[maheepgupta]

A few days back I was at BMW showroom at Delhi to inquire about new 3 series. I casually asked if they had any pre-owned cars in good condition and the guy told me about a 530i which is 4.5 years old with 20K KM in odo. I was hoping he will ask for something which will be totally out of my budget but I further asked

about the details.

1) It is top end 530i with Sunroof and other gizmos. 6 speed auto transmission.
2) Apart from minor scratches, it is in very good shape.
3) Interiors are clean and nicely maintained.
4) 20K done, service history available and no accident history.
5) The original owner bought a new 3 series.

He is asking for 20L but I have a feeling that there is further scope of negotiation. I was too tempted to buy it right at the spot but I always believe if something is too good to be true, it is probably not.

This leaves me wondering -

1) If the prices of petrol BMWs are this less or there is some loophole into it.

Like it has gone through some accident or has some other problem which the guy was hiding.

2) I don't mind petrol at all but is there anything else I should be worried about?

3) what can I do to make sure it is a fair deal and there is no hidden surprises for me.

4) Why would someone sale a car in such good condition for this less? if they are offering it for 20L (and he was willing to negotiate) they must have bought it for too less!

Any inputs will be greatly appreciated. I don't have much knowledge about technical stuff and under the hood details so some help from experts will be great.

[Akshay1234]

Honestly that is the going price for similar 530i's. Infact thats an 08 model, you can look at an 09 or 10 for maybe 2-3 lacs more, which will have the new iDrive etc. Petrol cars, especially larger engined cars depreciate a lot more than diesels. Now is the best time to buy a used petrol car, while the price difference between diesel and petrol is still so huge.

Also do remember the maintenance costs will be higher than a 3 since the original price was higher. And the car is close to 5 years old, some parts or the other will need replacement, which could mean high bills.

[drmohitg]

+1 to the comments above. The resale value of luxury sedans specially petrol ones has hit rock bottom. Today I came across a less than 2 year old Skoda Superb Petrol elegant model with sunroof and all the gizmos, having done just 12000 kms ( genuine since I know the owner) and he is asking only 13L for it. The car I think has a billing OTR of around 22L IIRC. Again I am sure with a little negotiating the price may come down to around 12L. And at that price I am seriously tempted to take a dive into the deal even though I have no need of a new car, I fear Skoda's After sales and its a petrol so I am not sure about the mileage. But that hasn't stopped me thinking about buying this particular car since morning ( even re-read member dkaile's whole superb thread).
So my advice to you is to go for the car.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

+1 to the comments above. The resale value of luxury sedans specially petrol ones has hit rock bottom. Today I came across a less than 2 year old Skoda Superb Petrol elegant model with sunroof and all the gizmos, having done just 12000 kms ( genuine since I know the owner) and he is asking only 13L for it. The car I think has a billing OTR of around 22L IIRC. Again I am sure with a little negotiating the price may come down to around 12L. And at that price I am seriously tempted to take a dive into the deal even though I have no need of a new car, I fear Skoda's After sales and its a petrol so I am not sure about the mileage. But that hasn't stopped me thinking about buying this particular car since morning ( even re-read member dkaile's whole superb thread).
So my advice to you is to go for the car.

dkaile's Superb is a manual . I believe the one that you are looking at is an automatic. The DSG DQ 200 box is highly prone to failures and every car with one of them has had a failure in India. So stay away from it if it's an automatic

[maheepgupta]

Thanks for your quick replies guys. This honestly came as a surprise to me. I was somehow not able to believe that a car worth 50L can be going for this cheap unless there is some hidden surprise. Now I am all the more tempted to think about it. I am hunting for a new car from last few months. Decided on Chevy Cruze, then thought of waiting for new Elentra. Finally almost settled for XUV till I came to this!

I know it might sound stupid to spend 18-20L on a used car but hey.. this is a BMW, that too 5 series!! Tell me about messed up mind :(

Originally Posted by drmohitg

But that hasn't stopped me thinking about buying this particular car since morning ( even re-read member dkaile's whole superb thread).
So my advice to you is to go for the car.

I can totally relate to you sir. I am in the same league. Rather than working, I am dreaming of that stupid car and how cool it will be to drive that..

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Also do remember the maintenance costs will be higher than a 3 since the original price was higher. And the car is close to 5 years old, some parts or the other will need replacement, which could mean high bills.

I would be more worried about this than the price that you pay now. It might end up being a "white elephant" sort of situation if you cannot afford maintenance. German cars are by default more expensive to maintain - be it parts or be it labor. If you are ok with that, then it is definitely not a bad deal.

