This is for all my friends around the world.

Being an entrepreneur, I had ventured into all kinds of businesses including buying and selling cars in the past. I had bought many cars for personal and business use and I have sold so many cars to many countries as well. I have sold cars in Nigeria, UK, US, Canada, France, Netherland, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Portugal and Spain. Over 80 good working cars to be precise excluding the ones I sold as scraps.

As a matter of fact one would easily think that I'm a car dealer, hmm... may be for 2 months or so because I thought about going into the car selling business. But no, I'm not a typical car dealer if you know what I mean. I don't have forecourt full of all kinds of cars, neither do I make car finance arrangement for people.

Over the years, I have gained enough experience when it comes to buying and selling cars, I will try to give you guys a bit of tips on how to buy quality used cars that will not end up becoming a problem for you in any country you are.

When you are buying a used car, take a deep breath and compose yourself properly and ask questions with proofs from the seller before you part with your hard earned cash.

Below are the things you need to check before paying for a used car;

High Mileage
High mileage 90% is most likely going to be a problem not long after you bought the car

Dings and Dents
For me this is no go area, no matter how good the engine sounds (Cost of body work most likely greater than cost of the car)

Oil Leak
The biggest telltale sign that a car has got one or more hidden problems

Knocks and Bangs in the Engine
Most likely that the car would not last you that long, because there is something wrong with the engine

Dark or White Smoke
This is another sign of problems in a car

Heating System Not Working or Not Working Properly
Mostly head gasket going or gone. Expensive to fix.

Horn Not Working
It's illegal to drive a car without horn, so don't buy the car

Breaks Not Working or Not Working Properly
Sign of disaster round the corner, avoid buying the car

Recon Engine
Personally I frown at this. (This is why insurance is really high for a car with a reconditioned engine)

Engine Management Light On
Sign that there is some kind of problem(s) with car and fixing could be from thousands to millions of Naira to fix

Engine Management Light Off
Dodgy sellers always turn the engine management light off, so that they can sell the car on quick. Beware of this

Water Getting into Car
This is common in some cars with exterior issues, water getting into your car during rainy season or wet roads

Stiff Starring Wheel
Power starring fluid is dry, if you are not sure, don't buy the car

Car Over Heating
Likely head gasket. Don't buy the car

Car Juddering
Don't buy, there is something most likely bigger than your budget wrong with the car

Car Brand
It's better to stick with brands that are well known

Not First Time Started
Some cars wont start first time after starting the engine, if you have to try several times before the engine kicks in, don't buy the car

Car Not Starting At ALL
If the car is not starting at all and it's not ticking over, don't buy it. Although flat battery sometimes cause this, but again it could be worse.

If you happen to be buying a car from an online auction or anywhere else, it's a good practice to always go to view the car first before you bid or commit yourself to buy, always take your time test driving, and don't get too excited, otherwise you will end-up buying a car that may cost you more money than what you ever budgeted.

Repairing a car can be costly and the roadside mechanics can be very corny as well, so it's for your own good if you learn a little bit about the car you are buying. There are so many review websites that discuss all kinds of cars based on make, model year of manufacture etc.

Avoid buying a car based on looks, after all beautiful looking car without working engine is completely useless. If you stick to my advice you will find out that you will not necessarily need to pay or visit one mechanic or the other.

During my years of experiences in buying and selling on cars, I have come to terms with few cars that I have huge respect for. BMWs (Not all models), Jaguars, Mercedes, Audis my top four brands. Then you have the Hondas, Peugeots (Not all models), Volkswagens (Not all models) etc.

Some cars like Rovers and Renault can be mechanically problematic, but again it depends on the model you are buying and other factors. Mercedes great brand, but if you notice the CLKs and some others are prone to rust quickly and repairs can be damning.

---- Write, print or copy the following out as a guide when ever you see a car you are interested in buying ----

High Mileage
Dings and Dents
Oil Leak
Knocks and Bangs in the Engine
Dark or White Smoke
Heating System Not Working or Not Working Properly
Horn Not Working
Breaks Not Working or Not Working Properly
Recon Engine
Engine Management Light On
Engine Management Light Off
Water Getting into Car
Stiff Starring Wheel
Car Over Heating
Car Juddering
Car Brand
Not First Time Started
Car Not Starting At ALL

--- End of Guide ---

I sincerely hope that my tip here will be very useful for you next time you are treating yourself to a nice car. Please note that neither I'm I a mechanic nor car dealer, but non of both can tell me BS if you know what I mean, because I'm a bit of both.

