BMW refused to take my 318i in trade ?!?!?

murman · 06-30-2006, 12:53 PM

Is this normal?

Was negotiating a sale for a new E91, and the BMW dealer refused to take my 318i in trade:

9.5 years old (1997 model)
150,000 km
no accidents
was owned in another province for 8.5 years

They refused without even looking at it.

Is this typical? Will I get the same response if I go to another dealer?

foofighter · 06-30-2006, 01:03 PM

yes, typically if it's over 100,000 miles they'll just give you 500 for the thing and it could end up costing them more to resell it to car wholesaler

murman · 06-30-2006, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foofighter

yes, typically if it's over 100,000 miles they'll just give you 500 for the thing and it could end up costing them more to resell it to car wholesaler

Well, technically speaking, 150,000 km is only +/- 90,000 miles!

Also, bmw.ca has several old E36s for sale, mileage in the +/- 120,000 km order, and another which has well over 200,000 km on it.

Talk about a probable deal-killer...

xeta · 06-30-2006, 02:52 PM

Go to another dealership. I traded in my 95 325is with 130,000 miles on it for over 2G's. Go to another dealer. Someone will want your money.

toolfan · 07-01-2006, 10:48 AM

I have seen 5 series traded in with over 250,000 miles in them.

scubajag · 07-01-2006, 11:10 AM

I am planning to trade in a 1998 328i with about 90 thousand miles on it, extremely good shape, no accidents, and my dealer told me that there is actually a demand for older BMWs. Need to hit another dealer and try again.

tl_boy · 07-01-2006, 06:35 PM

When I get ready to sell, I try to sell before 100,000, and I think you need to do it now if i were you.

Also, I think CarMax takes cars with less than 100,000 miles on it. I find them to pay a reasonable amount. They don't try to rape you like dealers do, and the process is very smooth. A technician checks the car out and drives it, total like 30 minutes time, they then make you an offer and then give you a check that you can cash. You may get $1-$2k if you do a lot of effort and find a sucker in the private market, but it may not be worth it. I still try private sales, but don't spend too much time, i cut my losses at a certain point and just take it to CarMax. I think that since they have their own service shop, and they sell, it is cheaper for them to do repairs than for a private party to buy from you, and then get the car ready.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scubajag

I am planning to trade in a 1998 328i with about 90 thousand miles on it, extremely good shape, no accidents, and my dealer told me that there is actually a demand for older BMWs. Need to hit another dealer and try again.

Bora20 · 07-01-2006, 07:22 PM

Autowest tried to offer me $18K for my 2000 E320 Wagon 4Matic (112,000km) with all the options. www.vmrcanada.com listed it as around $28K.

I laughed at them and said thank you. I will be taking my business to Brian Jessel on Boundary or Kelowna BMW. Both let me take out cars with no intention of buying.

One of them will get my money when I can get a 328iT or 330iT, but not before.

sblument · 07-01-2006, 07:51 PM

that's not normal. I know someone who just a few months ago, traded in a 1993 Integra with 150k miles on it for a CPO E46...they gave him $1000 for it...

Motor Werks, Barrington IL

angrymofo · 07-05-2006, 12:49 AM

Your issue is that up here in Vancouver, there are what 4 BMW dealerships to work with. And basically they have the market cornered, if you want to get any BMW new or used, you are almost forced to goto the dealership. Private sales and other used lots will have BMW's but they are either not Certifiable or private sale. The reason they won't take your trade? cuz they won't be able to sell it for obscene amounts of money. Up here, the BMW dealer's won't look at selling a used BMW unless its 1) Certifiable or they will make over $5k in selling it.
Your 318i is not Certifiable, and they probably won't make much money trying to re-sell.
I know it sucks, but hey when you control the BMW market in the lower mainland like the 4 dealers do here, they call the shots.
Look at the pricing of the Certified BMW's in Vancouver, pricing is crazy if you compare to anywhere else. It because they have the market, if you want a BMW - you have to goto them, period.
I found this out getting my E90, I even looked at getting one in Washington state.
Good Luck in finding your E91!

one3 · 07-05-2006, 03:20 AM

Just FYI ... earlier this year I went to Park Shore BMW in N. Vancouver ... bought a 325i ... they took my 1988 Prelude with 300,000km in for trade ... they gave me over $1k for it.

If the car is older, not worth selling on their lot, they simply sell it to a wholesaler who then resells it to local used car dealers. They still make a few bucks and don't have to worry about having the car on the lot or the time to sell it to an individual.

