2013 135is from Carmax

[lvblkjack]

Thinking about getting a 135is and found this Carbon Black DCT 47k miles for $23k. Carfax history is a bit weird - only 500 miles driven in a year and half. What do you guys think?

[AGAV13]

It's crazy to see how much the price of these have fallen. I'll be holding onto mine forever if they continue to drop this low.

[sandlion]

All cards depreciate like crazy. I used to buy four year old bmw with a 42k sticker for 12k.

Two bmw and one Mercedes like that .

Five year old 135i paid 18k so holding value more than the older models.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by AGAV13

It's crazy to see how much the price of these have fallen. I'll be holding onto mine forever if they continue to drop this low.

Most 135is's are still right at about $30k with normal mileage, with CPO's getting a $2-3k premium. That one though has an accident on the carfax and then high mileage, and suddenly no mileage for the last year and a half. I actually think they seem to be holding their value pretty well as I would have expected them to be at about $25k after 4 years.

[tock172]

This is a tough one. It seems like it's had more than 2 owners. There was an accident reported on 3/10/15 and the owner returned the vehicle a few months later as a lease. However, it was then listed for sale as a CPO, which means the accident must not have caused much damage and was repaired properly. After that it looks like someone bought the car and sold it 10 months later. The car was also in for the same tire condition/pressure issue 4 times in a row? Then it was sold as a CPO to it's 3rd owner who sold it after a month and a half? Something is up. I'd steer clear.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by gregthegr8

Most 135is's are still right at about $30k with normal mileage, with CPO's getting a $2-3k premium. That one though has an accident on the carfax and then high mileage, and suddenly no mileage for the last year and a half. I actually think they seem to be holding their value pretty well as I would have expected them to be at about $25k after 4 years.

Did Carmax change their policy about wrecked cars? The salesmen and commercials always stated they never sold cars that had been in an accident.

I've noticed the past few years the PDI or detailing of their vehicles has gone downhill....at least at the DC, Raleigh, Richmond and VB locations.

I would say $23k is very low for a 135is. Most of the ones at the CPO BMW site are still in the low to mid $30k range.

[lvblkjack]

Originally Posted by MGM135is

Did Carmax change their policy about wrecked cars? The salesmen and commercials always stated they never sold cars that had been in an accident.

I've noticed the past few years the PDI or detailing of their vehicles has gone downhill....at least at the DC, Raleigh, Richmond and VB locations.

I would say $23k is very low for a 135is. Most of the ones at the CPO BMW site are still in the low to mid $30k range.

Carmax uses Autocheck instead of Carfax, and Autocheck doesn't show the accident. I'm gonna hit up a dealer with the VIN for some history.

[Chunner]

Hello boys... I am never selling mine. Every time I take it out for a joy ride. It turns heads. Just a rare ride! Buy it and enjoy it....

[champignon]

I can't speak to this specific car, however:

I bought a 2013 135is 6MT Convertible from Carmax about 14 months ago for $35K. It had less than 6500 miles on it and had 2 previous, both short term, owners. I am embarrassed to say that I haven't put more than about 2000 additional miles on it since. "Convertible season," where I live, is maybe 6 or 7 months out of the year. I haven't driven the car since November, and it is up on a lift in my garage, on a float charger, with Stabil in the gas tank :-) I also have quite a few cars, so it competes for attention.

Here's a picture of my car with the saleslady I bought it from, at the Salt Lake City Carmax:



I am thinking now that I am not going to come out on this purchase in one piece :-)

My experience with Carmax is very good. They transferred the car to the closest Carmax dealer and they accommodated all of my reasonable requests. I don't think they cheated me or misled me in any way. They do have a policy of accepting back cars within a week with a full refund, for any reason. I would not hesitate to buy another car from them, if they had what i was looking for and the price was right.

[NVHoo]

Originally Posted by tock172

This is a tough one. It seems like it's had more than 2 owners. There was an accident reported on 3/10/15 and the owner returned the vehicle a few months later as a lease. However, it was then listed for sale as a CPO, which means the accident must not have caused much damage and was repaired properly. After that it looks like someone bought the car and sold it 10 months later. The car was also in for the same tire condition/pressure issue 4 times in a row? Then it was sold as a CPO to it's 3rd owner who sold it after a month and a half? Something is up. I'd steer clear.

I find Carmax to be a real sales enigma. 95% of the time I can by a similar or better (lower mileage or newer) car for much less than Carmax is offering. But once in a while I find real gems - usually off-lease cars they get at auction. Example 1 was years ago when I went there to see what they would pay for my present car so I had a negotiating position with a dealer on a possible trade. I was looking around the lot and found a 4 year old one owner off lease with clean Carfax Audi RS4 convertible with 10K miles that they were only asking $45K! This car sold for over $80K new and searching cars.com and autotrader over a distance of 500 miles, I could not find a similar car for less than $60K. I did not buy the car because it was a bit higher than my budget but I often think I should have gone for it.

Case #2 is my 128 convertible. Purchased as a 4 year old, one owner, off lease, clean Carfax with 8K on the ticker for $23K! Again my internet search could not find a similar car for under $35K so I bought it. In fact, Carmax had other 128s that were older and/or more miles for $10K more. Another selling point for Carmax is the extended warranty they offer which is very cheap. In my case, I bought 5 years and 60K miles (I only drive 10K a year) for $2K which has already paid for itself. You can either take it back to Carmax or BMW for repairs although the deductible at BMW is $50 more.

When I discussed this disparity with Carmax staff, they said they always sell a car for X% more than their purchase price and ignore NADA or KBB. So sometimes they get a steal and pass it along.