Buying a used e70 35d..

[MaverichX5E70]

Hey guys, I'm agressively looking for a 35d X5 and have come across a few, and would appreciate some opinions.

First off, what is the most important thing when looking at a used 35d?

I found one that is at a BMW dealer, was purchased at the dealer, has full maintenance history and has very low mileage. It's a 2013 with 35,000 miles on the clock.
It's a nice SAV, it has comfort seats, panoramic moon roof, 360 cam, nav, hifi stereo.
I don't mind the color combo of space gray/black but white/black was my first choice.
It doesn't have Sport package or wider flares, but I plan to retro fit and put 20" or 21" wheels on it. It also doesn't have comfort access.

I think I can get the SAV at a decent price, given the time of year and also I think because it's not the most desirable package..

My question is, should I go with a SAV with low milegae and history over something with perhaps higher mileage, questionable history but with all the bells and whistles? I mean, this one I am looking at isn't terrible, it's just not exactly what I want.. But if the price is right, I can retro fit or live with what it doesn't have... I think.

What would you do, and why? If the vehicles are the same year and price, and one is closer to base with a 1/3 of the mileage as the other that is fully loaded with questionable history (traded at a non-BMW dealer so all they would have is the carproof), which would you choose?

This is the option sheet for the one I am looking at:
Model X5 35D XDRIVE (USA)
Steering LL Doors 5
Engine M57Y Displacement 3.00
Power 210
Drive ALLR Transmission AUT
Colour SPACEGRAU METALLIC (A52)
Upholstery LEDER NEVADA/SCHWARZ (LUSW)
Prod. Date 2013-05-07
Vehicle options

S1CAA Selection of COP relevant vehicles
S212A Equipment, brake syst. country-specific
S245A Steering wheel column adjustment,electr.
S248A Steering wheel heater
S2DEA BMW LA wheel Star Spoke
334 S302A Alarm system
S316A automatic trunk lid mechanism
S319A Integrated universal remote control
S386A Roof railing
S3AHA Backup camera and Top View
S402A Electric panoramic roof
S423A Floor mats, velours
S430A Interior/outside mirror with auto dip
S431A Interior mirror with automatic-dip
S441A Smoker package
S456A Comfort seat with memory
S488A Lumbar support, driver and passenger
S494A Seat heating driver/passenger
S4ABA Fine wood trim burr walnut
S4NAA Interior mirror with digital compass
S502A Headlight cleaning system
S508A Park Distance Control (PDC)
S521A Rain sensor
S522A Xenon Light
S524A Adaptive Headlights
S534A Automatic air conditioning
S544A Cruise control with brake function
S548A Kilometer-calibrated speedometer
S575A Supplementary 12V sockets
S609A Navigation system Professional
S620A Voice control
S639A Preparation f mobile phone cpl. USA/CDN
S645A BMW US Radio
S655A Satellite tuner
S677A HiFi System Professional DSP
S697A Area-Code 1 for DVD
S6AAA BMW TeleServices
S6ABA Control for Teleservices
S6FLA USB/Audio interface
S6VCA Control for Combox
S761A Individual sunshade glazing
S823A Hot-climate version
S853A Language version English
S876A Radio frequency 315 MHz
S8KCA Dummy-SALAPA
S8S4A Decoding variable light distribution
S8SCA Telematics access request,country-spec.
S8SLA Trailer coupling preparation
S8SMA Car ident. number visible from outside

The most important option for me was the comfort seats with my bad back.. But is there anything else missing here that you couldn't live without that you're glad you have on your X5 now ?

[ard]

Adaptive Drive and Comfort seats, Heated seats

Everything else, secondary.

IMO

Warranty on that car?

[MaverichX5E70]

Hi Ard, thanks for your response.

No warranty included on the vehicle. I have my eye on a couple different one.. The dealer doesn't appear to want to move too much on the price and it's priced pretty high based on options in my opinion (it's missing a bunch). Granted the mileage is low, I've seen similarly priced X5s almost fully loaded with twice the mileage for around the same price.

In your opinion how much is low mileage worth on a diesel? I can see it making a huge difference on a gas engine, but diesels should get significantly higher mileage if they're maintained correctly, right?

Would you take the one optioned above with ~30,000miles over a loaded sport (less 3rd row) with ~60,000 miles?

I'm almost thinking a x5 with 60-80,000 miles is more likely to have the brakes done already, and tires replaced.

Thoughts? And thank you for your input, I appreciate your opinion and knowledge

[ard]

A pet peeve of mine is "loaded"... Right up there with "AC Blows Cold".

The ONLY reason to buy from a BMW dealer is for a BMW CPO. (And the ONLY value there is the warranty- NOT the 'certification' itself.) Otherwise they are just 3-4-5k more than a used car lot, and 4,6,8k more than a private party.

In terms or brakes or tires- those are things you can see and evaluate. Saying a 60k car is more likely seems pointless: it did or it didn't. By bending over you can know with either car where you are on that specific maintenance item.

With modern cars, 30k isn't that much. A year and a half of 'car life'. Generally it just means you will be closer to an eventual repair. Will it be closer to a DEF issue? Closer to the starter failing? Closer to a rear hatch spindle failing? The list goes on... but my point is that you are just 'jumping onto the merry go round' at a differnt point. You still need to ride it to the end.

