Quote:
Originally Posted by 96_Impreza
Consider "lesser" vehicles: Honda, Toyota, Subaru.
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Kaspar,
For about the same money as the 2013 X3 with almost 100K miles, you may purchase in your area for your wife a one-owner, certified 2015 Honda CR-V with only 22K miles. This vehicle is two years newer, has 70K fewer miles, will almost certainly be more reliable, is much cheaper to maintain, will depreciate much less and will have a warranty.
http://www.rontonkinhonda.com/used/h...regon-29395554
If you want a better handling vehicle for your wife, consider a 2016 Mazda CX-5 for under $19,000.
http://www.rontonkinmazda.com/used/m...regon-29285606
While BMW may be more prestigious and sporty, are the problems and reliability issues you are likely to experience with a complex car with almost 100K miles on it worth it to you and your wife? In addition to maintenance costs, you should also consider the added expense of premium gas, likely higher insurance rates and run-flat tire issues (including no spare tire) with the BMW.
Your first post asked a key question: "Do the newer BMW's last longer / require less repairs after some solid mileage because the cars have been getting better in general?" The simple answer is no. Modern BMWs are exceptionally complex, high tech vehicles with many parts that are prone to fail particularly at high mileage and are expensive to maintain and repair. The N20 engine in this X3 is a marvel generating high torque from small displacement, but this puts stresses on the engine that will take a toll on reliability at some point. The eight speed transmission is well matched to the engine, but can become unreliable at high mileage particularly if earlier owners believed the lifetime transmission fluid nonsense. The X3 is a two ton vehicle with many parts that may be subject to fatigue and wear at high miles. IMHO, BMWs are wonderful vehicles to drive when new, but are prone to become money pits as they age. YMMV.