High mileage purchase?

[328inOR]

So I have been on the search for a 2009-2011 E90 for the last month and have not found anything in my area yet. I have however found a very clean 2008 with 130k miles for about $10k less than other with lower miles.

Should I continue with my what seems like an endless search or take the chance on the clean higher mileage lower cost vehicle.

[kb9uwu]

just know that 08 might need a ton of maintenance now or very shortly. to replace the clutch in an 08, you also have to replace the flywheel. the $10k you "save" now will still be spent within a few years, imo.

either way, if it's a good deal, get it. my 08 has 96k now and runs great.

[monterey]

I bought an 08 recently and saved 15k off my targeted price. It had 80k miles. By doing so i completely avoided the loan process. I typically don't fish at the bottom of the sea because there's alot of ugly fish there but i got lucky. In order for your vehicle to have 130k miles you know those are highway miles that are less destructive to parts. The modern day engine can hit 200k easily. Like others have said, look for maintenance history and buy the seller not the car.

[quicktwinturbo]

As long as the car is well maintained with records, why pay more?
Do your research and I hope you find the one.

[W///]

Depends on the car.

I got lucky with my 08. California car its entire life and rear seats look like they never sat in. 1 owner. Car never needed to go in the dealership for anything more than regular maintenance. PPI revealed that it needed a new oil cap and that's it.

I had the car shipped sight unseen from California to SC, which looking back at it was risky. Just keep in mind that there can be 08s out there that are far cleaner than 11s that have been beat up

[Nihilation]

I've got an '08 with 120k miles and the only thing I dislike is the iDrive. That said, the 09+ iDrive, while better, isn't stellar. The NBT is the system you want but can't have on the 08 without a major iDrive system overhaul ($3k+).

And lucky for me the previous owner just had the clutch replaced with 09+ parts. That aside, I can't imagine an 08 costing any more than an 09+ with similar miles.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by 328inOR

So I have been on the search for a 2009-2011 E90 for the last month and have not found anything in my area yet. I have however found a very clean 2008 with 130k miles for about $10k less than other with lower miles.

Should I continue with my what seems like an endless search or take the chance on the clean higher mileage lower cost vehicle.

Low mileage makes me very skeptical. Why?

First, that means it might have been a "weekend car". It might not have been kept up to date with maintenance, especially as the no-cost maintenance lapsed. People seem to forget that a lot of parts wear out from age OR mileage.

Second, it might mean a lot of short-trips (city miles). Those are VERY hard on the car because things never come up to temperature, it was idling for extended periods, drove over crappy pavement, etc. Highway miles are far less stressful since you're just holding a steady 2000rpm, not using the brakes much, minimal steering input, etc.


I would rather take a high-mileage car that had a good service & repair history than a low-mileage one that *appears* to have barely been used. You won't impress people when you say it only has X miles -- you WILL impress them with a car that doesn't destroy your bank account and is in good shape.

Dealers love to sell low mileage stuff, but I think they're pandering to the ignorant.

[oolas3]

The previous owner of my M3 only had it only 2 years but put on 50k miles in that time. I did a PPI and all that, but this gave me more confidence in the purchase because I knew it had to be almost all highway miles.

[///M Power-Belgium]

In one word..."DON'T"