[vince217]

Hi

im deciding whether to purchase a 2012 or 2013 328i for my wife

both are luxury line, black sapphire metallic with saddle brown interior and navigation, hud, apps, comfort access, sunroof, etc. pretty much similar except:

the 2012 has xenon lights and backup cam/pdc BUT no cold weather package
the 2013 has cold weather package BUT no xenon and no backup cam/pdc

mileage
the 2012 has only 22,000 miles
the 2013 has about 50,000 miles

they are priced the same.

im leaning toward the 2012 as it has the xenons/pdc and i think we would appreciate that more than heated seats (we live in the southeast where cold weather isnt as bad as other states). based on old threads here, doesnt look like there was significant differences between the 2012 and 2013, aside from options packages (which explains why the 13 has navi etc but no xenon).

i do intend to keep the car for as long as it runs, so im thinking down the line the model year wont make so much of a difference.

thanks in advance for any replies.

mods, please delete if not in proper thread or inappropriate.

[YeaG30]

If it doesn't have the Xenons, you will highly regret it. I would go with the 2012 as long as you can pull the service information and see if any major items have been done. Also, check the build date and if it is closer to the end of production (July 2012), then its probably a safe bet that it would be mechanically sound.

[vince217]

carfax for both shows no accidents. looks like oil changes and routine maintenance was done through bmw dealerships. ill still have to take a close look to see if any work was done and just not reported.

build date of the 2012 shows up as march 2012. should i be worried about the build date?

[AndDown]

Originally Posted by vince217

carfax for both shows no accidents. looks like oil changes and routine maintenance was done through bmw dealerships. ill still have to take a close look to see if any work was done and just not reported.

build date of the 2012 shows up as march 2012. should i be worried about the build date?

The 2013's were being manufactured starting late June/early July. Our 2013 was built in early July. Late 2012 should be ok.

[YeaG30]

Originally Posted by vince217

carfax for both shows no accidents. looks like oil changes and routine maintenance was done through bmw dealerships. ill still have to take a close look to see if any work was done and just not reported.

build date of the 2012 shows up as march 2012. should i be worried about the build date?

Carfax don't really tell the whole truth sometimes. If you pull the CF on my car, it won't tell you that the turbo was replaced or that the head unit was replaced twice. Also, not to freak you out, but my other car had $7k worth of damage from a hail storm and that never showed up on CF either. In order to get all the details, request the dealer to provide the service history from the BMW service department to show all the services performed, and also ask for the CPO certification shop bill that shows what was done during the CPO refurbishment. Usually that is just tires or regular maintenance but sometimes there is more.

As for the build date, you shouldnt worry about a March build, just as long as it wasn't in the first few months of production (Oct 2011).

[carzaddict]

xenons are a nice to have....but i think i would go for the nav/pdc (which is actually what i did).

you can always retrofit xenons if thats something you're into. I think retrofitting xenons would be cheaper/easier than retrofitting nav/pdc

[mike@x-ph.com]

2012 for sure ... you will regret not getting xenon lights

[chazmink]

I have a 13 without xenon and cold weather package but pretty much everything else. I had heated seats retrofitted and just upgraded the headlights but not to xenon. If I were you I would go with the 12, primarily due to much lower mileage, but also because you could retrofit seat heaters if so inclined. A high end shop could do heated seats.

Good luck with your decision.

[YeaG30]

unless im reading it wrong, the only thing the 2012 is missing is Cold Weather Package. Right?

[vince217]

Yes, the only thing missing from the 2012 is the cold weather package. It has both the lighting and pdc packages. Want to clarify as someone thought they were on separate vehicles

Ran a BMW service history and looks good. Looks like routine maintenance and recalls/fixes done.

Both btw are being sold by BMW dealerships, if that makes any difference.

[roll_the_dice]

IMO, 2012 because of lower miles and Xenons. As others have said heated seats can be added much cheaper than Xenons added aftermarket.

[Class5Kayaker]

Are either of them CPO? If not, then pull the trigger on the 2012 due to the xenons and lower mileage. The xenons are definitely a better option than the cold weather package, especially since you live in the Southwest. However, if one does and the other doesn't, that would be a big factor in my decision if I were deciding between the two.

[finewayne]

vote for 2012, can't beat the lower miles

[S4NoMore]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

IMO, 2012 because of lower miles and Xenons. As others have said heated seats can be added much cheaper than Xenons added aftermarket.

+1

My April 2012 build has been very solid so far.

[philipm785]

I have a late cycle 2012 335i and it's been great. The Xenon lights are definitely a big benefit for me. They also come with the adaptive (self-turning) headlights, so the benefit goes beyond just the better bulbs. For me at least there's a noticeable benefit when cornering at night, especially turning onto dark roads.

[vince217]

thanks for the replies.

i am going ahead with the 2012. like many of you, the xenon's with corona rings are a big deal to me. not just the poor quality of the halogens (i know what you guys mean... i upgraded my mini cooper halogens to the oem hid kit), but also the improved look of the corona rings/halos/angel eyes. to me, it completes the bmw look.

one other difference that i failed to mention is that the 2012 has the burled walnut trim with a light inlay, while the 2013 has the anthracite trim. personally i would have preferred the anthracite, but not a big deal, i can always wrap it in the future, most likely high gloss black vinyl.

[SoDiezl350]

Originally Posted by chazmink

I have a 13 without xenon and cold weather package but pretty much everything else. I had heated seats retrofitted and just upgraded the headlights but not to xenon. If I were you I would go with the 12, primarily due to much lower mileage, but also because you could retrofit seat heaters if so inclined. A high end shop could do heated seats.

Good luck with your decision.

Can you tell me about what's involved in adding heated seats to a car? I bought a 2013 Msport and it didn't have heated seats nor the lighting package. Retrofitting the lighting package was pretty straightforward but I the heated seats seem daunting ($$$$).

[chazmink]

Originally Posted by SoDiezl350

Can you tell me about what's involved in adding heated seats to a car? I bought a 2013 Msport and it didn't have heated seats nor the lighting package. Retrofitting the lighting package was pretty straightforward but I the heated seats seem daunting ($$$$).

The dealer actually arranged to have it done before I took delivery. Perzan Auto Radio in Philly did the work. It was pretty straightforward. They installed a heat pad in the seat back and seat cushion of both front seats and mounted a low-off-high temperature switch in the side of the plastic seat base. As I recall it cost $550 but would have been only $450 if I did only the seat cushions. Initially there was a little glitch with the passenger seat pad triggering the seat belt alarm but the late Larry Perzan worked through that by installing a couple relays. Check around with the high end auto electronics shops until you find one that will do it. I'm glad I have it for the Jersey winters.

Good luck.

[jmull3r]

2012 bc it has less miles, and you can live without the cold weather package, at least the car has heat!!