Originally Posted by tuffluck

there are a lot of things that go into used car prices that you'll never know. the FEW 550i's that are under 35k may have made 17 trips to the dealer that you probably will never know about, and you might inherit a lemon thinking it is the best deal. also carfax doesn't show everything. just because someone drives through their garage when they are drunk doesn't mean they call their insurance and tell them, but instead fix it on their own and it never shows up under a history report. paint chips, door dings, etc. other things you *don't* always see until after you purchase your car affect the sticker price on a used car. don't expect a salesman to be truthful about any of that stuff either.

i do think 40k sounds about right though. you could probably get a 550i in the US somewhere for under 35k and it be a good deal. factor in a one-way plane ticket, hotel, food, etc., plus potentially driving it back and out of it's factory warranty from the extra miles--all worth a cost too, not to mention the hassle. if you can find a good deal locally, it's probably better than a great deal on the other side of the country. if you've got 10k or so for a down payment, even better since you wipe out the inherited interest expense from the cost increase.

as a side note, if you like deep green metallic, you can find some excellent deals. those seem to consistently be the lowest priced used BMWs on the market.

Originally Posted by vikingshelmut

So tried negotiating with them yesterday to no avail. I started at $40k, they said they had $42k into the car. Initially they said "used car pricing is pretty fixed compared to buying a new car", I almost laughed. I'd give them $42, but they didn't openly accept it. He took my name and number and told me he'd call me today, so we'll see. Overall they seemed very uninterested in negotiating. I'd love to get this car, but at this point I am discouraged, we'll see.

Originally Posted by tuffluck

Well they are right. They certainly do not make as much from used cars as they do from new ones. People will give you tips on buying all day, saying you can negotiate whatever you want. It really is not true, I do not understand why these people are so insistive sometimes. They probably didnt even negotiate on their own car. 5k is a LOT to ask a dealer to drop on a used car. 1k-2k max. My car was listed at 29.8k, i got them to 29k and i thought that was an excellent result.