Looking to buy BMW 535i CPO - involved in rear impact

[abforums]

Looking to buy a CPO 535i (from a dealer).
Carfax shows a prior accident with rear impact.
It is a CPO , but the original place where the accident happend is different (so it was not repaired by this BMW).
Can anyone comment, how rigorous the CPO process is? Would they actually verify the structural integrity prior to certifying?
Salesperson insists it was a minor damage, but when I asked for details on the original repairs, they don't have any.
Any suggestions/recommendations?
Would it be worth the risk? 2010 / 535i / 28k miles with Sport, Nav, Prem Pkg and a few other minor upgrades @ $36k.

Apparently the accident happened within the first 10 days of the first owner record (late 2009) and this has been a 1 owner car as per carfax. Only thing carfax states is "involved in a rear impact".
Any way to get more details on the actual repairs / original damage?

I am new to this forum and first time (potential) BMW Owner. So any guidace will be greatly appreciated.

[White94RX]

It's probably going to be hard to find out just how severe it was without having some original paperwork from the repairs. It could have been some minor cosmetic damage, or could have been a severe impact requiring tail lights, deck lid, bumper, supports, etc.

[bimmer_boyis]

Tell the dealer you would like to borrow their paint gauge(every dealer used car manager will have one). Will tell you what/where was hit. Have them put it on a lift so you can take a peek. Check tail light pockets from the inside(seen some bad weld/caulk jobs leading to leaks).

CPO's are taken pretty seriously at my dealer, but there is always room for human error.

[abforums]

Thanks! Trying to get the records from them if they can pull. If not I will walk away...

[PwrdbyM]

Just FYI, you are posting in the F10 5 series forum (2011+) and it sounds like you are talking about an E60 5 series? You may get more responses on that fourm since it is more active. However your question is pretty general. To answer your question, it depends on the dealer. I've seen people buy CPO cars and find out later that they have been involved in accidents. I know of one car that had five body panels replaced. The dealer said they didn't know, and in all honestly I believed them since I really don't think they checked the car over very well. Each dealer is going to have thier own proces on how this is done. Are they supposed to follow strict guidelines for CPO's? Probably. Do they? Probably not. I would talk to your dealer about having the car checked by an independent shop to determine if the damage was fixed properly. If they decline that option, then you may want to walk away. Some body damage is not necessarily something to worry about as long as it was fixed and painted properly, but you just have to make sure.

[jwoods]

Doesn't the BMW CPO give you a 3 day/250 mile, no questions asked, return policy? When I bought my CPO 335i in Nov '10, it had that. But maybe that was just from my particular dealer?

If it does have the return policy, then he could get the car, take it for an independant inspection, and if it turns out to not be good, then he can return it.

[ElleShooTiger]

Screw the damaged car and pay a few grand more for a car with a cleaner history. You wont have to worry about whether or not the repairs were done correctly or if its safe, plus remember that what you might save NOW, when you go to sell, the buyer will pay you LESS because of the damage history. Its a half-win/full-lose situation.



If it does have the return policy, then he could get the car, take it for an independant inspection, and if it turns out to not be good, then he can return it.

Ummm, no! Dont ever agree to buy anything before its fully inspected and you are ready, willing and able to own it. You are asking for wayyyyy too many headaches and paperwork to try to return a car that you failed to inspect beforehand.

[Gilgorm]

You do run the risk of losing on future trade-in. Accident repairs can be done well and done poorly. You need more info about the extent of the damage. My E60 was in a bad accident two years ago ($14,000) but the repair was magnificent. I defy anyone to show me the damage, (a paint gauge would be needed) or notice any difference with the performance, noise levels etc.
Drive the car, get the paint checked, find out more about the damage and be ready to get less in the future. Then make your decision.

[Vitric]

I would personally find out what type of damage was done and visually inspect the car yourself to see if there are any obvious issues with it. The CPO inspection is pretty rigorous though. It's pretty much like a state inspection on steroids.