Nice piece brother...By the Grace of God,I am thinking of getting a BMW 2003 5 series...from 525i to 540i...I would have loved to get d M5(u knw cars,so my reasons are obvious) but they are very expensive,they are nt less than $15000 and between €10,000 and €20,000...any advise,a friend spoke about a Toyota Corolla S,but I need a car that will serve interstate journeys purposes as well as city driving...so any advise,I settled with d 2003 model,cos sportier,more refined,seems better improved,has good online reviews,to my surprise got higher ratings and better reviews than it mercedes Benz c class counterpart and also becos its d last of its kind before d design got changed in d 2004 model and upwards...any advise,I knw au I can go abt getting it from Germany...but clean ones with less mileage are really high priced,d US is a good option,but I dnt knw au to and buying certain cars from d US could be tricky if u aint careful...so any advise...I will really appreciate it.

You are indirectly saying we shouldn't buy used cars

@ flinton Abi o

flinton:
You are indirectly saying we shouldn't buy used cars

No, not at all, you can buy as many used cars as you want, the point here is that when buying a used car, you want to make sure that you buy one that you will enjoy for a while. Over the time, the cost of repairing a used car is dearer than the car itself.

There was this guy that I know, he bought a Jaguar X-Type 2012 for a Million Naira (Converted Currency), the car was in showroom condition, I can post the pic of the car here, it was a top of the spec and with two tone, that is depending on the weather the car changes colour.

But the gearbox started playing up 3 months after purchase, although the car still drives perfect, but you know, you want to quickly fix any issue before other areas start to get affected. The guy was expecting the the cost to be petty, but guess what ? the bill to fix just the gear box was 600,000 Naira and he was advised that because he'd been driving the car for a while it's most likely that that other areas could have been affected as well.

Brand new cars can break down as well, even on the day of purchase, but this post is not about brand new cars.

You can also buy OBDII (On-board diagnostics) device, most modern cars have self diagnostic onboard, so you can use your OBDII to read cars faults before you even pay for it. The device will give you a pretty good idea of the problems on the car and other problems that may arise after sales.

WebHostingPal:


No, not at all, you can buy as many used cars as you want, the point here is that when buying a used car, you want to make sure that you buy one that you will enjoy for a while. Over the time, the cost of repairing a used car is dearer than the car itself.

There was this guy that I know, he bought a Jaguar X-Type 2012 for a Million Naira (Converted Currency), the car was in showroom condition, I can post the pic of the car here, it was a top of the spec and with two tone, that is depending on the weather the car changes colour.

But the gearbox started playing up 3 months after purchase, although the car still drives perfect, but you know, you want to quickly fix any issue before other areas start to get affected. The guy was expecting the the cost to be petty, but guess what ? the bill to fix just the gear box was 600,000 Naira and he was advised that because he'd been driving the car for a while it's most likely that that other areas could have been affected as well.

Brand new cars can break down as well, even on the day of purchase, but this post is not about brand new cars.

You can also buy OBDII (On-board diagnostics) device, most modern cars have self diagnostic onboard, so you can use your OBDII to read cars faults before you even pay for it. The device will give you a pretty good idea of the problems on the car and other problems that may arise after sales.

Why didn't u reply me,are u too proud or too knowledgeable to help someone out?

ogtavia:


Why didn't u reply me,are u too proud or too knowledgeable to help someone out?

Sorry buddy, I was responding to your message when I got caught-up with other things.

Remember that you can't based your judgement solely on my guide, but you can be well informed to a certain degree with the small information you get from me. So here we go....

Be very careful, I don't think you should buy a car without seeing it first, that's the easiest way to part away with your hard earned money. Unless you have someone you can 150% trust to oversee buying the car for you in the US, Germany or any where else. You just need to see what you are paying for.

I've sold used cars abroad and the way the buyers made arrangement was to get quotes from those "car transporters" companies. The car transporters will require the collection and delivery addresses of the car and they will give you a quote based on that, including the pickup and delivery dates. Some car transporters will deliver internationally and some don't. I believe that my buyers were quoted based on distance.

What country do you intend to use the car and what country are you based at the moment, car prices are quite different depending on the country you reside in. Otherwise importing a car from one country to the other will quickly sky rocket the total cost of the car.

