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Old 01-31-2003, 03:56 PM   #1
davidfnickel
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Question cost of owning a BMW

I am in the market for a used car and have narrowed it down to a Honda Prelude or a 3 seried BMW. I was wondering just how expensive it is to fix these things? I live in metropolitan Detroit so repair shops aren't a problem. I would love to have the status and look of owning a BMW but dont want to get into a money pit.
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Old 01-31-2003, 03:59 PM   #2
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MY DAD GAVE MY BRO HIS 535i AND MY BRO GAVE IT BACK TO HIM B/C IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR HIM TO FIX...SEEMED LIKE ALL AT ONCE THINGS STARTED TO GO WRONG
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Old 02-01-2003, 09:52 AM   #3
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You're gonna get more looks and status with the Prelude, because with the money you save in repairs and maintenance, you could buy shiny wheels for the prelude, a nice front spoiler, pep boys has some really nice double deck wings you can put on the trunk lid they're only $150! Get the prelude lowered, and get the tinted glass, now you're going to look much cooler in your Prelude than you ever would have in some BMW.
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Old 02-02-2003, 12:14 AM   #4
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It is simple. If you are a white male and you get a lowered prelude with a spoiler and rims then you will get a lot of awkward looks. Where as a stock e36 325is or even a e30 325is BMW will win you many looks of prestige. A prelude is an obvious symbol of unoriginal whereas the bmw is a work of art with the performance to back it. Obviously there is a little bit more cost to keep these high performance cars up and running but it is so worth it.
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Old 02-02-2003, 04:16 PM   #5
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there is a VERY big differnce between the 3series coupe and a prelude. Sure honda's run forever. And it depends on the bimmer u get. Some r really good quality and some suck a$$
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Old 02-02-2003, 06:36 PM   #6
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go with the BMW for sure:flash:
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Old 02-02-2003, 07:04 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally posted by dirk-diggler
You're gonna get more looks and status with the Prelude, because with the money you save in repairs and maintenance, you could buy shiny wheels for the prelude, a nice front spoiler, pep boys has some really nice double deck wings you can put on the trunk lid they're only $150! Get the prelude lowered, and get the tinted glass, now you're going to look much cooler in your Prelude than you ever would have in some BMW.
I hope your joking because that would just make the prelude RICE!
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Old 02-03-2003, 09:52 AM   #8
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RacerD12:
"I hope your joking because that would just make the prelude RICE!"

That totally depends on yer deffinition of rice, Look at the last M3, I think that car is tottally sexy!! But look at the paint job, sparkly lime green?? on a Bimmer?! what's with the hood bulge? To someone who drives a 7 series that looks totally ricey, I think the bulge is somewhat ricey because you got a hood bulge that says that the hood was bulged to accomodate a larger motor, but the motor is no larger that the puny 2.5 liter, and a dual exhaust, man, if that motor wasn't pumping 300 hp that car would be total rice! Dual exhausts are reserved for "V" motors, not expensive wannabe econo 6 cylinders! According to me I think that the prelude would look totally awesome! Why pay the extra money on mechanics that wanna rip you off when you can spend the money on something that satisfyes you!
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Old 02-03-2003, 12:32 PM   #9
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Unhappy

I guess I'm kind of confused. If you feel that strongly about the Honda, why are you here? It seems to me you are just a "wanna be" BMW owner. If you really believe in your car, you should be on the Honda forum! Make sense? :right:
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Old 02-03-2003, 02:20 PM   #10
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I'm not a wannabe BMW owner, I'm just trying to keep davidpickel from making a big mistake. If hes affraid of getting into a money pit, he obviously aint got no doe to buy no Bimmer. That Racer12 dissed my idea, and I'm just tellin him like it is!:frog: and I saw this post on the most recent posts list
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Old 02-03-2003, 02:25 PM   #11
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In my experience both these makes of cars are very reliable, but it depends on the age of them. What I have found with Jaguar is that although parts are expensive, they do not need replacing often. Remember, both of these cars were built to a cost, and the cost of the BMW was undoubtedly higer.
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Old 02-03-2003, 02:41 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by C_Dogg
I guess I'm kind of confused. If you feel that strongly about the Honda, why are you here? It seems to me you are just a "wanna be" BMW owner. If you really believe in your car, you should be on the Honda forum! Make sense? :right:
UR NOT CONFUSED...JUST A LITTLE SLOW J/K

