Done some searching, now for the questioning

[Badkrma]

New to the board, great information here...

I just purchased a 2006 X5 4.4i from a none BMW dealer (long story, but short version, I had a Hummer H2, now ex wife had to have it and I ended up with it, so I went back to the Hummer Dealer, as no other dealer wanted it, and traded for the X5). Anyway, it has 34K on it and it was time for the servicing so I dropped it at the dealer this morning.

Here is my question. Why can I not pay to have a CPO done? On bmwus.com the only requirement is "To be eligible for enrollment in the Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Program, a late-model vehicle must be in service for at least six months or have more than 6,000 miles but less than 60,000 miles on the odometer. They must pass an extensive examination - a thorough and rigorous inspection by BMW factory-trained technicians. They inspect the vehicle for safety, performance and wear. If something is not right, it is fixed. If it cannot be fixed, the car cannot become a Certified Pre-Owned BMW." I was told thath I needed to buy the car from a BMW dealer for a CPO to be given.?.?

Thanks.

[fygar]

Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) is just another sales tool for the dealer just like any other extended warranty or any other type of insurance. The CPO programs are designed to create an exclusive relationship between you and the dealer, so you'll be inclined to buy cars from BMW dealers, rather than other independent dealers.

Premise is that for the price you pay for any extended warranty or CPO, enough people will pay the fee for their piece of mind, but won't collect on the actual value of the warranty itself. Many of the extended warranty companies will pay a BMW dealer as well for your repair, so now it's just a question of coverage instead of CPO vs extended warranty.

I'm afraid I have never seen a true bumper to bumper warranty that extends beyond the original manufacturer's warranty, even BMW...there is always something that is not covered.

There was a great thread about extended warranty purchase here: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...e-pricing.html, What I would challenge you on is to create a "maintenance fund" account equivalent to what you would spend on an extended warranty and invest it and see how far it gets you. Find a great local indy mechanic and form a relationship.

Pre-owned cars just like cars purchased new will break. Someone needs to be prepared to pay to fix them, so now it just becomes a Net Present Value (NPV) of that risk, which is what those insurance actuaries are doing in the back room.