4 owners a bit excessive for E46?

[alienmuppet]

I just called somewhere about a E46 325i Sport (just over 80K miles). It's had 4 owners.. that worries me! Does that seem excessive?

It does not seem to have anything in the way of receipts for work done either according to the guy I spoke to, just service history (13K, 26K, 36K, 51K, 62K, 69K, 78K) so due a service by the looks too. It does come with 3 months warranty however, and can be extended to a year for £250 which might be prudent. They also said they can provide with 1 year MOT..

Thoughts?

I know I should just go take a look, but it's about 80 miles from me. I figured if I was happy with what he told me I'd jump on the train tomorrow morning, but a tiny bit worried about it.

EDIT: Suppose I should mention it is a 2003.

Edited by alienmuppet on Tuesday 19th June 15:17

[alienmuppet]

Yeah, kept thinking maybe it was a lemon and each owner just wanted rid ;-)

[carter711]

E46 is getting on. Go and see it.

[obob]

4 owners in nearly 10 years? how is that high?

If the last service was on 78k and its now on 80k why would it need servicing?

[Toaster Pilot]

4 owners in 9 years isn't that unrealistic bearing in mind it may have been preregistered and therefore "owned" by the dealer. Worth trying to find out who and how long if you are concerned though

[sealtt]

E46 is old by now, so 4 owners is not much.

My M3 with 14k miles was on 3 owners when I sold it 2/3 years old - dealer reg'd it, 1 owner for a couple of years, then me for 6mos. New owner has a perfect car (2 or 3 years old and sub 15k miles!) and is already 4th owner. So certainly don't worry about that... owners add up quickly. Just worry about the car itself.

It's like with chicks.

[falkster]

2003 and 4 owners? That's really good!! Each owner has had it for roughly 2 1/2 years and, I'm presuming, no one owner has missed any maintenance.
Buy on condition and service record, not owners or miles.
How much is it up for?

[alienmuppet]

@obob: because my brain farted and somehow 80 - 78 became 12 rather than 2 ;-)

[alienmuppet]

@falkster: condition looks good (described as excellent throughout), service record: well, some BMW some not. If it was all BMW it'd be all good. Having said that, my gut says it is probably fine, so I think I'll be train hopping tomorrow.

Are these warrantys usually worth extending?

[300bhp/ton]

alienmuppet said:

I just called somewhere about a E46 325i Sport (just over 80K miles). It's had 4 owners.. that worries me! Does that seem excessive?

It's certainly excessive to worry about it. And no... 4 owners is not even remotely excessive. Even less so for a 9 year old car.

alienmuppet said:

It does not seem to have anything in the way of receipts for work done either according to the guy I spoke to, just service history (13K, 26K, 36K, 51K, 62K, 69K, 78K) so due a service by the looks too. It does come with 3 months warranty however, and can be extended to a year for £250 which might be prudent. They also said they can provide with 1 year MOT..

Thoughts?

First time buying a car?


Ok that was a cheap shot. But the key thing is CONDITION. fk the paper work or what you think has or hasn't been done. Condition is really the only important consideration with any used car purchase of this nature. If you are unable to assess the condition, find a friend or pay a 3rd party who can.

Service history is a nice to have, but in reality proves almost nothing and is no indication of the cars condition or how well it has been maintained and looked after.

Having no other history is neither rare nor surprising. Again even if it did have history, it doesn't always mean or prove much. Bar maybe highlighting either issues previous owners have had. Or any big jobs (cam belts type of thing) that might have been done.

But again, condition is more important imo. As you can always have the vehicle serviced after buying it.

alienmuppet said:

I know I should just go take a look, but it's about 80 miles from me. I figured if I was happy with what he told me I'd jump on the train tomorrow morning, but a tiny bit worried about it.

What exactly are you worried about, and more pertinently - why??

What do think is going to happen or is wrong with it?


And sadly, there is no way to assess such a car remotely. You need to get up close and see it. Sure ask sensible well formed questions and look at pictures should they be available.

[300bhp/ton]

alienmuppet said:

Yeah, kept thinking maybe it was a lemon and each owner just wanted rid ;-)

Why?

How long do you think most people keep a car? PH is full of people saying they change their cars every 3-6 months. So 4 owners in 9 years means an average of 2.25 years per owner.

[alienmuppet]

@300bhp/ton: because I'm a born worrier.. and I should stop it because I'm great at raising my own blood pressure (as proven today at my doctors appointment, haha). I just don't want to chuck money down the drain really, but there's never any guarantee of that.

It isn't the first car I've bought, 3rd car, but I can see why you might think that ;-) I'm in my early 30's and been driving over 10 years.

I did kill my first "nice" car though (Audi A3).

[alienmuppet]

Thanks for your advice all, and fixing my perspective.

Also regarding changing cars - I hadn't thought of it like that, even though I've also decided I'd like to change cars more often.

[alienmuppet]

@Purity14: Thanks for that ray of sunshine ;-) Perhaps the extended warranty would be a good idea afterall.

[falkster]

alienmuppet said:

@falkster: condition looks good (described as excellent throughout), service record: well, some BMW some not. If it was all BMW it'd be all good. Having said that, my gut says it is probably fine, so I think I'll be train hopping tomorrow.

Are these warrantys usually worth extending?

At 80k and BMW I don't think you'd have much to worry about. The usual bushes should have been picked up as and when? Service record is good but just spend 15-20 mins marrying up reciepts with stamps in the books. I know everyone doesn't keep invoices but it's a good way to tell if the inspection 2 was actually an inspection 2 and not just an oil service.

[Captain Muppet]

sealtt said:

It's like with chicks.

Although I'm slightly worried because I think you implied that a nine year old one will have got through 4 owners.

[alienmuppet]

@falkster: thanks for the advice :-) Yes I'd probably get bushes and such like checked and all refreshed if need be as I know it affects the ride a lot (from my other thread), and next service probably at BMW just for peace of mind.

[em177]

I've gone through 9 cars in 24 months.... don't worry about it.


... unless its one of my ex cars. Then it may have possibly been thrashed round the 'ring :P

[300bhp/ton]

alienmuppet said:

@falkster: condition looks good (described as excellent throughout), service record: well, some BMW some not. If it was all BMW it'd be all good.

Most main dealers charge a lot more for a service than an independent will. Once out of warranty, there really is little reason to pay extra to get a main dealer to service the car. Most services are oil and filter change and a visual check of fluids, tyres, bulbs and such. They don't actually do much.

Also it's often the case that main dealer mechanics are not the best or most experienced people to be working on such cars. Just the most expensive.

[falkster]

alienmuppet said:

@falkster: thanks for the advice :-) Yes I'd probably get bushes and such like checked and all refreshed if need be as I know it affects the ride a lot (from my other thread), and next service probably at BMW just for peace of mind.

Don't bother with BMW dealers. You want to find yourself a reputable BMW Indy that people you know, people on PH have used. This way they know your name, they care about the service they provide to you and your car plus they won't reem you with the bill.
I've not used a main dealer for over 10 years because I know my cars getting looked after more at their respective indies.