[WGTKTMB]

So I'm looking at a few 2012-2013 BMW 3 series. I'm wondering if i should buy one still under warranty with less than 50k miles or buy one out of warranty with more than 50k miles and get a warranty.

This will be my first BMW so i don't know how much issues they have have or will have.

Does BMW offer warranty on all F30 out of warranty or are there hoops i need to jump through to get it?
Any recommendation on where to get it?
Do i need to get the car looked at BMW first?

can anyone comments on their experience and what i need to know to help me out?

[335penguin]

I had multiple issues with my 2013 328i sportline, roughly had 70k miles on it bought it with 14k miles CPO and it was still under warranty. Without the warranty I would've ended up paying a lot for repairs had multiple transmission malfunction error messages even after repairs they kept replacing different parts it eventually was fixed and all done under warranty. I no longer have it as I didn't feel safe anymore after breaking down multiple times

Every car is different I recommend getting a warranty but it's up to you. With a used car I feel a warranty is a good idea, no telling how the previous owner took care if it.

[JVBFTW]

Given the number of times I've had my 2013 320i in for warranty work, I'd highly recommend getting an extended warranty.

[tturedraider]

It depends on mileage and how much you know about the car. If I was buying one that I knew was meticulously maintained and cared for I wouldn't be as inclined to worry about it. For the average car I know nothing about; that's another story.

Personally, I'd pass on the 2012 model year.

[jayg80]

If it was me I would only consider a used BMW if it was certified pre-owned. You may pay a little more upfront but then you have peace of mind for years to come.

[munu]

Certified car gives you only extra 2 years. Why not buy extended warranty from third party which will give you up to 5 years

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by munu

Certified car gives you only extra 2 years. Why not buy extended warranty from third party which will give you up to 5 years

That's what I did. Bumper-to-bumper/exclusionary, 5 yrs/72,000 miles from warranty inception for $2,400. It took my car to eight years old or 123,000 miles.

Exclusionary is basically bumper-to-bumper. Exclusionary means everything is covered except the items that are specifically excluded, e.g. damaged wheels, worn out muffler, maybe power motors for seats and windows, etc. The other type is Stated Components.

You have to be very careful. I did a lot of research. I didn't have many claims and I never had a problem getting payment, but it looks like the company that backed my warranty is now out of business.

[cesarortiz23]

Highly recommended warranty dude

[jhuber]

Hopefully you never need it but for the cost of
Extended warranty even if you need it only 1 or 2 times it will likely pay for itself if you plan to take your car in to BMW and use genuine parts

[philipm785]

If you're looking at 2013 models you can probably find one with some balance of the factory warranty which would give you a chance to take car of any initial issues related to how aggressively the car was maintained (I'm thinking things like rattles that aren't covered under extended warranties). Getting a car with, say, 6-12 months of factory warranty + CPO should give you a pretty good experience and reasonably low risk. You can always add a third party warranty later. Plus, while inspection standards do unfortunately vary from dealer to dealer, buying a CPO car gives you a better shot at getting something that's in good condition to start with. I have a CPO 2012 335 and love it.

[pjkbrit]

Buy CPO with extended warranty.....no way I would risk it....you only need ONE thing to crap out and it's already worth it. These cars are way too complex to trust to luck and initial quality. I just got a 2013 328 with CPO.....the Dealer presented the car with 4 new wheels, 4 new tires, 4 new brake discs and pads. It was/is immaculate...and is guaranteed to 100K and 2019 with free maintenance to 2018....it's worth it. There are many non CPO cars out there. After huge research I found that they cost about the SAME but no way are they as clean or well prepped for sale....or factory guaranteed to 100K

[FriskyDingo]

In a word- yes.

[335BOY]

Originally Posted by WGTKTMB

So I'm looking at a few 2012-2013 BMW 3 series. I'm wondering if i should buy one still under warranty with less than 50k miles or buy one out of warranty with more than 50k miles and get a warranty.

