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A close friend has a 2007 X3 close to 150k miles which still looks and drive like new (drove it recently).
No major issues (engine, transmission or anything over $1,000 repair) so far.
Don't listen to "grapes are sour & chicken little" crowd here, BMW are great handling vehicles, as long as you take care of them.
I would not get extended warranty but I also have a very good mechanic specialized in European cars (Porsche, BMW, Audi, MB and higher).
I recommend you stay away from BMW dealer (very expensive) and find a trusty mechanic trained on BMW who has the latest BMW software reading computer for easy troubleshooting.
Most of the problem people have with high end European cars it is that they treat them like appliances and they think anybody can fix them with aftermarket low quality parts while they cannot even read the fault codes...
Thanks for all the comments and advice. We did NOT purchase any extended warranty or the "prepaid" maintenance plans. This vehicle had a 4 year maintenance plan and it was put into service May 2014, so I have maintenance covered until May 2018. It's still under its original warranty, and since it was CPO, I have the additional warranty on top of that. We took out a loan of about 50% of the sales price, so the plan is to pay it off before it's out of warranty and then if any big ticket items come up, it won't be that big of a deal.
I am thoroughly enjoying driving it! While not a large SUV, it drives even "smaller" than my old Honda Accord. It turns on a dime, and the driving position/visibility is great for a shorty like me
The CPO program that BMW has is one of the best in the industry since it covers most non-wear items for 6 years / 100,000 miles. Mercedes has a similar warranty, but it's 5 years / unlimited miles. Most people will hit the "year" expiration before the mileage.
Extended warranty/ CPO is worth it if you end up with a major powertrain malfunction...like, say, if your transmission blows out and needs to be fully replaced. It could potentially pay for a something that costs several thousand dollars to fix. If something of this sort never happens, you essentially wasted your money...but there's no way of no knowing these things.
I did not purchase the extended warranty or a prepaid maintenance package. Would you recommend doing this before my warranty & maintenance plan run out, or take my chances?
It's a BMW so absolutely yes, get a top to bottom top tier maintenance and warranty package.
Quote:
Originally Posted by funcrusher3000
nor is maintenance that much more expensive.
You're definitely wrong on this account. I'm sure the OPs new purchase will last well beyond 50k miles but the things that actually do need to be fixed will be expensive!!! Hence the need for the warranty. But of course if you're the type of person that's going to buy a luxury SUV in the first place then money is probably not a major concern in your life.
The CPO program that BMW has is one of the best in the industry since it covers most non-wear items for 6 years / 100,000 miles. Mercedes has a similar warranty, but it's 5 years / unlimited miles. Most people will hit the "year" expiration before the mileage.
It has to be a top CPO program. The dealers have to move all those lease cars. Without that program, the residual value would be lousy and people would be priced out of new car leases. Smart business.
It's a BMW so absolutely yes, get a top to bottom top tier maintenance and warranty package.
You're definitely wrong on this account. I'm sure the OPs new purchase will last well beyond 50k miles but the things that actually do need to be fixed will be expensive!!! Hence the need for the warranty. But of course if you're the type of person that's going to buy a luxury SUV in the first place then money is probably not a major concern in your life.
The people who buy a 3 or 4 year old X3 care about repair costs.
The people who buy a 3 or 4 year old X3 care about repair costs.
Exactly. If I wanted to have a perpetual car payment and never own my own vehicle, I'd lease a new one every 3 years and not worry about repair & maintenance costs. But, that's not how I prefer to handle things, so yes....maintenance cost matters.
I'm not new to Euro cars. Have owned a 3 series BMW many years ago, a Volvo, a Mercedes, and a VW. Volvo was purchased new and went for 200k miles; Mercedes didn't have any real problems until electric & tranny issues started around 125k miles. VW was a 2007 Passat wagon, and literally the minute my warranty ran out, things started falling apart with that car. It totally turned me against anything else VW. Never had any issues with the BMW....bought it new when I was VERY young, and traded it after about 3 years because I felt like it was a bad luck magnet....not with mechanical issues but with accidents! I was in 1 accident and 3 fender benders in that car....decided it must have bad 'juju' and traded it in.
It's a BMW so absolutely yes, get a top to bottom top tier maintenance and warranty package.
You're definitely wrong on this account. I'm sure the OPs new purchase will last well beyond 50k miles but the things that actually do need to be fixed will be expensive!!! Hence the need for the warranty. But of course if you're the type of person that's going to buy a luxury SUV in the first place then money is probably not a major concern in your life.
2014 lease returns go for about $20k-$22k +/-. The X3 isn't really a luxury SUV, it's a mid market car that people buy for the badge, especially used ones. Similar mileage/year Toyota Highlanders will fetch $3k-$4k more with slightly less original purchase costs, that should tell you something.
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