Also do you intend to buy from a dealer or private buyer? both have advantages and disadvantages. Dealers will probably not give you much discount and private sellers will most likely knock some money off the price.

Back in those days, there was massive significance in prices when buying from a private seller and dealers. Private buyers will most innocently sell off good cars for unbelievable prices, while dealers will most likely sell you crap cars for huge amount of money. That was then, private sellers are clued up these days and they now try to sell their cars at trade prices. So as it stands now there is no much difference between private and dealer prices.

I think the figures you quoted "$15000 and between €10,000 and €20,000" are over the price to pay for a used car like the ones you mentioned. You can actually start your own car trading business with those figures.

Audis and BMWs are solid and built to last by the Germans, you can't go wrong with buying a Bimmer or Audi. Well maintained car can do any amount of journey, personally I will choose a German car over any other. Very few British cars are great as well, Example Jaguars and Land Rovers are well built and solid, Unlike the Jaguar S-Types that run on the real Jaguar engine, the X-Type is powered by Ford engine.

Ford make great British cars as well, but very few of them can be trusted. Until the Germans got involved with Ford.

This is a link to show you what country manufactured what car; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_automobile_manufacturers_by_country

Peugeot is the most successful car manufactured by the French, I won't trust modern Peugeots that much though unlike 504, 505 in those days and I can't knock them either because they are fairly ok.

I will avoid Vauxhaul, Rover 75 etc, The rover 75s had been acquired like three or four times by different countries/manufacurers and back to the British Again. When the German acquired Rover 75, they made the 2.5 engine version, which was supposedly meant to be powered by BMW engine. The project was a disaster. Then the Japanese acquired the car and changed the entire Rover 75 features, making the car sportier, it was great. They re-branded it from Rover 75 to Rover MG. Again the project failed for some reasons. Rover 75 (Now MG) unlike most standard cars came with 18 inches alloy wheels by default, very sporty looking cars, but without market value. Back to the hands of the British now, they even try to re-invent Rover 75, that even turned out to be a disaster.

You will surely enjoy BMW 3 Series, the Salon, Coupe and Convertible, they were well built and they have high market value for them. I will avoid BMW Compact, do you know the 316TI version ?, no market value for them at all.

Please note, when I say Market Value, I mean a car that you can buy and sell on any time and still make good money from it. I once bought a car BMW 330 2001 make, unexpectedly the car developed one problem and the money to fix the problem was greater than the price I paid for the car itself... I was left with two options, repair it or sell it on..

I chose the latter, I put the car in for auction explaining the exact problem that was wrong with the car, by then I thought I'd lost money and my intention was that it will go for scrap if you know what I mean. But hey, I sold the car almost twice the price I paid for it. The guy that bought the BM sent a delivery company all the way from Romania.

My biggest tip for you are;

1 - Always see and test before you buy

2 - You should always buy a car with market value on them, a car that people have appetite for so that you can easily sell it on should anything happen otherwise you will be stuck with a car that neither can you fix nor sell. Be careful though when you buy from auctions. Even if you have a battered BMW in your garage, it will still sell for parts. I'm sure there are other good cars as well.

I have friends that use Toyotas and Hondas, and I believe they are good cars, but I've not used or sold any Toyota or Hondas. My reviews are based on the cars that I've dealt with on several occasions.

Remember that this is only a guide and I know I've slightly gone off the topic, nearly turning this into car review which is not my intention at all any one can buy any car they like.

But hey, I hope these info gives you some ideas, I'm popping to the Gym now, so if you have any question drop it, I will respond when I'm back. Regards.

WebHostingPal:


Sorry buddy, I was responding to your message when I got caught-up with other things.

Remember that you can't based your judgement solely on my guide, but you can be well informed to a certain degree with the small information you get from me. So here we go....

Be very careful, I don't think you should buy a car without seeing it first, that's the easiest way to part away with your hard earned money. Unless you have someone you can 150% trust to oversee buying the car for you in the US, Germany or any where else. You just need to see what you are paying for.

I've sold used cars abroad and the way the buyers made arrangement was to get quotes from those "car transporters" companies. The car transporters will require the collection and delivery addresses of the car and they will give you a quote based on that, including the pickup and delivery dates. Some car transporters will deliver internationally and some don't. I believe that my buyers were quoted based on distance.

