[Il Fenomeno 415]

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I know certain individuals will eventually trade in their new F30s for various reasons after a few years but generally speaking how many years can you expect to keep your F30?

Considering that it's been maintained very well over time and the mileage use is within reason. This will be my first BMW and seeing that I'll be spending almost $60k with my build I'd like to keep the car as long as I can. Hoping the experienced BMW drivers on the forum can give me some insight-thanks!

[Jamesons Viggen]

All I can say my '98 looks like new and is quite robust and well made. I pretty much doubled the power and still have the original clutch and brakes at 74k miles.

[JUSKIDN]

I had a 325ci in 2001 that I put over 110K on in 5 years and never had any mechanical problems. I traded her in on a Lexus IS and now Im back to BMW. BTW: no problems with the Lexus either but its just a fancy Toyota.

[Cyberdemon]

I have several friends who own BMW's with nearly 200k on the clock and still drive them hard.

Any car will last nearly forever, it's just a matter of what things stop working (the more technology you put in the car, the more quickly it will become obsolete. Trying to find a replacement nav system hard drive in 2023 probably won't be too easy) but in general if you maintain a car well it should keep going for a long time.

[Roki_014]

I don't see the life expectancy to be like the cars from 10 years ago, i had the car for less than a month, brakes squeaked, panic button didn't work, got an error for adaptive headlights malfunction, error that a trunk was open when it was closed, it really sucks that manufacturers keep feeding cars with all these technologies ( most of them not really needed) knowing they will not last long, I have an explorer with 200000 miles never had one problem , i know its not as fun as a BMW but its also half the cost, don't get me wrong I love the car a lot but not all the technology that comes with it kind of scares me and almost every day I kind of think/hope nothing will go wrong. To sum it up would I keep the car once the warranty is up the answer is NO even though I love it and enjoy driving it

[Il Fenomeno 415]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

All I can say my '98 looks like new and is quite robust and well made. I pretty much doubled the power and still have the original clutch and brakes at 74k miles.

Is this car used as a second option for you? I'm assuming this based on how many years you've had it and having only 74k miles on it.

[Il Fenomeno 415]

Originally Posted by Roki_014

I don't see the life expectancy to be like the cars from 10 years ago, i had the car for less than a month, brakes squeaked, panic button didn't work, got an error for adaptive headlights malfunction, error that a trunk was open when it was closed, it really sucks that manufacturers keep feeding cars with all these technologies ( most of them not really needed) knowing they will not last long, I have an explorer with 200000 miles never had one problem , i know its not as fun as a BMW but its also half the cost, don't get me wrong I love the car a lot but not all the technology that comes with it kind of scares me and almost every day I kind of think/hope nothing will go wrong. To sum it up would I keep the car once the warranty is up the answer is NO even though I love it and enjoy driving it

Did you bring in the car to the dealer to have those issues looked at? I hear various things about the BMW maintenance issues, more bad than good. Also wondering where in Chicagoland did you get your 335 at?

[Mrcarcrazy]

We've had our z4 for 8 yrs/85k miles....and we're not certain we're going to sell it. Ironically, when new, it cost more than my very well equipped 335i....I find that sad.

Anywho, life expectancy would hint of a planned date of death. I would expect the car to last >10yrs/100k miles with normal maintenance. I've had very many brands of cars, they all work for as long as I'm willing to put money into them to keep them working. However, we can't predict whether some bright individual will smash my little car in the meantime...if that happens I walk away and buy a new one.

Funny thing is people buy cars with gizmos attached then bitch when these gizmos have issues. Taking a look at math will solve the mystery behind this. The more stuff on the car, the more things that will break in the lifetime of the car (leaving the quality and the use/treatment as a constant). things will fail, things will malfunction. This is true in all things. There are no 100% perfect items on earth. Accept this, roll with the punches you are dealt and move on. Dwelling on it, bitching about it, stressing over it will only serve to shorten your life.

Cars will last as long as you want them to. Nothing in life is free. Another thing to accept and move on. (well, not free for most of us...but that's another topic for another day)

[Roki_014]

Originally Posted by Mrcarcrazy

We've had our z4 for 8 yrs/85k miles....and we're not certain we're going to sell it. Ironically, when new, it cost more than my very well equipped 335i....I find that sad.

Anywho, life expectancy would hint of a planned date of death. I would expect the car to last >10yrs/100k miles with normal maintenance. I've had very many brands of cars, they all work for as long as I'm willing to put money into them to keep them working. However, we can't predict whether some bright individual will smash my little car in the meantime...if that happens I walk away and buy a new one.

Funny thing is people buy cars with gizmos attached then bitch when these gizmos have issues. Taking a look at math will solve the mystery behind this. The more stuff on the car, the more things that will break in the lifetime of the car (leaving the quality and the use/treatment as a constant). things will fail, things will malfunction. This is true in all things. There are no 100% perfect items on earth. Accept this, roll with the punches you are dealt and move on. Dwelling on it, bitching about it, stressing over it will only serve to shorten your life.

Cars will last as long as you want them to. Nothing in life is free. Another thing to accept and move on. (well, not free for most of us...but that's another topic for another day)

+1

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Roki_014

I don't see the life expectancy to be like the cars from 10 years ago, i had the car for less than a month, brakes squeaked, panic button didn't work, got an error for adaptive headlights malfunction, error that a trunk was open when it was closed, it really sucks that manufacturers keep feeding cars with all these technologies ( most of them not really needed) knowing they will not last long, I have an explorer with 200000 miles never had one problem , i know its not as fun as a BMW but its also half the cost, don't get me wrong I love the car a lot but not all the technology that comes with it kind of scares me and almost every day I kind of think/hope nothing will go wrong. To sum it up would I keep the car once the warranty is up the answer is NO even though I love it and enjoy driving it

Which is why I made the point the more technology you add, the more issues you are bound to have.

