gstigler

Well, after 48k miles and 2.5 years of good service I traded my 1997 E420 in for a 2002 BMW 530i. The E420 was great but the rust was a starting to show up in multiple spots on my car. Also, a future need for $2500 in repairs helped my decision to make a change.

Summing up the cost of ownership the car depreciated $8500 (includes purchase plus taxes, plates etc) and required $6804 in repairs which equates to $0.43 per mile including gas at $2.40 a gallon. Back out the fuel and the cost to own was $0.32 a mile. Really not too bad for a luxury car.

In any case, thanks to everyone on this forum for your support over the last couple years. Enjoy the W210, someday I may move back to a W211 (probably a CDI).

Best of luck!!

lexrex

Not bad. I once calculated that the 450SL I owned a few years ago cost about $1/mile in repairs & maintenance alone! My E320 has averaged about $0.20/mi in maintenance/repairs, and that includes fixing a couple expensive things that needed repair when I bought it (e.g. $1,000 A/C compressor replacement).

slk55lvr

Anything under 50 cents a mile feels like a good deal to me, but I'm a bit suprised at how much you spent in repairs over 2 1/2 years, with 2500 more coming. What did you replace, if I may ask?

patrick_y

I calculate that for both of my cars, but i didn't factor in the fact that the cars depreciate (since that's difficult to calculate) and the fact that I had bought the extended mileage warranty.

Description Replacement Cost Miles Per Replacement Cost Per Mile % of Operating Cost
Gasoline $56 @ $3.50/gal 384 miles @ 24.0mpg $0.15 52%
Tires $600 20,000 $0.03 10%
Scheduled Maintenance $700 26,000 $0.03 10%
Brakes $2,100 60,000 $0.04 14%
Long Haul Service $3,500 100,000 $0.04 14%

TOTAL COST PER MILE $0.29

Description Replacement Cost Miles Per Replacement Cost Per Mile
Gasoline $70 @ $3.50/gal 440 miles @ 22.0mpg $0.16
Tires $600 20,000 $0.03
Scheduled Maintenance $760 25,000 $0.03
Brakes $1,400 60,000 $0.03
Long Haul Service $3,500 100,000 $0.04

TOTAL COST PER MILE $0.29

Now, these are conservative estimates, these are assuming that I buy the cheaper tires, that the cost of service does not increase dramatically, and assuming that I replace the rotors (on the brakes) every other time I do a pad exchange, which is unlikely because we've been told that we had to replace the rotors every single time.

Gas will also increase, I expect this figure to be higher. Compare this with a Maserati... which is about $0.50 a mile.

gstigler

Between 67k and 115k the breakdown of the $6800 is as follows:
Tires, $380 (Good Years) and $310 (Kuhmos) the Kuhmos were better
Brakes $310 - parts only
Rust repair on trucnklock $325 - Came back 2 years later
8 Oil chages $540
2 alignments - $200
Rear window Regulator $450 - Should have done it myself
Serp belt and AC switch $610
90k mile service $1000 - included trans
Leaky Stearing rack replaced $1100
Brakes $340 - parts only
Front ball joints and bushings $1200 - should have left alone



It needed lifters, rear brakes and a lot of rust repair when I traded it. Some of the service was pricey because I didn't do it myself but I saved on the brakes. This makes you realize how expensive these cars can be. IT makes those 24 month leases look appealing.

slk55lvr

[QUOTE=gstigler]Between 67k and 115k the breakdown of the $6800 is as follows:
Tires, $380 (Good Years) and $310 (Kuhmos) the Kuhmos were better
Brakes $310 - parts only
Rust repair on trucnklock $325 - Came back 2 years later
8 Oil chages $540
2 alignments - $200
Rear window Regulator $450 - Should have done it myself
Serp belt and AC switch $610
90k mile service $1000 - included trans
Leaky Stearing rack replaced $1100
Brakes $340 - parts only
Front ball joints and bushings $1200 - should have left alone

Ok, now that was a very enlightening list. Other than the rust repair and window this was just good maintenance, and it sure is expensive at the dealership. Thanks for sharing that with us!

patrick_y

This was at a dealership? That looks fairly reasonable. The brakes do especially. My dealership charges me $500+ for just the brake parts (pads/rotors) and each brake job is about $1000. Alignments are $200 a piece, not 2 for $200.

I think you're getting a good deal. I'm going to complain to my service provider about this.

gstigler

The brakes were parts only, that's why it looks cheap. Everything else was at an independent mechanic that speacializes in european cars.

Peteski

Rust is why I parted with my '97 E420, too. About a dime-sized spot where the trim meets the lower rocker panel (?) behind the passenger side rear wheel. Then tiny spots at the junction of the upper and lower panels in front of the passenger side front wheel well. Of course, around the trunk remote sensor, too. I discovered all of this because of my meticulous detailing; a body shop guy also said it was starting in the rear wheel wells up underneath. What a shame! I don't even expect this from my cheap-o work vans, and at the same age they have 2-3 times the mileage and arent' cared for much at all body-wise. But I did love that dark green beauty...

patrick_y

Oh well, you've got a 530i in the garage. That's a great car! Wouldn't mind having one of those in my own garage.

patrick_y

Seriously, what's wrong with these cars? They're not supposed to rust, all European cars aren't supposed to rust. Maybe it's just me because I'm in California and less cars rust out here, but I've never heard of any European car rusting before.

8enzo

Hey $2.40 per gallon is CHEAP. In Ireland were paying $6.57c per gallon. alot of the time people get a car serviced by the main dealer,if you get a good mechanic you could drop some of these prices by $$$. What a shame you had to buy a bmw.

gstigler

I agree we are lucky to have low gas prices in the US. People here feel that they are too high but compared to the some parts of the world we should feel very fortunate.

The BMW is actually a great car. The only thing I don't like about it is the interior sace is a little small. Handling,accelleration and the sport package make it a fun car.

Cheers

lexrex

The relatively low gas prices in the U.S. aren't so much due to good fortune. The simple fact is that our government hasn't (yet) turned the price of gasoline into a social engineering project through heavy taxation.

gstigler

Our government makes makes up for it in other areas. Inheritance tax, property taxes (some states), capital gains, etc... We all get bent over, just in different ways.