What country do you intend to use the car and what country are you based at the moment, car prices are quite different depending on the country you reside in. Otherwise importing a car from one country to the other will quickly sky rocket the total cost of the car.

Also do you intend to buy from a dealer or private buyer? both have advantages and disadvantages. Dealers will probably not give you much discount and private sellers will most likely knock some money off the price.

Back in those days, there was massive significance in prices when buying from a private seller and dealers. Private buyers will most innocently sell off good cars for unbelievable prices, while dealers will most likely sell you crap cars for huge amount of money. That was then, private sellers are clued up these days and they now try to sell their cars at trade prices. So as it stands now there is no much difference between private and dealer prices.

I think the figures you quoted "$15000 and between €10,000 and €20,000" are over the price to pay for a used car like the ones you mentioned. You can actually start your own car trading business with those figures.

Audis and BMWs are solid and built to last by the Germans, you can't go wrong with buying a Bimmer or Audi. Well maintained car can do any amount of journey, personally I will choose a German car over any other. Very few British cars are great as well, Example Jaguars and Land Rovers are well built and solid, Unlike the Jaguar S-Types that run on the real Jaguar engine, the X-Type is powered by Ford engine.

Ford make great British cars as well, but very few of them can be trusted. Until the Germans got involved with Ford.

This is a link to show you what country manufactured what car; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_automobile_manufacturers_by_country

Peugeot is the most successful car manufactured by the French, I won't trust modern Peugeots that much though unlike 504, 505 in those days and I can't knock them either because they are fairly ok.

I will avoid Vauxhaul, Rover 75 etc, The rover 75s had been acquired like three or four times by different countries/manufacurers and back to the British Again. When the German acquired Rover 75, they made the 2.5 engine version, which was supposedly meant to be powered by BMW engine. The project was a disaster. Then the Japanese acquired the car and changed the entire Rover 75 features, making the car sportier, it was great. They re-branded it from Rover 75 to Rover MG. Again the project failed for some reasons. Rover 75 (Now MG) unlike most standard cars came with 18 inches alloy wheels by default, very sporty looking cars, but without market value. Back to the hands of the British now, they even try to re-invent Rover 75, that even turned out to be a disaster.

You will surely enjoy BMW 3 Series, the Salon, Coupe and Convertible, they were well built and they have high market value for them. I will avoid BMW Compact, do you know the 316TI version ?, no market value for them at all.

Please note, when I say Market Value, I mean a car that you can buy and sell on any time and still make good money from it. I once bought a car BMW 330 2001 make, unexpectedly the car developed one problem and the money to fix the problem was greater than the price I paid for the car itself... I was left with two options, repair it or sell it on..

I chose the latter, I put the car in for auction explaining the exact problem that was wrong with the car, by then I thought I'd lost money and my intention was that it will go for scrap if you know what I mean. But hey, I sold the car almost twice the price I paid for it. The guy that bought the BM sent a delivery company all the way from Romania.

My biggest tip for you are;

1 - Always see and test before you buy

2 - You should always buy a car with market value on them, a car that people have appetite for so that you can easily sell it on should anything happen otherwise you will be stuck with a car that neither can you fix nor sell. Be careful though when you buy from auctions. Even if you have a battered BMW in your garage, it will still sell for parts. I'm sure there are other good cars as well.

I have friends that use Toyotas and Hondas, and I believe they are good cars, but I've not used or sold any Toyota or Hondas. My reviews are based on the cars that I've dealt with on several occasions.

Remember that this is only a guide and I know I've slightly gone off the topic, nearly turning this into car review which is not my intention at all any one can buy any car they like.

But hey, I hope these info gives you some ideas, I'm popping to the Gym now, so if you have any question drop it, I will respond when I'm back. Regards.

