How do you find the perfect BMW (used cars context)

[AdiS]

Hey Guys,

So I have been watching the market for 330i Individuals for almost a year now by using all the normal online sources such as Gumtree, Car Find, JunkMail etc. It's been interesting, because it almost seems that its impossible to find a decent one if you are a very discerning buyer like me who has high standards. Over the past year I have seen maybe 4 potentials, and 3 of those were from the forum, and 2 ended up not being on the market anyway. It seems almost impossible to find a good one on in the ads.

After having helped a colleague find a lightly used bmw to buy (we eventually found a 2010 320i for him) which was actually a good deal (in this case, mileage and price were more the contributors to it being a good deal rather than the cars condition and maintenance history etc); I have come to realise that the good deals just don't seem to end up on autotrader or gumtree etc. The good deals that pop up are usually spoken for before the point where they are advertised or advertising becomes necessary. For example, if a fanatic has an immaculate e46, they would probably advertise it here before going mainstream. The same thing happens at say dealers on a trade in. If a really good deal comes in, the dealer usually manages to sell the car by contacting potential buyers directly before the necessity arises to advertise.

Now I watch gumtree, auto trader, etc like a hawk. If a car is advertised, I know about it. But it seems that it leaves us with a very average choice when browsing the all the ad sites. Sure, once a blue moon theres a good one, but very rarely. The availability of information in this context is such that it allows for a perfect market in way.

So my question is this.

(1) Do you agree that good deals are probably very rarely advertised in mainstream media, and more likely to be found through contacts/relationships etc?

(2) What is the right strategy for someone like myself who is patient, but ideally wants to hunt for the right deal (Read: loving owner, excellent condition, spec, etc).

I have thought about this a bit, and I thought of maybe starting to build relationships with lots of dealers - both BMW franchise and used dealers - in order to track down a potential sale before it hits the market. BMW dealers - maybe to track down owners through servicing; and used dealers who are likely to end up with the kind of car i'm looking for. But you cant know everyone, and be everywhere all the time.

I know the right car is out there, but how do i find it? This isn't an immediate problem because I'm probably only going to buy next year, but after having watched the market for a whole year through the online sources, there really haven't been many options at all. I'm worried that when I actually do decide im ready to buy, it'll be another year of searching and finding nothing. Yet I'm convinced these cars are just changing hands without me knowing.

Discuss.

 

[Peter@AEW]

By your own admission you will only be able to buy a car next year so pray do tell what the point of your search may be?
If you were to find what you may consider a good deal exactly how would that help you?

I just do not get it.

 

[bmwforlife]

Have to agree you cannot spend a year checking online ads and use that as a yardstick to determine the availibility of cars in the future date when both the economy , market conditions may have changed substantially .

My advice get a crystal ball its more effective at predicting motoring trends .:thumbs:

By your own admission you will only be able to buy a car next year so pray do tell what the point of your search may be?
If you were to find what you may consider a good deal exactly how would that help you?

I just do not get it.

 

[AdiS]

By your own admission you will only be able to buy a car next year so pray do tell what the point of your search may be?
If you were to find what you may consider a good deal exactly how would that help you?

I just do not get it.

Yes, you are correct, it appears almost illogical to pre-empt this problem without being an actual buyer. However, having watched the market for a year being a hypothetical potential buyer, and not really seeing any potential options, I am wondering if it is just coincidence that for the past year none have come up, or if in fact I am doing something wrong in my search.

Edit: finding one and not being able to buy it would provide me with the necessary validation that my search techniques work and I am able to sufficiently monitor the industry. Also, the initial premise for the search was so that come time to actually search for real, I would know the market and would know what to expect in terms of what the true market value of cars are versus sellers asking price.

Maybe I'm just being an idiot and thinking too much about it.

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[Peter@AEW]

By your own admission you will only be able to buy a car next year so pray do tell what the point of your search may be?
If you were to find what you may consider a good deal exactly how would that help you?

I just do not get it.

Yes, you are correct, it appears almost illogical to pre-empt this problem without being an actual buyer. However, having watched the market for a year being a hypothetical potential buyer, and not really seeing any potential options, I am wondering if it is just coincidence that for the past year none have come up, or if in fact I am doing something wrong in my search.

