Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I really appreciate your help! And you guys are right, there are many cars out there that make more sense to buy for that money. The problem is gf has her heart set on specific brands/models and since she has worked hard for her money and it will be her first car I don't want her to regret not buying something she really wanted. She doesn't like any of the Honda or Toyota models.
What she initially wanted was a CTS, but based on my research the most reliable models are the 05 and 07. There's not many 05 for sale that I can find, it's mostly the 04-problematic- models. 07s are more pricey. Her next choice was either an '11 Elantra or Sonata (after a lot of convincing on my part) which are good looking cars with good warranty. The problem with these is there's not much reliability data to look at and prices are not in her price range. I still do think they 're a good deal though and we 'll probably go look at them today, before we head to the BMW dealer for the xi.
Back to the subject, do you guys think I will be asking for too much if I ask the dealer to certify the car? If not, is it worth/wise to buy the extended warranty? I have owned a 05 330ci myself, which was certified (and was happy with), but I initially wanted to buy a black one with manual transmission which wasn't certified. When I asked why the black one wasn't certified the salesman told me the previous owner didn't do oil changes on time and just wasn't in the same condition as the one I ended up buying. If in this case the dealership refuses to certify it or include some sort of warranty does this mean there's something possibly wrong with the car? I'm not sure if I can negotiate on the price much, because the car is the cheapest we've found considering year and mileage, but at the same time I do want them to go the extra mile and throw in something extra for me to be satisfied with the purchase, if we end up buying it.
I just read your post Viking, and thanks for the reply, sounds very reasonable. I have an appointment to go see the car today and will probably end up buying only if they work on the price and throw in warranty. But you are very right, gf does not need the AWD and the extra cost that comes with it
"Fleet vehicle" means it was previously owned by a rental car company, and rented out by the day. Not necessarily a bad thing, as most people who rent cars are fairly responsible adults and the rental company likely gave the car good routine maintenance.
"Sold at Auction" means that it was traded in on a newer car, and the dealer who bought it didn't want to put it on his used car lot, so he took it to an auction house, where other dealers can acquire the car to offer for sale. That's not necessarily a down-side, as dealers can have all kinds of reasons for not wanting to re-sell a particular car in their lot. Also, sold at auction could include police confiscations, bank repos, etc.
Both of the above, though, are red flags, and an indicator that you need to pay special attention to the pitfalls that such cars may be subject to.
"Fleet vehicle" means it was previously owned by a rental car company, and rented out by the day. Not necessarily a bad thing, as most people who rent cars are fairly responsible adults and the rental company likely gave the car good routine maintenance.
"Sold at Auction" means that it was traded in on a newer car, and the dealer who bought it didn't want to put it on his used car lot, so he took it to an auction house, where other dealers can acquire the car to offer for sale. That's not necessarily a down-side, as dealers can have all kinds of reasons for not wanting to re-sell a particular car in their lot. Also, sold at auction could include police confiscations, bank repos, etc.
Both of the above, though, are red flags, and an indicator that you need to pay special attention to the pitfalls that such cars may be subject to.
I drive a "Fleet Vehicle" and it is not a rental car. I work for a company that provides a vehicle for it's field service personnel. Right now I am driving a Dodge Grand Caravan that will soon be traded in for a Toyota Rav4. I drive it and regularly maintain it. If I don't get the regular maintenance done(paid for directly by the leasing company) I start getting ugly emails from my company's fleet manager.
So, not all Fleet vehicles are of questionable value! I am not looking forward to downsizing, since I occasionally need to carry larger packages, but I don't have a choice.
Back to the subject, do you guys think I will be asking for too much if I ask the dealer to certify the car? If not, is it worth/wise to buy the extended warranty? I have owned a 05 330ci myself, which was certified (and was happy with), but I initially wanted to buy a black one with manual transmission which wasn't certified. When I asked why the black one wasn't certified the salesman told me the previous owner didn't do oil changes on time and just wasn't in the same condition as the one I ended up buying. If in this case the dealership refuses to certify it or include some sort of warranty does this mean there's something possibly wrong with the car? I'm not sure if I can negotiate on the price much, because the car is the cheapest we've found considering year and mileage, but at the same time I do want them to go the extra mile and throw in something extra for me to be satisfied with the purchase, if we end up buying it.
Chances are the car won't be able to be certified do to age and miles. If the miles were lower, they might be able to do it on an exceptional example, but once a car starts to push into its 7th+ year of life, the cost of warranties goes way up. If they are willing to offer you a BMW extended warranty, it would all come down to cost, but my guess is it will be on the pricey end given the age and miles. If the only option is a 3rd party warranty, I wouldn't take it as they tend to not be worth much compared to what they cost and cover.
Still though, I go back to some of the words you are using like "worked hard to save her money" and things like that to reiterate that this may not be the best overall choice for her.
We ended up not buying the car. It looked too "base", and color combination didn't look that good. We didn't even get to the point of negotiating and talking about warranty/certification, or test driving it. I feel bad for wasting the salesman's time, but we just weren't impressed at all.
You guys have been very helpful, thanks again
ps. I did ask if it was certified and the answer was no. When I asked why, I was told the reason was to bring the cost down (bs-or at least partial truth). When I ask how do they choose which cars to certify I was told the certify ones that qualify (the truth). But it's clear they didn't want me to know the car didn't qualify. If they were honest and said they don't certify older cars then I'd be ok with it
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
