Home Forums Articles How To's FAQ Register
Go Back   Xoutpost.com > BMW SAV Forums > X5 (E53) Forum
Arnott
User Name
Password
Member List Premier Membership Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Xoutpost server transfer and maintenance is occurring....
Xoutpost is currently undergoing a planned server migration.... stay tuned for new developments.... sincerely, the management


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-24-2006, 06:06 PM
asawadude's Avatar
Premier Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: The other side of town
Posts: 3,792
asawadude is on a distinguished road
How long is too long for a car to sit?

There is an '05 4.8is sitting in my local dealer's CPO lot since January, 8 straight months, going on 9 months. It was a new car purchase returned by the owner after 5700 miles for some unknown reason. The sales manager who is a friend of mine said that there were no performance or mechanical issues with led to its return.

Sitting aside price issues, how long can a car sit in an uncovered lot before deteriorating? The car is started daily, but it's not turning wheels except to be repositioned in the lot or on an occasional test drive. It's getting washed daily and it looks good, but the finger test tells me it needs a coat of wax.

It is a TiAg/black, but has the oddest interior - black and white houndstooth alcantara with a blue aluminum trim which looks completely out of place on a silver car.

I can get a good deal on the truck, but I almost feel like I'm performing a rescue mission. They want to sell it as a new car purchase to avoid having to CPO the vehicle. I have a problem with this, I think it should be a CPO. I don't want it unless it has new hoses, belts, and fluids which I'm sure is a sticking point. I'm not sure what else might be wrong with it after sitting such a long time. I probably need to check the interior since it's been essentially an oven for 9 months.

I also want to pull the trim and replaced it with aluminum. I'd probably end up paying for it, but I'm going to ask that parts and labor be included on a flyer.

Thoughts? Too many months on the lot? It's coming down to either I buy it or they wholesale it. Imagine - a 4.8is white elephant.
Reply With Quote

Sponsored Links

  #2  
Old 08-24-2006, 06:35 PM
xx3's Avatar
xx3 xx3 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: California
Posts: 1,177
xx3 is on a distinguished road
Take a test drive in it and see how it feels...

I think asking for new hoses and the like isn't unreasonable...
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-24-2006, 07:00 PM
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Calgary
Posts: 362
phil47 is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by asawadude
It is a TiAg/black, but has the oddest interior - black and white houndstooth alcantara with a blue aluminum trim which looks completely out of place on a silver car.
Sounds like a custom order gone bad...I would have returned it before 5700 miles
__________________
2005 X5 4.4 (Sterling on Truffle) w/sport everything
2011 Audi S4 (Prestige, DSG)
2012 Audi Q7 (Sport, S-Line)
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-24-2006, 10:04 PM
Driver8's Avatar
Premier Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Almost Heaven
Posts: 583
Driver8 is on a distinguished road
Hmmmm...bear in mind the resale value will reflect the strange interior equipment list. It might be like a 1 of 6 1968 Hemi Charger, Green over Blue interior with a Mod Top and AT and no PS in 20 years, i.e worth something to someone, but on the other hand, do you want to wait that long? Ugly can be fixed, but I'd wager it will cost you more than you are willing to invest into it.

Mike
__________________
DRIVER8

2017 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SC V8
2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
2019 Ford F150 Limited

Allegheny Chapter BMW CCA
Mountain State Chapter BMW CCA
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-24-2006, 10:25 PM
X5 Meister's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nordschleife
Posts: 5,486
X5 Meister is on a distinguished road
I'd get it, but definitely do your homework on it. There is a lot to do.

Also, make sure you get it as a CPO for the extended warranty. If the dealer wants to sell it as new, which I'm not even sure is legal, they either don't want to give it a CPO or they can't. When I was shopping for mine I saw a number of nice X5's that I seriously considered buying but they weren't CPO and could not be CPO since they just didn't meet the requirements for one reason or another. I saw some beautiful cars that I'm sure 95% of people would buy without hesitation. Remember a CPO car is a great selling point for a dealer so it's in their best interest to get it. However if the car doesn't qualify and cannot qualify then I'd avoid it unless we're talking major discount. Make sure also to get a carfax report FROM THE ACTUAL GUY THAT IS SELLING YOU THE CAR.

