[rvt1000]

Looking at '15 235i xdrive and it looks pretty good. A few rock chips I'd prefer not to have, but otherwise looks good and drives straight. However I have no experience with BMW and everyone who is not trying to sell me a car says to make sure a mechanic who has the BMW scanner (not OBD) for the BMW specific info does a pre.

The dealer wants to give me a 4 hour window with the car for an inspection. The Dealers I spoken to don't do them and the independents are closed on the weekend. Shops are open and closed before I get off work so I have to do it on my one day off during the week They wont take a deposit, even with financing in place. Feel like i'm being strong armed into making a purchase. I don't mind them showing it and taking back up offers, but this is bull.... I tried to sell one time and over 9 months I had several people take cars overnight. Not what I expected from a Toyota dealership.

[krhodes1]

If it doesn't feel right, walk away. This does not seem like a dealer who wants to facilitate your comfort level with an expensive purchase.

Not sure why you would expect any different from a Toyota dealership. Mainstream non-luxury dealerships generally suck. You will likely have a much better experience buying something like this from a premium car dealership. Or privately. Of course, you will probably pay more.

[rvt1000]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

Not sure why you would expect any different from a Toyota dealership. Mainstream non-luxury dealerships generally suck.

Because I worked at a Hyundai dealership and what I was asking would have not been an issue. I would have expected Toyota regardless of Brand would demand a basic level of customer service. Guess I was a little naive.

[F22 Raptor]

Good advice from krhodes1. There's many more fish in the sea.

I bought my 228 from a poorly rated independant dealer. The salesman lied through his teeth making promises he didn't keep. BUT he had a good car with a fair price. I know this because I'm a retired mechanic that knows a few(!) things about a car. What I don't know I can find out. By all means, INSIST on a pre-purchase inspection. I did my own, but I went other places to look into OBD for airbag reports or anything else recorded in the software. A local speciality shop can do this for a small fee.

Also if possible. drive it as many times as the dealer will let you. Ask him to let you start it cold after it has been sitting overnight. Listen to it carefully, leave the entertainment off and hit a few good potholes. Speed bumps are great suspension tests. Then spend one of those visits checking iDrive, other switchgear like heat and a/c, and manual adjustments and entertainment.

Good luck! Great to see you are coming here to the forum for such advice. I spent MANY hours reading these posts and learning anything I can.

[Rocky58]

A five year old BMW out of warranty. Why would a reputable seller not allow an inspection or make it very difficult? Either they know of some issues or they do not want to know. If you give them a report with a documented problem, they have liability and are bound to disclose to any buyer. This is just my thought, can't tell why they are being difficult. But basically, he is trying to get you to buy it as is. I would just walk away.

[bthomas518]

Just curious, was it a "Sonic" Toyota dealership? I bought my 228i from one and got the same BS, wouldn't take a deposit while waiting for my credit union to FedEx check. Wanted me to sign an "option contract" at something like 7.9% in case my financing fell through.

Told them to take a hike, and they called me back after I drove off the lot. If the car wasn't such a great match for what options I wanted, would not have dealt with them at all.

Anyways, a '15 is probably out of warranty, I'd get it checked out if I were you. Even if you do most of the work yourself, BMW parts are pricey.

[rvt1000]

Originally Posted by bthomas518

Just curious, was it a "Sonic" Toyota dealership? I bought my 228i from one and got the same BS, wouldn't take a deposit while waiting for my credit union to FedEx check. Wanted me to sign an "option contract" at something like 7.9% in case my financing fell through.

Told them to take a hike, and they called me back after I drove off the lot. If the car wasn't such a great match for what options I wanted, would not have dealt with them at all.

Anyways, a '15 is probably out of warranty, I'd get it checked out if I were you. Even if you do most of the work yourself, BMW parts are pricey.