Have you considered that having not allocated the cash for the purpose of buying a car everything you see is not "right".

anyway good luck with the search pointless as it may be

 

[AdiS]

By your own admission you will only be able to buy a car next year so pray do tell what the point of your search may be?
If you were to find what you may consider a good deal exactly how would that help you?

I just do not get it.

Yes, you are correct, it appears almost illogical to pre-empt this problem without being an actual buyer. However, having watched the market for a year being a hypothetical potential buyer, and not really seeing any potential options, I am wondering if it is just coincidence that for the past year none have come up, or if in fact I am doing something wrong in my search.

Have you considered that having not allocated the cash for the purpose of buying a car everything you see is not "right".

anyway good luck with the search pointless as it may be

Without delving into my personal financial situation too much, it's not so much that I haven't allocated the cash so much as when I have decided a good time is to actually spend the money/purchase with all things else in my life considered. Nonetheless, it's not relevant. My question surrounds the technique of finding the right car assuming I'm a ready buyer. How I fund the purchase is not relevant.


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[Raybimmer]

I think a lot of us fanatics spend time on Gumtree etc although we are not directly in the market . So why do we do it ?

I was looking for a e36 328i about 2 years ago , I looked for about 6 months and found one . As it was a second hand car I did not expect a brand new cars condition . I got the white manual car I wanted . I replaced the radiator that was noted in the ad . I am happy with my car .

I think there are too many people looking for a clean 330i , dealers have prospective buyers and as one comes in the salesman contacts a few prospective clients .

Sorry to say but Gumtree might have 1 good 330i for every 5 or more wannabees , we would like to see one car that shouts hello with what it presents , but those very seldom get here . I think more dogs land up here .

By browsing now you may get familiar with prices and features .Prices can move around , E90 prices may go down a bit with the F30 launched , but e46 prices may not be affected .

Good luck .

 

[AdiS]

I think a lot of us fanatics spend time on Gumtree etc although we are not directly in the market . So why do we do it ?

I was looking for a e36 328i about 2 years ago , I looked for about 6 months and found one . As it was a second hand car I did not expect a brand new cars condition . I got the white manual car I wanted . I replaced the radiator that was noted in the ad . I am happy with my car .

I think there are too many people looking for a clean 330i , dealers have prospective buyers and as one comes in the salesman contacts a few prospective clients .

Sorry to say but Gumtree might have 1 good 330i for every 5 or more wannabees , we would like to see one car that shouts hello with what it presents , but those very seldom get here . I think more dogs land up here .

...

Good luck .

Thanks, and yes, that's kind of my point. So how do you find the good ones?


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[Iceman007]

:fencelook: Make sure you have the finance ready and then you search

I think a lot of us fanatics spend time on Gumtree etc although we are not directly in the market . So why do we do it ?

I was looking for a e36 328i about 2 years ago , I looked for about 6 months and found one . As it was a second hand car I did not expect a brand new cars condition . I got the white manual car I wanted . I replaced the radiator that was noted in the ad . I am happy with my car .

I think there are too many people looking for a clean 330i , dealers have prospective buyers and as one comes in the salesman contacts a few prospective clients .

Sorry to say but Gumtree might have 1 good 330i for every 5 or more wannabees , we would like to see one car that shouts hello with what it presents , but those very seldom get here . I think more dogs land up here .

...

Good luck .

Thanks, and yes, that's kind of my point. So how do you find the good ones?


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[Bayn46]

Finding my car was pure luck.

A friend from work drove passed a dealer on the way home from work; next morning he casually mentions that he saw a white, manual E46 330i at this place. My first reaction was to laugh at him, thinking that there is no way in hell he found this car (I'd been scouring the internet for a month, plenty of sleepless nights and weekend driving).

I phoned the guy to check if it was legit (it was), and sped down there right after my meeting. I found out that it had just been put back on the floor the previous morning; hadn't even hit Autotrader yet. This was on a Friday, and I picked up the car the following Monday :joy: The salesman said he had a few phone calls about the car over the weekend (could be sales talk, but I doubt it because I had already put down a deposit), so I got it just in time.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen a clean one for sale in ages, just a lot of overpriced junk :fishwack:

I almost settled on a 325ci, not that it's a bad car, but daaaamn am I happy that I waited. I know it's a pain to be patient, but it's worth it in the long run.

