Is it me or are lots of people selling their 1's

[mackeroni]

Originally Posted by Brandon26pdx

Most people just want something different every 2-3 years...especially "car guys" who like lots of different cars but can only afford (or justify) owning one at a time. I'm not even 30 yet but I've played my share of musical cars already...selling or trading in every year or so and doing it all over again just out of boredom. Lots of the guys I hang out with are the same way so that doesn't help either.

I just picked up my 135i about a month ago after not having a car at all for almost a year and am quite happy with the deal I got and the car itself, having been interested since they came out, so I doubt I'll have much trouble being happy driving it for at least a couple years. An E92 M3 might be in the cards at some point, but I know it would be hard to find the perfect used one if I ever get serious about doing that, as most people just aren't as careful or fickle with their cars as I am.

I drove my 1992 Mazda MX3 V6 car over 205,000 miles before I gave it to my son. Some would say that only worked because it was Japanese. However, over the 13 or so years of my ownership (8 years with no payments) there were quite a few repairs and some were pretty expensive. But no matter how you do the math, you must be in a car that you like to drive, are proud of, and are willing to maintain. Otherwise, there is no joy in the ownership. I loved that car and miss it. It was great fun. If you are driving a car you do not like, by all means get rid of it.

My 135i is already providing an extremely pleasureable driving experience. I am proud of this car. I fully expect this feeling to last far longer than the length of my loan or the length of the warranty. In short, the pleasure of owning my 135i has no expiration date. I expect it to be a long joyful relationship in spite of any maintenance costs that come my way.

[mackeroni]

Originally Posted by jkp1187

I have to agree with this. I'm keeping mine for the long haul. And I don't quite understand why people are willing to spend $40,000 to avoid, say, a $5,000 or even a $10,000 repair.

Now, if you can't afford to have the car out of service, or just don't enjoy driving the car anymore, that's a different story, but the economics usually favor repairing an old car vs. buying a new one.

That said, I will probably do some mods in a couple of years -- suspension and tune -- just to keep it fresh.

A man after my own heart! Plus plus plus!

[eogintz]

Hi,

Interesting thread.

I am a car guy and trade my cars fairly frequently. A few months ago I owned a 2007 3 series when I happened to visit my local dealer and saw a used 1 series on the lot. I loved the look of the car and after driving it was quite impressed with performance and features. I then decided that I would seriously consider trading my 3 series for a 2008 CPO 1 series. (Kids all grown and no real need for a back seat) I was well aware of the HPFP issues and would not consider buying a BMW with this engine until it is more proven. I can't handle weekly visits to my dealer which is what I have experienced with other luxury brands and with one previous BMW that I owned. Too much of a risk for me.

I live in New Jersey and started searching for a CPO 2008 128i coupe that had reasonable mileage and lots of extras. Would you believe that there were less than a handful for sale within a 200 mile radius from my home?

I located one about an hour and a half away at a BMW dealer in Pennsylvania and worked the deal out over the phone which was of course contingent upon my seeing their car and them seeing my trade of my 3 series.

I own my cars and put very low mileage on them and at this time I have owned my 1'er for 3 months. I still love the look and handling of the car and receive many compliments from mechanics, auto body guys I know etc. about the look of the car. In the 3 months of ownership I just needed to have a door actuator replaced which was covered under warranty. No other problems which I cannot say about the 3 Audi's I have owned which had chronic check engine lights, etc.. right from the beginning.

I think that many of you with reliability complaints and long term concerns own 135's with the turbo. Same thing applies to turbo 335's.

I stayed with BMW's proven gem of an inline 6 and have no regrets yet. Time will tell if this car proves to be reliable but unless it starts giving me huge headaches I plan to keep it for a long time. It is really a fun to drive and good looking car!

Ed

Ed

[dtwyim]

My 7 year old keeps on telling me he likes my one and wants me to give it to him when he can drive! I do not think there is an extended warranty long enough to support that idea!

