Approved used car dealers

WhyTheFace

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand BMW 3 series. Hoping to get one between 15-17k, around 100k km, ideally 142-152.

I've noticed that approved dealers like Colm Quinn tend to be 2-3k more expensive compared to other SIMI dealers. I appreciate buying from these guys comes with extra security and peace of mind. But is it worth the extra money?

I live in Dublin and am paranoid of the reputation of some dealers in the "Bermuda Triangle"!!

Cheers

mickdw

A used bmw from a main dealer will come with a 2 year warranty of a standard that is as close as it gets to a new car warranty.
Comparing that to the typical 3rd party warranty that many outlets are offering which result in very limited cover. I'd pay 2k for that benefit. On something more high end, I think the main dealer warranty is worth multiples of that.

Stallingrad

100% worth the extra, the best cars with the best warranty. You might save by buying in the UK, and you will get a 1 year warranty there.

Make sure EGR cooler has been done is applicable before you buy or you could be without your new car for weeks (wasting your warranty on the road).

mullingar

SIMI is only a political lobby group for independent dealers, it means nothing to the average Joe.

A warranty underwritten by a main dealer is worth a lot more than a vague 3/6 month warranty on engine/gearbox from an independent dealer, but you pay dearly for that peace of mind

WhyTheFace

So €2k extra on a €16k car is worth it by the sounds of it!

Thanks

Stallingrad

WhyTheFace wrote: »

So €2k extra on a €16k car is worth it by the sounds of it!

Thanks

It's an ageing BMW so absolutely!

mickdw

It's not 100 percent the case but in general, you should end up getting a pretty genuine car at the dealer.
Personally, I'd look for a car that was coming back from just it's original owner and had been on service inclusive from new with all its history available. That way, the owner was unlikely to skip servicing and it will all have been with bmw and verifiable.
The chances of getting a bad car buying through a main dealer is maybe 5 percent but the dealer warranty will be a big help there.
Buying a similar car at some random private garage, there is about 50 percent chance of it being crashed, clocked or both with little come back.
2k premium sounds like a bargain before you even get to the resale side of trying to sell on a genuine full dealer history car compared to something that you belatedly found to be not so genuine.

Stallingrad

OP, to put this in perspective my 2014 F10 had the following carried out under the BMW 2 year AUC warranty:

Cracked rear spring
Failed head unit
Leaking rear diff
Two rusting doors
Corroding anti roll bar

€4000+ approx with of work.

That after 4 years, to put it in perspective my 7 year old Passat needed 1 ABS sensor, €100.

Welcome to BMW ownership.

WhyTheFace

Stallingrad wrote: »

OP, to put this in perspective my 2014 F10 had the following carried out under the BMW 2 year AUC warranty:

Cracked rear spring
Failed head unit
Leaking rear diff
Two rusting doors
Corroding anti roll bar

€4000+ approx with of work.

That after 4 years, to put it in perspective my 7 year old Passat needed 1 ABS sensor, €100.

Welcome to BMW ownership.

So I should get a passat instead of a 3 series?!

Stallingrad

WhyTheFace wrote: »

So I should get a passat instead of a 3 series?!

Well I sold the BMW for a Skoda Superb and much prefer it!

bazz26

Stallingrad wrote: »

OP, to put this in perspective my 2014 F10 had the following carried out under the BMW 2 year AUC warranty:

Cracked rear spring
Failed head unit
Leaking rear diff
Two rusting doors
Corroding anti roll bar

€4000+ approx with of work.

That after 4 years, to put it in perspective my 7 year old Passat needed 1 ABS sensor, €100.

Welcome to BMW ownership.

I had a 2 year old Passat CC with only 65k km back in 2013 that developed a fracture in the gearbox which needed to be replaced along with the clutch and flywheel. Luckily it was all covered by VW UK in Belfast as it had an extra year warranty over Irish VWs so I dodged a bullet on a substantial repair bill. This was my welcome to VAG ownership.

In comparison I'm on my third 5 Series and had a 3 Series before the Passat CC, none of them developed any of the problems you had with your one. So what does both our experiences prove, that we both bought a car that turned out to be ****. One **** car doesn't define an entire brand.

Wailin

Same here. On my third BMW 5 series and never had an ounce of bother with any of them.

OP, you'll get far more pleasure from driving a 3 series than a passat. But buy one with a strong service history, regular oil changes and keep the regular service going.

And yes, get one with the BMW 2 yr warranty.

Stallingrad

[quote="bazz26;109789805" what does both our experiences prove, that we both bought a car that turned out to be ****. One **** car doesn't define an entire brand.[/quote]

None of my problems were exclusive to my car, all are known F10 weaknesses. That is before you get to water ingress, timing chains and egr coolers. The car simply was not good enough for me to endure so many engineering shortcomings.

bazz26

Stallingrad wrote: »

None of my problems were exclusive to my car, all are known F10 weaknesses. That is before you get to water ingress, timing chains and egr coolers. The car simply was not good enough for me to endure so many engineering shortcomings.

But none of mine ever had any of those problems unless I just got lucky 3 times. And I could start listing VAG engineering shortcomings from my experience of them too if you like, I'm sure it's as long as BMW's.

I do get it though, you had a bad personal experience of the brand just like my own experience of VW. I would consider another VW again though if they had something I was in the market for.

ShauntaMetzel

They also have many hidden fees that's why I prefer to buy the used car from a private seller and I also found police impound auctions little good if you behave wisely there.