 

[wikk3d88]

A large dose of luck

My E36 was bought from the family doctor, was lucky to find one with such low mileage and a fairly comprehensive service history. The timing was just right.
Same story with my grans 325i, low mileage but well cared for. When the time comes to sell it i doubt ill put an ad on Gumtree, word of mouth works so much better and you tend to avoid the riff raff.

There is a 4 door late model E30 325i I would love to get my hands on, damn near immaculate condition, The owner lives on my street and has refused all offers for the car (last i heard it was a taxi owner who pitched up with 60k cash). I really hope i can catch him on a good day when he wants to eventually sell

 

[mo_s]

when in the 2nd hand market patience is a virtue..:thumbs:

 

[frikkieh]

You post an add: wanted 330i individual. Let the car come to you.

Dealers want to rip you off anyway, and you don't know what you buy. Been through dealer dissapointments 3 times, 2 of them BMW's. Rather buy a good pre-owned one from a BMW dealership.

 

[Gizmo]

You post an add: wanted 330i individual. Let the car come to you.

Dealers want to rip you off anyway, and you don't know what you buy. Been through dealer dissapointments 3 times, 2 of them BMW's. Rather buy a good pre-owned one from a BMW dealership.

I shopped for 4 months for the right touring, this one I got from SMG PMB, bought it over the phone without viewing it, superb car!

 

[Jonny]

Remember prices are negotiable (most of the time), obviously the dealer/advertiser is going to put up the highest price he can get, usually they can be brought down. What I do is, look at trade-in values and make an offer based around that and the advertised price.

They dont call them stealerships for nothing!!

 

[Clownshoe]

In my experience the best way to look for a car is have the money ready and be serious.

When I was looking for the X5 I did the gumtree autotrader thing for a few weeks seriously. I found some prospectives but like you appart from regular gumtree posters, gumtree seems the last ditch attampt to sell a car.

T most effective way to effectively buy a car is too call dealers and tellthem what you are looking for. Some places will try and source it for you. Others will call as soon have they have something instock.Try specialist garages aswell. they have the inside line on what is for sale.

 

[Doomsdaya]

My E36 was bought from the family doctor

I bought my car from a family member & will continue to do so in the future....

 

[AdiS]

In my experience the best way to look for a car is have the money ready and be serious.

When I was looking for the X5 I did the gumtree autotrader thing for a few weeks seriously. I found some prospectives but like you appart from regular gumtree posters, gumtree seems the last ditch attampt to sell a car.

T most effective way to effectively buy a car is too call dealers and tellthem what you are looking for. Some places will try and source it for you. Others will call as soon have they have something instock.Try specialist garages aswell. they have the inside line on what is for sale.

Yea I think you're right. Have the funds ready so you can make a move quickly, and network in the dealer space.

 

[Legacy]

Like someone on the forum always says (think it might be Calypso): You don't find the right car, it finds you.

I personally cannot agree more with this statement.

raise:

 

[Sankekur]

I couldn't agree more....that and a nice side helping of luck works as well :rollsmile:

This was exactly what happened when I was searching for my 330i, was looking for a couple of months and had my brother helping me look as well. He went to a used car dealer to look at a 330i, this after I told him not to bother as it was black one and I didn't really care for a black car. Just as he was at the dealer they brought in a sliver 330i individual that they just got from an auction (or wherever they get their cars from). Later the following week it was parked in my garage
The right car finding you does of course not mean you just sit and wait and then one day your doorbell rings and there is someone wanting to sell you the car you want, it is the searching that make it more possible for the right car to find you, and you are also more in a mindset to spot an opportunity.

WRT the the searching, I have to say I didn't even use the online stuff that much, usually bought the autotrader and just looked through that. I also just went to the used car dealers and had a look around. In PTA there is usually lots of used car dealers in the same street so I just park and walk through all the dealers just to have a look at what everyone has.