sixgun95

I am considering selling or trading in my 06 525 for a 550 . I prefer a previously owned one, a bit less expensive than a new one! Question is this, what are the pros / cons in regard buying a Certified Pre-Owned from a BMW dealer vs. buying one from a private seller or other dealer (non BMW)?

westcoast550

If you buy one less than a 1 year old car they can't be CPO'd ( in canada anyway ),it will still have the balance of the warranty so I would think it would be a better financial deal to get one that is months old vs years. You will usually always pay more at a dealer..
Good luck

tarek307

That CPO warranty is like a powertrain warranty!! you probably pay about 3k more for a CPO car, i'd buy a regular one and buy a bumper to bumper warranty with it if i wanted to spend the money..

I bought my car from Mahdi at bigcityautofinance.com He buys off lease BMW's in great shape!! i highly recommend him, and ships anywhere

MacSid

Main thing that does it for me every time: you'll pay more for a CPO car than a private sale one, but the CPO comes with a warranty, and the comfort of knowing it's been thoroughly checked over before being sold.

Here in the Netherlands, all CPO cars come with a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty, which includes BMW Assist services for the 2-year period at no additional cost. I actually ended up needing it last night!!

phelix

I think you need to look at the quality of the different warranty options and base your decision on that. Given the complexity of these cars and the resulting repair costs I think a good warranty that has a reasonable deductible/excess and covers main dealer shop rates is important.

I bought a 2004 535d from a UK BMW dealer. The AUC (Approved Used Car) warranty has so far covered a reprogram of the iDrive system to solve a continual reboot problem, a thorough front suspension check-over to identify the source of a clunk when hitting sharp edged bumps (seems like the strut brace was loose at the bulkhead) and the promise of a new steering column to solve a clicking during low speed turns. Without a good warranty I would have paid through the nose for diagnostic/investigation time and the work itself.

That the car needs this work in the first place is another matter...

JPJ

I've bought both of my BMW's from individuals with low miles (6K on my previous 330i and 4k on the 530) -- significant savings and still have the regular warranty to cover any issues. When I bought the 530 my dealer had a similarly equiped 2005 CPO on the lot. My sales adviser asked why I didn't look at it and I was like -- year older (with previous engine), 8K more miles, and asking $5K more -- what do you think!

scooterdog

Your mileage may vary - many cars in great condition are coming off-lease after only 2 or 3 years, and are held by dealers as CPO's with some premium to the price.

There are private owners who paid cash for their cars and want to unload them for whatever reason, but their quality will vary and the selection will also vary. Depending on what you want/have to have, you may have to wait a while in order to win via the private party route.

Time was important to me - had the funds, and wanted the car soon - so going the CPO route was best for my situation. The fact that I could purchase the thorough going-over that CPO cars get, in addition to the extension of the warranty, in addition to getting a car in absolutely perfect condition without any concerns about history, as well as being able search nationwide from the bmwusa website made my purchase decision easy.

I wanted a particular color combination that wasn't very common (if you are looking for a flavor of silver or black, you should have it much easier), as well as particular options that were expensive, so there were no local choices available and I'd have to wait a long time otherwise.

Good luck!