should i consider buying a 4 year old car with... 4000 miles on it?

[evident]

searching around for cars this morning and i stumbled on a 2010 BMW 335i with sport, premium and cold weather pkg for $29K. It only has 4K miles on it.

Is this a good idea? it's being sold by the lexus dealership near me which has a BMW next door to it.

http://www.thompsonlexus.com/details/2010-BMW-335i-Doylestown-PA/1768939

could there be some pitfalls in buying a car like this? carfax reports it was a corporate owned vehicle. i thought it was a loaner at first, but the mileage is way too low for a car that old to be a loaner... im thinking it's an exec's car that they take out every once in a while.
any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated!


update:
just came back from the lexus dealer. they wouldn't budge at all on the price. when i left they called me and offered me the list price (30K) with 3 year 36K dealer warranty (which they said all work would be done at the bmw dealer next door). i'll wait and see if they'll move down more.

the car was in great shape. it was clear they did work on it though. the FR and RR tires were both replaced, rear left was original, and front left had a different date code as well but the fronts and rears are staggared so i dunno. front bumper was replaced as well. it was brought into the bmw dealer for service in dec last year for all of the recall work done, oil change. said the car had to be jump started to be brought in and that the battery had to be replaced.

it might have a dinan stage 2 software kit installed on it as well... not sure.

Think i can buy this car and sell it in 3 years when the warranty is up and not lose too much on depreciation? i'd probably only be able to sell it for about $14K since at that point it would be a 7-8 year old vehicle.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

If the car meets your needs and price point, why wouldn't you consider this car? What does having a BMW next door to it have to do with the question? 4k miles is hardly enough for any undue wear unless it was a lemon to begin with.

 

[Insomniator]

Of course, that car is basically brand new. It's what, 25k less than it would have been 4 years ago? All you lose is the original warranty probably.

Its not like 4 years is a long enough time for fluids or rubber or anything to go bad in a modern car. Wouldn't expect anything to be wrong with it.

 

[Lifted]

2010 is a great year as it's last year of the N54 w/ twin turbo which has a ton of headroom if you're looking to squeeze some more performance out of the car. This car must have the lowest mileage of any 2010 335i in existence (that has actually been driven).

Does the car have any warranty remaining on it, or CPO? Can they offer you CPO? These cars are notoriously expensive to repair and maintain unless you can do the work yourself. The low mileage is great, but things made of rubber and plastic will fail over time, not just from use.

I bought this car (coupe) which had the CPO warranty. A PPI which revealed a leak in the front diff and I had it repaired under CPO for free. Without the warranty it would have cost a good chunk of change.

Have a PPI done by a top bmw indy shop. I'd wouldn't use the dealer next door as it could be the same owner of the lexus dealership. Even if it's not the same owner they're probably a little too friendly with one another to trust a PPI from them.

 

[evident]

2010 is a great year as it's last year of the N54 w/ twin turbo which has a ton of headroom if you're looking to squeeze some more performance out of the car. This car must have the lowest mileage of any 2010 335i in existence (that has actually been driven).

Does the car have any warranty remaining on it, or CPO? Can they offer you CPO? These cars are notoriously expensive to repair and maintain unless you can do the work yourself. The low mileage is great, but things made of rubber and plastic will fail over time, not just from use.

I bought this car (coupe) which had the CPO warranty. A PPI which revealed a leak in the front diff and I had it repaired under CPO for free. Without the warranty it would have cost a good chunk of change.

Have a PPI done by a top bmw indy shop. I'd wouldn't use the dealer next door as it could be the same owner of the lexus dealership. Even if it's not the same owner they're probably a little too friendly with one another to trust a PPI from them.

yeah, i need to find a place to take it to to get it checked out. BMW and lexus dealer are both owned by same people. all original warranty is over for it. The only thing i would assume would be covered is HPFP as that has an extended warranty from the factory. I'd definitely consider purchasing an extended warranty for it. I can do most basic jobs on my own on my honda and wife's lexus like brakes, oil, trans fluid, spark plugs. but there are some parts on the E90 that i've never heard of (wtf is an eccentric shaft sensor?!) that sure i'd be willing to take a stab at. will be test driving this car on tuesday.

