High milage....

[bdubyah]

Hi all!,

I was reading a couple posts down from some fellow noobies and had a question of my own. I'm looking into getting a mid 90's BMW myself. Most of the cars in my price range have around 70k-80k miles. My question is how long do these engines (4-6-8 cylinders in general) last? How many miles are normally put on them before they need a overhaul of any kind. This is assuming it was taken care of with normal maintenance. There are hundreds of really nice cars out there with higher miles, but i'm unsure of the longevity of these engines.

Thanks, Brian

[El Presidente]

you can generally expect the engine to last 250-300k before anything as intense as a rebuild is needed, but its not unheard of for BMW engines to last into the 400s.

[BMWJNKY]

Yep, the BMW engines will last a long time as long as they are maintianed well. If they aren't then its a gamble on how long it will last. At my work I see BMW's with 220,000+ miles all the time.

[tyro2001]

yeah my 1984 318i got 175K on it and it still runs like beast.

[thekid]

I've been hearing the same thing everytime this question is asked. I stay on-top of maintiance and in fact usually do it a little bit early. However, I do drive me car aggressively. How worried should I be with a 1995 318i about longevity with aggressive driving. It already has almost 160k miles on it. By aggressive I mean I usually shift at 4k rpms, and usually the gas is most of the way floored as I drive. However, I only drive my car once or twice a week, because while at college there really isn't any where I need to go on a daily basis since I live on campus. Any way just wondering what your thoughts were on this.

[ibew595]

You are concerned how long it is going to last??????
Your'e going to drive the crap out of it and you want a bullet proof car. The sixes in the BMW's are good but not that good. With full throttle I expect you should get at least another good 10k out of the car before it tosses up something. Want to go faster get more hp than the 318 use less throttle and have a car which lasts longer.

[DeathMetal]

I have an 86 325es with 130K and my friend has an 85 with 240K. We both drive the crap out our cars. There is something that is much more damaging to your car than aggressive driving. You know what it is? It's getting into yor car, starting it up, driving one mile to the store to get a pint of ice cream or a video or whatever, driving it back, turning it off and then doing it again the next day. Nothing puts more wear and tear on your car than that.

[007ben]

Originally posted by DeathMetal@Apr 9 2004, 10:53 PM
I have an 86 325es with 130K and my friend has an 85 with 240K. We both drive the crap out our cars. There is something that is much more damaging to your car than aggressive driving. You know what it is? It's getting into yor car, starting it up, driving one mile to the store to get a pint of ice cream or a video or whatever, driving it back, turning it off and then doing it again the next day. Nothing puts more wear and tear on your car than that.

I live a block from the grocery store and 15 min walk from work. I've had my car since january and haven't put 2k on it yet because its not a daily driver. It's my big toy...

[thekid]

hmmm, so the engines aren't as bullet proof as toyota engines are for example. I used to have a 92 celica gt and I drove the crap out of that car. Engine transmission all that fine. people on celica.net still auto-x their cars with 175k miles on the engine no problem. hmmm well I've only put 3-4k miles on the car a middle aged woman owned it before me, I guess it will be alright for a while. Might as well blow up this engine as long as it will last about a year... gives me an excuse to swap to a 328i engine... or maybe a 330i engine.

[BimmerKris]

mine is kickin ass at over 325k

[Torque]

pushing it constantly at 155k

[bimmer_boy]

I baught my car with 160k miles and did a simple tuneup when aquired. The only problems I've had since then have been belts going bad. Nothing major. I've driven it about 3,000 miles since aquiring it a couple months ago.