[chris14031]

Hello all!

I have been searching for a 2011 CPO 328XI for quite some time, and have yet to find the perfect car with the options that I want.

The BMW dealership close to my house gets quite a few lease turnovers/ trade-ins each month, but for the most part they always tend to be a little "stripped" to me (only premium, value packages, no other options). I'm leaning towards a vehicle with idrive, and the dealership near my house rarely ever gets them in, and if they do, they seem to charge heavily for it. Lastly, the dealership near my house is the only one within 80 miles, and seems to ask a lot for the car (many 2011 328XI's with 25,000 miles going for upwards of $30,000 with little options).

Looking to buy a car soon, I went on the CPO model search on the BMW website, and found a CPO vehicle at a BMW dealership 250 miles away that had the options I wanted, including the exterior and interior color combination that I love the most. Plus, it still has 2 years of original warranty and 2 years of CPO warranty. AND it's priced $2000 lower than what a comparable vehicle would be at the dealership would be near my house. It seems perfect, however, it is 200+ miles away, and while in the same state, there is no way I can take time out to go see it and maybe purchase it.

So I emailed the dealer near my house and explained to them that this is something that I would be interested, and they responded saying that they could "essentially" purchase the car for me.

They told me that I would have to put down a $1500 deposit, apply in advance for financing, and that they would purchase the car for me and I would complete the rest of the steps at the dealership. They said they would make sure the car looks good and legit prior to the process being completed, but they did not give too many details about the entire process. When I emailed them asking how the process went in detail, they just kept telling me to call or come in to discuss, which I will do, but I'd rather know more details about the situation going in.


So my questions are:

Has anybody gone through this process before? Having the BMW dealership purchase a car for you from another dealership?

Is there an extra fee for them doing this? Would I have to pay the asking price + a transpiration fee of some sort? Is there any negotiation on the vehicle price when doing this method?

And lastly, does this sound like a crazy thing to do? (lol). I know it sounds crazy, but if I am making a purchase that I hope to have for a very long time I want to have no regrets and get the option combination I want. If the vehicle is not as expected condition-wise, can I back out of it? Or am I locked in to completing the purchase?

Thank you all in advance for your answers/comments/suggestions! Everything is appreciated~ Have a good night!
-Chris

[thegrinchboy]

Originally Posted by chris14031

Hello all!


So my questions are:

Has anybody gone through this process before? Having the BMW dealership purchase a car for you from another dealership?

Is there an extra fee for them doing this? Would I have to pay the asking price + a transpiration fee of some sort? Is there any negotiation on the vehicle price when doing this method?

And lastly, does this sound like a crazy thing to do? (lol). I know it sounds crazy, but if I am making a purchase that I hope to have for a very long time I want to have no regrets and get the option combination I want. If the vehicle is not as expected condition-wise, can I back out of it? Or am I locked in to completing the purchase?

Thank you all in advance for your answers/comments/suggestions! Everything is appreciated~ Have a good night!
-Chris

1. The dealership will typically add an acquisition and transportation fee to the asking price. If the dealerships are owned by the same corporation, then they may waive these fees, as it could be handled as an inventory transfer, depending on the paperwork.
2. You can always back out of buying a car if it doesn't check out.
3. The local dealership will do any CPO service work regardless where you bought the car.

If you find the car you like from another BMW dealership, you should consider just working with them directly to close the deal. Other people on this forum have traveled to purchase/pick up their car. I did a 300 mile drive to pick up my car and enjoyed the drive back thoroughly.

Good luck with your purchase!

[Agentphish]

Definitely go see the car on your own. Even go so far as to take it to a reliable indie shop near the other dealer. Find the time. It will be worth it in the long run if you decide to buy it which it sounds like is likely.

Think about it, you want to spend that amount of money on a car sight unseen? I would never.

Work with the dealer over the phone. They want to sell the car. They'll make this work.

[norsairius]

I actually did all of the negotiations for my car via email before going in to pick it up. I went in to check out the car once, drove it a bit, and then left the same day. Next day I emailed back and forth with sales all day. I went in after work to pick up the car and they had all the paper work ready for me to sign when I got there. I was out with my new (CPO) car within 30 minutes. Granted, this dealership was local to me.

250 miles is driveable. I would work directly with the dealership that has the car. I know you said time is limited on your end, but I think it'd be more worthwhile and it could save you money. Dealerships are willing to work with you as long as you explain the circumstances and are polite about it, at least from my experience. Plus, you get those 250 miles to drive back home to get acclimated with your new car!

[Mardio]

Ditto on going to see the car before purchase. I would work with just one dealership, cheaper that way.

[parabola]

I got mine 2011 328 xDrive for ~$23k (non-CPO) few months back (29000 miles), 25 months of warranty left at the time of the purchase. It's jet black with black Dakota leather, 17" wheels, no navigation..anyway, I did drive around 2 hrs to get it in another state, so I were you I'd just drive there and take a look at myself why work with another dealership...there may be better deals out there, if you're willing to search and drive the distance.

[AddictedToBavarian]

Go see it for yourself. Don't trust the dealership to have the same standards you do. Go and if you like it enjoy the 250 miles back with it.

[SLOWER]

My ride back from Mt Kisco BMW to Boston was the best 3 hours of 2013.

Call the dealer and get them to do a walkaround on the phone with you. If they know you're serious and going to make the drive, they will go above and beyond for you. If they don't make an effort, keep searching.

[kallen90]

A 500 mile round trip is not bad at all to pick up a car. My wife and I just did 800 miles round trip to get a car and some people have gone as far as thousands of miles to get a car. Its extremely worth it to go look at the car, specially if you want something really specific for a certain price.