[bigron]

I have people here who are in the same boat.. I too am looking for a large petrol sedan and came across a few 525 /530 in the 18 to 25 range from 08 to 2010 . I think this is the best time to buy a used petrol sedan. specially if you have diesel in your garage as a workhorse. I am tempted to buy this 530 i saw where the owner is asking 25/24.5 for the high line version which has everything but the kitchen sink. its a 2009. But whats got me thinking is that i am getting 2008 model accords the new shape for 8. Now i am sure the comfort level in the accord is better than the bmw specially the rear and also the maintainence and service would be far more pocket friendly .Decisions decisions.

[the VTEC guy]

Even though I am not in the market for such a car with such a budget I have been looking at such deals on Carwale.com. There are some very interesting options available. Mouthwatering in many cases. As many have pointed out be pepared for costly maintenance down the line. In case of BMW there may be some cars with extended warranty coverage still valid. These will be best bet. Even if mechanicals are covered under warranty small accidents will be costly affair as the new replacement parts won't come at depreciated cost like the car itself. Plus cars above 3/5 years old will not have zero depreciation on insurance.

So ultimately if the offer looks good be prepared to spend another 30% of cars price for maintenance over next 2-3 years.

[CARDEEP]

Hi @maheepgupta

No doubts the deal sounds tempting... less used BMW 5-Series undercutting a Superb, but, please go through the below link that may point out to some problems with BMW petrol engines if similar displacement in US:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/10-used-cars-to-avoid#3

I would suggest you to proceed with utmost caution... Best of Luck

[Harbir]

just be careful of the miles. lots of fraud about, including by official dealers.

[RS_DEL]

Assume for the sake of a comparison that the 535i in the current BMW line up is the closest to the 530i, to get as close to an apples to apples comparison, as is possible. You are looking at a capital cost of 58Lacs or so ex-showroom for the new vs the 20Lac you have been quoted for the used. The price of the new is without registration & insurance. Add that and you are in the regions of 65Lacs or so.

Now the specimen you have seen , assuming it in as satisfactory a condition as is possible given it's vintage, the capital outlay is a third or so of the capital outlay on the new one.

Compute the earnings you can manage on the saved capital outlay. If the earnings are adequate enough for you to cover the upkeep bills and you are really keen to opt for a BMW and are not put off by the inconvenience of maintaining a used car, you have your decision.

Yes the point being made by the others that you will need to make substantial maintenance outlays is valid but is that a deterrent enough, that is all you have to mull over.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by RS_DEL

Assume for the sake of a comparison that the 535i in the current BMW line up is the closest to the 530i, to get as close to an apples to apples comparison, as is possible. You are looking at a capital cost of 58Lacs or so ex-showroom for the new vs the 20Lac you have been quoted for the used.....

What you have mentioned is true only if a person goes to market with that kind of budget to begin with, and then realises he can get a pre owned one at one third the price. Makes perfect sense, but as we know very well, such people almost never want to buy a pre owned car.

In this case however, Maheep is kind of streching his budget and not saving on the 40 odd lakhs mentioned above. So he should approach this purchase with a different mindset IMO.

[saketa]

I was in the same boat as you a couple of months back. I had a budget of 25L and was looking at well maintained pre owned 5s. But somehow I hardly found too many great cars. And those which did look well maintained were not covered by BSI so it just seemed too much of a gamble. The word "expensive" simply does not describe the full extent of pain/expenditure one might incur if you break a headlamp/mess up the tranmission. From what I know of the new 5, transmission breakdowns could set you back by 6-7L easy! Another person on this forum had to cough up close to 45k for a wiper stalk !

Given that you can't even get zero dep insurance from the end of this year, (which wont cover the above two illustrations anyway) I honestly felt it just was not worth. Plus when you do sell it I think you should consider the almost nothing resale value.

Anyway I got the highly discounted E90 Highline for a 7L discount and in hindsight the peace of mind which I get with BMW Secure/BSI honestly outweighs the thrill of driving a 6 cylinder petrol! So IMHO I don't think the deal is worth it unless you are prepared to cough up anywhere between 50k to 7-8L for issues which will eventually crop up. I couldn't, so chose the latter and have no regrets yet

[mmmjgm]

IF the car is under the BSI (BMW Service Inclusive) it should be a good deal, if not walk away. Under BSI every thing is possibly covered, you may even add/upgrade the BSI package, the dealer will be happy to update the BSI package if its within warranty and service records are clean.

Even if the odo is tampered, BSI will give you 100% peace of mind since depending on the coverage possibly everything except for brake pads (this is an auto hence no clutch, lucky you)is covered. Of course tyres are not covered.

Within a family we have bought a BMW 330i which was driven by one of the company officials, it was a steal plus the BSI coverage was thrown in free. Don't ask how it was free. :-)

BEst of luck with the Beemer.

[Akshay1234]

If its pre-owned from a BMW dealer, then it might be possible to get a 2 year BSI for an additional price. That would make a lot of sense if you are buying a car which is out of BSI.