So bottom line : try a different dealer or salesperson.

Bora20 · 07-05-2006, 01:10 PM

Call http://kelowna.bmw.ca/en/pub/home/home.aspx and ask to speak to Matt Muise.

Tell him that Dan B. from Kamloops sent you to him. Kelowna BMW has lots of different cars for sale on their lot. The interior is a different world to the Lower Mainland, so you car would be desirable, not worth a whole lot, but still they would take it.

Good luck!
Dan

chongki · 07-05-2006, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murman

Is this normal?

Was negotiating a sale for a new E91, and the BMW dealer refused to take my 318i in trade:

9.5 years old (1997 model)
150,000 km
no accidents
was owned in another province for 8.5 years

They refused without even looking at it.

Is this typical? Will I get the same response if I go to another dealer?

Why not just try to sell privately, you might get more money out of it?

Ryan 330i · 07-05-2006, 03:04 PM

someone traded a 1990 525 in here. it was the poorest shape BMW i had ever seen in my life. No joke. 265k miles, and had no paint left.
$500 for it.

murman · 07-05-2006, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC1229

Why not just try to sell privately, you might get more money out of it?

Would prefer to, but have gone that route before on another car (over 90 calls, only two viewers but the darn thing eventually sold!) and the time required wasn't my cuppa.

suzer · 07-05-2006, 10:26 PM

When I went in to run numbers on leasing my first BMW I meekly asked if the dealer would offer me anything for my nearly 10 year-old Toyota 4Runner.

Originally the CA said no way, but when he called me back a couple of days later to see what it would take to get me "comfortable" with the numbers he had given me, I told him the truth - if he'd take that 4Runner off my hands, I'd come in and deal.

3 hours later I owned an X5. And there's only one BMW dealership in the whole area, so he could have pulled the monopoly card on me (want a BMW or not? - your choice).

It's possible I could have made more money if I had sold it myself. But I didn't want the hassle, and I don't like strangers, especially coming to the house.

Bora20 · 07-05-2006, 10:37 PM

Using www.vmrcanada.com and inputting the data for a 1997 318i, 4 door sedan, without any options, and 150,000km, your car would be worth the following:

Wholesale - $8800
Retail - $10,550

If I had more specifics, it would be a closer figure. I don't think that those figures are unreasonable for your car though.

just4kickz · 07-06-2006, 01:16 AM

well my parents traded in a really old... SEL420 and the dealer said that it would be very difficult to resell a car that had over 100,000 miles... and even harder to find a buyer who wanted taht old car.... but he had a friend who could buy it and he would take the car... so we got 2 g's for it... haha i was kinda surprised but yeahh makes sense that anything over 100,000 miles would be difficult to sell from another dealership... the dealership would probably have to sell it to some other private buyer who would sell it to somebody who wanted to restore the old car or just needed a really old beater.

BMW F22 · 07-06-2006, 02:21 AM

I sold an 87 325i with 178,000 miles on it for $600 and the car wasnt even in what I would call "perfect" condition. you should be able to get a few grand for your 318. G'luck

murman · 07-06-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bora20

Using www.vmrcanada.com and inputting the data for a 1997 318i, 4 door sedan, without any options, and 150,000km, your car would be worth the following:

Wholesale - $8800
Retail - $10,550

If I had more specifics, it would be a closer figure. I don't think that those figures are unreasonable for your car though.

Ironically not that far from what I was expecting. Not sure if your # includes the 5% BC premium, and a few other add-ons, but definitely in the ball-park. The fact that they wouldn't even look at the car just caught me completely off guard.

and1bball919 · 07-29-2006, 04:30 PM

tats freakin great ahahahha i never heard of that

BMWoo · 07-29-2006, 04:44 PM

I have two cars at the moment, and tried to trade them both in. Newer Z, no prob. But I have a 1997 Explorer with 175k miles. Good shape. Trade value is $2500. He said, and I quote, "well frankly, we don't really even want the Explorer, but we'll give you $100 if you want".

I can sell it for $3k I'm sure.

