BMW

Germany · parts cost 3/5 · specialist network: widespread

Model families

Model	Segment	Generations covered	Variants	Price span
3 Series E90 · E91 · E92 · E93 · F30 · F31	mid	6	75	€2,600–€61,150
1 Series E87 · E81 · E82 · E88 · F20	compact	5	41	€2,200–€73,250
5 Series E60 · E61	executive	2	16	€2,800–€14,450
X3 E83	compact SUV	1	2	€3,000–€13,100
X5 E70	large SUV	1	3	€6,500–€27,250

Only families with researched data appear here. See coverage for what is planned next.

Brand-wide ownership notes

Parts supply is excellent and the independent specialist network is dense, which keeps repair costs well below dealer rates on cars of this age. What defines BMW ownership from roughly 2005 to 2015 is the cooling system: plastic expansion tanks, electric water pumps and plastic thermostat housings that are wear items with a service life rather than lifetime components. So budget for cooling on any car of this era regardless of model. Electronics are a second theme. Modules are cheap to reflash at a specialist and expensive at a dealer.

Chassis

Chassis	Body	Years	Character
E90	sedan	2005–2011	The volume car of the generation and the cheapest way into it. Everything good and bad about the E9x, in the body most of them were sold in.
E91	wagon	2005–2012	The practical one, and the only body here you can genuinely use as a family car, with a panoramic roof that will try to fill it with water.
E92	coupe	2006–2013	The last 3 Series with hydraulic steering and a straight-six worth having, in the body people actually want, priced accordingly.
E93	convertible	2007–2013	A folding hardtop convertible that drives well and weighs 200 kg more than the coupé: cheapest body to buy, most expensive to keep watertight.
F30	sedan	2012–2019	The 3 Series that grew up, bigger and quieter than the E90 and a fraction less sharp. It's still the car the rest of the class gets measured against.
F31	wagon	2012–2019	The F30 as an estate, with a rear window that opens on its own and self-levelling air springs at the back. It drives as well as the saloon and it's far more useful.
E87	hatchback	2004–2011	The volume body and the cheapest way in. A rear-drive hatch that drives better than its price, let down only by a firm ride on run-flats and a tight rear seat.
E81	hatchback	2007–2012	The three-door, sold only from the 2007 facelift onwards: mechanically identical to the E87, rarer, and no more practical for the compromise.
E82	coupe	2007–2013	The body people actually want: the last small rear-drive BMW coupé, home to the 135i and the collectible 1M, priced accordingly.
E88	convertible	2008–2013	A cloth-roofed convertible rather than a folding hardtop, lighter and simpler than the E93 3 Series, but with the same rule. The cheapest body to buy is the most expensive to keep dry.
F20	hatchback	2011–2019	The last rear-drive hatchback in the class, and still the best-steering car of its size. It's cramped in the back and nobody who buys one for the drive minds.
E60	sedan	2003–2010	A big saloon with an E90's engines and a sharper chassis than the size suggests. It drives well and it ages expensively, because everything on it's electronic.
E61	wagon	2004–2010	One of the most useful estates of its decade, with a split tailgate and a self-levelling rear axle that's also its most expensive habit.
E83	SUV	2003–2010	A raised 3 Series with permanent four-wheel drive and a firm ride that never quite settled. It's practical, quick enough and cheaper to buy than anything else wearing this badge.
E70	SUV	2006–2013	Fast, heavy and comfortable, and it still drives smaller than it is. Every consumable on it is sized to match the car rather than your budget.