buy cpo now or wait?

[mike082802]

so i have been looking at buying a 2010-2012 135i, i know the 2010 is n54 and 2011+ is n55. i am coming from a 2007 passat i have owned since new, fbo, sway bars, koni yellows, vogtland springs, michelin pss, 6 spd, just about everything you could do without putting bigger turbo in it. honestly my car is a lot of fun to drive, its just a little stiff and loud for me now, i was 30 when i bought it and now am 37. i have tracked it at lime rock a few times.

just the thought of a 12 second 1/4 mile car really entices me, i cant go to a slower car.

saying that do you guys think the prices will continue to drop on the 135? originally i was going to buy a car in september this year but have seen quite a few good deals lately on cpo 2010 and 2011 135. in the $27000 range. i really want cpo because it seems like repairs could get expensive. also the finance rate is 0.9% on cpo 2011. does bmw run this rate often during the year? i would love a 2010 n54 but at the longest the cpo warranty would be up at the end of 2016. since being discontinued my only concern is that the demand for the 135 might rise? on the other hand maybe people want to get out of theirs and into a 235, so people might start turning a lot in to the dealership.

just looking for some input.

[doublevanosrc]

Just depends me personally I would wait since the 2 series release is about to flood the market with pre-owned 135s. However if you are looking for a specific color combo(esp coral red leather) and a manual transmission I would say jump on it as soon as you see it. I've been monitoring used 135s since November 2013 and they are dropping $$ monthly and more are showing up. Still manual low mileage cars with red leather and premium sound seem to be the most rare. As far as to the N54 vs N55 debate its been had many times, I personally prefer the N55 since I'm not much of a modder and it's got plenty of power with the BMW PPK which is a must with the N55. Overall you're gonna be in for one hell of a ride going from a passat to a 135.

[IEDEI]

my philosophy is......buy now and enjoy. prices may drop....but you have limited time so live for today

[128Convertibleguy]

I lost a good friend recently. At 60+ he was still spending considerable time and effort to make the future just a little better instead of living for today. It motivated me to buy the BMW now.

[BavarianN54]

Like you I recently lost a close friend. Not to death but a massive stroke caused by irregular heartbeat he has had for years. The stroke destroyed half his brain and then some. He's now committed to a wheelchair for the rest of his life with half his body paralyzed, mental issues as well as many other side effects. He worked non stop, many hours during the week and most weekends as well. Very seldom took a vacation and was kinda of cheap in many ways. For example, it could be 90 degrees and he wouldn't use the AC at home and scrimping on taking his blood thinning meds. Well, after his stroke and long coma his family and us friends did all we could for him at home and get his house ready for his coming home, getting it wheel chair accessible. As it turns out, he had amassed over 4 million in stocks and cash.
Moral of the story, live for today while still saving for the future and take your meds if you have medical issues.

[Andrewcoja]

If the 135 ever goes up in value, it won't be for quite a while. They will depreciate just the same as any other BMW. You can buy whenever you are comfortable with it. Unless the 1er somehow becomes way more popular than it is now, it's going to stay about the same.

When it becomes more affordable down the road, say ten years, young people will become interested in it and it might get more popular. You'll start seeing people deciding between an older E46 M3 (333 HP probably degraded to 300HP without rebuilds) or a newer 135 with 300 (maybe a little less) that can be bumped up even higher with a tune. They are about the same size.

[Black Flagged]

wait for awhile and you have a lot of options and selection to pick from...

[Overpar56]

Look until you find one you like and get the best price. If it doesn't happen right away, nothing lost. There will be a lot if 3 year old leases coming off lease soon. I happened to find a low mile 2012 from SC that ended up in Chicago and was CPO. It had everything I wanted except the smokers package. I miss that power outlet up front ��

CPO does give you a little piece of mind if you expect to hold the car a lot of years.

[RoundelM3]

I wouldn't be so focused on "CPO" - if you buy non-CPO and get a BMW "Gold" warranty, it actually costs less and covers more. But by all means, find one you like and grab it! My wife's 2011 128i M-Sport with 6MT and PE is the best "fun" car we've ever had. We bought it new, ordered it in space gray with gray leather and moonlight black top. I added some 18" CSL-style wheels and non-runflats, black grilles, and blacked-out trunk logo to personalize it. I'm close to retirement and while I've always indulged myself with cars, now's the time to enjoy!