06-30-2006, 12:53 PM	#1
murman New Member 1 Rep 12 Posts Drives: E91 maybe Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Vancouver BC iTrader: (0)	BMW refused to take my 318i in trade ?!?!? Is this normal? Was negotiating a sale for a new E91, and the BMW dealer refused to take my 318i in trade: 9.5 years old (1997 model) 150,000 km no accidents was owned in another province for 8.5 years They refused without even looking at it. Is this typical? Will I get the same response if I go to another dealer?
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06-30-2006, 01:03 PM	#2
foofighter Captain 71 Rep 840 Posts Drives: 2017 TRD Off Road 4r - 2018 M3 Join Date: May 2006 Location: The OC iTrader: (1)	yes, typically if it's over 100,000 miles they'll just give you 500 for the thing and it could end up costing them more to resell it to car wholesaler
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06-30-2006, 02:52 PM	#4
xeta Private First Class 11 Rep 136 Posts Drives: Silver 330xi, 6MT Join Date: May 2006 Location: Massachusetts, USA iTrader: (0)	Go to another dealership. I traded in my 95 325is with 130,000 miles on it for over 2G's. Go to another dealer. Someone will want your money. __________________
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07-01-2006, 10:48 AM	#5
toolfan Banned 24 Rep 455 Posts Drives: E90 335i sedan Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Palatine,IL iTrader: (1)	I have seen 5 series traded in with over 250,000 miles in them.
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07-01-2006, 11:10 AM	#6
scubajag Scuba-JAG 27 Rep 528 Posts Drives: Jet Black 2006&07 B.R. E-92 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: St. Petersburg, Fl iTrader: (0)	I am planning to trade in a 1998 328i with about 90 thousand miles on it, extremely good shape, no accidents, and my dealer told me that there is actually a demand for older BMWs. Need to hit another dealer and try again.
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07-01-2006, 07:22 PM	#8
Bora20 Lieutenant 17 Rep 464 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW X3 3.0si M-Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kamloops, BC, CAD iTrader: (0)	Autowest tried to offer me $18K for my 2000 E320 Wagon 4Matic (112,000km) with all the options. www.vmrcanada.com listed it as around $28K. I laughed at them and said thank you. I will be taking my business to Brian Jessel on Boundary or Kelowna BMW. Both let me take out cars with no intention of buying. One of them will get my money when I can get a 328iT or 330iT, but not before.
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07-01-2006, 07:51 PM	#9
sblument Lieutenant 13 Rep 427 Posts Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Champaign, IL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	that's not normal. I know someone who just a few months ago, traded in a 1993 Integra with 150k miles on it for a CPO E46...they gave him $1000 for it... Motor Werks, Barrington IL __________________ 2006 330i, SP, PP, fold down rear seats, sparkling graphite, black leather, metallic trim.
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07-05-2006, 12:49 AM	#10
angrymofo Private First Class 6 Rep 157 Posts Drives: e60 528i lci Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (3)	Your issue is that up here in Vancouver, there are what 4 BMW dealerships to work with. And basically they have the market cornered, if you want to get any BMW new or used, you are almost forced to goto the dealership. Private sales and other used lots will have BMW's but they are either not Certifiable or private sale. The reason they won't take your trade? cuz they won't be able to sell it for obscene amounts of money. Up here, the BMW dealer's won't look at selling a used BMW unless its 1) Certifiable or they will make over $5k in selling it. Your 318i is not Certifiable, and they probably won't make much money trying to re-sell. I know it sucks, but hey when you control the BMW market in the lower mainland like the 4 dealers do here, they call the shots. Look at the pricing of the Certified BMW's in Vancouver, pricing is crazy if you compare to anywhere else. It because they have the market, if you want a BMW - you have to goto them, period. I found this out getting my E90, I even looked at getting one in Washington state. Good Luck in finding your E91! __________________ 2008 528i Space Gray \| M-tech spoiler \| Tint all around \| GPThunder AE \| ST Suspension coilovers \| RPI exhaust \| BBS RW RIP - 2006 325i Arctic & 2006 330i Sparkling Graphite
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07-05-2006, 03:20 AM	#11
one3 Private 0 Rep 62 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada iTrader: (0)	Just FYI ... earlier this year I went to Park Shore BMW in N. Vancouver ... bought a 325i ... they took my 1988 Prelude with 300,000km in for trade ... they gave me over $1k for it. If the car is older, not worth selling on their lot, they simply sell it to a wholesaler who then resells it to local used car dealers. They still make a few bucks and don't have to worry about having the car on the lot or the time to sell it to an individual. So bottom line : try a different dealer or salesperson. __________________ ----------------------- 2006 BMW 325i -----------------------