But keep in mind, none of what you've mentioned impacts the ability to drive the car. Old BMW's always had the pixels die in the dashboard, but that never impacted your ability to drive the car. Dead sensors, error lights, etc are all things that are going to happen but most of it wouldn't stop you from driving it till the wheels fell off.

I had a 1989 Chrysler that had a vehicle monitoring computer, digital dash, all kinds of "Fancy" 1980's tech, and by the time I started driving none of it worked either, but I still drove the car for years just fine.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by Il Fenomeno 415

Is this car used as a second option for you? I'm assuming this based on how many years you've had it and having only 74k miles on it.

I bought it about 3 years ago with 61k, so about 5k a year when you factor it was down for 6 months during the supercharger project.

But yes, it is very much my 2nd car.

But it's also driven rather hard and is stock internal'd and even has a stock original head gasket while making twice the power. I have about 6k on the blower setup. That says a lot.

[Roki_014]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Which is why I made the point the more technology you add, the more issues you are bound to have.

But keep in mind, none of what you've mentioned impacts the ability to drive the car. Old BMW's always had the pixels die in the dashboard, but that never impacted your ability to drive the car. Dead sensors, error lights, etc are all things that are going to happen but most of it wouldn't stop you from driving it till the wheels fell off.

I had a 1989 Chrysler that had a vehicle monitoring computer, digital dash, all kinds of "Fancy" 1980's tech, and by the time I started driving none of it worked either, but I still drove the car for years just fine.

I agree with you as well i mean if I wanted a boring ride and not worry about anything I would have gotten a civic, but I am really happy that I got the 335i

[JoeyO]

In my opinion, a modern car can be expected to last somewhere between 150K - 200K miles. In that zone, big ticket items begin fail such as an engine or transmission. When that happens the car costs more to fix than it is worth. And if you do somehow get beyond 200K miles then consider it a blessing.

[Tsuvoi]

I drive an 8 year old Hyundai, this car is as boring as it gets, absolutely NO OPTIONS what-so-ever, this is the most plain car I've ever been in I think (too bad it's also mine). It was a 2005 year model I think and believe it or not, it has a cassette player! Yes in 2004 they were still selling new cars with cassette players. No disc brakes... No ABS... Amazingly it has airbags. it could come in handy when I lock the wheels and crash it lol. Almost happened a couple of times on wet road.

But it's been mighty reliable. I've always done all the expensive planned maintenance at the dealership and nothing ever broke, except once a coolant clamp went off. That's about it.

So yeah that tends to confirm that the most plain your car is, the most reliable it will be. But god this car is boring.

[HighlandPete]

My neighbour has a 1997 E39 535i sedan that has covered almost 300,000 miles, mostly in his ownership.

No major issues at all, a few silly things like an oil cooler pipe rusted through and gear selector switch needed cleaning, as it was not selecting properly. What is amazing, it only started needing suspension parts around 250,000 miles. It is looking tired these days, but owes him nothing. Still has one of the sweetest V8 I've heard in a BMW. Plus the gearbox is working fine approaching 300,000 miles.

Not bad for use in the Scottish Highlands, which is quite a harsh driving environment.

I run my BMWs under extended warranties, as the technology issues can cost a fortune, if you run the cars outside the warranty period.

As said, complex cars typically have more issues.

HighlandPete

[bimmerjph]

It depends on how much money you want to spend.

[BavarianFanatic]

It's simply not possible to get the answer you seek. Everyone treats their cars differently. Everyone has different thresholds for spending money to repair a car properly to keep it on the road.

I have an '86 535i track car with over 250k miles on the clock. It had about 210k miles before I made it a dedicated track car. It's driven very hard and put away wet. But if something does break, I fix it. Any car, no matter the make can be kept on the road forever if you're willing to pay to keep it there.

[czarmar]

...then you'll be fine. I have 267K miles on my '99 323i. Sure, there's a few things to be taken care of on my car, but this car has certainly stood the test of time and miles.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by Il Fenomeno 415

I know certain individuals will eventually trade in their new F30s for various reasons after a few years but generally speaking how many years can you expect to keep your F30?

Considering that it's been maintained very well over time and the mileage use is within reason. This will be my first BMW and seeing that I'll be spending almost $60k with my build I'd like to keep the car as long as I can. Hoping the experienced BMW drivers on the forum can give me some insight-thanks!

Depends:

If you regularly use ASS, studies show your car is likely to last 36,000 miles or 24 months.

If you never use ASS, studies show your car is likely to last 360,000 miles or 240 months.

If our presidential candidates can pull crap out of their butts to support their positions, why can't I?

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Il Fenomeno 415

I know certain individuals will eventually trade in their new F30s for various reasons after a few years but generally speaking how many years can you expect to keep your F30?

Considering that it's been maintained very well over time and the mileage use is within reason. This will be my first BMW and seeing that I'll be spending almost $60k with my build I'd like to keep the car as long as I can. Hoping the experienced BMW drivers on the forum can give me some insight-thanks!

Me 12 months and it's gone

[ilhan1103]

don't you people drive the cars?

i mean 74k miles on a '98????

I just traded in my e90 (2008) for an f30 and it had 235k km's on it.
i did have the occasional issue, but all in all it was still in a pretty good state when i left her. (apart from the 'chips' on the hood from getting stones and etc on it)

[Tsuvoi]

Originally Posted by BMWrules7

If our presidential candidates can pull crap out of their butts to support their positions, why can't I?

Oh you can trust me, there is a guy on this forum called bolt and he does that all the time.