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Thread: Criteria for purchase

  1. #1
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    Criteria for purchase

    Hello and thank you for letting me join the forum.

    I have the opportunity to purchase from a dealer a 2006 530xi, 120,000 miles, manual transmission. It has nav, cold weather package and the premium package. Asking $11,999. Prior owner has provided a set of repair/maintenance records. Records indicate mounting repair costs in 2010, 11 & 12 of about $1500-2000 a year leading to about $5,000 in 2014.

    I have learned a lot from this forum and elsewhere. I'm trying to get an idea of the the criteria and factors i should consider in making a decision to purchase and having a full understanding of future repair and maintenance costs.

    I'd appreciate the insights of forum participants in helping me.

    1. What should I know about this vehicle before making a decision?
    2. What repairs are the most likely to be needed?
    3. Is there a prudent, average annual repair/maintenance cost I should factor?

    With thanks in advance.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by silberfarb View Post
    Hello and thank you for letting me join the forum.

    I have the opportunity to purchase from a dealer a 2006 530xi, 120,000 miles, manual transmission. It has nav, cold weather package and the premium package. Asking $11,999. Prior owner has provided a set of repair/maintenance records. Records indicate mounting repair costs in 2010, 11 & 12 of about $1500-2000 a year leading to about $5,000 in 2014.

    I have learned a lot from this forum and elsewhere. I'm trying to get an idea of the the criteria and factors i should consider in making a decision to purchase and having a full understanding of future repair and maintenance costs.

    I'd appreciate the insights of forum participants in helping me.

    1. What should I know about this vehicle before making a decision?
    2. What repairs are the most likely to be needed?
    3. Is there a prudent, average annual repair/maintenance cost I should factor?

    With thanks in advance.
    I am really not sure what you are asking. It seems you have the info you need. A 9 year old car with alot of miles and alot of repair costs.

    I just recently traded my 2009 550 with 33K miles after having repair bills like this only higher.

    Why do you want this car so badly?

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by silberfarb View Post

    1. What should I know about this vehicle before making a decision?
    2. What repairs are the most likely to be needed?
    3. Is there a prudent, average annual repair/maintenance cost I should factor?

    With thanks in advance.
    Get a good independent mechanic shop to inspect the car. They'll tell you what's already broken or on its way out, and that should answer both (1) and (2). And probably give you some insight into what (3) will be for the next year. Chances are when that's taken care of, running costs are likely to go back to the $1500-2000 that it had been staying at before the big jump in 2014. This sounds like somebody had decided just to cut their losses - which could mean they made an emotional decision to let go of the car because they'd thrown so much money at it, or it could mean they had a mechanic look at it and made an informed decision to sell it based on what the mechanic told them it was going to need. The first case could be very good; the second case - RUN!
    Matt Cramer
    1997 BMW 328i convertible, 1972 Chevy C10 pickup, 1966 Dodge Dart slant six
    BMW - where "Why doesn't everybody build cars the way they do?" meets "Why can't they build a car the same way everyone else does it?"

  4. #4
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    Thank you, Matt. I just discovered that while the prior owner had provided years of repair tickets to the dealership he sold the car to, he did not provide anything related to what must have been the final straw; he had the car towed to a BMW dealership and the v belt replaced. 10 days later he traded the car in at an Audi dealership.

    I'm hoping it's the first case -- and hoping I can figure out if it's 1 or 2. If I can't, I will pass. So far the selling dealership isn't allowing an independent inspection. There seem to be so few manual BMW (or Audi) sedans in the market. I am willing to take on reasonable repair/maintenance costs, $1500 or so a year (if that's reasonable for this car).

  5. #5
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    If anyone EVER refuses your right to a pre purchase inspection, tell them to drive the car swiftly into their own anus. No respectable seller would ever do that.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by notMpowered View Post
    If anyone EVER refuses your right to a pre purchase inspection, tell them to drive the car swiftly into their own anus. No respectable seller would ever do that.
    I think a lot of non-enthusiasts who don't buy or sell a lot of cars would quite rightly refuse such an inspection if for none other than the fact that they would be completely unfamiliar with such a process.

