Buying advice: COP or Pre-owned with extended warrantee?

[DarkHorseMBA]

Hello everyone,
Not much of an introduction here. I’m not a current BMW owner though I have been in the past. When I say past I mean 20+ years ago, I’m sure things have changed.

I’d the group’s advice on my upcoming purchase of a 3 series. I’m looking to buy, 2010 – 2012 3 Series with less than 40K miles. I’ve seen some CPOs that I like, but there are also some great deals on some pre-owned 3’s at non BMW dealers. Since the models I’m looking are still under warrantee, I assume that I can buy an extended warrantee on any of the cars I’m considering, and they should still have factory maintenance as well.

Assuming a clean CarFax. Is there any benefit to buying CPO over buying pre-owned, having it serviced and checked out, then buying an extended warrantee?

Some additional information: I’m considering either a 335 Sport sedan or a 328 convertible, both preferably with iDrive. The complexity of these (top, idrive, and etc) lead me to want a 100K warrantee.

Thanks for your help

[mattyr6]

I would look into a cpo car. With a cpo car you are still covered with warranty until 6 years, 100,000 miles. That was reason enough for me when i bought my 335xi last january. The dealer has a pretty long list of things to check to make the car a cpo. It is fairly easy for a car to not make the cut....(accident, non bmw parts, modified, etc). My car had a leaking xenon headlight assembly. It was replaced under cpo warranty saving me well over 2 grand. My car had 4 brand new tires on it when i bought it and had just been serviced. I was only going to go the cpo route. If you do look at buying it at a non bmw dealer without question you should have a pre purchase inspection performed on the car.

[ndog14]

If something goes wrong with the folding hardtop on the E93 you are looking north of $10,000. Yup.

[DarkHorseMBA]

If something goes wrong with the folding hardtop on the E93 you are looking north of $10,000. Yup.

Wouldn't an extended warrantee cover the top too?

[11328i]

First of all if you are buying anything 2011 or earlier you should definitely look into a CPO. The reason is because BMW only has a 4 year 50k mile warranty and often times the date that the warranty begins is not the same as the date of the model of the vehicle. For example, my 2011 328i coupe's warranty actually began in 2010 which was the date of sale of the vehicle. The CPO gives you that extra coverage for an additional two years after the manufacturer warranty expires. A big caveat though is the fact that the additional 2 year CPO only covers major malfunctions to the drive train and electrical systems. It will not cover small fixes such as light fixture or interior defects. It's still something nice to have just in case the person who owned the CPO prior to you buying didn't take care of the car. As far as a third party or extended warranty, I don't recommend them unless you have a 335 or other turbo charged engine. The reason is because the 2010 model and earlier twin turbos have been known to be unreliable and you do not want to get stuck with a bill to fix one of those. The newer models, 2011 +, use the twin powered single turbo which I've read is more reliable but this model hasn't been out long enough to really test that. Now if your looking at the 328i straight six naturally aspirated engine, which is what I have, it is supposed to be a very reliable engine. Although, I'm a big fan of speed and power, I had a lot of concerns with buying a turbo charged engine especially since I plan on keeping this car way beyond the expiration of the CPO. Not to discourage you from buying a 335 because they are a lot of fun to drive but its definitely something to think about and a reason why you may want the extended warranty. Finally, be careful who you buy an extended warranty from. Obviously getting it from BMW is best but very expensive. Third parties have been known to put a lot of small print about what they cover and don't cover and sometimes they try to screw you completely. So read up on the company providing the extended and read the contract very carefully. I hope this helps.

[DarkHorseMBA]

hope this helps.

Yes very helpful! I've seen a lot '10 335s. If I do get an extended warrantee I'd only go BMW, too many crooks out there.

Thanks!