[tom2021]

Hi, my name is Tom, a Canadian.

Trust everybody is fine and safe.
I am seriously consider buying a 2017 X3 xDrive28i.
So, I joint this group of BMW enthusiasts.
Have been wanting to own a BMW, the ultimate driving machine, for a long time.
Now, I can afford it. It is like now or never.
I have read a lot about expensive maintenance and repairs, over years.
I prepare myself for several thousands bills.
If the bills so severe in the near future, I will take the lost and move on.
At least I fulfill one of the must do, on my list.
If I am lucky to get a good BMW, then it will be mine for a long time.
I welcome any comments?
Thank you for reading my post.

[slowblackx3f25]

Welcome bud!

Go to a BMW dealership, and purchase CPO (certified pre-owned) 2017 x3's.
Ask the dealership to put it on the hoist and have a look at it, shop around, compare prices.

Buying a BMW is only the first step.
Keeping it running long term is what matters the most.
Also, purchase BMW warranty if you plan to buy from a BMW dealership CPO.

That's if you want to keep the x3 long term (6 - 10 years).

[tom2021]

Thanks for replying.
May I ask your experience with BMW warranty?

I am going to test drive one on Saturday.
The car is still under warranty until May 2021.
So, I figure I have three months to check and test everything and will ask BMW to fix any defects.
Any feedback on this plan?

[slowblackx3f25]

It depends on which BMW dealership, some BMW dealerships are better than others.

It's better to bring a skillful mechanic with you and have him/her check out the x3 prior to signing off on purchase documents (you have more power before you sign, rather than later)

Sometimes the dealership would hesitate to fix something just because THEY think it's normal or OK... even if it's under-warranty.

Check and test EVERYTHING before you sign/purchase the x3... you won't have leverage afterwards... unless you lease instead of buying/financing...

You have options. If you have good credit and a good amount of funds, get on a lease, so you won't have to worry about long term maintenance.

If you decide to buy the x3, you'll have more on your plate, there's both pros and cons, whatever works for you. I would recommend you test drive it, get a good tech to look at the x3, or even get one of the shop guys at the BMW dealership to put it on a hoist, and go look underneath the car, under the hood, etc.

This is based off my experience, others may suggest something else. Do what makes sense for you bud. All the best.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by tom2021

Hi, my name is Tom, a Canadian.

Trust everybody is fine and safe.
I am seriously consider buying a 2017 X3 xDrive28i.
So, I joint this group of BMW enthusiasts.
Have been wanting to own a BMW, the ultimate driving machine, for a long time.
Now, I can afford it. It is like now or never.
I have read a lot about expensive maintenance and repairs, over years.
I prepare myself for several thousands bills.
If the bills so severe in the near future, I will take the lost and move on.
At least I fulfill one of the must do, on my list.
If I am lucky to get a good BMW, then it will be mine for a long time.
I welcome any comments?
Thank you for reading my post.

You don’t say how many miles it has. If it has fairly low miles and seems fine on a test drive I can tell you that I would not bother having it inspected. It’s up to you. The high repair costs are overhyped in my opinion. I have a 2014 28i with about 55,000 miles. It has never had a repair of any kind. Not a single dollar. Just routine maintenance - oil, air filters, wipers, one set of plugs, and tires. Anything can happen of course, but generally large bills come with larger miles.

[Opie55]

And while I’m on the subject of the general belief that BMWs are expensive to own, my experience with my 650i convertible is not really any different than my X3 even though it is a more complex car. It had 2 defective iDrive controllers and the back window replaced under warranty. But other than normal maintenance the only repair I have paid for in 41,000 miles was about $400 to replace the crankcase breather hoses. Those are also covered under an extended warranty but I hate letting people touch my cars so I just did it myself. So I am out of pocket $400 in repairs on a 6 year old BMW with a sticker price of $116,000.

[Bdavi011]

My personal opinion is that these cars aren't necessarily maintenance queens as long as you take care of stuff in the necessary intervals.

I have a 13 35i and besides regular issues that can pop up on cars and bmw specific problems, it's not really that much on maintenance. Oil changes, spark plugs, filters, changed oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket at 80ishk miles. Replaced water pump and thermostat at 65k miles. Other than that, car has been 100%. Might seem like alot but these are common issues on bmws and once you fix it, them your good for another 60 or 70k miles.

[shoman24v]

Originally Posted by tom2021

Thanks for replying.
May I ask your experience with BMW warranty?

I am going to test drive one on Saturday.
The car is still under warranty until May 2021.
So, I figure I have three months to check and test everything and will ask BMW to fix any defects.
Any feedback on this plan?

