Would you buy a 1-series used?

[zamboni]

Just pick up a 09 128i with 13K miles for $29.9K , no regret so far warrenty last until 04/13.

[banglemangle]

I would definately buy one from this antibodean chap :-)

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=401483

[FJUNO78]

reliability is an issue with these cars both brand new and when used.

Some people get lucky, others are on their 4th HPFP.

I think the better question is "Do you like the car enough to look past the know problems?"

[Tessio]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

That might have been true in the past, but there's aboslutely no way to tell if the car is going to have frequent HPFP failures by driving it. Also, in the past you weren't able to have a 100Hp increase over stock with a $500 piggyback tune.

I don't think BMW's history really has much to do with the N54 cars. They're a whole different animal.

That's true for some, but most of these still have a long way to go on the original factory warranty, which, correct me if I'm wrong, is all you have with a new car no? If nothing serious comes up within 50,000 miles, what are you trying to avoid? Old age wear and tear?

HPFPs are now covered out to 10 years/120,000 miles in many cases, so all the better. Gives you plenty of time to find out what you have and whether or not it's worth it to you. If you bought used, you can sell used. You're not married to it. Not to mention that even past the original warranty, you can buy a lot of pumps with the extra $10-20K you save over buying new. You can also afford a pretty inclusive warranty and still save a bundle. The serious issues to be avoided are structural ones caused by unreported accidents and those will surface on a thorough test drive.

If you worry too much or think too much, you won't enjoy these cars and isn't enjoyment the only reason you're paying a premium in the first place, even in the used market?

If BMW has all of a sudden abandoned durability within reason, then trust me, this will be my last.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Tessio

That's true for some, but most of these still have a long way to go on the original factory warranty, which, correct me if I'm wrong, is all you have with a new car no? If nothing serious comes up within 50,000 miles, what are you trying to avoid? Old age wear and tear?
.

You're making the assumption that the OP was talking about buying low mileage used cars. I clearly stated in my earlier post that I'd consider one that's still got plenty of warranty left, but not one without.

What I'm trying to avoid is buying a car that's been running a JB3 on Map 11 for 30k miles and the possible turbo replacements and drivetrain issues that go with it. There's simply no way to know what was done to the car before you got it.

I run a tune on my car, so I'm not knocking people for tuning, but it's just not realistic to think that adding more than 100Hp over stock has no effect on long term reliability. These issues aren't always going to show up in the first 50k miles either.

[bimmerboy]

Hell yes! the depreciation on these cars is crazy, if I knew how bad it would be I would have bought a CPO myself

[Silverbane]

I bought a certified used just 8 weeks ago. It had 8400 miles on it and is an 08 128i. Comes with 4 years and 100,000 mile warrenty. The car looked and smelled brand new. Couldnt be happier with my purchase.

[Silverbane]

Oh, i forgot to mention it was 14k off sticker.

[onlyar18]

Yes, most 1 owners take care of their cars

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by ennislaw

It depends on whether it was a lease or previously owned and then who owned it. Not to mention the number of miles on the vehicle. So, generally no, although not for the reasons given in your poll. I suspect BMWs are more likely to be abused than any other brand, especially if they are leased. But then again, I'm not that big a fan of used cars, period.

pge

What data do you have to support your assumption that a leased BMW would be more abused than someone who loan purchases a BMW and sells every 3 years?

My experience is that lease buyers don't buy BMW's, Audi's, or MB's so that they can "abuse" them. Many of us lease because it makes sense to do so, if you like to have a new car every 2 to 3 years.
It's a way to own/drive a car you like without having to put a down payment on it, so that your money is better invested somewhere where it is truly an investment. A car is a depreciating mess.
So, for many of us, leasing makes much better financial sense.
I don't see how that equates to the assumption that lease buyers see these cars are rentalmobiles in need of being abused.
Leasing is not renting. Would I buy a rental performance vehicle? HECK NO.

Judging from the owners on this site, an others, it's the loan or cash buyers who tend to mod to a greater extent than lease buyers.
If so, it would seem better to seek a low age, lower mileage lease, than to get a 3+ yr old loan or cash purchased, previously modded one.
Leasers, on the whole, tend not to mod much, and if they do the mods are mild.
To be clear, I am not saying that there aren't leasers who mod. It's just not as likely.

Seems people base their opinion on how THEY would drive the car if they leased it, and not from actual experience.

[mosx]

Bought a 2009, used. Not a CPO but still has a decent amount of warranty left. Had 16k on the clock when I got it, 18k now. Would I do it again? Hell yeah. Picked it up for $29k + TTL. Only problem I've had is a popping noise on occasion from the front suspension. Not frequent or annoying enough to let the dealer look at it.

As for people who are "on their 4th HPFP" why didn't you make BMW buy it back under lemon law? From what I understand BMW does this frequently to ensure you're a happy customer. I think by my 3rd pump I'd be climbing up someones ass at BMW USA.

[Tessio]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

You're making the assumption that the OP was talking about buying low mileage used cars. I clearly stated in my earlier post that I'd consider one that's still got plenty of warranty left, but not one without.

What I'm trying to avoid is buying a car that's been running a JB3 on Map 11 for 30k miles and the possible turbo replacements and drivetrain issues that go with it. There's simply no way to know what was done to the car before you got it.

I run a tune on my car, so I'm not knocking people for tuning, but it's just not realistic to think that adding more than 100Hp over stock has no effect on long term reliability. These issues aren't always going to show up in the first 50k miles either.

