New member, seeking advice

[Trishen94]

Hi guys
Glad to have joined the bmw family. Hope everyone is doing good.
I wanted some advice regarding a vehicle that I'm interested in purchasing. It is a 2011 bmw 135i n55, it had a few bolt on mods like, Downpipe, Exhaust, intake, upgraded intercooler and Gst software. Owner says it is accident free and no paint work has been done, Vehicle does have some service history. MY CONCERN is the mileage it has 224 xxx km on the clock. is it still safe to purchase this vehicle at this mileage or am I making a mistake. Thanks in advance guys

 

[///M Individual]

Hi guys
Glad to have joined the bmw family. Hope everyone is doing good.
I wanted some advice regarding a vehicle that I'm interested in purchasing. It is a 2011 bmw 135i n55, it had a few bolt on mods like, Downpipe, Exhaust, intake, upgraded intercooler and Gst software. Owner says it is accident free and no paint work has been done, Vehicle does have some service history. MY CONCERN is the mileage it has 224 xxx km on the clock. is it still safe to purchase this vehicle at this mileage or am I making a mistake. Thanks in advance guys

Hi bud.

Welcome to the forum.

Personally not clued up on these motors but I think adding the price, transmission and listing any preventative maintenance items done by the previous owner would enable members to better advise you.

Basing it on mileage alone is difficult as you can get a well maintained car with 300 000kms that will give you less problems than a car with 100 000kms that has been neglected.

 

[Trishen94]

Hi bud.

Welcome to the forum.

Personally not clued up on these motors but I think adding the price, transmission and listing any preventative maintenance items done by the previous owner would enable members to better advise you.

Basing it on mileage alone is difficult as you can get a well maintained car with 300 000kms that will give you less problems than a car with 100 000kms that has been neglected.

Hi buddy it's an auto. Preventative maintenance I'm not entirely sure, owner will send the service history in the week as his not in town at the moment, price is R175k... What are the major concerns with regards to preventative maintenance?

 

[Nomad77]

At that mileage I'd be very wary. I was in the market for a 135i (albeit N54) and I was thankfully informed by forum members about possible issues.

N55 at that mileage will definitely need a piggy bank for repairs especially if the service history is patchy. If you're willing to wait there's bound to be a clean 135i or 335i on sale by a forum member. I've seen a few in my short time here and they're generally clean, well looked after cars with lower mileage in your price range.

Autotrader also has a couple of examples with half that mileage at very similar prices. I don't think the vehicle you're looking at is worth it at that price

Another thing to consider is CPA basically doesn't apply to private vehicle sales. You pay slightly more at a dealer but you get some peace of mind.

 

[cRed001]

Personally I feel it would be big mistake. You're talking about buying a modified, high mileage, performance car with only some service history. Take your time, save up abit more to increase your budget and most importantly do your research before you you make a financial commitment.

 

[Zero14]

I can't speak on this particular car but a few things to consider...
1.For that mileage you'd want a car that has been well maintained with proof of maintenance, with electronic invoicing this should not be hard to keep for most owners
2. Cooling system should most likely be redone by now, radiator, water pump, oil cooler coolant hose.
3. turbo condition might be a factor since it is a modified vehicle, difficult to know/check
4. Do NOT underestimate the cost of "simple" maintenance on the 135i, you will regret that. Whether it has FSH or not, the bills add up very quickly on these and 175k will quickly become 230k so maybe look at increasing your budget or saving for a bit longer and finding one with lower mileage, although that does not guarantee that you'll spend less or that it will be better than the higher mileage 1 you looking at now
5. Get the car checked out, dekra is a must and possibly a check at a bmw dealership if the owner is willing to do these, even if it's at your cost, I'd rather sink 5k into tests and prevent making a mistake than sinking 175k and realising it's too late to turn back now.
6. Go with your gut, it's usually right so if things don't seem right walk away

Goodluck with it, happy to share some prices of maintenance with you done at bmw dealership and private mech if that will help you.
PS check out the cars for sale section on the forum, @Mpower11 had a 135i n54 for sale with mileage below 150k if I'm not mistaken

the forum guys with more knowledge on these would need a lot more info regarding maintenance on the car to give you more tips

 

[Trishen94]

I really do not regret joining the club. The advice I've received so far has made me think 🤔 alot. I think I'm gona pass on that deal and look for something with lower mileage...
What mileage would u recommend to be safe when looking for 1 of these vehicles?

I'm looking for a n55 but must be auto. My wife finds it difficult to drive a manual

What is considered to be a fair price on a 2011-2012 year model? I know that mileage and condition will determine this but let's say the car is in fair condition. What should I pay?

 

[Trishen94]

I can't speak on this particular car but a few things to consider...
1.For that mileage you'd want a car that has been well maintained with proof of maintenance, with electronic invoicing this should not be hard to keep for most owners
2. Cooling system should most likely be redone by now, radiator, water pump, oil cooler coolant hose.
3. turbo condition might be a factor since it is a modified vehicle, difficult to know/check
4. Do NOT underestimate the cost of "simple" maintenance on the 135i, you will regret that. Whether it has FSH or not, the bills add up very quickly on these and 175k will quickly become 230k so maybe look at increasing your budget or saving for a bit longer and finding one with lower mileage, although that does not guarantee that you'll spend less or that it will be better than the higher mileage 1 you looking at now
5. Get the car checked out, dekra is a must and possibly a check at a bmw dealership if the owner is willing to do these, even if it's at your cost, I'd rather sink 5k into tests and prevent making a mistake than sinking 175k and realising it's too late to turn back now.
6. Go with your gut, it's usually right so if things don't seem right walk away

Goodluck with it, happy to share some prices of maintenance with you done at bmw dealership and private mech if that will help you.
PS check out the cars for sale section on the forum, @Mpower11 had a 135i n54 for sale with mileage below 150k if I'm not mistaken

the forum guys with more knowledge on these would need a lot more info regarding maintenance on the car to give you more tips

Hi buddy, and thanks so much for the advice... U mentioned that u can share prices of maintenance... Plz do so, I'd be more than happy to be aware and be prepared for it incase something does go wrong... I only had my 335i n55 for about 6months... It had 180 000km on the clock and Fsh at bmw for the 6-7months that I owned it (I used it daily) all I ever did was fill petrol. I had 0 issues with it in that time and it was my first bmw

 

[AshG108]

Yeah Trishen, rather look out for a later model and with less kms if you can. OR even stock with a known service history. My car is modded and on 101k km now BUT i have all history and reason for changes. I do that so I can explain every mod, as soon as service history is jeopardized especially on these motors, it can go wild in the cost. They are awesome but at that mileage...there is too much opportunity in it for something big to go wrong.

 

[Trishen94]

What do u guys think of the mini Cooper S?
There's 2 that the wife has seen. 1) 2010 model mini Cooper s auto Fsh at mini 140k km for R120k neg and
2) 2013 model Fsh at mini Cooper S 160k km auto also Fsh at mini for R140k neg... Let me know guys thanks

 

[Trishen94]

Hey! You still in the market for a vehicle?

Hi yes I am buddy. Any that u might know of?

 

[A_Williams]

Still looking for a 135i ?