If the car is CPO with still remaining factory warranty left, you aren't going to finding any issues with it. It will already be checked over before you buy it. I've had our CPO '17 sDrive28i now a year and took it in once for an intermittent rear brake malfunction light. They fixed it under warranty.

Perks of buying used from BMW:
-We still had a year of factory warranty left.
-CPO warranty will kick in when factory expires
-Brand new tires on vehicle when purchased

I've changed the oil 2 times now on our car. Once to get rid of the dealership 0w-20 when I got it, and another about 4k miles later.

There's not much to worry about when you buy the last year of production on a body. Usually, all the issues are worked out.

[tom2021]

Thank you all for responding.
The car is being sold by Maserati dealership, not BMW.
The mileage is 61,000 km = 40,700 miles.
I will not buy right away on the one visit.
I will take time to think about it after the test drive on Saturday.

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by Bdavi011

My personal opinion is that these cars aren't necessarily maintenance queens as long as you take care of stuff in the necessary intervals.

I have a 13 35i and besides regular issues that can pop up on cars and bmw specific problems, it's not really that much on maintenance. Oil changes, spark plugs, filters, changed oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket at 80ishk miles. Replaced water pump and thermostat at 65k miles. Other than that, car has been 100%. Might seem like alot but these are common issues on bmws and once you fix it, them your good for another 60 or 70k miles.

+1....I've been driving Bimmers for 15 years, every car I've owned was purchased used from private party/original owner. for the most part if one is diligent about regular service theses cars are solid and reliable. Each model has typically one of two quirks, stuff that fails, breaks or wears out prematurely, that you need to expect. Forget the lifetime claims for fluids as BMW promotes and be a bit Old School on maintenance and you'll be ok.

Always remember, with any Euro luxury car that these cars don't fare well when the owner neglects regular service, they are not a Honda or Toyota that will run 100K miles without servicing. These cars can become extremely costly operate if regular service is neglected.

[n55david]

good evening Tom, I am david, an American.

I am glad for you to be buying BMW x3. the idea of a nea.bmw owner cruising the roads in the great white north is inspiring. I wish you the best luck and I look forward to reading results of your test drive saturday.

cheers!

[tom2021]

I did the test drive today. Power is excellent. The ultimate driving machine is true and real. I enjoy driving the car. Now, I can see why many men love BMW. However, the ride was bumpy on fine roads. I suspect the shock absorber need to be replaced. The sales guy said all BMW’s are like that. Difficult for me to accept his reasoning.

[Senilsson]

Originally Posted by tom2021

I did the test drive today. Power is excellent. The ultimate driving machine is true and real. I enjoy driving the car. Now, I can see why many men love BMW. However, the ride was bumpy on fine roads. I suspect the shock absorber need to be replaced. The sales guy said all BMW’s are like that. Difficult for me to accept his reasoning.

Well it’s a compromise. Sportier cars are a bit more harsh, that’s just their nature.
Bad shock absorbers usually make a car softer not harder

[Bdavi011]

I bet the car has run flat tires and that's why the ride felt harsh. I replaced my run flat tires with non run flat Michelin pilot sport 4 all season and they are night and day difference. Car drives so much better.

[tom2021]

Looks like it is a combination of the tires and the design of the car, that make the ride was not as smooth as the normal cars that I know.

[shoman24v]

It's the run flat tires.

[tom2021]

I can ask the dealer to give me non-runflat tires. Now, come down to bring the car to an independent mechanics for inspection. No BMW specialist in my city. There is an excellent mechanics who fixed my Toyota Venza recently. I haven’t asked him yet. If I ask him, he certainly says he is capable of thorough checking. Any thoughts?

[Opie55]

Whether your mechanic is capable or not is not just a function of whether he has BMW experience. It's also a function of whether he's any good. We have no way of knowing that. As I said above, I don't like others touching my cars for that reason. A combination of pressure to turn out work quickly, laziness, and just plain not being very smart results in a fair number of mechanics I would not trust.

[Wgosma]

go with your trusted mechanic if that's your only option, certainly better than no 3rd party inspection and I presume as you're not a mechanic. looks to be your best and only option.
good luck/Bill

[slowblackx3f25]

Originally Posted by shoman24v

It's the run flat tires.

It's the run-flat tires... not the best ride quality, I switched to non-run-flat tires, and it is certainly day and night difference!

[tom2021]

Do BMW cars store all error codes happened in the past? So, when the mechanics retrieve these codes, we know the fixes done on the cars in the past.

[n55david]

Originally Posted by tom2021

Do BMW cars store all error codes happened in the past? So, when the mechanics retrieve these codes, we know the fixes done on the cars in the past.

they will unless cleared.. so if it was fixed it was likely cleared.