[anonymousmoose]

Got a question for BMW 3 series owners. How much are services for your 318d or 320i/d over the first 4 years?

Been to the dealer today to discuss demo and preowned cars.

If we buy a demo, we get 4 years corporate free servicing. Preowned (2012 models) don't come with this. But the 2012 models are considerably cheaper or for the same price, I can get an 320i instead of a 318d.

Is it better to have the free servicing opposed to lower buy price?

The 3 series is one car we are considering.

[Spikey]

Wouldn't a 318d be more fun to drive than the 320i, due to the 318d being more torque-y? Also wouldn't diesel be more fuel efficient?

As for your question though, I don't know cos in the the free service category right now.

[ab156]

First thing you may notice, no-one is actually answering your question, it seems few owners are as active as ppl waiting

My 20.2c worth.
You need to decide what is driving your purchasing decision. If it is a fixed budget and running costs are really going to tip your budget you probably should hold off. Just my opinion.

My view is that you should first decide what it is that you want, then determine how much it is worth to you. That is, drive the cars, decide the one that suits your needs best then work out the deal to get the keys. At any level getting into a new / demo BMW is reasonable coin, once you are in the realm is it really worth saving a couple of thousand when you have to live with your choice for years to come.....

Don't discount a new car, you may be able to drive a better overall deal. Dealers love demos as they build an aura of "drive away, no more to pay" - "we have taken the new car loss". They use this line to shut down negotiation, generally they are not that great of a deal IMHO. Every time I have looked at this (well, twice ) I have been able to get a better deal for a new car - either cash or specifications. Of course, stock availability and your willingness to wait will influence this.

Finally, getting access to the BMW Corporate program(me) is not as hard as you may think. Don't know your employment status but if you have any kind of fleet it would be worth asking your Fleet Manager to see if you can get access. This will give you free servicing plus a few other benefits.

Good luck in your search...

[Sherweeeny]

To answer your question bluntly, drive both, you will probably like the 320i better as turbo petrol is usually the drivers choice, as opposed to turbo diesel. I personally can't stand diesel and the filthy stench that comes out of its tail pipes and they run out of puff a touch too soon. Then find out what they have in stock and what's about to get off the ship, then negotiate a price, then at the end if the service is so important to you, tell them to throw it in and if they do, you will sign and deposit on the spot. Usually end of the month is better as there may be the chance that the sales person isn't to their target.

Also as far as I know, diesels need service at shorter intervals as petrols

Good luck

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by anonymousmoose

Got a question for BMW 3 series owners. How much are services for your 318d or 320i/d over the first 4 years?

Been to the dealer today to discuss demo and preowned cars.

If we buy a demo, we get 4 years corporate free servicing. Preowned (2012 models) don't come with this. But the 2012 models are considerably cheaper or for the same price, I can get an 320i instead of a 318d.

Is it better to have the free servicing opposed to lower buy price?

The 3 series is one car we are considering.

Hey anonymousmoose,

Good to see you over here from Whirlpool, even though you've posted previously.
Hope you get your answers - and maybe even a 3 Series.
Best wishes for a successful car hunt.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by anonymousmoose

Is it better to have the free servicing opposed to lower buy price?

If I can perhaps add my thoughts on the matter.
First thing, which comes to mind is it will depend on how many kms you would drive the car in a year.

From what I mentioned on WP, the checkup service comes around once every 15k kms or what looks like annually since date of manufacture. Various costs, depending on dealer & agreement you have on your contract. The first service was a checkup, but other CBS will come up as needed, in between these checks.

So if you are doing 20k kms+ pa, you might want to consider the 'free servicing' but check exactly what it offers - ie: brake pads, rotors, sensor, engine oil, oil filter. The usual bits & pieces, which may add up.

If you aren't travelling terribly much, like myself, (under 15k kms pa - I drove just 8.5k kms) then buy the car for the lowest you can. In the first year, you should be up for the cost of the routine service, possibly another a year later without incurring any other CBS costs.

If you have a very good BMW independent service centre available, you may want to consider them in place of the dealer, especially if the dealer is going to charge you anyway. They will be considerably cheaper, but they do need to be of the highest standard.

Otherwise, see which deal works out for you and your requirements.

[anonymousmoose]

Originally Posted by ab156

First thing you may notice, no-one is actually answering your question, it seems few owners are as active as ppl waiting

My 20.2c worth.
You need to decide what is driving your purchasing decision. If it is a fixed budget and running costs are really going to tip your budget you probably should hold off. Just my opinion.

