20k miler or 70k miler

carlos · Post by **carlos** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 11:47

Hi guys apart from the obvious would there be any advantage of getting an ///M with 20k miles over one with 70k miles ?. I realise the obvious resale value, the general better condition of the paint work & leather but the one thing i am looking at is the lack of real use the 20k miler will have had. I was wondering if a higher mileage example with a really comprehensive service record would be as good as if not better than a low mileage hardly used one. Would it be a case of heavy use after years of very limited / easy use leading to problems ?.

When do suspension bushes etc need replacing ?.Would a higher mileage one need this type of work doing ?. I dont know if a low mileage one is better or not !

Any comments are more than welcome !

Carl

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 11:58

I'd go for the lower mileage every time. Of course it depends somewhat on how long you intend to keep it, how often you'll use it and price etc

carlos · Post by **carlos** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 12:55

Will use it every day for my journey to work and will probably keep it a year or so, 2 years at the most. I agree the low mileage would be the better car i am just concerned that if it hasnt been used very much and was a weekend toy for example then every day use and spirited driving might cause it some problems. If the car hasnt been driven hard and has been sat for long periods of time surely water pipes, pumps etc etc will not cope with high temps and lots of use. Same with the engine perhaps. I would like to think a low mileage BMW of this stature would be A1 but it can still have issues. Being only 20k miles will it have had an Inspection 2 service (age would suggest yes it would but havent been able to confirm this as yet). The other thing i wondered about was the vanos on the 2 cars. Surely a faulty vanos on a 70k miler would have been sorted by now whereas the 20k miler may still have this to come.

I guess i should really take both cars on their own merits and look seriously at both. By the way the 70k miler has had to have its boot lid painted because the paint had become dull and faded. Dont know why.

Thanks

Carl

Phoenix Nights · Post by **Phoenix Nights** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 15:09

Assuming both have been properly maintained, cared for, serviced etc there shouldn't be any catastrophic problems with either.

While it is just about conceivable that the 20K car has been thrashed to within an inch of its life, and the 70K car has been meticulously cared for, the opposite could just as easily be true. But assuming both appear to have been similarly well cared for, I'd go for the low mileage one for obvious reasons.

carlos · Post by **carlos** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 16:36

Hi i was actually thinking more along the lines that the 20k miler could have been a little too infrequently. I will be using it every day and will give it some spirited driving from time to time, i was a little worried that a car that has been sat in storage for long periods of time then only light / moderate driving the car will not take kindly to constant use. The lower mileage one doesnt have the extra spec that the higher mileage on has plus its a year older. Both cars sound like they have been serviced as per BMW recommendations but the 20k miler has only had 2 services whereas the 70k miler has had 9 services with an Inspection 2 carried out 4 months / 1k miles ago with new brakes all round + lots more.

I dont think theres anything wrong with buying the higher mileage example its been very well maintained and cared for and is all i could want spec wise.

Thanks for the comments

Carl

///M_aniac · Post by **///M_aniac** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 18:24

Go for lower mileage, Carlos. Provided everything checks out of course!

carlos · Post by **carlos** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 18:57

Hi isnt only 2 services in 8 years no where near enough ?I was thinking it should of had atleast 4 in its life despit the mileage.

Alex L · Post by **Alex L** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 20:35

I am always worried about buying an older car with few miles. Cars are not designed to sit about and short journeys are even worse. Without seeing either car it is difficult to say which is the better buy

DavidM · Post by **DavidM** » Tue 18 Apr, 2006 20:42

It should have had the mileage interval led major services - concieveably only one or two of those - but there are time led fluid changes that would indicate if the car has been maintained or not - if these have not been performed, I'd think about what else may be out of order

carlos · Post by **carlos** » Wed 19 Apr, 2006 05:34

My thoughts exactly. The car has only had standard service work during its life as far as i know. I asked if it had been given an Inspection 2 but was told it hadnt. It has had an oil service and an inspection 1 only. I think it must have been stored for very long periods of time and only serviced every 3-4 years or something.

This surely can be good and all fluids / oils would be in desperate need of changing. Daily use could have an adverse effect on it perhaps.

Carl

tags · Post by **tags** » Wed 19 Apr, 2006 06:29

In December 2004 i bought a 98 ///M with 14000 on the clock. After owning it for 17 months here are the problems i came across.

Firstly, the car looked by the service record to have been serviced regularly. I think it had had, oil, oil, insp1, oil, in 6 years. Also the fluids etc had ben changed twice. The car came with a few small niggles. Central locking was iffy in passenger door and sometimes drivers door. I had to get both solenoids replaced, fine now. I developed a rattle from one of the rear drums, when it was investigated, the drum was rusty inside so needed new rear drums, shoes and pads. In Feb this year i could hear a change in engine noise when my foot was fully down on the clutch. I was told it was the clutch thrust bearing and my clutch was on its way out, so i changed that in Feb. I had an insp2 on it in July last year. The car has now covered 23000 and is running fine.

If you are worried about fluids not being changed, then would it not just be a case of getting that done? I would go for the 20k car, but you will probably have a couple of age issues like the ones i had.

Tags

Marty D · Post by **Marty D** » Wed 19 Apr, 2006 07:04

Surely the price difference must be big enough to have an impact on your decision?

I bought a 33k mile 98 M last year which had done about 500 in the last six months the previous owner had it (baby had come along). Prior to that, servicing had been neglected a bit with the last oil change three years/5000m before.

It's never had an inspection II, the vanos and tappets are silent, but I do only average about 100 miles a week in it.

I've done all the things needed myself, including two front calipers and brake pads.

Touch wood, it drives superbly, even idle, kick in performance at 3250 at peak torque, feels very tight, apart from a bit of twittering from dash - well, it is a convertible.

Go for the low mileage one, especially as it's going to be a daily drive. Expect to change front calipers as the boots split, change the oil and filters once a year, and forget about it. Warm it up properly before extending, try not to exceed 2500rpm till oil temp is around 60.

Don't take it to dealers, and it's not worth wasting money on servicing. As the guys here have illustrated, the service history on the low miler is nowhere near complete for most punters, so why throw money down the drain bearing in mind depreciation? Bet you won't be getting rid of it after a year, so there's even more reason to buy the low miler!

carlos · Post by **carlos** » Wed 19 Apr, 2006 08:57

The price difference is very small, the low mileage one is very well priced in comparison to the higher mileage one. That said the service history is excellent on the higher mileage example. Its had every service as per the schedule and lots of fluid changes, coolant changes etc. It has just been given a real going over during a very recent Inspection 2 and had lots of usual wear items replaced so in theory it should be A1. It comes with all the manuals, keys, tyre inflation system, mot's etc etc and it just looks well cared for. Plus another plus point is the dealer selling the high miler has bent over backwards to be as helpful as he can whereas the dealer with the lower miler just doesnt sound bothered, i had to pester him for some info on the car and when i got it there was a 1 line sentance basically saying" clean car, no accidents, 2 services good tyres". Not really a lot to go on there i thought. This mileage thing is becoming frustrating !. I just feel more confident about the 70k miler if you get what i mean.

Car