Do I need a PPI when buying a non CPO (7 years old) BMW at BMW franchise dealer?

[vauster]

Do I need a PPI when buying a non CPO (7 years old) BMW at BMW franchise dealer?

I mean, do I ask them if I can drive a car to get inspected at another BMW dealership? I know the question might sound silly, but since the car is too old to be CPOd, I don't want to find out it has a bunch of hidden problems. This would be an as is sale in PA.

[beshannon]

I would ask them to perform a PPI at their cost and provide a Carfax report as well.

[vauster]

I would ask them to perform a PPI at their cost and provide a Carfax report as well.

I got the carfax, and the car is clean and looks like it has been serviced at their dealership quite a few times. I just don't know how reliable the PPI from them would be, once it's out the door, not their problem.

It's an M6, the car is not cheap that's why I'm worried. I don't want to be facing a $2k bill a week into ownership because the car had a cleaned up oil leak or something along those lines.

http://cpo.bmwusa.com/used/BMW/2007-...m?geoZip=15037

[MarcoZandrini]

Li would have a ppi performed by an independent shop that works primarily, if not exclusively, on BMWs. The dealership has no vested interest in doing a thorough or ethical ppi. Your profile sez you're in Connecticut, so you should have no problem finding a shop.

[vauster]

Good catch, moved to PA a little while ago. Profile updated. I'll take a look for shops in the area, what sounds stupid to the dealer may not sound stupid to me.

[KevRC4130]

It's an M6... Definitely do everything you can to know exactly what you're buying. $100 now could save you a lot of headaches later. I'd personally get the PPI from a third party - obviously there is going to be a bias if they do their own PPI.

[vauster]

It's an M6... Definitely do everything you can to know exactly what you're buying. $100 now could save you a lot of headaches later. I'd personally get the PPI from a third party - obviously there is going to be a bias if they do their own PPI.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm surprised it never came up on this forum, driving the car from one BMW dealer to the next, sure to be some good laughs. I'm also looking at extended warranties such as fidelity just in case. I'm prepared to maintain and fix the car, but with a $40k car seems the piece of mind is worth it. I'll call em up, the first person to laugh loses.

[Matt Cramer]

First, get a good inspection by someone who knows BMWs. An independent shop that specializes in BMWs could be your best bet. A regular dealer won't know these cars like a specialist.

Read the extended warranty VERY carefully. Most aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Common things include excluding most of the common wear items and only covering things that very seldom fail on their own, deductibles that leave you on the hook for most routine repairs, or a ton of BS reasons for denying repairs. There are a few people on this forum who have found good extended warranties, but they seem to be about as easy to find as people who think Congress is doing a good job.

[BimmerBreaker]

Yeah other posters hit the nail on the head. Get an inspection at a third party location to avoid bias

[montaillou]

You might also check out the local sub-forum for where that dealer's located and see what people think about them. When it comes to dealerships, I think of Animal Farm - they're all equal, but some are more equal than others.

[325bob]

LOL, "this car is too previously owned to be certified as such"