jpfinne

Scenario:
I have decided to buy my first BMW, and located one that isright up my alley - 06 525i w/ 44K miles and all the bells and whistles (6sp, nav, hud, premium package, clean carfax) for 24,500 but it is not CPO. :thumbsdown:

Question:
I plan on getting the extended maintenance plan from BMW at around 49,5K and I was leaning towards TwinKindeyGrill.com. Thoughts?

I also want to get an extended warranty on it, but am at a loss - It is my understanding that because I am not the original owner, I cannot get the warranty through BMW. Is this correct? Any recommendations on third party vendors that are reliable w/ good reviews? A good friend of mine is a mechanic and could do the work very cheaply, but I fear the price of parts will be my ultimate demise. I probably drive ~ 15,000 miles/year. The dealer wanted to sell me a third party warranty for 36 mos/100k for $4425, but I think they're screwing me.

Any opinions\experiences\advice are extremely appreciated.

luigi524td

The price seems in line for the year / model / options. I gather you are not purchasing this from a BMW dealer - whatever the case, aftermarket warranties are high profit items when sold thru a used car dealer. And, many are deals that might cost you a lot of money to hedge your bet that you'll have a major system fail while you own it. However, I'd say that the 525 engine and drive train (esp the manual) are pretty reliable. Most of the aftermarket warranties don't cover electronics - IMHO that is where the problems are more likely to clobber you. And, because these cars are so complex, you are not likely to have those problems sorted out by the average private shop.

I'd say, bank the $4425 and spend it on ensuring good regular maintenance is done while you drive this car. That includes regular fluid changes [brake / cooling/ drivetrain] and replacement of regular wear parts.