Ask the Car People.SM


BMW 3-Series Prices Paid and Buying Experience

11917 messages,  Last post on May 18, 2013 at 9:18 AM

You are in the Prices Paid - Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 1170 of 1192

#11690 of 11917 Re: 2006 BMW 330i w/ Navigation [blueguydotcom] by valueseeker627

Jul 12, 2012 (1:24 am)

Replying to: blueguydotcom (Jul 11, 2012 11:44 pm)
How do you guys suggest I review the vehicle? I plan on just taking it to the BMW dealer and having them complete a used car inspection. I've also heard that people can get rid of the check engine lights with OBD (on-board diagnostic) devices which can tell the car to stop showing the check engine light.
 
Shoudl the dealer be able to hook the car up to the machine and see what repairs need to be done despite any tampering by a 3rd party? I am purchasing a used BMW against the advice of my friends so I want to make sure I cover my bases and don't end up regretting it for lack of diligence and inspection!
 
Thanks!

#11691 of 11917 Re: 2006 BMW 330i w/ Navigation [flightnurse] by graphicguy

Jul 12, 2012 (6:05 am)

Replying to: flightnurse (Jul 11, 2012 9:17 am)
Flightnurse...I've noticed the amount of factory buybacks on ebay, too. If you don't mind the inevitable trade penalty when you turn around to sell it again, I think they would be a helluva deal.
 
BMW does seem to be pretty liberal with their buyback and trade assist policy. Frankly, the one BIG thing I've noticed in service between my BMW dealer, and my GF's Audi is the service. BMW trumps Audi by a large margin. Case in point, when I first got my BMW, I had scraped the lower edge of the front spoiler pulling out of my dealer's lot. My fault....I was trying to beat some oncoming traffic and going too fast. Dealer made note of that. Next time I came in, they took the little plastic valance off under the car, rubbed out the "scar" from the scrape and repainted it.
 
I didn't ask them to do that. They certainly weren't obligated in any way to do that. They just did it.
 
Another point, I have light tan interior. Where I get in and out of the car, my dark leather belt is rubbing some of the leather dye onto the seat where the bolster is. Again, this is a wear item. At first, the dealer tried to clean it with leather cleaner. Didn't help. They recovered the entire driver's seat (with what the expensive Dakota leather they use on the seats). I didn't even have to ask.
 
value....yes, take the 3 to a BMW mechanic. By the end of the run for the 330i came around (which your '06 is), they were pretty bulletproof. But, I'd pay particular attention to the oil changes (BMW is notorious for allowing for high miles between oil changes). Those should be accessible by any BMW mechanic worth their salt (if they were logged via the car's VIN#). Also, you want to check for paint work. Again, any decent mechanic should be able to spot paint work easily. Then, it's just the normal stuff....tire condition, belt condition, check for leaks, hoses, alignment, brakes, trans and trans fluid, lights, steering wheel angle and "play" (as in, there shouldn't be any play in the steering), etc.
 
Make note of the tires on the car. These came with the first generation of runflats. They were pretty dismal in my estimation. They road like bricks, and didn't offer much in the way of longevity. My guess is, they've been replaced...hopefully with non run-flats of the correct size and type.
 
A good mechanic should already know all of this.
 
Check the CARFAX. While not the end all to beat all, Carfax should note any glaring incidences with the car's history and background.
 
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
 
Generally speaking, if a BMW has been cared for as specified, they really aren't any more or less troublesome than any other car. Major repairs (if and when needed) do tend to cost much more than their American car counterparts. But, you'll find that if the '06 330i gets a clean bill of health, it will be as reliable as any car on the road today. If not? All bets are off!

#11692 of 11917 Re: 2013 328i ordered [jeffreyfu] by vacarfan

Jul 16, 2012 (5:53 pm)

Replying to: jeffreyfu (Jun 14, 2012 2:53 pm)
Hi, Jeffrey,
 
That sounded like a good price. Can you tell me which dealer you get your car from?
 
Thanks

#11693 of 11917 BMW DRIVE FOR TEAM USA by pacdecimal

Jul 19, 2012 (8:01 pm)

My zip code only indicated two dealers in Utah and 4 in Illinois who's still participating in this event. 640 miles from California to the nearest.

#11694 of 11917 328i 2012 metallic gray with tech and premium packages by jtp3zk

Jul 23, 2012 (1:54 pm)

I got a 2012 328i in mineral gray color in end of June with premium and technology packages, heated seats and xm radio (didn't care for the heated seats or xm radio, but this was the closest car to what I wanted).
 
Invoice price was 40,485. $350 discount off invoice plus $1000 for the college rebate program. $35,000 down, financed the rest with 3.54% apr. this was done at irvine BMW. Was this a good deal?

#11695 of 11917 Re: 328i 2012 metallic gray with tech and premium packages [jtp3zk] by flightnurse

Jul 23, 2012 (4:59 pm)

Replying to: jtp3zk (Jul 23, 2012 1:54 pm)
I love these type of questions..... Each car market is different so to ask this question on a national forum is a mute point. How would you feel if people stated, you got screwed on the deal and you could have done better? The deal is done, can't chance what happened, as long as you are happy with it that is all that counts.

#11696 of 11917 Re: 2013 328i ordered [vacarfan] by jeffreyfu

Jul 26, 2012 (7:45 am)

Replying to: vacarfan (Jul 16, 2012 5:53 pm)
Moritz BMW

#11697 of 11917 Lease Buyout Experience by nw0a

Jul 26, 2012 (11:30 am)

Just finished with a lease buyout of '09 328xi coupe through a 'no-haggle' dealership in the Denver area. In '09 the purchase price of the vehicle would have $43,625 ($48k MSRP), and to buyout BMW wanted $28,155 but the dealer quoted $25,650 or $28,200 with CPO. Went with having them CPO the car, got the 0.9% finance rate for 24 months (was 1.5% for 36 or 48 months), and did not have to pay the last month's lease payment. They provided an '11 328xi sedan loaner and the CPO inspection and mini detail took 4 1/2 hours. Some thoughts:
 
1. There was some confusion with when the CPO warranty would begin, but the final opinion was that it would start after the 4 yr/50k miles new car warranty was up, and I would get a full 6 yr/100k miles with the CPO-added warranty.
2. I was rather unimpressed with the CPO process. Service did nothing to the car but the inspection. I would have expected that at least an oil change would have been done. I asked whether the Nav's GPS data would be updated (it is three years old) but they said no.
3. Even with leasing the car for three years, my total out-of-pocket cost will be very nearly the $43.6k new car asking price. This was because BMW had excellent incentives for leasing a car in 2009.
4. I feel that this was a good deal (not a great deal), and got the dealship to throw in a new set of BMW floor mats.
 
In all, it was a very good experience working with this dealership, everything was set up by email before I needed to visit the showroom and the getting though the paperwork took less than an hour. Hope this is informative for someone.

#11698 of 11917 Pricing for 328xi 2011 by smithspd

Aug 05, 2012 (6:38 pm)

Folks,
 
Can some one let me know what would be the best out the price I can ask for BMW 328ix drive 2011 new car that has premium package on it. The dealer reduced the price on car to 35995 + tax. I am trying to buy the car and not lease it.
 
Thanks
Smith

#11699 of 11917 Is this 2011 328xi a good deal? by hotdeck

Aug 21, 2012 (7:56 pm)

Hi all, I'm look at 2011 model because I could get a good deal. This 328xi has premium package, heated steering wheel, MSRP $41K, dealer quoted $35K. Is this good? How much should I push further?

Messages Page 1170 of 1192

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement