low, go ahead but remember

1:Keep some cash to pay for some expensive maintenance
2: Identifiy a good indepemdent mechanic
3: Identifiy good parts sources

Be prepared for the car being off the road awaiting parts!

[Kontoo]

Hmm, I guess I will have to make do with some other German/ European car for now and dream of buying a new BMW / Audi a couple of years later. I have thought hard about it and have dropped the idea of a pre owned BMW for now.

It makes me wonder whether one can ever actually own a nice performance car and still have complete peace of mind ?!

Originally Posted by ajmat

You need to consider the liability angle

It will be out of BSI after 5 years. Cost of repairs will hit you. The autobox though long lasting cannot be repaired but replaced. The ECU's for the engine, ABS systems cost a bomb.

If you have an accident, the insurance will not pay out in full. A friend of mine crashed his 3 yr old BMW. He did not take BSI etc. He needed to pay 25% of the 12 lakh bill.

Think hard, if the price is low, go ahead but remember

1:Keep some cash to pay for some expensive maintenance
2: Identifiy a good indepemdent mechanic
3: Identifiy good parts sources

Be prepared for the car being off the road awaiting parts!

[zenzi12]

Hi guys i'm looking for any and all info i need to take into consideration when looking to buy an older BMW 5 series (1991-2001). Any info on what to look for and what it could cost to maintain over the years would be helpful.

[saketa]

Originally Posted by Kontoo

Hmm, I guess I will have to make do with some other German/ European car for now and dream of buying a new BMW / Audi a couple of years later. I have thought hard about it and have dropped the idea of a pre owned BMW for now.

It makes me wonder whether one can ever actually own a nice performance car and still have complete peace of mind ?!

I was searching for the exact same category of cars a few months back but even a well maintained BMW without BSI is too much of a risk if you are going to have to "stretch" your finances. I finally bit the bullet bought a new 320d Highline and it definitely gives you far more peace of mind. Personally if you don't have that extra cushion in your budget there is no point of going for a pre owned beemer. Honestly if its performance you want and you do not care about fuel you could consider a used Laura 1.8 tsi/ Honda Accord V6. My vote definitely goes for the earlier shape V6. Its engine is an absolute gem and once you upgrade the suspension and brakes it becomes fun to drive as well. My friend ended up with a well maintained 38000km 2005 v6 accord for 4L!!! I d say thats a steal even if you factor in a 10,000 Rs per month fuel bill