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmerBreaker View Post
    I think a lot of non-enthusiasts who don't buy or sell a lot of cars would quite rightly refuse such an inspection if for none other than the fact that they would be completely unfamiliar with such a process.
    Yea but he's talking about a dealership here.

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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by BimmerBreaker View Post
    I think a lot of non-enthusiasts who don't buy or sell a lot of cars would quite rightly refuse such an inspection if for none other than the fact that they would be completely unfamiliar with such a process.
    I've never encountered someone who's said no other than once, and they were an "enthusiast" with something to hide.
    I don't see what is hard to understand about an inspection for a non enthusiast. Its not like they take apart the car and put it back together. Its no more invasive than an oil change. I'd never buy a car without a PPI unless it was insanely below market value with a stack of records. Also as said its from a dealership, they know how selling cars works, and clearly, they know how to hide things.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  9. #9
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    Why would a dealership ever do a PPI for anyone?

    Do guys have experience with dealerships doing PPI's for people because if I asked a dealer in my area to do that I would get laughed at or they would just say "yeah, we already looked at it, thats why its for sale now and why we charged the previous owner a reconditioning fee" ...

    Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!

    PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
    Offering the best prices on the best quality reproduction fabrics!

  10. #10
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    When a guy like me walks into a dealership, with cash in my bank account to buy a car and says "pending a quality PPI, I'll buy it." its probably in their best interest to let me get a PPI before I take my money somewhere else. You know, because they want to sell it? If someone wants to go blow $200 bucks on a PPI it shows they have enough interest in the car to spend the money. People don't want to just spend a couple hundred bucks for nothing.
    Last edited by notMpowered; 09-30-2014 at 04:31 PM.

    - 98 m3, techno/anthrazit cloth, 124k and officially worthless - 89 m3, alpine/black 143k and officially old - 2000 323it, tiag/grey, 169k and officially boring

  11. #11
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    I think you already got the basic things that you need to know about the car. Those 3 questions are very important and I suggest you consult a trustworthy mechanic and bring him along with you while you both inspect the car. Let him ask questions to the dealer too and ask for his personal advice too.

  12. #12
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    Thanks to all who provided advice and insight. The dealer did permit me a PPI and it showed about $3,000 in repairs. As a newbie to the BMW world, that seems like a lot of repairs (asking price is $11,499) but I understand that's not necessarily so. The dealer also agreed to perform some of the repairs so we are sharing the expense (front rut & alignment are the immediate biggies). Also negotiated a lower price $10,500) and made the deal. I have a 2006 530xi sitting where my CRV used to be (and I even got some money back as my trade in was a higher value -- that positive cash will disappear quickly, I know!).

    I'm not sure if this is the place to post these questions (perhaps the specific series forum?) but here goes:

    - I'm fairly handy. Is repairing leaking oil filter housing/o ring a DIY project?
    - Nav is on CD. Worth purchasing new one or are there other options?
    - Are there inexpensive options to purchase and program a keyless remote (+ key)?
    - Any successful ideas to stream music via iPhone through the entertainment system?
    - Any ideas for iPhone placement while driving?

    With thanks in advance for insights!

  13. #13
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    I don't disagree with your position, but I can tell you for a fact, some dealerships simply won't be bothered with it. They'll wait an hour, a day, a week, or a month until someone else comes in, drives it, and makes a full price emotional purchase with no inspection because they just gotta have the car.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by notMpowered View Post
    When a guy like me walks into a dealership, with cash in my bank account to buy a car and says "pending a quality PPI, I'll buy it." its probably in their best interest to let me get a PPI before I take my money somewhere else. You know, because they want to sell it? If someone wants to go blow $200 bucks on a PPI it shows they have enough interest in the car to spend the money. People don't want to just spend a couple hundred bucks for nothing.
    Last edited by Colo Springs E; 10-01-2014 at 09:15 PM.

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