Second opinion

[Csaviano]

Hello, I currently drive an 2001 X5 BMW with 160k miles. Lately I've had some issue with it such as doors not locking, a/c not working all the time and finally this morning the battery was dead.

At any rate, I'm looking to buy a newer one as I can't seem to like anything other than a BMW.

I've found a 2011 X5 5.0i from a dealer priced at $26k with 80k miles. To me, it seems like it's priced a bit low but I am wondering what your thoughts are...

Thanks in advance

[ard]

You are buying a new car because the battery is dead on the current one??


Post a link to the used car. The big V8 has some known $$$ issues. You need to have a PPI done, and a very detailed history of repairs and maintenance. Used car dealer or BMW dealer?

[Csaviano]

I wish it were as simple as the battery!!! however I did replace the battery but none of the issues I listed above got resolved and the car continues to behave strangely.

2011 BMW X5 xDrive50i, $25,998 - Cars.com

thank you for your time and suggestion.

[lanbrown]

You need to find out more about this vehicle. As they say, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Also, how important is a warranty to you? How many miles per year do you plan on driving? You should try to find out how this dealer came of the vehicle. If they bought it from an auction, then this vehicle went really cheap and that could be for a reason.

If it has the original battery, it will most likely need to be replaced. You need to determine if the N63 campaign has be performed on it. You need to check the iDrive system to see what maintenance is due or going to be due; all though someone could clear them so it looks like the service was done. A PPI would help determine that though. What could be due in the near future, brakes. The 50i is also a thirsty engine, I don't know how it compares to your 2001 since you didn't list which engine.

[Csaviano]

hi lanbrown, my 2001 is a 4.4.

what's a PPI?
this dealership said he would issue a lifetime warranty on powertrain and engine for as long as I own the car. the warranty would be with warrantysolutions.com

[ard]

That 2011 was sitting on a dealer lot for 6 months with an accident history before it was wholesaled to the current dealer.

I would be massively suspicious if that lifetime warranty is worth ANYTHING. I hate being blunt, but you really need to stop and think. How will they stay in business if people buy a warranty and just replace parts to 300, 400k miles????? I would expect this to exclude 'parts that break due to wear and tear' and they will declare every failure 'wear and tear'. Easy.

Did you type "PPI" and "car" or "auto" into google??

[Csaviano]

Thank you ard, I tend to agree with u on the insurance.... I knew to ask for a second opinion that's why I posted on here.

[BGM]

Too low of a price, too high of miles for only 4 years old. In most cases you are better off getting one from a BMW dealer in case things go south with your purchase--there more likely to work with you on issues.

[lanbrown]

So it is an accident vehicle. Do yourself a favor, forget you ever saw this vehicle. The dealer is making money on it and it is already dirt cheap, so he got it for even less. If another dealer couldn't move it for six months, why do you want? Think about, they were dropping the price every week or so trying to get someone to bite on it and no one ever did. So the dealer did all that they could do to get rid of it and decided to wholesale it. I just view this vehicle as a problem for the next 80k miles if it or even you could make it that far. The previous owner kept it past warranty, so they might have had an extended warranty on it, got into an accident and then had issues. So they traded it in and this car has been looking for an owner ever since. It has been a reject for a reason. Think about it, if it was good or better condition, it wouldn't be selling for $26k and at a second dealer.

Next, Warranty Solutions is based in Florida and there are a ton of scam companies that seem to love Florida. So when I see a company listing Florida as an address, you should be 100% skeptical. I hate the BBB, but if they say a company is bad, they are. If they say a company is good, that may not be the case. This company has no rating but there is an alert for it which states:

According to information in the BBB files, it appears that the company is no longer in business. The phone numbers the BBB had for this company are disconnected, and directory assistance does not have a listing for this company. The BBB's mail to this company has been returned as undeliverable. If you have an unresolved dispute with this company you may wish to seek legal advice.

This is how this company offers a lifetime warranty. When they are not lining their pockets with money anymore, they close up shop and start a new company. So while the dealer offers it, they just paid the premium for it and thus aren't the ones actually having to pay for the repairs. In the end, the warranty is useless. When they are in business, not much of anything will actually be covered and eventually they will close this business down.

If you want a BMW, look at a BMW dealer or a actual dealer that is tied to a manufacturer. CarMax while strictly used vehicles is at least reputable. Basically look for a chain that just can't close its doors. Small independent used car dealers are generally very poor. If they say we can finance anyone, you don't want to buy anything from them. They buy garbage and sell it.

Ard, what do you think this dealer paid for it? I'm going to say $20k or under.

[josiahg52]

When I was recently shopping for my X5, I found that the cheapest X5s, those around the mid-$20k range were one or even TWO accident vehicles. I would get excited, see the one I want with the options I wanted and then run an Autocheck and/or a Carfax (you can never be sure, though) and the true history and reason for the price is revealed. They buy them cheap at wholesale and then price them attractively to lure the unknown public. It sounds like the one you are looking at is like this. Just be careful. As far as the warranty stuff, the above post is great advice.