[jepva]

Came across a 2012 335i with the options I want, but already has 60k miles and out of warranty of course. Not CPO. It was a lease and looks like it was just driven lots of highway miles.

The car drove great - couldn't find any issues. Drove it around a good while, and no issues popped up on the iDrive either. It's also in pretty excellent cosmetic shape (interior & exterior) considering the miles.

Is there anything I really need to look out for? Is there a way to call BMW and see what warranty work (if any) or recalls were done?

What about price, should I shoot for something really low? Anything similar with less mileage is significantly more money still and I think I can get this for quite a bit less over an in-warranty car. There would have to be a lot of repairs out of pocket to justify buying something with less mileage (or buying an extended warranty). I would plan to drive this car into the ground.

[Coolhydro]

How much $?
Pull up the service records from a dealer.

[jepva]

I only have the original selling dealer's information..but looks like the previous owner moved states shortly after and there's no other dealer information on there (looks like they probably went to a dealer that does not submit to carfax).

They are asking 29.

[Mike_L]

I always tell people to avoid BMWs not under warranty at all costs. They're too expensive to fix. Thats why like 90-95% of all new BMWs are leased. You don't have to deal with it. You have the car under warranty and maintenance, then its gone and you get a new one. Add on the huge depreciation and buying an older or high mileage one is just not a good idea.

[diablo2112]

Most important thing to look for: the odometer.

Only other thing to look for: the manufacture date.

335i are time bombs. I've owned 3. I'll never own one out of warranty. My last 335i, I had to 90k miles and took it 12 months beyond its 7-year extended warranty. It needed 3 fuel pumps, and once it was out of warranty, it had an oil filter housing fail ($2k repair), the alternator sheared off the mounts ($2500 repair and stranded me on the road for 3 days waiting for parts), and the fuel pump went for the 3rd time. I also had steering rack problems. Pretty much the least-reliable cars I've owned in the last 2 decades. Great, fun cars to drive, which is why I now lease them.

Avoid purchase of this model. Especially for $29k and out of warranty. Just go lease a new one under warranty.

[FC4]

I wish I was wealthy enough to buy an out-of-warranty German car. Where I am financially in my life right now can only afford me a new one.

Some day.

[jepva]

Not really looking to lease as I don't want a perpetual, never ending car payment. Also, what it costs to lease a new 335i, I am paying almost the same as this used one over the entire period, but will actually own the car at the end of the term. BMW's lease rates are also not competitive with available financing (can get 1.5% financing, BMW's leases are like 3%+ money factor) and then you have the ridiculous lease acquisition fee.

Again, I would have to plan on $10K+ in unexpected repairs for new to make sense. I understand some people have been bitten by issues, but there's plenty of people buying used German cars after the depreciation hit doing just great.

[penet05]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

I always tell people to avoid BMWs not under warranty at all costs. They're too expensive to fix. Thats why like 90-95% of all new BMWs are leased. You don't have to deal with it. You have the car under warranty and maintenance, then its gone and you get a new one. Add on the huge depreciation and buying an older or high mileage one is just not a good idea.

This "90-95%" figure seems like exaggerated. Not every state have advantage when leasing a car. So, sometimes buying makes more sense than leasing.

Also, I had 6 used E46's, mileage ranged anywhere from 80K to 180K. Yes some of them had problems, but didn't remember paying more than $300 (in total) for fixing each car.

OP: It really depends on how the previous owner treated the car. If the owner drove like he just stole it (which is possible since it is a 335), then you may need to be more cautious.

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by penet05

This "90-95%" figure seems like exaggerated. Not every state have advantage when leasing a car. So, sometimes buying makes more sense than leasing.

Also, I had 6 used E46's, mileage ranged anywhere from 80K to 180K. Yes some of them had problems, but didn't remember paying more than $300 (in total) for fixing each car.

OP: It really depends on how the previous owner treated the car. If the owner drove like he just stole it (which is possible since it is a 335), then you may need to be more cautious.

Don't think so. From what I've been told by multiple BMW, Audi and Mercedes dealers, just about every "sale" is a lease. People don't buy German cars. They have huge depreciation, cost an arm and a leg to fix, and have planned obsolescence after a few years. Why would you want to buy one?

[Blubaron79]

Get intake valves walnut blasted.

[BradZDestroyer]

Is it coming from a reputable BMW dealer? I recently bought a 2013 f30 328i under warranty from a friends dealership, and they had installed the oil filter wrong... Of all things. Easy fix and no damage done, but that wouldn't have happen coming from BMW. Something to keep in mind.

