Ask an expert

Hi iam looking at a 2005 BMW 318ti that is sitting on 105,541kms. My question is are BMW much more expensive to maintain + parts than a European model? Thanks.

Hi there,
I don't think BMW are any more expensive to maintain as they age than any other European vehicle. It's a case of having the vehicle checked out and minimising potential for failures and repairs by ensuring al the maintenance has been carried out and the vehicle looked after.

Sorry, didn’t write that clearly enough. Was wanting to know how expensive they are to maintain compared to Japanese cars. 😊

No worries,
Yes they are a little more expensive to maintain when comparing against a Japanese car.
But the thing to keep in mind is that often an older European car has more safety features, feels more solid, handles and drives better than the common Japanese domestic vehicles.
You also pay more for a European specialist to work on the vehicle using premium parts and oils.
So it can be a trade-off between, safety and drive experience vs reliability and maintenance costs.