What is a Good Mileage for a Used BMW? (The Facts)

Luxury vehicles are dripping with cutting-edge technology and thus provide an excellent experience at first. However, as time passes, these gadgets prove to be a major source of frustration for the owners, with one after the other failing to function properly.

I’ve been reviewing high-end vehicles for several years and can provide insight into the subject so you can make the best decision.

What is a Good Mileage for a Used BMW?

BMW is a luxury automaker, but the brand is notorious for oil leaks and other flaws, which become especially problematic as the vehicle ages. As a result, a mileage between 80k and 100k is considered good for a used BMW.

Also read: Is it Hard to Steal a BMW? Which One is the Easiest?

1. BMW 3 Series

Vehicles of the BMW 3 Series are considered a direct rival to the Mercedes C Class and the Audi A4. The series was launched by BMW in 1975 and thus the manufacturer has experience of more than 45 years.

Price: These vehicles start from $41,450 in the US
Good Mileage: A mileage between 70 to 80k is considered good
Too High Mileage: As the vehicles cross 100k, it is considered too high mileage for a BMW 3 Series
Years To Look For: While a BMW 3 Series can easily last for several years if properly maintained, it has been observed that after 10 years, the vehicles usually start to become problematic
Typical Problems: Oil leakage is a common issue for all BMW models, in addition to this, the problems usually are found in a BMW 3 Series vehicle include faulty electric system and air conditioning problems
Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs: Being one of the cheapest BMWs, the vehicles of the 3 Series are relatively cheaper to maintain. Thus, you can expect annual maintenance and repair costs in the range of $1000 to $1700
Best Engines: The BMW E-90 has the best engine. In addition, the engines of E46 and F30 models are highly valued
Insurance Price: For the 2021 model, the average monthly insurance cost is around $202
Fuel Consumption: 11.86 to 20.37 kilometers per liter

Also read: Is BMW F30 Reliable? (the Most Important Facts)

2. BMW X3

X3 is an SUV from BMW that was launched in 2003. Until now, a total of three generations of the X3 have been launched by the automaker.

Price: The vehicle starts in the US market from $45,367
Good Mileage: 80k to 100k miles is considered as a good mileage for the BMW X3
Too High Mileage: Once the odometer crosses the 100k mark, the mileage is considered too high
Years To Look For: Being an SUV the vehicle is built tough and can thus last more than 15 years on average
Typical Problems: Oil leaks, sunroof rattles and engine overheating are the typical problems in BMW X3s
Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs: The BMW X3 will require between $1500 and $2000 annually in repairs and maintenance
Best Engines: All BMW X3 vehicles of the model year 2017 have the best engines. It is worth noting that the electric BMW X3 is regarded as the most reliable variant of the SUV
Insurance Price: With a low monthly insurance price of $144, the X3 is a relatively cheaper BMW to own. The annual insurance price turns out to be $1728
Fuel Consumption: The fuel consumption ranges between 13.17 and 16.55 kilometers per liter

3. BMW X5

The BMW X5 is considered as the direct competitor to Volvo XC 90, Audi Q8, and Mercedes-Benz GLE Class. The vehicle was launched in 1999 and has since then been considered as one of the best SUVs in its class.

Four generations of the vehicle have been launched until now. In addition to this, the BMW X5 M is the sportier version of the vehicle.

Price: The base model of the BMW X5 starts from $59,400
Good Mileage: The mileage is somewhat similar to that of X3 and thus anything between 80k and 100k is considered as good mileage for this vehicle
Too High Mileage: 120k miles are usually too high for a BMW X5 after which the vehicle starts becoming problematic
Years To Look For: BMW X5s have been in service for the past 20 years and are serving the purpose well. This means that you can easily run your X5 for two decades if you take good care of it
Typical Problems: Oil and coolant leaks, engine overheating, rough idling and stalling, grinding noise from front wheels
Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs: A BMW X5 is likely to cost you anywhere between $1900 and $2300 in annual repair and maintenance costs. This figure is much higher than the X3 because it is a costlier vehicle and the spares are usually more expensive
Best Engines: N52 and N62 engines of the BMW X5 are considered as the best ones produced by the company. These engines received the least number of complaints from customers
Insurance Price: The average price of BMW X5 is $152 per month which translates to $1828 annually
Fuel Consumption: Because of its larger size, the vehicle’s fuel average is significantly lower than that of the BMW X3. Thus, you can expect an average of 8.9 to 13.5 kilometers per liter from this SUV, which may not seem like much, but given that it is a luxury SUV, you shouldn’t expect a very high number

Also read: BMW vs Audi: (Head-to-Head Depreciation)

4. BMW 5 Series

Launched in 1972, the BMW 5 Series has been around for the past 49 years. Its rivals include the Mercedes E Class and Audi A6 Series to name a few.