My warranty is running out in less than a year. Long term reliability is always on the back of my mind. I love my one so much I might consider getting the extended warranty just to get a few more years of worry free driving.

[mackeroni]

Originally Posted by dtwyim

My 7 year old keeps on telling me he likes my one and wants me to give it to him when he can drive! I do not think there is an extended warranty long enough to support that idea!

My warranty is running out in less than a year. Long term reliability is always on the back of my mind. I love my one so much I might consider getting the extended warranty just to get a few more years of worry free driving.

I must not be making my point very clearly.

If you really love your car, you do not get rid of it just because the warranty expires. You keep it and take care of it, even if that means paying for repairs out of your own pocket. This works on two levels... 1) it is much more affordable to keep an old car running than to buy a new car, and 2) the pride of owning an older car in great shape can be immeasurable.

Yesterday, I attended a British Car show on the campus of Ursuline University near Cleveland, Ohio. (I don't own a British car, but a friend asked me to drive his 1964 Lotus Cortina to the show.) There I witnessed over and over a person's love for his/her machine. But the example that will stay in my mind forever was a gentleman in his eighties arriving in the MG TC that he bought new in 1949 and has owned for 62 years. The car was immaculate. During the show, he buffed, polished and cared lovingly for this remarkable car. The fact that this car's warranty expired in 1950 did not seem to affect the old gentleman's peace of mind.

Maybe you will find me at a car show in 2041 polishing my thirty-year-old 135i.

[bluejaypanther]

I paid cash for my 135i 2 years ago. Up to 23K miles with no mechanical problems outside of a windshield was sprayer that was installed backwards at the factory and started leaking.

My goal is to drive it for at least 4-6 more years as my primary vehicle. After that I could either sell it or make it the weekend/fun car (and stop swapping tires in the winter) and buy a 4 door to haul kids around.

I don't see the point in "upgrading" from this car, at least for what I like doing with it. 300HP is hard to use in a city as is, why spend another 10-20K for an M-car that would be underutilized? 50-60K is more than I want to spend on a car, regardless of what I can afford or what I can get for it.

Also figure that 6MTs are getting more and more rare, and that fuel economy standards may mean we are witnessing the apex of power in mass-market cars- this may be as good as it gets for people who like this kind of car.

Yeah, I'm just going to keep it and hope I don't wreck it.

[dtwyim]

Originally Posted by mackeroni

I must not be making my point very clearly.

If you really love your car, you do not get rid of it just because the warranty expires. You keep it and take care of it, even if that means paying for repairs out of your own pocket. This works on two levels... 1) it is much more affordable to keep an old car running than to buy a new car, and 2) the pride of owning an older car in great shape can be immeasurable.

Yesterday, I attended a British Car show on the campus of Ursuline University near Cleveland, Ohio. (I don't own a British car, but a friend asked me to drive his 1964 Lotus Cortina to the show.) There I witnessed over and over a person's love for his/her machine. But the example that will stay in my mind forever was a gentleman in his eighties arriving in the MG TC that he bought new in 1949 and has owned for 62 years. The car was immaculate. During the show, he buffed, polished and cared lovingly for this remarkable car. The fact that this car's warranty expired in 1950 did not seem to affect the old gentleman's peace of mind.

Maybe you will find me at a car show in 2041 polishing my thirty-year-old 135i.

I definitely understand your point. The problem is that I currently do not have enough garage space to house what I have already. If I have more space, I will definitely keep it.

[mackeroni]

Originally Posted by dtwyim

I definitely understand your point. The problem is that I currently do not have enough garage space to house what I have already. If I have more space, I will definitely keep it.

I am familiar with that problem. I it is not too difficult to decide which vehicle(s) to jetison when you run out of room.

Good luck!

[2AD Tanker]

Originally Posted by tcd223

I'm keeping this car for as long as the engine runs.

Or the tires fall off!!!!


Love my ONE!