We have a 2011 BMW which we love very much. (I know, it is another discussion by itself for why we buy one).
However, in the past 1 year, we have paid a total of about $7000 in maintenance costs.
We have changed up both rear air suspensions, 4 new tires, CV boots, water pump, spark plugs and battery.
I might have missed a few items and for to list them.
I won't even try to be polite. If you are a sucker, don't buy a car that requires expensive repairs and maintenance. I wouldn't touch a car with air suspension, so I won't have that problem. I can buy a new set of shocks anywhere from $36 to $360, and have them installed in an hour to two hours, so add $25 to $50 labor because I don't like to get my hands dirty.
Tires . . . I try to buy used, but even new I can get most tires for about $120 each. I usually get them on TireRack with free shipping and have them installed for another $15 each at the tire store nearby.
CV boots, around $60. Water pump, usually not very expensive, not even on a Mercedes, but on a BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, and Bugatti, yep, insane. Spark plugs . . . around $5 to $9 each. Unless you have a V12 BMW, not even worth mentioning. Battery . . . again, I pay $36 to $42 for remanufactured from my local battery store with a 1 year warranty. So even if I need a new one every year, that's a miniscule amount.
So what does a sucker differently?
A sucker buys a newer car with as much electronics and black boxes as possible. A car where he doesn't have to move his entire hand to move the seat but just extend his arm and push a button that engages an electric motor. A sucker goes to the dealer everytime he hears, or believes to hear, a noise, hands over his check book, drops his pants, and bends over. There are many suckers out there, and they get bathroom remodels for $30K or a new roof for the same money.
I'm 62 now, and I own 6 personal vehicles, none of them as new as your 2013 model BMW. As time marches on, cars have been becoming appliances, and that trend will continue. You can drive a well-taken care of older car for eternity. But the more modern, the more potential problems are waiting to surface. It's just the way the cookie crumbles now. Cars have become computer systems on wheels, and the more complex, the more expensive it becomes to fix 'em.
Addendum: reading my post I realize that I've been quite harsh, so my apologies for my tone. Case in point, buy an older vehicle with low mileage with spotless service history and zero issues, and take care of it, and it will serve you for a long time. The more modern, the fancier a car is, the more service will cost. I had to replace the heater core on my old, trusty Volvo a few years back. A new one cost me $85 and I installed it myself within an hour, as it's located in the engine compartment, easily accessible. I had a 1995 Mercedes E300 Diesel for 13 years and would still drive it had it not been swiped while being parked. The heater core started leaking, as it will start leaking on your BMW as well once that car is about 10 years old. Dealer charges $5K for the job. Independent shop quoted $3,6K. My trusty mechanic spoke to a trusty mechanic that has a Mercedes shop and we used his guy, someone who does nothing but heater cores on Mercedes automobiles. I paid $1,1K including a new heater core and a new A/C evaporator, located right next to it. The heater core is the first thing that they bolt to the empty shell in a modern automobile. To get to it, the entire dashboard has to come out, including all gauges, 50 miles of wiring, and so on. A sucker bites the bullet and pays $5K. A street-smart person did what I did. Don't be a sucker.