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07-05-2006, 01:10 PM	#12
Bora20 Lieutenant 17 Rep 464 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW X3 3.0si M-Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kamloops, BC, CAD iTrader: (0)	Call http://kelowna.bmw.ca/en/pub/home/home.aspx and ask to speak to Matt Muise. Tell him that Dan B. from Kamloops sent you to him. Kelowna BMW has lots of different cars for sale on their lot. The interior is a different world to the Lower Mainland, so you car would be desirable, not worth a whole lot, but still they would take it. Good luck! Dan
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07-05-2006, 03:04 PM	#14
Ryan 330i Major 57 Rep 1,181 Posts Drives: '09 E93 335i Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Francisco \| LA \| Oregon iTrader: (0)	someone traded a 1990 525 in here. it was the poorest shape BMW i had ever seen in my life. No joke. 265k miles, and had no paint left. $500 for it. __________________ 2009 E93 335i \| Jet \| Black Dakota \| Grey Poplar \| ZPP \| ZSP \| ZCW \| Step \| Paddles \| i-Drive \| CA \| Sirius \| HD \| Logic7 \| 06FL \| 06NF \| PDC \| OEM Alarm \| LUX Retired: 2007 E92 335i Retired: 2006 E90 330i
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07-05-2006, 10:26 PM	#16
suzer Private First Class 2 Rep 103 Posts Drives: '06 325xiT Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO iTrader: (0)	When I went in to run numbers on leasing my first BMW I meekly asked if the dealer would offer me anything for my nearly 10 year-old Toyota 4Runner. Originally the CA said no way, but when he called me back a couple of days later to see what it would take to get me "comfortable" with the numbers he had given me, I told him the truth - if he'd take that 4Runner off my hands, I'd come in and deal. 3 hours later I owned an X5. And there's only one BMW dealership in the whole area, so he could have pulled the monopoly card on me (want a BMW or not? - your choice). It's possible I could have made more money if I had sold it myself. But I didn't want the hassle, and I don't like strangers, especially coming to the house. __________________ 2006 325xiT \| Alpine White \| Black Leather
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07-05-2006, 10:37 PM	#17
Bora20 Lieutenant 17 Rep 464 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW X3 3.0si M-Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kamloops, BC, CAD iTrader: (0)	Using www.vmrcanada.com and inputting the data for a 1997 318i, 4 door sedan, without any options, and 150,000km, your car would be worth the following: Wholesale - $8800 Retail - $10,550 If I had more specifics, it would be a closer figure. I don't think that those figures are unreasonable for your car though.
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07-06-2006, 01:16 AM	#18
just4kickz boku no namae ha... 342 Rep 11,023 Posts Drives: 2006 BS 330i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: S. Bay Area, CA + Newark, NJ + ChiCity + True Blue iTrader: (11) Garage List 2006 E90 330i [0.00]	well my parents traded in a really old... SEL420 and the dealer said that it would be very difficult to resell a car that had over 100,000 miles... and even harder to find a buyer who wanted taht old car.... but he had a friend who could buy it and he would take the car... so we got 2 g's for it... haha i was kinda surprised but yeahh makes sense that anything over 100,000 miles would be difficult to sell from another dealership... the dealership would probably have to sell it to some other private buyer who would sell it to somebody who wanted to restore the old car or just needed a really old beater. __________________ looking for a PreLCI Black Sapphire e90 front bumper without license plate holes "Akimbo shotguns. Broken wrists anyone? And don't give me that 'it's just a game' bull**. Where the are my akimbo interventions then?! One scope on each eye mother**er!!"
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07-06-2006, 02:21 AM	#19
BMW F22 Major General 3652 Rep 9,783 Posts Drives: ///M235i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (8)	I sold an 87 325i with 178,000 miles on it for $600 and the car wasnt even in what I would call "perfect" condition. you should be able to get a few grand for your 318. G'luck
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07-29-2006, 04:30 PM	#21
and1bball919 It's not just about horsepower, but how powerful your horses are. 40 Rep 563 Posts Drives: MG Delivery truck Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: California iTrader: (4)	tats freakin great ahahahha i never heard of that
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07-29-2006, 04:44 PM	#22
BMWoo Private First Class 3 Rep 127 Posts Drives: 03 Z MT, 06 330i Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Midwest iTrader: (0)	I have two cars at the moment, and tried to trade them both in. Newer Z, no prob. But I have a 1997 Explorer with 175k miles. Good shape. Trade value is $2500. He said, and I quote, "well frankly, we don't really even want the Explorer, but we'll give you $100 if you want". I can sell it for $3k I'm sure.
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