First,I want to apologise for my earlier statement,I really didn't mean it dt way,honestly..pardon me please...I knw abt d BMW compact,I personally have a phobia towards them,I intend to use d vehicle in Nigeria.My neighbour buys cars from germany through his family member based there,infact he has three cars and he got two of them in Germany and one in d US,we are quite cordial,so I trust him to a great extent,I knw someone who gets cars from d US,I av actually bought one from him,but d issue is dt he deals with toyota,honda,mazda,pontiac and such likes..he hardly deals with German,French or Swedish vehicles...I currently drive a mercedes but I av a thing for d BMW esp d 5 series,I wanted to go for d 3 series but it seems quite small and low to me,personally,I like mid-size sedans or hatchbacks,hence,why I switched to the 5 series,I hardly thrive well with japanese cars and cos of my job (architecture)..I need a presentable car as well as a car that will do journeys well,I av driven a toyota corolla sports before,but it seemed putty in my hands,so light and nt so good handling...hence d reason I stuck to d german cars...thanks for d exhaustive info...God Bless You...I will update you as I continue my search..but you didn't say much about d 2003 BMW 5 series....I have watched videos,read reviews and it has been named one of d best cars ever built...I av an idea of common faults with,some DIY or simple repair techniques...however,I still need a second opinion to boost my confidence,I av an option of goin for d 2003 c class benz but I think I want to try something different...tnx for ur anticipated response...

ogtavia:
First,I want to apologise for my earlier statement,I really didn't mean it dt way,honestly...

Yeah, not a problem at all.... To be honest with you, Most BMW 5 Series are great, I've had 520, 525 and 530 series before as you may no, the only difference to them are the engine sizes. 520 is 2 Litres Engine, 525, 2.5 Litres and the last one is 3 Litres. You can't compare the power of these three models. a typical 530 Litres BMW is really powerful, even though you are doing 120 miles on the clock, it feels like you are just driving at 30 miles, it's seriously amazing.

BMWs are very strong as well, the was a guy that put a bimmer in cruise control at 70 miles per hour, he dind't know how to operate the control, and some how unlucky for him, the system lucks, break not fuctioning and cruise control wouldn't work respond. The guy was tooting other road users off the motor way, he was reaching a massive round about very fast at that 70 miles per hour, before he knew it he'd smashed into the round about.

I'm telling you the story because the guy actually survived un-hurt. A very luck guy. He only survived because the BMW took the impact of the hit, if that was another car it would have been a different ball game. That's why you see people stick to BMWs, for safety.

Below stats of some of the BMs

525 auto, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds and up to the top speed of 145 mph

525 auto, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.3 seconds and up to the top speed of 141 mph

525 manual, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds and up to the top speed of 148 mph

525 manual, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds and up to the top speed of 143 mph

If you travel alot interstate and for business, you can't go wrong with a 5 series, they are all quick on the go. If you are the sporty type that like massive control, and get away quick, you probably want BMW 525 manual @ 192 BHP. BMWs are some of the cars that even though they have high millage, they still drive like brand new.

Apart from the Fomular1 cars that is 800BHP, the Hennessey Venom (GT) is the fastest road car at 270 BHP reaching 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, so you can understand how fast a BMW can be compared to other typical house hold cars. I've seen a BMW that reaches 60 mph just under 5.9 seconds. As you may know, one of the fasted BMWs, BMW M3 GTR if not the fastest reaches 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, that's not far from the worlds road fastest car at all. So BMs are no joke.

So if you feel like you want authority on the road go for a BMW, just be sure you buy one that is in perfect working condition, otherwise BMs parts can be very expensive.

Hope this helps and goodluck in your search...

WebHostingPal:


Yeah, not a problem at all.... To be honest with you, Most BMW 5 Series are great, I've had 520, 525 and 530 series before as you may no, the only difference to them are the engine sizes. 520 is 2 Litres Engine, 525, 2.5 Litres and the last one is 3 Litres. You can't compare the power of these three models. a typical 530 Litres BMW is really powerful, even though you are doing 120 miles on the clock, it feels like you are just driving at 30 miles, it's seriously amazing.

BMWs are very strong as well, the was a guy that put a bimmer in cruise control at 70 miles per hour, he dind't know how to operate the control, and some how unlucky for him, the system lucks, break not fuctioning and cruise control wouldn't work respond. The guy was tooting other road users off the motor way, he was reaching a massive round about very fast at that 70 miles per hour, before he knew it he'd smashed into the round about.

I'm telling you the story because the guy actually survived un-hurt. A very luck guy. He only survived because the BMW took the impact of the hit, if that was another car it would have been a different ball game. That's why you see people stick to BMWs, for safety.

Below stats of some of the BMs

525 auto, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds and up to the top speed of 145 mph

525 auto, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.3 seconds and up to the top speed of 141 mph

525 manual, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds and up to the top speed of 148 mph

525 manual, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds and up to the top speed of 143 mph

If you travel alot interstate and for business, you can't go wrong with a 5 series, they are all quick on the go. If you are the sporty type that like massive control, and get away quick, you probably want BMW 525 manual @ 192 BHP. BMWs are some of the cars that even though they have high millage, they still drive like brand new.