What specific things are you missing on this? I think comfort access is utterly useless. If I could have deleted it from mine I would have. I rarely use it, I have 5 cars and having one that I don't need to get the remote out for is of zero utility. And it is yet another source of possible failure (early on BMW had a bug that caused some cars to open wide, and fill with rain...)

In terms of life, a 35D or 35i should last the same 300k if well cared for. The diesel has a DPF issue that will bite at 150k. But again 30k or 60k, you need to do it at 150. If it costs 4500, then that's 3 cents a mile, and that 30k moved you $900 closer to needing the DPF replaced/cleaned. You get the idea, this applies to every single item that MIGHT happen with one car. Will starters last 120k? AC compressor? There is a value in the lower miles, but especially when you drive them 200k plus it becomes immaterial.

I had to buy the sport option at $2200 becuase my wife liked the window trim. Pissed me off...

IMO anything over 19" rims and yoiu aren't a serious SUV/Snow driver. IMO again. I guess you could say 'big rims' are another pet peeve....

Again, figure out what 'loaded' means to you- or precisely what options you really need. Go from there.

[UC_Phill]

Hey, for what it's worth I paid $21k even for a 2012 X5 35d with 58k miles. The car had the comfort package, technology package, HiFi, cold-weather package, and sport package. The car was still under CPO but unfortunately I lost it because I purchased from a dealer and the CPO doesn't transfer over.

I honestly would have been comfortable paying $23k for this car given it checked off all of the packages that I wanted. I think the Toyota dealership that received this as a trade-in priced it too low, I bought it the very next day after they posted it on auto trader.

[Pierce330]

@maverichx5e70,

What dealer has the X? Since you are in Kitchener, I assume you are looking at Grand River BMW? I would take a drive to the GTA if you have a chance, it is some distance from you, but prices are more aggressively priced, considering the time of year. For example, we purchased my wife's RX around this time of year and were able to get $4000 off of the price, plus had them throw in a few extras such as matching winter matts and a rear cargo liner. The vehicle was also CPO. Just a suggestion.

I also totally agree with what @Ard is saying.

[MaverichX5E70]

Originally Posted by Pierce330

@maverichx5e70,

What dealer has the X? Since you are in Kitchener, I assume you are looking at Grand River BMW? I would take a drive to the GTA if you have a chance, it is some distance from you, but prices are more aggressively priced, considering the time of year. For example, we purchased my wife's RX around this time of year and were able to get $4000 off of the price, plus had them throw in a few extras such as matching winter matts and a rear cargo liner. The vehicle was also CPO. Just a suggestion.

I also totally agree with what @Ard is saying.

It's at a dealer near Vaughn.

I've checked out a few in Toronto and there seems to be a lot of more junk closer to Toronto. Some better deals, but vehicles with high dollar accident claims and lots of X5s brought up from the US. With all the electronic in these vehicles, I'm alway concerned about something coming up from the US with flood damage.

The dealer is asking $32K, I'm going to offer $27.5-28.5 and see what happens. I also plan to print off a few alternatives with lower mileage, cheaper, more features, etc. to show the dealer my offer is fair, especially for this time of year. I'm actively looking, but not in a hurry so if I have to walk I will.

[Pierce330]

Yeah, I have noticed that the carproofs posted show a lot of damage history. You are correct about that! Quebec vehicles are still pretty hit or miss too. They still sell for a few thousand dollars cheaper than Ontario cars.

[Dzlmoose]

I’m looking as well in Toronto seems like dealers have no idea how to price these cars.

I’m gonna hold out for a properly optioned car. Personally I’m comfortable with going higher in KMs like around the 100k to 140k point.

I’m getting the car checked by my mechanic as well before finalizing any deals.

I think next month a lot of the stock in Toronto will see some price drops.

A lot of 2014s are gonna start coming the market that are lease returns. So we should see some these cars getting discounted by Feb.

Use Car Gurus as well to see how long a car has been posted.


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[crystalworks]

Just my opinion... but find one with every option you want. And then wait longer so you can find one with every option you want in a condition you are happy with. Then pay as little as you can, though you will probably pay more than you could with other cars.

We looked for 6 months until we found one with cold weather package, sport package, nappa interior/dash, Nav, 6 DVD, HUD, running boards, comfort access (love this), yada yada. Missing 3rd row, soft clost doors, 20" wheels (was optioned with 19's and no flares), the active comfort seating, which I later found out can't be had with the nappa leather... which makes sense now that I think about it. We paid $14000 OTD from a small dealer. And the reason... it was a 2010 with 136,000 miles on it.

Took a chance on it because I can work on them, it had every option we HAD to have and then some, and the dealer had some recent records for EGR cooler, front brakes, etc. as he used it as a travel vehicle. I figure any used BMW will need $2000 worth of maintenance in the first year. So far we've owned it almost a year, put 10,000 miles on it, and have spent ~$900 as of yet not including $1100 in 20" wheels/tires and the wider fender flares.

Anyway, long story short. My wife loves the car because of all the stuff it has in it. Get what you want, and you will be happier in it. Settling always leaves you wanting. But that's just my approach to car shopping, the enjoyment factor trumps the money every time.