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Yearly maintenance cost?

7K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  dmccall 
#1 ·
Looking into buying a 95 325iS, and im starting to worry if im going to be able to afford the yearly costs. What is the average yearly maintenance cost for this year/model? I'm going to be driving it at home in massachusettes during the summer, and up in rochester new york during the winter. The conditions will be harsh, but i will be using a car cover and taking it to a car wash at least once a week. What kind of costs can i expect in terms of changing the oil, brakes, etc? The car im looking at has 86k miles on it, but is in absolutely pristine condition, and has not been driven in the winter yet.
 
#2 ·
$50-$60 for the oil change
$95-$100 for each set of brakes. So $200 for front and rear.
Belts aren't that expensive to change... I just had it done, but don't remember.. It was responable though.

These costs are to pay some one to do it. You can save crap loads of money doing it yourself. And non of that stuff is hard except for belts. And they really aren't all that hard after you do it a couple times. But since you don't have to do it that often...
 
#3 ·
If you supply the filter any place can change the oil...best to DIY. Cost you $17 oil and filter, unless you want to use synthetic, then it will be closer to $30.

BMWs have yearly "inspection services" that outline which preventative maintenaince needs to take place. Inspection 1s run anywhere from 175-400, and Inspection 2s run anywhere from 350-700. It depends on where you you get the work and how much (if any) you do yourself.

In sum, expect to pay around 600/year.
 
#4 ·
Originally posted by El Presidente@Jun 16 2004, 02:56 AM
In sum, expect to pay around 600/year.
And probably put away $75 a month to save for a new radiator, water pump, etc. or other items that will need to be repaired.
 
#5 ·
and about $352,590 a year on fuel.........

No really, :p Check your rear trailing arm bushings, they are auppose to be replaced every 80,000 miles I overherad someone say.(mine DEFINATELY need replacing, they are SHOT [90,000 M]) since they are of lesser quality than the M3 bushines (the reason they fail so soon), replace them with the M3 bushings Check your lower control arm bushings as well. Common failure on an E36 and are relitively cheep replacement parts, but labor's a bitch cause it takes a while to change them.
 
#6 ·
Originally posted by Silver4evr+Jun 16 2004, 12:12 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Silver4evr @ Jun 16 2004, 12:12 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-El Presidente@Jun 16 2004, 02:56 AM
In sum, expect to pay around 600/year.
And probably put away $75 a month to save for a new radiator, water pump, etc. or other items that will need to be repaired. [/b][/quote]
You can get a new radiator, hoses,waterpump, thermostat, thermostat housing, and some coolant for 320ish after shipping from http://www.bimmerworld.com I've got one on the way.

Don't tell me about these trailling arm things I don't want to think I need to fix something else now.
 
#7 ·
007ben, does your car feel like it has "rear wheel sterring" when you hit corners hard? If so, those are your RTA bushings giving the trailing arms slack to wobble around. If you dont, and everything feels tight and driving like it should be in the rear, then I guess your fine.
They are like 30$ or somthing I'm sure.
DIY (log in to see pics, great writeup)
 
#8 ·
Naw my car feels fine. But I'm getting near 100k mark...

I'm not looking foward to having to change bushings and such. I'm already kinda worried about doing the radiator, water pump, thermostat. 90+% of the work is done from the top of the car and thats a plus.
 
#9 ·
Owen,
It depends upon what kind of service you demand and how much of a do-it-yourselfer you are. I don't do anything on this car myself (ask about the 150ft french drain I put in my yard all by myself!), and I take it to an independant garage owned by a family friend. I want things fixed when they find that this and that seal are going.
That said, I have to say that I am selling my '95 325is because the yearly costs + depreciation total nearly what a monthly lease on a new one (w/ free service)would be. OK OK I'll get flamed for all of this, but the repairs have really mounted.

1996 $ 63
1997 530
1998 857
1999 1848
2000 689
2001 1526
2002 4317
2003 3010
2004 1510 (so far)

These figures include two Michelin tire set replacements.

Maintenance has been $0.14/mi driven. For a long time it hovered in the 5-8 cent range. For perspective, our '85 325 was .08/mi when it was 11 yrs old, '74 2002 was $.14/mi driven when it was 21 yrs old. '90 Range Rover was $0.28/mi driven when it was 5 yrs old!

BTW - I bought this 325is used in '96 after Hurricane Fran demolished my first '95 325is. (three large pine trees fell through it and put it belly down on the ground). The big event (service-wise) was when I was stranded halfway between Raleigh and Charlotte at dusk in the rain on a 2-lane country road because the plastic impeller in the coolant pump had stripped. (this is really not one of those things that I expect a mechanic to inspect on routine maint). This problem happens frequently on these cars at 80K-100K according to my mechanic (who nailed the diagnosis over the cell phone)

All in all, depreciation + service on this car have been about $5000 per year. I have gotten 24/30 mpg and ins premiums are about $850/year (Raleigh NC, 35yo, no tix or accidents ever, knock on wood.)

I hope this helps. Do any of you have any comparable numbers???

Dana
Raleigh
 
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