Quoted:
I’m being asked for advice on a potential purchase by a family member, and I know next to nothing about Bimmers so I’m asking for Arfvice:
2008 328i manual
122k miles
No idea as to service history but it would be inspected by an independent vehicle appraisal service prior to moving forward. Looks pristine, FWIW.
Any particular gotchas to be aware of? I see warnings on here about BMWs and Audis, I guess I’m curious how real that is, or just bias.
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I bought a 2008 BMW 328i hardtop convertible new. It was a great car, but I soon got tired of how low it was to the ground and it was a pain getting in and out of it. After 10 years of owning it and with only roughly 24,000 miles on it, I gave it to my son and bought a much larger SUV. My son sold it about a year later and bought a Tundra.
I never really felt safe in the 328i because it was so low to the ground as compared to the many SUVs on the road. While I never experienced any major mechanical issues, routine maintenance costs were higher compared to other vehicles that I own.
If I had to do it over again, I would never have bought the 328i or any BMW model. For the money, regular routine maintenance costs, and repair costs, there are much better other vehicles to choose from.
With the high mileage on the vehicle, your family member is looking at, I would imagine the future repair costs could be/will be extreme....