2009-2010 BMW E90 3-Series

[DuckRyder]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
I took the liberty of doing a search within 200 miles of 48197. (my geography is bad, is that "southeast michigan"?)

Looks like the Honda dealer is well under CPO prices for a car with 18000 miles.

There are only a few under 30 with that kind of mileage... although there are also not many that have nearly no options.


The trick is, you could get an off-lease CPO 3-series with ~30,000 miles and it would have a far superior warranty to a non-CPO with 18,000 miles.

A 2010 with 18,000 miles has less than a year remaining of the factory warranty, then you're done.

A CPO 2011 with 30,000 miles has an extra year of factory warranty and when that expires, the CPO warranty begins, which puts you out another 4 or 5 years and 100,000 miles.


Yep, I get that. I mean "under 30" as in under $30,000.00.

A few examples of CPO

Certified 2010 BMW 328i xDrive (Lot of x-drives, looks like same wheels)
(22 days left)
Price: $28,900
Sedan17,529 Miles
(Cleveland)

Certified 2011 BMW 328i xDrive
(22 days left)
Price: $31,000
Sedan17,549 Miles
(Boardman OH)

Certified 2011 BMW 328i
(22 days left)
Price: $32,900
Sedan18,387 Miles
(Farmington hills, MI)

Certified 2011 BMW 328i
(22 days left)
Price: $28,997
Sedan21,242 Miles
(Dayton OH)

Certified 2011 BMW 328i
(22 days left)
Price: $28,997
Sedan24,705 Miles
(Dayton OH)

I am not sure how negotiable the prices would be, but my (dated) experience around here is not very, perhaps that is not always the case though.

I found very few 2011 with 30,000 (most were older) but they were similarly priced.


Certified 2011 BMW 328i
(22 days left)
Price: $29,784
Sedan31,668 Miles
(Dublin OH)

So a CPO is about $4-5000.00 more than the non-CPO, which is what about 20% depending on how the numbers work out. Only the purchaser can decide it that is money well spent or not, having bought some BMW parts and having little time to actually make a repair should it need one, the CPO would definitely be worth it to me.

I also think $1500.00 is light for a set of quality wheels and 18" tires.

Incidentally the 2011 in Farmington Hills looks like a real nice car, but it is $9000.00 more. It does have nice wheels...

 

[Vikas]

One would think there should be quite a negotiating room in the prices you have listed. When I was looking at 5-series prices, they were not that far off from the numbers you have posted. I had seen quite a few nice 5 series CPO in mid thirties. Shouldn't 3 series be substantially cheaper than the 5 series? Or are they discounted less?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Shouldn't 3 series be substantially cheaper than the 5 series? Or are they discounted less?

That's the funny part. In the used car market, there isn't a whole lot of price difference between the 3 and the 5. That's why I ended up with a 5, even though I was initially looking at 3.

 

[Win]

Makes a lot more sense to buy a 5, then, if that's how the market prices them.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Win
Makes a lot more sense to buy a 5, then, if that's how the market prices them.

Whether it makes sense or not depends on your requirements. If one's looking for something more nimble/lighter/sporty, the 3 is more likely to fit this bill than the 5.

 

[MCompact]

Exactly; my wife loves her E90. One time our dealer gave her a loaded F10 loaner and she drove it home, got out and said, "It's a big soft boat- I HATE it..."

 

[hattaresguy]

Spending more up front on a nice CPO example is money well spent.


Have you driven a 335I? I have driven a couple and they are fast. Sure they have a few more problems but who cares its under warranty.

You can mod 335I's to make them pretty respectable.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...es=MAN&mmt=[BMW[335I[]][]]&modelCode1=335I&makeCode1=BMW&startYear=1981&showcaseOwnerId=100022618&searchRadius=0&bodyStyleCodes=SEDAN&listingId=336713427&listingIndex=5&Log=0

Throw on some down pipes, maybe a Dinan exhaust and ECU flash...

 

[Vikas]

335 certainly is going to be faster and more fun to drive than 535 given that they share the engine but one car is heavier. But 535 itself is a blast to drive, so I suspect 335 must be insane fun to flog.

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
Originally Posted By: barlowc
Here's the one I looked at. It's Blue Water Metallic.

It's a 2010 with 18K miles. The Honda dealer selling it wants $24K and says they can't budge because they'd only be making $900 on it as is.

I keep thinking about this one. I looked at the listing today and it's down to $23,500 so I guess the dealer can budge. lol

I still think the 16" wheels still look too small. And 205 width tires seem too narrow. My 98 Grand Prix GTP had 225 width on a 16" rim and the Nissan Altima Coupe I just sold had 215 width on 16".

One thing I noticed was that the brake rotors had quite a bit of rust on the drum/hat part of them. The calipers also had some rust, as did some of the brake hardware like clips. Would you guys be concerned about the rust, or is it just in need of some TLC to clean it up?

 

[Coprolite]

+1 to 335i comments.

I saw some rust on my rotors the other (rainy) day. I'm not very worried about it.

 

[Vikas]

Rotor on the rust tells you that you have room to negotiate because that implies the car has not been test driven for few days. This is your indication that not too many customers are clamoring for the car!

Before thinking about over-sized tires or wheels, do find out how much a replacement set of rubbers will cost you. Often increasing it by inch can become prohibitively expensive.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
335 certainly is going to be faster and more fun to drive than 535 given that they share the engine but one car is heavier. But 535 itself is a blast to drive, so I suspect 335 must be insane fun to flog.


The 335 and 135 with 6spd manuals are my favorite BMW's that are not M.

Now my neighbor has a 2012 M3 Coupe with a few mods, which is another step up all together...

Looks like this.

 

[Vikas]

The other day I saw a 4-door with M3 badging; was there ever a 4-door M3?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
was there ever a 4-door M3?

Yes.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Exactly; my wife loves her E90. One time our dealer gave her a loaded F10 loaner and she drove it home, got out and said, "It's a big soft boat- I HATE it..."

Yup. These cars have grown substantially over the years. The current 3-series has more interior room and cargo space than my old 5-series. That's why, if I ever get around to replacing mine, I'll just get a 3-series. Don't want a big boat.

 

[DuckRyder]

Don't think this one was there the other day, it is an 09, almost double the miles, same money...