Fair enough. Just haven't seen that many out of warranty to make the assumption that the OP would chase one outside of it when there are so many young low mileage cars to be had.

I'm not arguing with you that tunes don't have any effect on long-term reliability. I don't recall saying that, but if I did, I retract it.

To be clear to the OP: Boosted engines wear faster and are likely to have a shorter lifespan. If you value long-term reliability and lower risk over higher performance, do not buy turbo cars. If you really like the 135i, but want less personal risk, purchase one that has an existing warranty that covers turbos and turbo related failures or buy a secondary warranty that covers turbos and turbo related failures, do not tune the car, make sure no evidence of a previous tune is on the car, and drive safely within its operating limits.

[Jules15]

I don't think you could me pay to drive another 135i - or bmw for that matter. I bought my convertible 135 a year ago - new. Since January it has been to the service center 10 times for a multitude of different problems, from the fuel pumps, to the lights never seemingly working, to stereo/ipod issues, and leaks. Even more frustrating is that BMW has been TERRIBLE to deal with, horrible customer service, can't get a call back for days, they don't listening to anything the service managers(who actually see and work on the car) are saying - they tell you there is a problem with your call then send you to another person who you can't get ahold of. What makes it even better was for my 'year anniversary' 2 weeks ago they sent me a sketch of my car, which I am thinking about turning into a dart board.

Needless to say it looks like I am taking BMW to arbitration via BBB - good thing California has good lemon laws.

[Misterted]

I had my HPFP replaced a while ago and so far so good. I do have a Manual 135 Vert and am looking to sell it though. It's listed in the for sale section.

[bryce]

i voted yes because i did buy my 135i used.....i couldn't live with the large depreciation with these cars ($10k +) over the first year or two so i found one in excellent condition

[john08135i]

I just got rid of mine..
new 19 months i lost $17k THAT is a huge depreciation.. in fact most place were putting me at another $3k loss for wholesale trade.

Luved my 1 but man i never though i would loose so much in a BMW.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by john08135i

I just got rid of mine..
new 19 months i lost $17k THAT is a huge depreciation.. in fact most place were putting me at another $3k loss for wholesale trade.

Luved my 1 but man i never though i would loose so much in a BMW.

It's a bad market right now for used cars in this price range. The manufacturers are still offering deals to move new vehicles, and the entire auto market is still at depression level sales.

So part of the issue is simply bad timing. That said, I absolutely believe that the HPFP issues have had a significant effect on the market price for used 1 Series cars. Anytime you see a question asked about one on an automotive forum, someone will mention it. The enthusiast segment may only make up 20% of the market for these cars, but if you take half of it away it depresses demand enough to cause a price drop.

I've decided to wait a while before trading up mainly for this reason. I'm probably close to $5k upside down on my car after 2 years (which I could wipe out if I really needed to) and I'm hoping that gap will close a little by this time next year. Overall auto sales are improving, and hopefully BMW will have a solid solution to the HPFP issues.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

It's a bad market right now for used cars in this price range. The manufacturers are still offering deals to move new vehicles, and the entire auto market is still at depression level sales.

So part of the issue is simply bad timing. That said, I absolutely believe that the HPFP issues have had a significant effect on the market price for used 1 Series cars. Anytime you see a question asked about one on an automotive forum, someone will mention it. The enthusiast segment may only make up 20% of the market for these cars, but if you take half of it away it depresses demand enough to cause a price drop.

I've decided to wait a while before trading up mainly for this reason. I'm probably close to $5k upside down on my car after 2 years (which I could wipe out if I really needed to) and I'm hoping that gap will close a little by this time next year. Overall auto sales are improving, and hopefully BMW will have a solid solution to the HPFP issues.

Very true, in that the price of the new model in question affects the resale value of a used version of that model.
This is clearly evidence by the low resale value of many used "American" brand automobiles, where discounts for new models, along with very low financing, greatly affects the value of a used model.

With heavy discounts and 0% financing, it could a better deal to buy the new car. By "better" I mean the advantage of having a new car with full warranty and low miles. When you consider used car financing at 5-6%+ interest on financing, for 3 or 4 years, the payment on the used may be about the same as the payment on the new model. The result is that the used models selling price needs, must, come down in order to sell it.

Example:
New car MSRP $30k
Real selling price: $23k
At 0% financing for 5yrs (60mths), monthly is about $383
A bit higher if you roll in the higher tax amount. But, I'm leaving that out for this comparison, as I actually pay the tax up front instead.
Although some would simply roll it in at 0% financing.

Used version selling price on 3yr old model at 60% depreciation from
$28k MSRP: $11,200 at 6% interest for 3yrs (36mths) = $341

The cost of the new car isn't that much more, monthly.
Yes, tax is higher due to higher selling cost, and the payments are for 5yrs instead of 3yrs. But, you've got a new car with full warranty that has longer to depreciate. Driven for the same 3yrs, the cost difference isn't enough to not consider the new car a good deal.

To each his own, as we all have to make our own financial decisions.
But, this is just to illustrate that the cost of the used car HAS to come down in order to be price competitive in the market where new cars are so heavily discounted, and the manufacturers are also giving extremely low financing to boot.

If you're a cash buyer, then take advantage of the used models lower price, as you're probably going to get a great deal, especially if you have the info and are willing to haggle.

BTW, in this market, all this is yet another reason why I would NEVER do a trade in. I would sell privately. The only advantage to trade is that in most states the trade in value is taken off the selling price and not taxed.
In some states that can be a big number, like in the Chicago area where it's like 10% sales tax. A $10k trade in value equals $1000 of tax you don't have to pay.