I buy good lower mileage older BMWs (that aren't CPO'd) at much cheaper prices to Certified (like $12k to $15k less). I plan to put $2,000 to 3,000 $ into the mechanics and maintenance over the first 12 months. I do most work myself and within 5 to 6 months I have a better car than any CPO on the lot. Hands Down.

Its like a hobby that pays for itself.

The dealers are thieves. When you know a little about mechanics and you see what they are passing off as inspected you just have to shake your head. and they are charging you a fortune for that CPO warranty as a cost of your purchase.

I have a question, would you rather have a great car that runs great or a warranty just in case?

Not all dealers are thieves and not all dealers pass off inspected cars as you describe. To lump them all in one category is not only unfair but inaccurate.:stickpoke

Very true QS. I haveto agree with you. However, te three times I have bought CPO'd BMW's I have gotten burned. If you do a search on my name you will see that Iowned an 02 X5 4.6is for all of ~6 weeks. After half that time in the shop, we wound up buying each others vehicles back from each other. So if you were to ask me about my ol' 03.5 M3C, I'd tell you Iwas both the second and furth owner of the vehicle.

I can only hope that history does not repeat itself in this case. So far, so good. They seem to be very sincere in attempting to make it right.

I'm in you're corner and wish you the best.

The built-in cost of a CPO into a price at the dealer is usually about $3K. So, really the money you plan to spend yourself in the first 12 months is a wash for the most part.

I put more faith in the CPO certification as well. Valley pan was leaking oil when I bought mine, CPO "check" listed fluid leaks as "none".

I will not put that much faith in a CPO certification again, but I would buy CPO again as the extended warranty and included service can't be beat - assuming you can buy the CPO vehicle for $1,000 - $1,500 more so than without.

I am with ghost flame. a pre purchase inspection (basically the CPO) is only about $150. this will tell you if you should even buy the car. if it is a good one, then just do the maintenance over time. that $3000 that you put out on day one for a CPO, would be over $3,300 if invested well.

besides, like has been said, then you KNOW you have a better car than a CPO.

the dealers aren't thieves, but they are for-profit businesses. they make money selling 'peace of mind'. for the time it takes to make 12 trips to the dealer under cpo warranty program you could do ALOT of work yourself...

That's not what I am seeing at my local dealer. They are crazy expensive on their CPOs.

I can go to an auction or private sale and get a car for 12K to 15 K less than a CPO. This has been my experience. I look for cars that have been driven 6 to 10,000 miles per year and are maybe a little older than what a CPO would be.

But if you have a good dealer near you go for it. But, mine can get it and he does. I guess I can't blame him. This is a very affluent area and I guess my situation is rare, where I can work on them myself and I know what I am buying.

Good logic, and that works for people who can do their own work... But what % of BMW owners would you think have the tools, diagnostic resources and knowledge/experience to fix PT CAN problems or fibre optic MOST BUS problems, reprogram replaced control modules etc.

As a tech at the dealership who has access to the whole of the shop resources and gets parts at cost I would still pay more over a few years than what the CPO coverage would cost on my vehicle. Hell, just the cost of the water cooled alternator, DSC control module, radiator, window regulator, door handle carrier etc. that has already happened cost about $3000 to me at cost for the parts with no labor. If I would have thought about it when I bought the vehicle I know a warranty would have paid for itself within the first year.

I agree with you Weasel. I had the VANOS go out on my 05 M3 a few months back. If I ddn't have a warranty (manufacturers or dealership CPO), it would have cost me ~$3000 in parts alone.

So, yeah, even if they do a lousy job certifying the vehicle, the extended warranty is still worth it.

BTW... If a vehicle is brand new, and you have problems, you fall under the lemon law. However, should those same problems occur under a 4/50 manufacturers warranty or under the CPO program and the dealership cannot fix the problem (or won't), you can then successfully argue a "breach of contract" since a warranty of any kind is a legal and binding contract.

I can say this from first hand experience. It does work!