HE'S JUST LETTING HIM KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER....I'M NOT A WANNA BE (IF THERE'S SUCH A THING SINCE I'M OUTTA H.S.) BUT I HAVE DROVE MY DAD'S 535i AND BUT WHEN IT STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS AFTER HE GAVE IT TO MY BROTHER...THOSE COSTS REALLY START ADDING UP QUICK AND UNLESS YOU HAVE THE THINGS TO DO IT URSELF (I.E. RESET FOR CHANGING THE OIL) OR KNOW SOMEONE...YOUR GOING TO PAY A PRETTY PENNY....
BUT THE PRELUDE ON THE OTHER HAND...DEPENDING ON WHAT YEAR, YOU'RE GOING TO BE PAYING TO..BUT NOT AS MUCH....THEY BOTH HAVE SPEED AND STYLE, BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT...I WOULD GO WITH THE BWM FOR LOOKS AND THE PRELUDE FOR AFFORDABILITY

Quote:
Originally posted by Tourstar
It is simple. If you are a white male and you get a lowered prelude with a spoiler and rims then you will get a lot of awkward looks. Where as a stock e36 325is or even a e30 325is BMW will win you many looks of prestige. A prelude is an obvious symbol of unoriginal whereas the bmw is a work of art with the performance to back it
THAT'S A MOST RETARDED STATEMENT (RETARTED MEANING WHAT YOU JUST DID OR SAID I COMPLETELY STUPID BUT HAVE THE ABILITY TO LEARD)
I'M NOT BIAS TOWARDS ANYONE OF THESE CARS BUT IT DEPENDS ON THREE THINGS: 1)WHAT YEAR YOU GET, 2)WHAT YOUR PREF IS, AND 3)HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND ON MAINTENANCE
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Old 02-03-2003, 03:50 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally posted by dirk-diggler
RacerD12:
"I hope your joking because that would just make the prelude RICE!"

That totally depends on yer deffinition of rice, Look at the last M3, I think that car is tottally sexy!! But look at the paint job, sparkly lime green?? on a Bimmer?! what's with the hood bulge? To someone who drives a 7 series that looks totally ricey, I think the bulge is somewhat ricey because you got a hood bulge that says that the hood was bulged to accomodate a larger motor, but the motor is no larger that the puny 2.5 liter, and a dual exhaust, man, if that motor wasn't pumping 300 hp that car would be total rice! Dual exhausts are reserved for "V" motors, not expensive wannabe econo 6 cylinders! According to me I think that the prelude would look totally awesome! Why pay the extra money on mechanics that wanna rip you off when you can spend the money on something that satisfyes you!

Im not trying to diss you i agree with you if he dosnt have the cash dont get the BMW. What I dissagreed with was "nice front spoiler, pep boys has some really nice double deck wings you can put on the trunk lid" thats ricy YOU DONT NEED WINGS but the rims would be nice.

Now as for the BMWs having lots of problems thats not really ture. 1980s were bad for BMW alot of electrical problems but thats been fixed. And if you get anything after a 1995 you should not have any problems. Also Blu civic how old was your BMW when your Bro got it any car thats older or has alot of miles is going to have problems.
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Old 02-04-2003, 07:12 PM   #14
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This thread is starting to sound like it's being taken over by nitwits who have no real experience owning a BMW, much less servicing one. One response speaks of Daddy's BMW, while another suggests that Jaguars (of all cars) are more reliable than BMW's which is absolutely delusional at best.

Anyone who's owned a beemer in real life knows that maintenance is not that expensive if you follow advice on these forums, and the engines and transmissions are bullet proof compared to most other (especially American cars).

Have we been invaded by a bunch of beemer haters?
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Old 02-05-2003, 07:21 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally posted by 318ti
Anyone who's owned a beemer in real life knows that maintenance is not that expensive if you follow advice on these forums, and the engines and transmissions are bullet proof compared to most other (especially American cars).

Have we been invaded by a bunch of beemer haters?

what's a beemer?? oh yeah you mean BMW never said anything about the transmission or the engine b/c the car still runs like it was new but it's the suspension and the brakes....it's an 90 so i guess that it was time for service...i know how much they cost and you don't have to own a BMW to know this and maintenance will still be expensive even if you do follow the advice on this forum....

but like i said before...it all comes down to the all mighty dollar and what he wants
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1991 Civic Sedan DX - 185.8whp/139tq. Tuned on NepTune by J.Mills
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