Man bought a high-mileage BMW 730d and then found the hidden costs that people need to know if they're buying a budget luxury car
- Used car dealer revealed the hidden costs of a ‘budget luxury car’
- He owned it for six months and drove it 6,086 miles
- It only had minor issues
Published on Dec 18, 2024 at 8:19 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Dec 20, 2024 at 3:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A UK-based used car dealer has revealed the hidden costs of owning a ‘budget luxury car’: a high-mileage 2006 BMW 730d.
He had owned it for six months and driven 6,086 miles.
It was reliable with only had minor issues.
However, he still wanted to get rid of it – here’s why.
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High-mileage BMW 730d
Used car dealer and host of BuySellCars TV hadn’t had any major faults happen with the car – bar faulty parking sensors that he didn’t even bother to fix.
However, there is one significant reason that led to him deciding to part ways with the budget luxury car after a mere six months.
Money.
“I want to talk about those real-life running costs, the general maintenance, unexpected costs, and the real-world running cost of an old 7 Series.”
Let’s dig in, shall we?
The hidden costs
Upfront at auction, the BMW 730d cost him just over $2,335 (including auction fees).
As for general maintenance, an MOT set him back just a little over $50 and the brake pads it needed were $119
Next up is fuel, trotting up to $ 1,600 with a 32.5MPG average.
“That’s probably the biggest cost I’ve had on this car,” he explained.
Road tax over the six-month period via a monthly Direct Debit was just over $260.
Insurance is simply too wildly variable to factor in.
He totted his total to $4,535 with the sale of the car at $3,800, bringing that down to $735 – or $122 per month.
“That is not a big number and I’m actually pleasantly surprised.”
He’s now looking for his next budget luxury car – like a newer BMW 7 Series or a Mercedes E-Class.
Comfort, space, and practicality are key.
Want more on hidden car costs? One hydrogen car owner revealed the hidden monthly costs that add up to more than the car payment.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