"maus" dealership

[RoundelM3]

What exactly is "the BMW scanner (not OBD)"? All "scanners" use the OBDII port. I have Carly For BMW that uses a Bluetooth OBDII adapter, and the app has a "used car" feature that will tell you everything that the dealership's computer would reveal. But that's not the only thing to check for on a used car. If the seller won't allow you to do a PPI, walk away.

[thebmw]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

If it doesn't feel right, walk away. This does not seem like a dealer who wants to facilitate your comfort level with an expensive purchase.

Correct. Funny, all the cars I had a PPI on, I didn't buy. All the cars I have actually purchased did not have a PPI, probably because I had a gut feeling it was the right car. And I buy cars locally and nationally quite frequently. I didn't realize this fact until just now. Interesting...!

[rvt1000]

Originally Posted by RoundelM3

What exactly is "the BMW scanner (not OBD)"? All "scanners" use the OBDII port. I have Carly For BMW that uses a Bluetooth OBDII adapter, and the app has a "used car" feature that will tell you everything that the dealership's computer would reveal. But that's not the only thing to check for on a used car. If the seller won't allow you to do a PPI, walk away.

Carly is better than my reader probably but its still just reading codes. Obviously I'm new to BMW but other info I watched said that BMW has mechanic specific $5k scanner that reads actual live data for the mechanic to interpret. To see if something is going on or trending the wrong way before a code is tripped. Carly just reads the obd2 system in better deatail from what I can get from the Carly website.

[RoundelM3]

Not at all accurate - the data stored in the various ECUs and DME is the same no matter what is reading it. Carly can tell you how a used vehicle has been driven and maintained as well as read codes and do feature coding. There are other similar phone/tablet apps and PC programs, including ISTA, INPA, and E-SYS that will do the same with a less-user-friendly interface.

[pmcmtnbkr]

I just picked up a 2015 m235i drove 2:30 hrs away on a Sat morning. There was no way to do a ppi by someone I trusted The dealer was a little low overhead dealer specializing in higher end cars. They left me to my own devices to look over the car with no pressure from the sales team. I was able to pick the car apart pull back carpets, trunk liner, check panel gaps. I spent almost an hr picking the car apart looking for something. I found what i felt was a good solid car. I took the gamble and bought the car. I did have my mechanic check the car out a week later. Thankfully he could find no issues with the car. I dont recommend this type of gamble to many people. I have had years working in small garages, doing repair work and have many friends that do accident repairs for body shops so I have some idea what I am looking for.

[morriscat]

I didn't do a PPI on mine, but it only had 17k miles on it. Clearly someone leased it and then never drove it, so I didn't feel like I was taking a risk there. The other one I was looking at had ~50k miles on it and that one I would definitely have done the PPI on.

[j2dad5389]

if it's not from a bmw dealership i'd stay away. just my .2

[chattanooga240]

Originally Posted by j2dad5389

if it's not from a bmw dealership i'd stay away. just my .2

Sure, they are known for being much more trustworthy.

Originally Posted by rvt1000

The dealer wants to give me a 4 hour window with the car for an inspection. The Dealers I spoken to don't do them and the independents are closed on the weekend. Shops are open and closed before I get off work so I have to do it on my one day off during the week They wont take a deposit, even with financing in place. Feel like i'm being strong armed into making a purchase. I don't mind them showing it and taking back up offers, but this is bull.... I tried to sell one time and over 9 months I had several people take cars overnight. Not what I expected from a Toyota dealership.

If it's at David Maus, take it from someone who knows them very well and just walk away.

They either know it has some stuff going on, or they feel like it does. That is not a rare car by any means especially in Central FL, would not take much effort to find another one.

[j2dad5389]

Originally Posted by nvmaddog

Sure, they are known for being much more trustworthy.



If it's at David Maus, take it from someone who knows them very well and just walk away.

They either know it has some stuff going on, or they feel like it does. That is not a rare car by any means especially in Central FL, would not take much effort to find another one.

I mean, my experience between going to a sketchy used dealership vs. a well-established bmw dealership was night and day. they might not all be trustworthy, but at least at bmw you know what you're getting.