[rrinorl]

I dunno.. i feel like the advice given isn't very financially sound. Most of the time people have the spend it now mentality and end up poor with nothing to retire on. I think that statistically happens more than people dying with millions in the bank, just look at our financial crisis for evidence of overspending. Find the best deal you can, if you have to wait a few months then its worth it. The worst thing you can do at a car dealership is tell them you have to walk out with a car today.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by rrinorl

I dunno.. i feel like the advice given isn't very financially sound. Most of the time people have the spend it now mentality and end up poor with nothing to retire on. I think that statistically happens more than people dying with millions in the bank, just look at our financial crisis for evidence of overspending. Find the best deal you can, if you have to wait a few months then its worth it. The worst thing you can do at a car dealership is tell them you have to walk out with a car today.

if $5k on a car is going to affect your retirement plans than one is doing other stuff wrong.....

obviously one should get what they afford, BUT if they can afford $27k bit are waiting for it to become $22k then they are just wasting time IMO.

our capitalist society is so hell bent on money that sometimes people forget how to enjoy themselves responsibly instead of just putting everything off til the future.

[Overpar56]

$5k difference at 2.99 percent for 48 months is about $100 more at 27k vs 22k. If you can get the low ball CPO finance that drops it only about $27 a month at 48 months. 1/2 tank of premium actually.

Hey, if you don't have to default on your mortgage, can put food on the table, contribute to your 401k plan and drop the once-a-day $5 Starbucks, you can probably afford one if you find the one you like.

[mike082802]

its not that i cant afford it, i just have never spent more than 26000 on a car. had a bunch of hondas and my last 2 cars were brand new passats, one in 2002 and one in 2007. i have home, have an excellent pension, and a small 401K as well. the wife and i go out to eat 2-3 times a week and we enjoy our life. i will never be rich but i always have what i need. i was looking at the cpo'd 2012 s4 for 40,000$ and the wife said " so what would we have to cut back on to get that car? i said are you crazy thats 40% of what i make in a year. so lets not get away from what i started this thread about.

actually i really want white, blue or crimson red. i just know i want a warranty. my current passat is white, haven't had a red car in 20 years since i was 18.

actually it really doesn't matter if it cpo or not as i can always get the gold warranty. is that based off the value of the car? the 0.9 finance is definitely a plus.

i really just wanted to know if people think that since bmw took the 1 off the website and since the 2 series was just released if they think the availability of the used 135's would rise in the next few months and if people though price was going to drop?
thanks

[128Convertibleguy]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

if $5k on a car is going to affect your retirement plans than one is doing other stuff wrong.....

obviously one should get what they afford, BUT if they can afford $27k bit are waiting for it to become $22k then they are just wasting time IMO.

our capitalist society is so hell bent on money that sometimes people forget how to enjoy themselves responsibly instead of just putting everything off til the future.

What he said.

Originally Posted by mike082802

actually it really doesn't matter if it cpo or not as i can always get the gold warranty.

i really just wanted to know if people think that since bmw took the 1 off the website and since the 2 series was just released if they think the availability of the used 135's would rise in the next few months and if people though price was going to drop?
thanks

A virtue of CPO is that a dealer thought the used car was good enough to become a cpo, then went over it fixing even minor issues. The cpo checklist impressed me. It's not just the warranty coverage, it's the quality of the car you roll away in.

Guessing about where prices will go in the short run is why people lose money trading stocks rapidly. If you find a car you really like you should get it. If not, wait. How you feel about the car you know. Where prices are going to go, you don't.

[Overpar56]

The CPO is a lot of marketing hype too. The dealer I bought mine from checked a few boxes off and missed the entire toolkit (except for the screwdriver rolling around in the trunk).

The .9 rate is really good but when I looked into it BMW didn't offer it on 2012 models. I ended up getting a rate like 2.64 from B of A. BMW wanted 3.99.

[mike082802]

i want to go test drive a dct, for the last 14 years i have had nothing but manuals. also i might just wait it out to for a few months to see if the dealers get a lot of cpo 2012 in for the lci. but first is definitely test drive a dct.