Ta. My wife and I are very careful with budget. It's not about pushing it to the limit, but what is best budget wise.

Originally Posted by ab156

My view is that you should first decide what it is that you want, then determine how much it is worth to you. That is, drive the cars, decide the one that suits your needs best then work out the deal to get the keys. At any level getting into a new / demo BMW is reasonable coin, once you are in the realm is it really worth saving a couple of thousand when you have to live with your choice for years to come.....

Well, I'd prefer a 320 I or D because a lot have sunroof fitted and memory seats. But if it's going to cost me a lot more, then I can live without.

Originally Posted by ab156

Don't discount a new car, you may be able to drive a better overall deal. Dealers love demos as they build an aura of "drive away, no more to pay" - "we have taken the new car loss". They use this line to shut down negotiation, generally they are not that great of a deal IMHO. Every time I have looked at this (well, twice ) I have been able to get a better deal for a new car - either cash or specifications. Of course, stock availability and your willingness to wait will influence this.

Good advice

Originally Posted by ab156

Finally, getting access to the BMW Corporate program(me) is not as hard as you may think. Don't know your employment status but if you have any kind of fleet it would be worth asking your Fleet Manager to see if you can get access. This will give you free servicing plus a few other benefits.

Good luck in your search...

We already have access if we buy a demo or new. But not 2012 preowned.
That's really the question: buy preowned and skip the free 4 year service and loose 6 months more warranty or buy a demo (or new).

[anonymousmoose]

Originally Posted by David328M-Sport

If I can perhaps add my thoughts on the matter.
First thing, which comes to mind is it will depend on how many kms you would drive the car in a year.

From what I mentioned on WP, the checkup service comes around once every 15k kms or what looks like annually since date of manufacture. Various costs, depending on dealer & agreement you have on your contract. The first service was a checkup, but other CBS will come up as needed, in between these checks.

So if you are doing 20k kms+ pa, you might want to consider the 'free servicing' but check exactly what it offers - ie: brake pads, rotors, sensor, engine oil, oil filter. The usual bits & pieces, which may add up.

If you aren't travelling terribly much, like myself, (under 15k kms pa - I drove just 8.5k kms) then buy the car for the lowest you can. In the first year, you should be up for the cost of the routine service, possibly another a year later without incurring any other CBS costs.

If you have a very good BMW independent service centre available, you may want to consider them in place of the dealer, especially if the dealer is going to charge you anyway. They will be considerably cheaper, but they do need to be of the highest standard.

Otherwise, see which deal works out for you and your requirements.

I driver about 15,000km a year. I work in the hospital system so it could change to more (or less, but unlikely) depending on transfers etc.

I like your advice about buying cheapest as possible. Independent may be a good option.

BUT
What about warranty? A non demo 3 series probably has between 2-2.2 years warranty left. A demo 2.6 to 2.8 (based on what we have seen).

Also
Is the warranty extension worth it on a car that is almost new? My Benz has a pretty good aftermarket warranty. It's now 7 years old and warranty has paid (in the last 2.5 years) over $4000 worth of repairs.

[David328M-Sport]

Here's another thought.

You can think and think and overthink the 'dilemma' (we should all have such worries like these in our lives!!) you have.

In the end, I doubt you will really be able to calculate the real saving or added expense from one option over the other.

Best is to choose the car - 318d or 320i - test drive it a few time , if need be, then make your selection. It's the car you will be driving almost (if not) daily, so you want to be happy you made the right choice every time you drive it.

No good 'settling' on a 318d, when you really wanted the 320i, mast for the ale of what may (or may not) be a few dollars saved over several years. And vice-versa.

As for warranty extension, I have read about this on WP and you saved lots of money on repairs on your C200. Good decision for the warranty, bad luck on a car which had a number of issues. My wife's C180k is 10.5 years old and runs like clockwork (thankfully).

In the end, again, and I have mentioned this before on this forum & maybe on WP, unfortunately buying even a new car, built properly & drives properly without issue, does have an element of (good) luck involved.

Happy test driving & decision making.

[dcg71]

Brake rotors are probably the biggest expense and most likely aren't covered anyway. Aside from that, servicing costs in the first 4 years aren't exorbitant I would think (unless of course you drive a very large number of km).
That said, the newer car should have a slightly higher resale down the track.

[AMJAM]

No idea I have free serving including brakes

[anonymousmoose]

I'm booking in a test drive asap. I took an Audi A4 for a drive and was more impressed than I thought I'd be with an Audi. I will take the 318d for a drive to begin with.