06 330 I

I have an 06 330i and I have no problems with it other than an very intermittent (happens once every 3 to 6 months) trouble with the radio system. I loose all audio and my cell phone will not work with the bluetooth. Some times it lasts a few minutes and other times it lasts a couple days. It always come back on by itself and the dealer has not been able to find any trouble on various occasions that I brought it in. But as far as the mechanics of the car no troubles at all.

"Dana" wrote

Since the car is still under the original warranty, you can just talk to a local BMW dealer to have it certified as CPO. Of course it's going to cost money, so you have to decide if the price is worth to have that peace of mind.

I bought a 4 year old e39 with 30k miles a while back, non CPO. In the first year alone, I spent $5K on it. Granted, not all of it was repairs. About half of it was maintenance which the warranty or CPO would not have covered anyway. But still, if this car keeps breaking at this rate, getting an extended warranty of some sort would have been cheaper.

Pete

No you can't. CPO is only available on cars being sold by dealers.

What can be purchased is extended maintenance - which covers all the required maintenance (NOT repairs for stuff that breaks) with the exception of tires.

Dana - take the car to a dealer and have a Pre-Purchase-Inspection done. This is a common thing to have done. The dealer will be able to pull up all the service records on the car - and can tell you what needs doing now, and what might need doing in the future. There is a charge for this - but it's small considering what you're paying for the car.

If the current private owner refuses to allow you to do this - walk away from the car.

Or not. It isn't usual for a 30k E39 to need $2,500 in actual repairs in a year - unless it was abused or neglected.

Dana - if you're financing the car - and it's through something like a credit-union, check with them on what extended warranty programs they have links with. These are usually reasonable ones. If you're financing it with a bank - they may not offer this, but the dealer you have the PPI done at might - worth checking there also.

Aftermarket warranties are only as good as the company offering them - so worth checking the BBB findings on the company (easily found on line via Google.) Also - markup on extended warranties is typically 100%.. if they charge you $1,000 - it cost them $500 to place it with the warranty company. That means there is some serious room for bargaining since it's simply a big profit for the seller (dealer, credit-union, etc.)

"admin" wrote

Not exactly. The dealer will sell you a BMW extended warranty as well, as long as the car is currently still under the original BMW warranty. The advantage is that this warranty is more comprehensive than an typical extended warranty from a 3rd party vendor.

Pete

I think your chances are very good. I have two '94 325s -- one was wrecked or I'd still be driving it -- and they are very fine cars. My daughter has an '00 323 that is even better.

You are jumping form front wheel drive to rear wheel drive, and this will mean a change to some of the things you do -- RWD pushes the car around, FWD pulls it, this is significant is slick conditions.

I find that doing routine service on my BMWs is very easy -- I replace brake pads and rotors easily. I had a problem with a fuel level sending unit, easy to fix at home. These cars are well made, and for the most part pretty easy to work on. If you are inclined to make yacht payments for your mechanic, you will find that the cost-of-ownership is really quite low and your mechanic may need to get another customer to make the boat payments for him. When you pay for BMW service, it is expensive, but you do not pay for it often if you know anything at all about your car.

I only

You might be asking for trouble with a 10-year old car, but you are looking at what is perhaps the best driving machine ever to roll off the line, and it is practically brand new.

Thinking about purchasing a dark Grey 06 330 I with 32000 miles on it . The vehicle seems very clean .Assuming it's had all it maintenance what do you think are my chances of having an enjoyable ownership experience . I only had Japanese cars for the past 10 years or so . I'm looking for a different type of ride . I want a radical change. Do you think I'm asking for trouble as there's only about 18 months left on the factory warranty . Any thoughs would be greatly appreciated . Thanks in advance . -Dana

Unfortunately , I don't think that's available . I'm buying from a private individual .