[gimmethemuumuu]

Hey, Guys,

Relatively new to the forum--I'm enjoying it so far. I'm looking to make the jump to an M3 here very soon. I've got a really good deal lined up for an '05 M3, 6-speed, with 60K miles on her. The car is a single-owner with all service records at the dealer. I have the ability to get an extended warranty for 48 months/48K miles at the time of purchase for ~$3700 from the dealer. The warranty would be the highest plan (Platinum?) from Premier.

And, now, the questions:

(1) What kinds of _major_ issues have you all had from 60K miles to about 120K miles? And how much has each cost? Obviously, I've read about the potential for VANOS issues but how many have actually encountered it (or other major issues in this mileage range) totalling more than $3700 (+ $200 deductable for each issue)?

(2) Do you think the price is worth it? Coming from an '02 325i one-owner (me with 124K miles, I've not had anything major to date. So, reliability on the E46 is generally good. So, I could just sock some money away. It all depends.

Thanks in advance for your advice, thoughts, information, etc.

[deadlysyns]

it's hit or miss with extended warranties. I had cpo warranty but didn't have to use it. If the car checks out, then I would just save that $3700 for a rainy day if something does happen.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by deadlysyns

it's hit or miss with extended warranties. I had cpo warranty but didn't have to use it. If the car checks out, then I would just save that $3700 for a rainy day if something does happen.

Yeah, it's already had Inspection II done. So, I suppose I could just have my Indy shop check out the VANOS on the next valve adjustment at about 90K miles. Even if it tanks, someone else posted in another thread that you can get a VANOS unit for something like $1300-$1500. Then, it's just a matter of bolting it on.

Referencing my 325i (not that it's a fair comparison), it needed O2 sensors and idler pulley in that mileage range. And, other than that, nothing much beside basic maintenance (tires, brakes, brake fluid flush, coolant flush, etc.)

Anyone else? What are your experiences?

[deadlysyns]

my inspection I is due at 85000 miles, which i will do myself. I need new rear tires also. No major problems here just regular maintenance.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by deadlysyns

my inspection I is due at 85000 miles, which i will do myself. I need new rear tires also. No major problems here just regular maintenance.

So, you're coming up on 85K, eh? Have you had her the whole time? If not, at what mileage did you pick her up?

[deadlysyns]

04' with 45,000 miles on it was when I bought the car, I am the third owner. It came with CPO from 2nd owner. I purchased maintenance plan which I got my money's worth but if I had a chance to do it again, I would have just done my own maintenance.

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by deadlysyns

04' with 45,000 miles on it was when I bought the car, I am the third owner. It came with CPO from 2nd owner. I purchased maintenance plan which I got my money's worth but if I had a chance to do it again, I would have just done my own maintenance.

Ah, I see. So, you've had a pretty good run so far with no major issues.

Yeah, on the maintenance front, I tend to do it all myself. With the M, I think I might leave the valve adjustment to an independent shop. Otherwise, I'll take car of it myself.

It's just if something really, big occurs after 60K . . .

Who else has had major repairs after this mile mark? At what mileage? How much did it run ya?

[Tak555]

eek, $3,700 is a lot of $$$... i would say no, and i'm not an anti-warranty guy (i bought one for my car when i first got it, but it was a lot cheaper due to lower miles).

however, it is nice peace-of-mind

[gimmethemuumuu]

Originally Posted by Tak555

eek, $3,700 is a lot of $$$... i would say no, and i'm not an anti-warranty guy (i bought one for my car when i first got it, but it was a lot cheaper due to lower miles).

however, it is nice peace-of-mind

Yeah, it is a decent chunk of change. To be fair, though, we'd be talking about 4 yrs./~50K miles worth of coverage.

It really comes down to whether, during that time/mileage range, I would likely encounter repairs totalling more than ~$4K.

So, how many miles have you had your car? Any major issues? How much $?

TIA

[Tak555]

Originally Posted by gimmethemuumuu

Yeah, it is a decent chunk of change. To be fair, though, we'd be talking about 4 yrs./~50K miles worth of coverage.

It really comes down to whether, during that time/mileage range, I would likely encounter repairs totalling more than ~$4K.

So, how many miles have you had your car? Any major issues? How much $?

TIA

yah, that would probably help.

my car is a 2004, that i bought used in 2007, with 18k miles on it. it currently has about 47k miles on it. when i bought the car, i also purchased an aftermarket warranty for about $2,100 that would cover me for an additional 70k miles and 5 years (exclusionary type of warranty).

when i initially bought the car, it actually had a little bit of factory warranty left, and during the first 3 months i had a couple electrical problems (battery went bad, alternator died, interior lights on the fritz) plus some little things like premature wear on interior trim, etc. so those things were taken care of using the bmw warranty.

since that time, i've had zero problems. no smg or vanos problems, and when i had my subframe looked at by an indy shop, they said everything looked good.