Aftermarket BMW: is the game worth the candle?

The desire to get a used BMW from 2013-2015 is overcome not only by young people, but also by the older generation, which is more pragmatic about choosing a car from the standpoint of not only pluses, but also minuses. Now we will consider in detail all the pros and cons of buying a relatively old BMW in the secondary market, which models are in demand and where you should buy them in general.

The most popular models

Considering the statistics for each of the regions of Russia in one article is an impossible task, and therefore we will focus on Moscow. Based on the data from ad sites, it can be concluded that models 3 and 5 of the series are the most popular on the secondary market.

3 series

You can take a BMW "troika" in the capital's secondary housing at a price of 1 to 2,5 million rubles. Thus, the average cost of a car in good condition is about 1,75 million rubles. It all depends on the mileage, condition, history and year of manufacture of the car. Most of the market offer is for the 320i model in various generations. The 316i version is slightly less common.



The high demand for "triples" is due to a clear hit in the price segment of new mass cars. Among them are Hyundai Solaris, KIA Rio, VW Polo, which are heard everywhere. The same is true for the 5 series, which is in the same price range as the popular KIA Optima and Hyundai I40. Many, choosing between a new, but massive, and an old, but premium car, buy BMW.

5 series

Of course, you will have to pay more for a more advanced version of the 5 Series, even taking into account the purchase in the secondary market. The minimum bar starts at 1,2 million rubles and rests on the ceiling at the level of 2,9 million rubles. A quick look at the ads makes it clear that the 520i and 520d models are most often sold on the secondary market, including their restyled variants.



If you plan to take the "five" in the popular E60 body, choose the version with a gasoline engine. Yes, their diesel is also not bad and even surpasses gasoline in terms of reliability, but you will have to pay more for it. Do not forget that long-term maintenance of a used foreign car can cost even more money than you pay for it when buying it on the secondary market.

Series X5

In third place in popularity confidently hold the BMW X5. In Moscow, this SUV can be bought at a price of 1,4 million to 4,1 million rubles, depending on the specific model, technical condition and mileage. As for the latter, it varies from 30 to 300 thousand kilometers. If we take the average value of 150 thousand kilometers, the BMW X5 is sold at 1,5-2,5 million per car.

Unpopular cars

On the one hand, buying a slow-moving car allows you to save money, since sellers do not seek to raise prices due to low demand, and on the other hand, it creates problems when trying to sell the car in the future. If we turn to the same secondary car market in Moscow, it is easy to see that the smallest supply is observed in relation to the following series supported by BMW:

• ✅ Z. Sports roadsters with an original design are a rather rare class of cars, which are represented by a few even in the big capital of Russia. Of the entire series, there are more or less no problems finding a used Z4 at a price of 950 thousand rubles and more
  
• ✅ BMW 4. “Fours” on the Moscow secondary market are published almost 10 times less than the same fives. At the same time, the cost of cars, with the exception of the currently current generation, is quite adequate - on average, it is 2,3 million rubles, there are cheaper ones.
  
• ✅ X2. It is noteworthy that almost all lines in the large "X" group are in fairly good demand, but not representatives of the second version. If you still want to take a risk, the minimum cost of a car on the market is about 2,1 million rubles.
  
• ✅ Episode 2. While BMW 1s are often found on sale with a large number of owners, which indicates the popularity of the line, the "deuces" are presented in much less variety. For 220d with a range of around 100 thousand kilometers they ask for 1,5 million rubles
  

Far from wildly popular are BMW cars of such series as 8, i8, almost all versions of M from the second to the eighth, as well as rare models 321, 340, 502 and 600.

Problems of the "old" BMW

Checking the body with a thickness gauge, inspecting the VIN number plate and other standard rituals before buying a car are all good and useful, but these actions alone cannot be dispensed with. Each brand has its own characteristic “diseases” and weaknesses that you simply must pay attention to before exchanging money for a car. Used BMWs have a number of problems:

• ◈ weak rear-view mirror motor
  
• ◈ unreliability of power windows
  
• ◈ after 100 thousand kilometers the steering wheel is overwritten
  
• ◈ increased oil consumption on atmospheric V6
  
• ◈ not the most reliable injectors and turbo boost pump
  

It must be understood that a particular car may not have the listed problems, but other troubles will cause discomfort. It largely depends on the previous owners - how responsibly they treated the car maintenance and how they used it.



For clarity, let's take the BMW 5 VI generation, which was produced from 2013 to 2017, and study the reliability index. According to the publication Auto.ru, the rating is 4,47 points out of 5,0 possible. The most attractive in terms of lack of problems is the 3.5 AT sedan. The probability of twisting the mileage of the "five" is average, usually it is twisted after 200-300 thousand kilometers.

What should I look for?

Before buying, be sure to calculate your income and consider whether you can pull off not the lowest maintenance costs for a used BMW. New cars like Solaris or RIO are much less demanding, and spare parts are easy to find. "Germans" are definitely not for people who are used to saving on consumables and regular maintenance.

Keep in mind that the criminal "attractiveness" of German cars in 2013-2015 is quite high. If you are going to buy, do not spare the money for a good alarm. Without reliable protection, it takes only 2-3 minutes for experienced attackers to steal a car.



As you can see, you have to pay for the image and the loud name on the nameplate not only with money, but also with some inconvenience. Whether the game is worth the candle - you must decide for yourself.

Why is everyone going to Moscow?

It is customary to buy Japanese cars in Russia in the Far East, in the same Vladivostok or Blagoveshchensk, and it is clear why. Japan is within easy reach, cars from the Land of the Rising Sun are cheaper in this region and their range is much wider. In the case of BMW, the situation is completely different: many people go to Moscow. Not to say that it is cheaper here, but the choice cannot be compared either with the South, or with Siberia, or with other regions. However, buying a used car in the capital is associated with a number of risks:

• ? the likelihood of encountering resellers, of which there are a lot in a big city
  
• ? often come across cars “killed” by prolonged operation in traffic jams
  
• ? in Moscow, not everyone drives carefully, so there are a lot of broken cars on the secondary
  

Be vigilant when choosing a car in the secondary market, be it BMW, Toyota or any other brand. If possible, seek an auto-match service to minimize the risk of running into scammers or overpaying for a car that is not worth the advertised price.