So ive been thinking about buying a car recently as i really miss driving and like taking trips around the country, but primarly as a city car.

ive been looking online to see what sedan i could get for around 700-800k. iam really leaning towards getting an older bmw but iam worried how smart it is compared to getting a not so old camry or accord.

my budget could at best get me a e39 528, or a abit newer bmw e46 323. i know i could get a 06 2.4 accord/camry for around the same price, but from my experience driving a newer camry it was not nearly as fun or smooth(felt very uncomfortable over 120) as the bmws ive driven. and i def favor the looks of the older bmw compared to even the newer cam/acc.

So my concern is running into problems with an older car and, repair costs and resell value? compared to a newer japanese car.

or maybe i should consider another car altogether, any help appriciated.

For that amount of money you could buy a new car.

But I guess you are bent on a BMW.

If not completely Bayered, visit some dealers, you might be surprised.

2nd hand BM instead of a Japanese? If you can stand the bad quality but good looks concept and definitely less reliable package, much more expensive service and hideously expensive spare parts, pray to God that the car won’t break down when you leave the bigger cities because you’ll have to get towed back to one if it breaks down feeling, then by all means.

BMW’s made in Europe are of course known to have good quality, BMW’s made in Thailand are known to have too much of the opposite

so the bmws made here are that bad really? they do seem pretty popular(it cant be status only), surly someone on the board driving one?

did you own one here or what do u base this on?

i havnt decided on a bmw it would just have been my preference if it wasnt for any issues like you are saying, still considering a japanese but will look around some more and see what other people say.

I came here in the early 90's thinking that European cars were superior like everybody else. It's been a long time and quite a few stories by now. A few friends of mine have owned BMs during the years. They were car enthusiasts and loved their car, but I also heard them complain quite a bit, so much that it became boring in some cases. Central locks breaking, windscreen wipers stop functioning, electricity problems, expensive parts that were a rip-off, always the same excuses, wouldn't have happened had it been manufactured in Europe. Fact is undesputable, in my view anyway. Of cars made in Thailand, Japanese cars are the most reliable ones and they have the most even quality.

There is a very simple reason for the lower quality. Large parts of the car must be made inside Thailand, it's not necessarily quality control at the BMW factory that is bad, it's simply that quality control must be equally good all the way down the supply chain. Germans are not known to be tactical (in fact a bit the opposite actually) and I am sure that being in Asia and dealing with Asian mentalities, that is a contributing factor too. You aren't getting the best results fighting the system in Asia, you get that working within the system.

I'd check second hand BMs especially carefully. They're a bit high-tech and need knowledgeable people working with them, prices for services and spare parts are so high that people who buy them could very well take short cuts. A BMW is equally less forgiving to short cuts as it is more fun to drive than a Toyota Corolla

Did I ever buy a BM here? No, I called and checked service prices and then went and bought a Toyota instead. I am still waiting for the day when I have more money than I need so that I can buy a new BMW and not complain about the near double service costs and double or more spare parts costs, not to mention changing it before it gets unreliable.

I am not saying that if you have plenty of money to spare and you want to have fun, buy a Toyota… If you've got the money to spare, buy something more fun than a Toyota

Edited January 27, 201016 yr by MikeyIdea

I drove an older 5 series here for about 6 years. There were a few major repairs needed the first couple of years, but after that the car ran very well and caused no problems. The upside was that I enjoyed driving the car as opposed to it being just a transport vehicle, and the original owners ate most of the depreciation so the car held it's value well over the years I had it.

Basicly i'm en american car freak, so actually im very neutral on this topic. But i know, to drive a BMW is fun. The suspension, engiene almost everything you can feel there is german knowledge and german technology and everything is so precise, even you cruise with 200km/h on a highway, you feel safe. You CAN'T copmrare a BMW with a (little bit boring) Toyota Camry. Camry is a simple and good car with a rought 4 banger engine, little bit underpowered, but still a nice luxury car for Thailand. Fuelconsumption is about the same. Yes BMW cost you more on parts, but there are not many big problems with those cars. You buy a nice good used one, you shouln't have more problems as with a camry. Even on camries, sometime electric windows or central locks stop working, Electro- or Electronic things are always a problem in this country, doesn't matter what car you drive. If you use your car every day, or at least every 2 day there is no problem. Peaple don't using their wipers for months until the first rain come. This is wrong! You should use your wiper at least once a week, just for test, so the contacts on switches, relais or electric motors not get corrosion. I would say, if you can afford, buy a Bemer. But if you affraid of higher support costs, there is another choice you should consider: a 2002, 2003 or 2004 Nissan Cefiro, Brougham. They are very nice comes with a 3 liter 6 cylinder engine, very powerful, and there are below 500'k. It's really a bargain against the Camry. If you don't like a 3 liter you can buy the 2 liter Executove Version, wich still have enought power, but more fuel efficient. But i personally would stick with the BMW. I love them as well.

Edited January 27, 201016 yr by stingray

BMW is very good, probably the best you can have on market if new, older pieces must be from loving owner not from local monkey (dont call me racist, my wife is local ) who dont change oil for years, all car every 100k km need new brakes, clutch etc, but try to test drive 3.0l pick up with manual it is also RWD and can get with tune for 200hp so it will be fun to drive... Back in Europe I have MB with 520hp, here 3lt pickup and I dont feel underpowered, and it fits your budget...

Another cars with sporty feeling, Focus, new Lancer EX 2.0,Civic 2.0...

If you like it so much go for it but play hard for price, I dont thing people now dont have much $ for expensive cars so discount must be huge!

BMW is very good, probably the best you can have on market if new, older pieces must be from loving owner not from local monkey (dont call me racist, my wife is local ) who dont change oil for years, all car every 100k km need new brakes, clutch etc, but try to test drive 3.0l pick up with manual it is also RWD and can get with tune for 200hp so it will be fun to drive... Back in Europe I have MB with 520hp, here 3lt pickup and I dont feel underpowered, and it fits your budget...

Another cars with sporty feeling, Focus, new Lancer EX 2.0,Civic 2.0...

If you like it so much go for it but play hard for price, I dont thing people now dont have much $ for expensive cars so discount must be huge!

The problem with the used car prices depend on how much is in the finance to pay, therefore sometime is no discount possible. For example a new Vios cost about 600'k plus interest of fonance maby another 50'k (for 4 years) so the car stands with 650'k. Usualle they get them for let's say about 10% downmayment and monthly about 12'k. So after one year the car still in the finance with about 460'k, so they can't sale it under 460'k even if they want to. Usually the dealer want 30'k profit it would be increast the price to 490'k for a used one. So in this case is better for you to buy a new one.