Things crap out around 100k most of the time.. BMW or not. Give it the normal look over and go with your gut. You can always find something else if you get any bad vibes, or the service history/previous owners are sketchy.. $29k is a lot of money for 60k miles. Im sure you love the car, but.. it can be a huge risk and its good you've acknowledged this.

Check for any mods on the car or any signs of previous modding.. Check if it was a rental, which is possible for that many miles. Rentals are iffy, but a lot of places monitor high end cars to discourage abuse. At least in my area. Another thing to consider, is the car base, M branded or the luxury line? That can be a good indicator of how the previous owner/s drove the car. If you have a scanner, its always good to check for any codes not showing in Idrive. You may be surprised at what you find.

If you do buy the car, certified BMW repairs are outrageous. An oil change is close to $200 at most service centers. Changing your plugs and coils is a $1,000 job, easy. Unless you're not rich then you can find an indy shop or do it yourself for a small fraction, just keep all receipts incase you sale the car.. Like someone mentioned, the oil filter housing job cost them $2k. Mine cost $8 for the gasket and $100 had i let an indy shop do the work. A new housing would have cost around $375, with same labor cost. So it depends on what you're willing to pay, don't let the service center prices scare you.

BMW's are reliable. I've leased one, and bought the rest new or fairly new. All of my cars have seen 120k miles at the least, with no major failures. But you can see this forum is littered with people who lease a car, bolt on some mods and drag race every weekend. Because they don't care how long the car lasts. Most of them know it takes a race team and lots of money to keep a race car running, so their not going to buy a $60,000 BMW and drive it like that. I'm convinced that's why people lease, and on down the line... Thats why so many people hate BMW's. Because they end up buying someones old track car for top dollar.

Anyways, good luck with your purchase.

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by BradZDestroyer

I'm convinced that's why people lease, and on down the line... Thats why so many people hate BMW's. Because they end up buying someones old track car for top dollar.

Thats not why people lease. We lease because depreciation on these cars is ridiculous. I have never bought a German car and not ended up upside down on it when I wanted to get rid of it.

[Tommy_hf]

Actually even lease is adjusted to depreciation. Repair and maintenance isn't that bad at all. I didn't take the maintenance plan as the expected servicing cost wouldn't really exceed the money. In europe german cars don't suffer the huge depreciation, that role is reserved for british and american cars.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

Thats not why people lease. We lease because depreciation on these cars is ridiculous.

In other words you lease because you want a new car every 2-3 years. OP and @BradZDestroyer are talking about long-term ownership.

OP, since you have done the math and think you can carry $10k of repairs, I would say that check the history very well and if it all looks good then negotiate a little further on the price and go for it. Like someone else above, I think the price is high for 60k miles. In the end you cannot predict repairs and I think to spend anything close to $10k the car must be full of problems and you should see signs of that in the car's history prior to purchase.

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by adhrp

In other words you lease because you want a new car every 2-3 years. OP and @BradZDestroyer are talking about long-term ownership.

Actually this is my first lease. I've owned these German cars, and they're money losers every time. 2-3 years is a long time to have the same car, at least for me. 9-12 months is more like it.

[Vegetable]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

Thats not why people lease. We lease because depreciation on these cars is ridiculous. I have never bought a German car and not ended up upside down on it when I wanted to get rid of it.

I would say most people lease because it's simply cheaper to do so.. Not a bad reason to lease, but a reality for many. I purchased mine because I drive 30-40K a year, I didn't crunch the numbers to see if leasing would be cheaper, but I'm guessing I would have owed a shxt ton at the end of my lease with 100K + on the OD.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by Mike_L

Actually this is my first lease. I've owned these German cars, and they're money losers every time. 2-3 years is a long time to have the same car, at least for me. 9-12 months is more like it.

Fair enough, especially since you would sell the car within 2-3 years. That certainly is a huge depreciation loss and you are better off leasing.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by Vegetable

I would say most people lease because it's simply cheaper to do so..

Cheaper if you are considering brand new as the alternative and/or plan to buy a new car every 5 years. If you buy preowned you have already spared yourself a pretty large depreciation hit. Then come the post-warranty repairs and maintenance. Personally, I would consider those costs (up to a certain $ limit) as the price of owning and enjoying BMW's engineering. My wife's Toyota Highlander will likely cost much less in upkeep in the long run but it is also nowhere as fun as driving my 328i!