 

[Lifted]

yeah, i need to find a place to take it to to get it checked out. BMW and lexus dealer are both owned by same people. all original warranty is over for it. The only thing i would assume would be covered is HPFP as that has an extended warranty from the factory. I'd definitely consider purchasing an extended warranty for it. I can do most basic jobs on my own on my honda and wife's lexus like brakes, oil, trans fluid, spark plugs. but there are some parts on the E90 that i've never heard of (wtf is an eccentric shaft sensor?!) that sure i'd be willing to take a stab at. will be test driving this car on tuesday.

The same owners and their selling the BMW through the Lexus dealership? That's a little odd. I'd ask for (demand) a CPO. If their not willing to offer a CPO on a car with such low mileage I'd be suspicious as the car might not meet the requirements set by BMW to offer a CPO. You should ask why they won't offer it if it comes to that.

 

[JulesMaximus]

searching around for cars this morning and i stumbled on a 2010 BMW 335i with sport, premium and cold weather pkg for $29K. It only has 4K miles on it.

Is this a good idea? it's being sold by the lexus dealership near me which has a BMW next door to it.

http://www.thompsonlexus.com/details/2010-BMW-335i-Doylestown-PA/1768939

could there be some pitfalls in buying a car like this? carfax reports it was a corporate owned vehicle. i thought it was a loaner at first, but the mileage is way too low for a car that old to be a loaner... im thinking it's an exec's car that they take out every once in a while.
any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated!

What are your concerns? Low mileage?

Man, that car is barely broken in.

 

[evident]

The same owners and their selling the BMW through the Lexus dealership? That's a little odd. I'd ask for (demand) a CPO. If their not willing to offer a CPO on a car with such low mileage I'd be suspicious as the car might not meet the requirements set by BMW to offer a CPO. You should ask why they won't offer it if it comes to that.

when i spoke to them, they claimed it was traded in by an old couple who owned a business in the area and it was their weekend car. I mean, it could be as simple as them trading it in to the lexus dealer when they bought a new lexus right? and i thought CPOs couldn't be older than 3 years old. at least thats what i think it is the rule for CPO lexuses

 

[ImpulsE69]

Those kind of deals are the best deals. Many of our vehicle purchases have been similar situations.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

If it doesn't look like it was a track day car, I would go for it.

 

[Lifted]

when i spoke to them, they claimed it was traded in by an old couple who owned a business in the area and it was their weekend car. I mean, it could be as simple as them trading it in to the lexus dealer when they bought a new lexus right? and i thought CPOs couldn't be older than 3 years old. at least thats what i think it is the rule for CPO lexuses

BMW has more than a few CPO cars for sale that are as old as 2008.

http://cpo.bmwusa.com/used-inventor...teType=certified&geoZip=10016&geoRadius=1000&

Here's a 2008 335i with 90k miles that they're selling as CPO.

http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/2008-BMW-335i-59394a370a0a000219ef16e013f18720.htm?geoZip=10016

 

[evident]

BMW has more than a few CPO cars for sale that are as old as 2008.

http://cpo.bmwusa.com/used-inventor...teType=certified&geoZip=10016&geoRadius=1000&

Here's a 2008 335i with 90k miles that they're selling as CPO.

http://cpo.bmwusa.com/certified/BMW/2008-BMW-335i-59394a370a0a000219ef16e013f18720.htm?geoZip=10016

should i push for them to either make it a cpo or to drop the price by 3 grand?

 

[Lifted]

I would ask for both. It's been sitting on their lot for 7 weeks according to carfax, which should give you some leverage. IMO $3k off the asking price is a bit much even without the warranty, but you should probably start somewhere around there and see how it goes.

 

[evident]

I would ask for both. It's been sitting on their lot for 7 weeks according to carfax, which should give you some leverage. IMO $3k off the asking price is a bit much even without the warranty, but you should probably start somewhere around there and see how it goes.

thanks for replying to me. I mean, I feel i should be able to haggle them since they are essentially asking "dealer" price without offering any of benefits of purchasing from a dealer.

 

[Midwayman]

I'd be mostly concerned that it was left to sit for really long periods that just low miles. If it was really driven every weekend, or every other weekend, no big deal. If it sat for 9 months at a time and wasn't put away right is where I start to worry.