Apart from the Fomular1 cars that is 800BHP, the Hennessey Venom (GT) is the fastest road car at 270 BHP reaching 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, so you can understand how fast a BMW can be compared to other typical house hold cars. I've seen a BMW that reaches 60 mph just under 5.9 seconds. As you may know, one of the fasted BMWs, BMW M3 GTR if not the fastest reaches 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, that's not far from the worlds road fastest car at all. So BMs are no joke.

So if you feel like you want authority on the road go for a BMW, just be sure you buy one that is in perfect working condition, otherwise BMs parts can be very expensive.

Hope this helps and goodluck in your search...

so I guess in a way sort of,you are asking me to go for d BMW 5 series 2.5L engine...well,ur analysis is very thorough,I know au powerful 3.0 litre engines can be,but I will consider ur opinion...another fear I had which u just corroborated is d pricey nature of BMW parts,d only common con of d bm is d cost of parts,however,if dt is d case,I will av to be wise in buying one without any issues at all..and pray for a stressfree ownership aside from regular and scheduled maintenance...tnx a lot bro...

WebHostingPal:


Yeah, not a problem at all.... To be honest with you, Most BMW 5 Series are great, I've had 520, 525 and 530 series before as you may no, the only difference to them are the engine sizes. 520 is 2 Litres Engine, 525, 2.5 Litres and the last one is 3 Litres. You can't compare the power of these three models. a typical 530 Litres BMW is really powerful, even though you are doing 120 miles on the clock, it feels like you are just driving at 30 miles, it's seriously amazing.

BMWs are very strong as well, the was a guy that put a bimmer in cruise control at 70 miles per hour, he dind't know how to operate the control, and some how unlucky for him, the system lucks, break not fuctioning and cruise control wouldn't work respond. The guy was tooting other road users off the motor way, he was reaching a massive round about very fast at that 70 miles per hour, before he knew it he'd smashed into the round about.

I'm telling you the story because the guy actually survived un-hurt. A very luck guy. He only survived because the BMW took the impact of the hit, if that was another car it would have been a different ball game. That's why you see people stick to BMWs, for safety.

Below stats of some of the BMs

525 auto, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds and up to the top speed of 145 mph

525 auto, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.3 seconds and up to the top speed of 141 mph

525 manual, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds and up to the top speed of 148 mph

525 manual, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds and up to the top speed of 143 mph

If you travel alot interstate and for business, you can't go wrong with a 5 series, they are all quick on the go. If you are the sporty type that like massive control, and get away quick, you probably want BMW 525 manual @ 192 BHP. BMWs are some of the cars that even though they have high millage, they still drive like brand new.

Apart from the Fomular1 cars that is 800BHP, the Hennessey Venom (GT) is the fastest road car at 270 BHP reaching 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, so you can understand how fast a BMW can be compared to other typical house hold cars. I've seen a BMW that reaches 60 mph just under 5.9 seconds. As you may know, one of the fasted BMWs, BMW M3 GTR if not the fastest reaches 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, that's not far from the worlds road fastest car at all. So BMs are no joke.

So if you feel like you want authority on the road go for a BMW, just be sure you buy one that is in perfect working condition, otherwise BMs parts can be very expensive.

Hope this helps and goodluck in your search...

so I guess in a way sort of,you are asking me to go for d BMW 5 series 2.5L engine...well,ur analysis is very thorough,I know au powerful 3.0 litre engines can be,but I will consider ur opinion...another fear I had which u just corroborated is d pricey nature of BMW parts,d only common con of d bm is d cost of parts,however,if dt is d case,I will av to be wise in buying one without any issues at all..and pray for a stressfree ownership aside from regular and scheduled maintenance...tnx a lot bro...dis actually d first car I will be buying myself...d mercedes I drive was given to me by my parents..I appreciate ur help.

ogtavia:

so I guess in a way sort of,you are asking me to go for d BMW 5 series 2.5L engine...

No I'm not, I'm only giving you my own opinion about BMW since it's the question you asked.

If this is your first time of buying a car, I will advice that you go for something cheaper to maintain. You know BM can be quite expensive to fix if it develops problem greater than what you can fix yourself, but if you have budget for it why not, go ahead and treat yourself to one.

