Noob here..wanted to say "hi" and get some advice purchasing my first BMW!

[pbalias]

Hey everyone....

I'm really glad I found these forums! I've been camping out here a lot over the past couple days as I'm about to purchase my first BMW. The information here is awesome and it has answered a lot of questions for me already.

I'm looking at a CPO 2008 4.8i with 53K miles, build date 10/07. From what I can tell, it's a Premium, Technology, and Cold Weather packaged truck. I don't think it's a Sport, and definitely doesn't have rear A/C controls or rear sunshades, and no idea about any other packages. Dealer is asking $39,888 for it and they don't want to budge.

After searching Autotrader and doing some other research, I *figure* the truck is worth around $38,000 - $39,000 (but I could be wrong). I'm prepared to pay $39,000 as it's the color and motor I want. Actually, I was interested in the 3.0si but after a drive in the 4.8i, I think I prefer the larger motor. I wonder what the true gas mileage is going to be though. A lot of your complaints have to do with poor fuel economy.

A couple questions though that maybe you guys can help me out with:

- At 53K miles, the factory warranty is out. However, I think the CPO program extends the limited warranty 2 more years or to 100K miles. Will this warranty include components in the car that break, like the seat adjustments, faulty nav, peeling steering wheel controls, etc? From reading these forums, it seems like there are common items inside the truck that break/are problematic and I wonder if the CPO warranty will cover them.

I can do the oil changes, brakes, wipers, fluids, etc. myself, so I don't care for the "no-cost maintenance" program.

- As I've never owned a BMW (I'm a Vette guy), what's the reliability of the truck after 50K miles? Can I expect things to start breaking? Are the engine and transmission good for say, 100K + miles with proper maintenance?

- Sometimes the truck will have to sit a week or possibly 2 without me driving it. I've read a lot of issues of the battery going dead if the truck isn't driven. Is this common for all model years or is it specific to a particular?

Are there any other issues associated with this particular year/motored truck that I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for all your help!