 

[evident]

I'd be mostly concerned that it was left to sit for really long periods that just low miles. If it was really driven every weekend, or every other weekend, no big deal. If it sat for 9 months at a time and wasn't put away right is where I start to worry.

I have no idea how i'd be able to figure this out.

At least they should have taken it to the dealer once a year for the free annual oil change. but carfax has no records of it going in for an oil change at all... i'm sure i'll get the scoop tomorrow, or maybe some fabricated story about it! if this thing has the original factory oil, ugh. but how would i even know?

 

[CropDuster]

Just change the oil and put some fresh gas in it and be done with it. Oil change interval on a 335i is conditions based (the car will tell you when, usually 10-15k miles) so I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been changed.

I have a 2007 FWIW.

 

[Midwayman]

I have no idea how i'd be able to figure this out.

At least they should have taken it to the dealer once a year for the free annual oil change. but carfax has no records of it going in for an oil change at all... i'm sure i'll get the scoop tomorrow, or maybe some fabricated story about it! if this thing has the original factory oil, ugh. but how would i even know?

You have the carfax? Sometimes you can tease details out of it.

Edit- found it on the site. No details. Call up a BMW dealer with the VIN and see if they will pull service records.

 

[evident]

Just change the oil and put some fresh gas in it and be done with it. Oil change interval on a 335i is conditions based (the car will tell you when, usually 10-15k miles) so I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been changed.

I have a 2007 FWIW.

hows the ownership experience overall? lots of things go wrong?

 

[nk215]

I have an BMW, in general you need to be able to do the work yourself. Lots of plastic parts that crack, break with time. Oil leaks are the worst. There is nothing worse than spending 4 hrs just to replace a 5$ oil filter housing gasket.

I enjoy working on my cars so I don't mind. You may not have the same passion. Lexus on the other hand just doesn't give me a chance to fix anything. Just brake and timing belt (at 100k miles)

 

[uclabachelor]

Be prepared to buy a lot of special tools to maintain that car, or pay up the ass for maintenance.

For example, replacing a battery will cost you around $400 - $500 at the dealer, and about $300 at indy shops.

The 335 is particularly finicky on EVERYTHING and will throw a warning/code if the car is not running in perfect condition.

 

[evident]

just came back from the lexus dealer. they wouldn't budge at all on the price. when i left they called me and offered me the list price (30K) with 3 year 36K dealer warranty (which they said all work would be done at the bmw dealer next door). i'll wait and see if they'll move down more.

the car was in great shape. it was clear they did work on it though. the FR and RR tires were both replaced, rear left was original, and front left had a different date code as well but the fronts and rears are staggared so i dunno. front bumper was replaced as well. it was brought into the bmw dealer for service in dec last year for all of the recall work done, oil change. said the car had to be jump started to be brought in and that the battery had to be replaced.

it might have a dinan stage 2 software kit installed on it as well... not sure

 

[evident]

I have an BMW, in general you need to be able to do the work yourself. Lots of plastic parts that crack, break with time. Oil leaks are the worst. There is nothing worse than spending 4 hrs just to replace a 5$ oil filter housing gasket.

I enjoy working on my cars so I don't mind. You may not have the same passion. Lexus on the other hand just doesn't give me a chance to fix anything. Just brake and timing belt (at 100k miles)

tbh i love working on my honda and wife's lexus doing the regular maintenance stuff. i might think differently if it was a do-or-die job where i wouldn't make it to work. i dont have a third car i can take if this car needed to be worked on haha.

 

[DigDog]

suspiciously low mileage is suspicious.

 

[halik]

Be prepared to buy a lot of special tools to maintain that car, or pay up the ass for maintenance.

For example, replacing a battery will cost you around $400 - $500 at the dealer, and about $300 at indy shops.

The 335 is particularly finicky on EVERYTHING and will throw a warning/code if the car is not running in perfect condition.

Do you own one or are you talking out of your ass? My brother's 335 only needed carbon cleaning @100K miles, zero extra maintenance other than that.

Only tricky thing on e90s is that the batteries are AGM, so you gotta reset the charging system with INPA. If you can't handle that, you really should have no business owning an out of warranty bmw...