Until now, seven generations of the vehicle have been launched, which have always been the trendsetters in terms of comfort and safety features.

Price: The BMW 5 Series starts from $54,200 in the US market
Good Mileage: Depending upon who you ask, this number can vary anywhere between 70k and 100k
Several models of the BMW 5 Series became notorious for several problems which pulls the figure of Good Mileage lower than that for other BMW models
Too High Mileage: Normally, a mileage over 100k miles is considered too much for a BMW 5 Series
Years To Look For: The average BMW 5 Series will last for more than 10 years before showing problems. Therefore, you must consider selling yours before this
Typical Problems: Oil leakage; air conditioning, faulty fuel pump and sunroof seals are the most common problem areas
Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs: Being a bigger and more expensive sedan than the 3 Series, the BMW 5 Series requires $1500 to $2000 annually for repair and maintenance costs
Best Engines: The E34 model had the best BMW 5 Series engine
Insurance Price: The average monthly insurance price for the BMW 5 Series in the US is around $224 or $2688 per year. This number is much higher than that of BMW SUVs, which illustrates that the BMW 5 Series is considered as a less reliable vehicle as compared to the BMW X3 and X5
Fuel Consumption: The fuel consumption of the BMW 5 Series is between 15.01 and 22.48 kilometers per liter.

Also read: 3 Cheapest to Maintain BMW Models (& Costs)

5. BMW 7 Series

The BMW 7 Series is the king of the hill. It is BMW’s flagship sedan that competes with the big guns like Mercedes-Benz S Class and the Audi A8.

The vehicle has been in production since 1977 and until now a total of six generations have been produced.

Price: Starts from $86,800 for the base model and goes to approximately $160,000 for the M760i version
Good Mileage: Being a luxury vehicle, a good mileage for a BMW 7 Series is considered between 70k and 80k miles
Too High Mileage: Once a 7 Series crosses the 80k miles mark, it is considered to have a too high mileage
Years To Look For: It can easily last for a decade, but after that major problems start developing which require huge sums of money to fix and thus maintaining the vehicle becomes too difficult
Typical Problems: Some typical problems of the BMW 7 Series include engine misfiring, problems with the parking brakes, air conditioning failures, oil leakages, electric problems and door locking problems
Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs: The annual maintenance costs of the vehicle are expected to range between $2500 & $3000
Best Engines: E38 is globally regarded as the best 7 Series and the engines of this model are considered as the best ones produced by the company
Insurance Price: Expect to pay upwards of $260 per month for the insurance of your glistening 2021 BMW 7 Series
Fuel Consumption: The average fuel consumption of the BMW 7 Series ranges between 8 and 11.9 kilometers per liter. However, this number can vary significantly depending upon the driving style and conditions.

6. BMW X7

The BM X7 is a 5 door ultra-luxury SUV that was initially launched in 2018. The competitors of this state-of-the-art machine include the Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade, and Range Rover Vogue.

This is the first generation of the vehicle and is currently high in demand due to its exceptionally high-class features.

Price: Starts at $74,900 and ranges up to $141,300 for the Alpina XB7
Good Mileage: A mileage between 80k to 100k is considered good for the X7
Too High Mileage: When an X7 crosses 100k miles, it enters the domain of too high mileage
Years To Look For: Being the best in class, top tier BMW SUV, expect an X7 to stick around for more than two decades
Typical Problems: Oil leakage, suspension and power terrain issues
Annual Maintenance & Repair Costs: The average maintenance and repair of the BMW X7 is likely to cost between $2500 and $3000 annually
Best Engines: The diesel variant of the current generation has the best engine
Insurance Price: The average insurance price is around $2877 per year which turns out to be around $240 per month
Fuel Consumption: The BMW X7 is a gas guzzler, so expect it to have an average of around 10.6 to 14.3 kilometers per liter.