This time I am looking to go for brand, comfort and luxury, therefore thinking of buying a 7 Series BMW. I have a range of 3.5 million and have a few questions, can any bmw expert answer these:
Most of the 7 Series are available in diesel engine, very few are in petrol. Which one is better and what to check if buying a diesel?
Is 7 Series a good option or should I move to 5 series?
Is it a wise decision to buy a bmw of 2004 model or should I consider buying a new civic instead?
From what I know in my limited knowledge about the BMW diesel cars, the engines usually get ruined here in Pak due to poor quality of diesel. My two cents on this would be to buy a new local civic and have peace of mind instead of buying an old tank that might stay more time in the workshop than on the road. Good luck.
P.S diesel variants would be cheaper for the same reason I mentioned as well
I have moved to Lahore since Jan this year, i headed to a mechanic for a scan, apparently he was good with electronics and thus the result was in two trips to him all I saw were german cars hogging his garage. 3 BMW's none of them 3 series standing there with enough dust to say that it had been quite a while since they last ran. My experience in Karachi has been similar, a 7 series BMW came in for a CVT oil change at our mechanic. The cost 70,000rs for one CVT oil change. Compare that to my JDM Lancer's CVT flush of 10 litres at 14k with genuine mitsubishi fluid. We had a family friend back in the late 90's who owned a 318i, one wheel cap was lost, the cost 16k for replacing it back then - just one wheelcap.
My dad's cousin bought a merc I believe belongs to the same time frame as you intend to buy a month or two back. They replaced brake pads and after starting the car 3 new CEL codes had appeared and none of them related to anything close to the suspension or brakes, needless to say because of lack of proper scanner at the mechanic the car had to be left at the workshop. And this was that workshop in Karachi that gets stuff that even Khan Motors cannot diagnose. He even had a 2004 diesel merc standing there for 8 months which due to water damage had it's ecu done, then the suspension or whatever gave way. Shahnawaz demanded 16 lacs just to start it. That car was offered 8 lacs, owner said I bought it in 35lacs and I am going to spend 16 lacs on it? do what you have to start it, I saw it standing there for ages I don't suppose it ever got started.
The moral of the story is buy a german car and sell it in 3-5 years but make sure you buy one off the showroom floor. You sir do not want to mess with a used german car in Pakistan, there are simply very few people who can understand them. There's a reason why these cars have such a low resale, they are considered elephants in every sense of the word. Buy that civic, the nearly 5 lac you save put it in Golden Arrow Stock Fund or one of Meezan's Equity Mutual Funds or take a trip to Thailand get a massage every day for 14 days and shop to your heart's content.
Plus let's say I am working for a car related entity in Dubai, the amount of Merc's and BMW's being sold within 3 years is just phenomenal no one wants to deal with their problems even there!
diesel ones were imported from uk mostly... rest were dewan or japan.. .. all u have to do is, buy a 7 series and buy a scanner.. scanner should cost u 200-300k.. then study the bmw scanning thingy.. u should be able to do that through youtube and bmw forums..
this should save u millions in r&m a year...
7 series is amazing specially if u r not driving.. u gonna love that.. though driving is pretty good too..
if you can manage the maintenance cost of that vehicle without freaking out [ which is actually con game by bmw partners in Pakistan ] yes it is a trophy ownership.
a 12 year old car German Car with no maintenance track record is ticking time bomb.
Though am Blind & Deaf for Honda Vehicles manufactured in Pakistan, i'd strongly recommend current Honda Civic which am driving for next few days on loan from my nephew.
the issue with newer german cars is that they assume the technician is educated and actually understands how a car is built and how electronics work.
Well - even the old ones were like that except they assumed the mechanic was well trained and experienced ergo their service manuals descriptions were quite cryptic for a person who wasnt.
Combine this with the nawaab problem in Pakistan where owner would not even sit in the drivers seat because neighbors would make fun of him - this becomes a money pit for no reason and the only people profiting are the hack mechanics that sahebji's driver recommends (why not - he gets major massive kickback on every payment)
I used to repair these cars in Pakistan and had some pretty nice customers - the model you are wanting has a few strange issues - the body control unit smokes pot or some other drug. At certain times it would forget that certain doors are installed on the car,, not a big deal though but because its older tech with slower network speeds in it, its a bit of a timely exercise to write to that car. The most irritating issues I would see or encounter were almost always stuff broken or destroyed by other mechanics prying apart or using super thick industrial tools to try to lever small parts, lots and lots of RTV sealant everywhere and general ham fisting repairs (aka bull in china shop problem).
If you dont have access to a reliable repair shop and dont have access to the car's history - I would suggest you stay away from it, it might be the gate to hades' inferno.
Becuz at 80 lac it is superior to the C class and 5 series both in quality and price.
These german sedans were hoarded in from 2005-2009 and the 7 and 5 series being very popular including the diesels ,but now they are being sold as scrap , there are two w211 diesel standing in front of Pappu's workshop one even had kittens in the engine bay. No use buying them as most of them have being abused badly
Buying ANY Brand NEW - German car in Pakistan, to be maintained by Dealership for 3 years or 80,000 kms is safe bet. Afterwards, be prepared to dig deep in pockets as Neither German Manufacturer ' DEALERSHIP ' is ready [ as of today ] to perform OEM recommended 100% swap of parts required at 80,000 kms. They cut corners and charge premium from user(s).
AUDI is TOP scammer, in Pakistan in terms of 3S shops.
[a 2014 A-6 21000 km odo, maintained by Audi 3S under warranty is gathering dust for transmission replacement since 8 months] Audi Under severe pressure provided a replacement vehicle which is now 'considered abducted'
BMW Dewan & Mercedes Shahnawaz are squint kindergarden criminal dudes compared to Audi shops in PK.
Getting a complete gearbox for A6 shouldn't be an issue from Dubai. Its reasonable to assume that those who can afford an Audi can also source its parts through kheypia. However, reviews from what I've heard from people in my circle point towards extreme premium charged by Dewan than the other two. Might be a difference of opinion there.
The dispute is WARRANTY REPLACEMENT- AUDI want to charge 300,000 for transmission replacment, while the owner claim FREE warranty replacement as it is maintained by AUDI itself. So whatever reasons are for transmission failure, AUDI is responsible n fix it under warranty
Nov '16
Nov '16
