Trading-up the X5: PART 3 <-- Updated!

[Thunder22]

Here in the US it's fraudulent to not disclose that a car has been in an accident prior to being sold privately or through a dealer. Is it the same in Canada?

You might want to call the dealer where you bought it and see what they say.....

[fangbosun]

Sorry to rain on your parade but ML's are shite. Drove a ML320 and I could not believe how bad it was. Apparently the new model is much improved. The MB dealer is probably real keen to move the 500, hence the generous trade in.

[LeMansX5]

Unlike the X5 the MLs drive and handle like a truck not like a car.

[NOC]

that is very true, before purchasing my X5 I drove an ML320 and a 500 both seemed very rough and handled different then the X5. The only thing that made me stay away form them was the depreciation they acquire over the years...not the same as BMW.

[somewhereinla]

The paint thing is a scam used by many dealers, and yes they will tell you that they use an elcometer, an instrument used to measure paint density. If a car has been repainted, the only way to find out is to measure the density... All dealers have one, it's how they tell if a car have had potential problems in an auction. It's is also a a scam some dealer use to pressure you into getting rid of your car and buy a new one. I would stay away from this dealer.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by gresch

Here in the US it's fraudulent to not disclose that a car has been in an accident prior to being sold privately or through a dealer. Is it the same in Canada?

Generally, yes, but it is covered by provincial law not federal, so it varies depending on province. There is also a cut-off point so minor accidents are not necessarily reported.

Having said that, two repainted rear doors wouldn't automatically indicate a prior accident to me. I am trying to imagine the impact that would result in that specific damage, to two sides of the vehicle, without affecting the other doors or rear quarter panels. It seems far more likely that the vehicle was scratched, and the doors were repainted. Not a big deal, often done as part of new vehicle preparation and delivery.

I don't think repainting necessarily indicates an accident, whereas I would be concerned if I found welded-in sections of the unibody structure.

[asawadude]

There are plenty of MB models that I wouldn't mind owning them, but the first generation ML series is not one of them. The used car value of the ML's have been soft because the early models were problematic and throughout the production run, they were poor handlers. They are not unibody construction, but are instead body on frame construction, meaning a higher center of gravity, more body roll, more head-bobbing, etc. The new 2006 ML's are now unibody like our X5's.

If you think the value of your X5 is soft, wait until you try getting rid of the '04 ML. The current U.S. trade-in value for a base 2004 ML500 with 30K miles is $29,000, not much off what the dealer offered for your X5.

When the BMW dealer offered you 27K Canadian, was that on a trade-in offer or were you selling them the car without a trade? If it is a straight up sale back to the dealer, they will give you a low ball offer because the transaction is entirely upfront cost to them.

Another factor is whether or not your car would qualify as a CPO vehicle. If you did not buy or lease the car from a BMW dealer as a new car or a CPO certified vehicle, BMW cannot sell it as a CPO vehicle. They would give you a low-ball offer in this situation also. It's very rare that you will find a non-CPO car on the BMW dealer's used car lot unless it's a special interest vehicle. More often than not, BMW dealers will wholesale any BMW's they take in trade that they cannot resell as a CPO vehicle.

My advice - sell your car privately and something other than a first generation ML.

Regards, Mike