Buy new or second?

[moranor@axis]

take the money you want to spend on a car... put some of it away for repairs and buy second hand...

depreciation is the main cost of owning any luxury car...

the problem with owning an e90 off MP now is that there are not so many parts available away from bmw... this will change as the car gets older...

personalty i think now is the right time to buy an e46... they still in good condition and parts are easy to come by...

if you looking at second hand the 5 series is most often the best deal... so you might want to expand your search...

 

[Sith]

+1, there really are some great 5 Series deals out there, worth a look.

 

[Philip Foglar]

Exactly, and now especially since there is a new 3 series on the way. Look at how easy it is to get parts for an E46 today, same will be the case for the E90.

 

[Doomsdaya]

Would a demo qualify as a good 2nd hand to buy ?

 

[A B]

This sums it up very nicely Nastaliq. Price of car vs. new customised car of your choice.
In my case its more about having a motorplan that runs over my repayment period and being able to select the colour and extras that I want.
But where affordability becomes an issue, a pre-owned vehicle may be the only solution, although I've always thought that new cars give less problems, which I know (from experience) is not true.

So do you purchase a new vehicle or a pre-owned vehicle of your dreams.


1. Is there a difference between a pre-owned and a demo vehicle?
2. Is it risky purchasing from a private seller if the car is still underplan motorplan?
3. Does not being the 1st owner affect the resale/trade-in value?

 

[saturnz]

I'm reminded of a picture of a hot looking girl in a seductive pose with the BMW badge at the bottom and a line "do you care if its used?"

Obviously promoting their used cars section.

 

[Rambam]

BMW has some great deals on at the moment so new is looking more and more lke an option, however I think once you make that commitment and to really benefit from it you need to keep buying new from then on. Personally I could never buy a new car, the moment you hit the tar for that first bitter sweet time and 50k just drops off the value would kill me. As would the first stone chip or door knocking numb nuts parking lot dent I received... As long as the pre-owned package comes with a valid motor plan

 

[Sankekur]

Here is what we go to the dealers and just sit in and fiddle with all the new cars on the showroom and smell all the smells etc (then drive away with our 540i that cost us less than a tenth of the price of a new 320i)

 

[frikkieh]

I will go for secondhand - ultimately BMW pre-owned with balance of MP.

Take LZ's example:
You put away some cash - once off.
Let's assume the car is just out of MP. You are on your own to get the maintenance done. If the car has a full service history it should be well maintained (chance #1).
Something breaks - you need access to that cash and most people do not have the discipline to leave it untouched and use it purely for if the car breaks down. (chance #2)
If nothing breaks you still have good cash...
But if you do this, don't do what I did and not pay a "car payment" (save some more cash in your cash pool for the car) and get to the point where you cannot renew anymore with a newer (second hand) model of at least the same type. If it is not done, you will not stay in the market in terms of affordability of a newer model.

If you don't service the car properly and get a dealer stamp, you will loose for not maintaining a full service history (chance #3). And have a higher risk in terms of breaking down (chance #4).

But you may DIY your maintenance and save thousands - will it add up for the loss on a dealer's maintenance stamp? (or make your own stamp :roflol
Probably Yes, Probably No.

I found that I simply can't replace my car because I haven't saved like this.
I got away with, but the maintenance has caught up with me. Reliability does become more of an issue because the car becomes very much older.

I have not seen any other manufacturer with such after market support and support groups. ETK & RealOEM.com, TIS, OBD II tools, and of course BMWFanatics.co.za are all available.

Therefore IMO (unless you can swing a spanner yourself or get someone to do it cheaply) most people should opt for a BMW pre-owned with balance of MP and renew often.

 

[A B]

Because of the poor trade in value on my car perhaps I should trade in my wife's Rav instead - has about same trade in value. And still enjoy my old and new car

 

[tcal69]

Nothing beats a new car smell:rollsmile:

 

[WyKiD]

Nothing beats a new car smell:rollsmile:

...can be obtained as an airfreshner:roflol:

 

[///M_Diesel]

With the discounts on some model E90s i would go new 5/100000km upto 7 years ..... :rollsmile: almost the same price as a demo :rollsmile:

depending on ur price range n what u looking for...