Also you can consider extended warranty if you have the money for it, with extended warranty, your car would be fixed for you regardless the kind of problem it develops or they will replace the car or something. I know that BMW company has extended warranty in place, but they are really expensive. I know there are third party companies that do extended warranty as well, you can consider those.

With extended warranty you will be paying XX amount of money per month, just like paying for a home or content insurance. That way, if your car goes wrong, you will call the company up and they will come take the car away and fix it at no additional cost.

You can also buy an "OBDII Code Reader" to keep in the house, it's a small diagnostic device that can be used to detect most problems in modern cars, it reads directly from a car computer system

Go and have a good chat about it with your friends, family and hear their opinions as well. Since your parent gave you the Merc, I believe that they won't mislead you, so seek their opinions.

Hope this helps.

WebHostingPal:


No I'm not, I'm only giving you my own opinion about BMW since it's the question you asked.

If this is your first time of buying a car, I will advice that you go for something cheaper to maintain. You know BM can be quite expensive to fix if it develops problem greater than what you can fix yourself, but if you have budget for it why not, go ahead and treat yourself to one.

Also you can consider extended warranty if you have the money for it, with extended warranty, your car would be fixed for you regardless the kind of problem it develops or they will replace the car or something. I know that BMW company has extended warranty in place, but they are really expensive. I know there are third party companies that do extended warranty as well, you can consider those.

With extended warranty you will be paying XX amount of money per month, just like paying for a home or content insurance. That way, if your car goes wrong, you will call the company up and they will come take the car away and fix it at no additional cost.

You can also buy an "OBDII Code Reader" to keep in the house, it's a small diagnostic device that can be used to detect most problems in modern cars, it reads directly from a car computer system

Go and have a good chat about it with your friends, family and hear their opinions as well. Since your parent gave you the Merc, I believe that they won't mislead you, so seek their opinions.

Hope this helps.

Tnx a lot brotha,our discussion proved very insightful...God bless you.

Related and maybe relevant to the topic in general: https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/a-car-dealer-s-scientific-guide-to-the-most-and-least-durable-used-cars-214802625.html

WebHostingPal:


Yeah, not a problem at all.... To be honest with you, Most BMW 5 Series are great, I've had 520, 525 and 530 series before as you may no, the only difference to them are the engine sizes. 520 is 2 Litres Engine, 525, 2.5 Litres and the last one is 3 Litres. You can't compare the power of these three models. a typical 530 Litres BMW is really powerful, even though you are doing 120 miles on the clock, it feels like you are just driving at 30 miles, it's seriously amazing.

BMWs are very strong as well, the was a guy that put a bimmer in cruise control at 70 miles per hour, he dind't know how to operate the control, and some how unlucky for him, the system lucks, break not fuctioning and cruise control wouldn't work respond. The guy was tooting other road users off the motor way, he was reaching a massive round about very fast at that 70 miles per hour, before he knew it he'd smashed into the round about.

I'm telling you the story because the guy actually survived un-hurt. A very luck guy. He only survived because the BMW took the impact of the hit, if that was another car it would have been a different ball game. That's why you see people stick to BMWs, for safety.

Below stats of some of the BMs

525 auto, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds and up to the top speed of 145 mph

525 auto, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.3 seconds and up to the top speed of 141 mph

525 manual, running on petrol has 192 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds and up to the top speed of 148 mph

525 manual, running on diesel has 177 BHP engine power, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds and up to the top speed of 143 mph

If you travel alot interstate and for business, you can't go wrong with a 5 series, they are all quick on the go. If you are the sporty type that like massive control, and get away quick, you probably want BMW 525 manual @ 192 BHP. BMWs are some of the cars that even though they have high millage, they still drive like brand new.

Apart from the Fomular1 cars that is 800BHP, the Hennessey Venom (GT) is the fastest road car at 270 BHP reaching 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, so you can understand how fast a BMW can be compared to other typical house hold cars. I've seen a BMW that reaches 60 mph just under 5.9 seconds. As you may know, one of the fasted BMWs, BMW M3 GTR if not the fastest reaches 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, that's not far from the worlds road fastest car at all. So BMs are no joke.

So if you feel like you want authority on the road go for a BMW, just be sure you buy one that is in perfect working condition, otherwise BMs parts can be very expensive.

Hope this helps and goodluck in your search...

should av replied long ago..thanks for this enlightenment