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Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
As always, I strongly recommend a pre-purchase inspection performed by a good BMW tech. Once you know the true condition of the car you can begin to discuss price.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
That's why getting a pre-sale inspection is important. But at least drive the car first. Even if you aren't a mechanic, you can often tell if some very important components aren't working right. You can also look and smell and learn a lot.
My son has been looking for a used car and had settled on a mid to late 1990s Audi 90/A4 2.8 Quattro 5-Speed; the first car we drove was a late production Audi 90 with only 90,000 miles on it and in very nice shape. A few dogs with fleas later we drove a nearly cherry looking A4 a year or three newer than the 90 and with 140,000 miles on the clock.
On the surface the Audi 90 was a better deal because the only obvious flaw was a crack in one headlight lens; on the other hand, the A4 was desperately in need of rear struts and brakes and had a few other cosmetic flaws (and also had a complete service history from its one and only owner). Which one did we buy? The A4 with 140,000 miles on it. Why? Because after a good long test drive in the Audi 90 I stopped by a Dunkin Donuts, grabbed a few napkins and swabbed out the tail pipe tips. When I pulled the napkins out they were saturated with a considerable amount of oil; the same test (which was one of many) on the A4 revealed some nice grey dust.
I looked over the care carefully and cannot find anything wrong but I am not an expert. Should I pass on this vehicle, take it to a mechanic or trust the certification process and go with it? The asking price seems reasonable (perhaps a bit low) and probably accounts for the fact that the car was in an accident. What do you think? :confuse:
You should ask to read the manual of their CPO standards that covers this, just in case.
The link to the brochure is: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=200512
My belief is that it is up to the dealer to certify that the car complies with BMW's standards. There are some unscrupulous dealers out there. However, my feeling is that if it is certified and shouldn't have been, there is a warranty and recourse against the dealer and BMW. Anyone agree or disagree?">link title
The manual says:
"For the purpose of evaluating CPO Program Eligibility, any
vehicle where a Component as listed on the Unibody Review Chart has been replaced WILL NOT be eligible for
CPO enrollment. Vehicles where these components have been repaired will qualify for enrollment provided that the
repair conforms to the functional requirements of the body component (example: doors meet alignment and operation
standards if the rocker or pillar[s] were subject to repair)."
So what I'm reading here is that a car could take a pretty hard smack, but if it were all straightened out and no welding or gluing of panels, rockers, A pillars, etc, took place, then it could be CPO.
Okay, good detective work! Now we know a lot more than we did yesterday.
Exactly- but even so, the 325i and 328i slushboxes I've driven have not displayed any adverse driving characteristics(if you don't count the missing third pedal).
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
The autobox in my wife's X3 shifts fine in manual or automatic mode.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Any ideas on what kinds of repairs I might be looking at? Is it possible to get a look at the maintenance records for the car (I read in one consumer review that BMW doesn't release those)?
BTW, tires aren't specific to BMW, so that will cost you the same as any other car with the same size tires.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Also play with all the dials and switches, and check the HVAC system for proper function.
1. My wife's 2008 328xi has a chronic a/c problem, which the dealer has never been able to fix. As a result, the Freon has to be recharged frequently. The dealer has tried to stick me with the cost of repair on this issue. I had to raise hell with them to get them not to charge me, and to warrant the work they've done. If you do a little research online, you'll find out that this has been a problem for 3-Series BMW's, but BMW won't do a recall on it.
2. Everything that the dealer does is going to be expensive. My wife's car had a no-cost maintenance deal on it. Once that ran out, we've been taking the car to a repair shop with a mechanic who knows BMW's. This has been considerably cheaper.
3. Take the car to a mechanic you trust for an inspection BEFORE you buy the car. The dealer will not want to let you do this, but do not back down. The mechanic should produce a report on any issues with the car, along with the cost of repairs. The inspection should cost you $100, but it is well worth it. I have walked away from two cars that I had planned on buying based on the mechanic inspection. On the flip side, another time the garage was so impressed with a car I was looking at it that one of the owners stopped by to tell me to buy the car.