Advise on a 6 cylinder bmw on almost 100k miles
Discussion
Hey folks,
I am in need of a new car, infact I need one for the end of the week. Now insurance on said bmw came out at £600 fully comp and it seems to be quite a tidy looking car. However the mileage is some what putting me off. The car in question has full service history etc, so what I am wondering is how well these cars are put together? Will it suffer engine troubles at it's mileage?
This is the link to the car http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Thank you,
'Cenzo
I am in need of a new car, infact I need one for the end of the week. Now insurance on said bmw came out at £600 fully comp and it seems to be quite a tidy looking car. However the mileage is some what putting me off. The car in question has full service history etc, so what I am wondering is how well these cars are put together? Will it suffer engine troubles at it's mileage?
This is the link to the car http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Thank you,
'Cenzo
h.BoRED S2upid said:
Its a BMW 100k is nothing just make sure all the electrics work engine will be bullet proof.
Are you sure? As my parents have had nothing but BMW's and their E36 blew it's head gasket at 100k and then other things went down hill from there. This was the 4 cylinder model though and it was only 3 years old then 
If its got an M50 or M52 engine then it is a camchain engine. Mine has done 132,000 and the engine is about the only bit that is 100%. To be fair all of the electrics work, its just things like the chassis parts that need replacing. I've just finished replacing the shocks and springs on mine. Its had new brake lines, new brake discs and pads, a full engine service and it goes pretty well.
I don't think you'll have a problem. If it was Japanese I'd be a bit more concerned. It seems Japanese manufacturers do stress failure analysis up to 160,000 kilometers - 100k miles and no more - so they seem to have nasty expensive failures after then. I reckon german manufacturers must do a lot more than that.
If its an E36 3 series then you pretty much just need to check for terminal rust and that all of the consumables and chassis parts are up together. Its also worth checking that it doesn't overheat and it warms up properly. That said, mine seems to take ages to warm up but works fine as soon as it is. The water pump is a weak point on these so I bought a new one to replace the one on my car, but it turns out it had already been done anyway. The weak water pumps have a plastic impeller that shatters and deposits shards of plastic into the cooling system. The newer designs have metal or tougher plastic impellors.
Even if it isn't 100% parts aren't as expensive as you might think. GSF is a very useful company indeed!
I don't think you'll have a problem. If it was Japanese I'd be a bit more concerned. It seems Japanese manufacturers do stress failure analysis up to 160,000 kilometers - 100k miles and no more - so they seem to have nasty expensive failures after then. I reckon german manufacturers must do a lot more than that.
If its an E36 3 series then you pretty much just need to check for terminal rust and that all of the consumables and chassis parts are up together. Its also worth checking that it doesn't overheat and it warms up properly. That said, mine seems to take ages to warm up but works fine as soon as it is. The water pump is a weak point on these so I bought a new one to replace the one on my car, but it turns out it had already been done anyway. The weak water pumps have a plastic impeller that shatters and deposits shards of plastic into the cooling system. The newer designs have metal or tougher plastic impellors.
Even if it isn't 100% parts aren't as expensive as you might think. GSF is a very useful company indeed!
Have had 2 e36 4 cylinders. Both had over 250 on the clock before I got rid of them.
My 318is wasn't standard when I was done (track slag, better suspension and brakes) and was driven hard but still was a great little car. Never let me down and the only time it needed a tow was when I spun in wet weather and got stuck in a muddy field.
The 318i I bought for my sister I unloaded last year was stock as a rock and was incredibly reliable. Still on the original clutch.
Bloody strong little cars
My 318is wasn't standard when I was done (track slag, better suspension and brakes) and was driven hard but still was a great little car. Never let me down and the only time it needed a tow was when I spun in wet weather and got stuck in a muddy field.
The 318i I bought for my sister I unloaded last year was stock as a rock and was incredibly reliable. Still on the original clutch.
Bloody strong little cars
Vincenzo2010 said:
BoRED S2upid said:
Its a BMW 100k is nothing just make sure all the electrics work engine will be bullet proof.
Are you sure? As my parents have had nothing but BMW's and their E36 blew it's head gasket at 100k and then other things went down hill from there. This was the 4 cylinder model though and it was only 3 years old then I'd say as long as it seems straight and drives ok, then judge it on condition more than anything.
And I'd have thought rust would be more of a worry on these...
Never bought a BMW with less than 100k. My current 323 has over 13000 and I replaced the water pump and viscous coupling only as a precaution. My previous 525 with the M50 engine did nearly 200k. I used it ever day and took it abroad at least three times a year including a number of visits to the 'Ring. It didn't burn any oil or water, was quite good on fuel and was still running really well when I got rid of it.
Always changed the oil every 5-6000.
Always changed the oil every 5-6000.
Make sure it's not Nikasil and you'll be fine. An E36 will need new suspension to drive well at this mileage (dampers and bushes all round), and the gearbox may go in the next 100k miles, but the engines really are super strong. I'm on my fourth 6 cylinder BMW and none have used a drop of oil, let alone hinted at engine problems (the highest mileage one had done 150k when I sold it).
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