Anyway, find out what a new interior might cost you and start negotiating, can't hurt. Get a Sirius, CD Changer, running boards, BMW Assist for 4 years (as BMW now offers) and not just the 1 year (which has already expired), etc. I don't know how much you'll get from them but the icing on the cake IMO would be the extended maintenance. I don't know what state you are in, but some (most?) states have a law that allows you to return the car after 24 or 72 hours (can't remember the name of the law) for whatever reason.

Personally I think requesting new belts and hoses, etc. is ridiculous as they have hardly aged and certainly not more than if the car was driven (do you realize how hot it gets in the engine bay after a drive?) If anything blows then you have the warranty to cover it.

Last edited by X5 Meister; 02-03-2009 at 09:34 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-25-2006, 12:56 AM
JCL's Avatar
JCL JCL is offline
Premier Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 11,853
JCL will become famous soon enoughJCL will become famous soon enough
I'd think about getting it, but only if I was in the market for that model. A deal on a car that you didn't really want anyway isn't a deal.

Changing the trim makes sense. I can't see what would be wrong with belts and hoses. 9 months is not a long time on a dealer lot. Two years is. I would want an oil and filter change, check the date of manufacture to see if it is time for a change of brake fluid, and add in a good detailing.

Everything past that is just working on what discount they will give you, considering that some items (cd changer, other parts dept stock, extended maintenance) have a lower cost to the dealer than to you, so it is easier for them to throw them in than reduce the cash cost. Just make sure they are extras you want, this isn't a mercy mission.
__________________
2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver

2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-25-2006, 08:59 AM
asawadude's Avatar
Premier Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: The other side of town
Posts: 3,792
asawadude is on a distinguished road
Thanks for the tips. The carfax is fine with no issues; I looked at it months ago. Good points regarding the hoses and belts. The interior is not so much an issue; the trim would probably look right at home on a LeMans or Toledo blue X5. I'm going to check it out on Saturday, but I can't seem to get very excited about it, especially since I already have a TiAg X5 albeit a 4.4i.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-25-2006, 11:48 AM
X5Dawg's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Buford, GA
Posts: 1,832
X5Dawg is on a distinguished road
I would recheck the Carfax - you state that you checked it months ago. Sometimes it takes a few months before issues show up on the Carfax report.

Another thing is to request that the dealer allow you to contact the original owner and ask them why they returned. If the dealer is unwilling to do that, then they are probably hiding something.

They might be able to sell it to you as new because the orginal "owner" might have been someone at the dealer and the title may have stayed registered with the dealer.
__________________
2001 X5 3.0i (PP/WP/AP) Traded at 213K miles
RARE White on Black - Why does everyone get Tan??
First E53 with 215s on XOutpost!!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-25-2006, 12:01 PM
X5 Meister's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nordschleife
Posts: 5,486
X5 Meister is on a distinguished road
I seriously doubt a dealer would devulge the name of the previous owner willingly. That violates confidentiality quite a bit don't you think. I'd personally give hell to the dealer if they did that to me.

Rechecking the carfax is a good idea. However, if the car was registered once then it cannot be sold as new. Keep in mind that the warranty period starts from the FIRST in service date. There is no BMW dealer on earth who is going to give you a 4 year, 50,000 mile factory full maintenance warranty beginning with 5,7000 and 1 year on the clock.

Again, CPO CPO CPO.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 08-25-2006, 12:13 PM
Roc3b's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: New England
Posts: 1,777
Roc3b is on a distinguished road
R u certain it was not a dealer buy back?
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:32 AM.
vBulletin, Copyright 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
© 2017 Xoutpost.com. All rights reserved. Xoutpost.com is a private enthusiast site not associated with BMW AG.
The BMW name, marks, M stripe logo, and Roundel logo as well as X3, X5 and X6 designations used in the pages of this Web Site are the property of BMW AG.
This web site is not sponsored or affiliated in any way with BMW AG or any of its subsidiaries.