Certified pre-owned BMWs - Katy (Houston: for sale, lawyers, buying)

[Dirt McGirt]

Another option is Carmax - no haggle pricing and you can buy their 'max care' warranty as an add-on which will be similar to CPO. Your given duration, mileage, and deductible options on the max care warranty to fit how you plan to use it. You can get coverage up to 6 years and 125k miles which is more than you could get from the CPO. For an additional $50 deductible you can take the car to any certified mechanic (instead of carmax) including the BMW dealer.

Carmax or BMW CPO will not be the cheapest option, but for a used bmw (or other German luxury car) the warranty can give a lot of piece of mind.

Google "Jalopnik Carmax Range Rover" if you'd like a humorous account of the Carmax warranty as it applies to the most unreliable car ever made outside of Italy.

[rb29335i]

Yes, you can and should negotiate. I had better luck with midtown and BMW North than I have with Momentum (59S and i10w). Get the full maintenance records and get CPO if it's available but don't pay extra to add it. At the end of the day it's a bimmer and it will be money pit after 100k miles. Better to just lease a new one and not worry about anything but tires.

[rjj42]

Originally Posted by hulio82

I recently purchased a 2014 X3. Was looking for CPO, but ended up with a non-CPO but still have 2 yrs of factory warranty.

Figure out which model and features you want and then look on sites like cargurus which tell you what's a great price vs a good price.

Also, you can input in the vin on sites like bimmer.work and it will list all the features, packages the car comes with.

I decided the model, color, features i wanted and then got a feel of the price range and just called up the dealership and told them i'll come in and get it if they can give it to me for this price (walk out price) and they agreed.

I did not buy from a BMW dealership..ended up getting mine from a Ford dealership. BMW dealerships here tend to be a bit snooty...from my experience.

oh and in case you don't know - for all 2015s and later models, they no longer transfer the factory warranty for used vehicles. so keep that in mind. you may get dealership's warranty as part of CPO but BMW;s factory warranty will not be transferred on to you.

They no longer transfer the factory warranty?? Can you please explain what that means? I had no clue about that.

[kickingprop]

If you are looking at a car that new with mileage that low, check under the carpeting and elsewhere for signs of water damage. Even new dealers aren't above trying to resell flood vehicles after cleaning them up, especially low mileage luxury cars.

[rjj42]

Originally Posted by kickingprop

If you are looking at a car that new with mileage that low, check under the carpeting and elsewhere for signs of water damage. Even new dealers aren't above trying to resell flood vehicles after cleaning them up, especially low mileage luxury cars.

How would I know if it was flooded previously? By requesting for a carfax report?

[kickingprop]

Check under the carpet for rusted or oxidized metal, check electrical connectors under the seats and behind the dash, etc. Corrosion of any kind on a car that new would be a red flag. Carfax is only as trustworthy as the dealerships and unaffiliated shops reporting to it. If the guy who was leasing the car you are looking at had it flood on him and took it to a shady car upholstery place to have it professionally cleaned, chances are they didn't report to carfax. And the dealer he's leasing from might be none the wiser as well... Just food for thought.

[rjj42]

Just found this online: BMW Group U.S. Reports May 2016 Sales
Looks like BMW sales YoY are lower.

[hulio82]

Originally Posted by rjj42

They no longer transfer the factory warranty?? Can you please explain what that means? I had no clue about that.

For model year 2015 or 2016 vehicles sold or leased by an authorized BMW center on or after July 1, 2014, the BMW Maintenance Program is provided for the first 4 years or 50,000 miles whichever comes first. These maintenance programs cover all factory recommended maintenance as outlined in the vehicle's Service and Warranty Booklet.

NON-TRANSFERABILITY
These maintenance programs are available to the exclusive benefit of the initial purchaser, owner, or lessee of a new vehicle, sales demonstrator vehicle, Aftersales Mobility Program vehicle, or BMW Group company vehicle from an authorized BMW center in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Coverage is not transferable to subsequent purchasers, owners, or lessees

The BMW Maintenance Program - BMW North America

[hulio82]

Originally Posted by rjj42

How would I know if it was flooded previously? By requesting for a carfax report?

Purchase the CarFax buyback guarantee.

The exclusive CARFAX Buyback Guarantee reduces the risk involved in buying a used car. If the CARFAX Report fails to include a DMV-issued branded title (such as salvage, fire or flood damage, and odometer problems), CARFAX may buy the vehicle back for the full purchase price*.

A friend of mine purchased a used card which he later found out had flood damage and CarFax bought his vehicle back for the full price. I'd read more about it so your expectations are set though- i've heard mixed reviews about this, but my friend had good experience with it.

[ej35401]

Originally Posted by rjj42

They pulled the warranty? How can the dealer just decide to pull the certified pre owned warranty? I thought that was the whole point of buying a CPO car. I ordinarily wouldn't be looking at getting a BMW, but this one had only about 2k miles on it and is a 2015 model, which is what me think about it twice. My understanding is that by buying a CPO car, I will only have to spend money on regular wear and tear and that the major things like engine work would fall under the CPO warranty.

Yep - that's what you would think but read the fine print. We got lawyers involved but never followed thru cause it was getting to be a real distraction and pain in the ass... also had a new baby in the house and were super busy with work, etc... Google can provide you with more nightmarish service problems with Houston dealers.