This will be my first BMW so i don't know how much issues they have have or will have.

Does BMW offer warranty on all F30 out of warranty or are there hoops i need to jump through to get it?
Any recommendation on where to get it?
Do i need to get the car looked at BMW first?

can anyone comments on their experience and what i need to know to help me out?

Personally, there is no chance i would ever drive a BMW out of warranty due to Past experience at end of warranty. Lots of people have been trouble free but I dont know any of them. In fact I only know one die hard BMW guy. The rest bailed. Great fun cars but cover your as$.

[WGTKTMB]

Originally Posted by 335penguin

I had multiple issues with my 2013 328i sportline, roughly had 70k miles on it bought it with 14k miles CPO and it was still under warranty. Without the warranty I would've ended up paying a lot for repairs had multiple transmission malfunction error messages even after repairs they kept replacing different parts it eventually was fixed and all done under warranty. I no longer have it as I didn't feel safe anymore after breaking down multiple times

Every car is different I recommend getting a warranty but it's up to you. With a used car I feel a warranty is a good idea, no telling how the previous owner took care if it.

I'm looking at the same car right now with 38k miles. When did you get your extended warranty?
Does it rattle?
This is from a regular dealership not a bmw dealership so It's not CPO from what I understand.

[WGTKTMB]

Originally Posted by pjkbrit

Buy CPO with extended warranty.....no way I would risk it....you only need ONE thing to crap out and it's already worth it. These cars are way too complex to trust to luck and initial quality. I just got a 2013 328 with CPO.....the Dealer presented the car with 4 new wheels, 4 new tires, 4 new brake discs and pads. It was/is immaculate...and is guaranteed to 100K and 2019 with free maintenance to 2018....it's worth it. There are many non CPO cars out there. After huge research I found that they cost about the SAME but no way are they as clean or well prepped for sale....or factory guaranteed to 100K

If it's still under warranty, do I need it to be CPO?

[WGTKTMB]

Whoa!!
mind blowing!

I'm looking at one, sportline 2013, 38k. so still under warranty. Does it matter if it's CPO?

[WGTKTMB]

Originally Posted by __

That's what I did. Bumper-to-bumper/exclusionary, 5 yrs/72,000 miles from warranty inception for $2,400. It took my car to eight years old or 123,000 miles.

Exclusionary is basically bumper-to-bumper. Exclusionary means everything is covered except the items that are specifically excluded, e.g. damaged wheels, worn out muffler, maybe power motors for seats and windows, etc. The other type is Stated Components.

You have to be very careful. I did a lot of research. I didn't have many claims and I never had a problem getting payment, but it looks like the company that backed my warranty is now out of business.

Which company did you go with? is it BMW? do they offer their warranty to anyone in any state? I'm in Cali.

[WGTKTMB]

Originally Posted by __

It depends on mileage and how much you know about the car. If I was buying one that I knew was meticulously maintained and cared for I wouldn't be as inclined to worry about it. For the average car I know nothing about; that's another story.

Personally, I'd pass on the 2012 model year.

why not a 2012 model?

[SMC23]

Originally Posted by 335BOY

Personally, there is no chance i would ever drive a BMW out of warranty due to Past experience at end of warranty. Lots of people have been trouble free but I dont know any of them. In fact I only know one die hard BMW guy. The rest bailed. Great fun cars but cover your as$.

Drove my e90 325i to 300k with many years out of warranty and these cars can be reliable when well maintained. Having said that I own my cars from new so know what they go through. I did buy an e36 CPO and that car had nothing but problems. The past owner likely drove it without any care. I would definitely get a CPO if buying used.

[WGTKTMB]

Here’s my scenario"

Car 1
I'm looking at a 2012 black 328 sport line with 52k miles which is about 7 miles from me. The car was purchase at a BMW dealer. I went to the dealer but there is any info on its maintenance. But the car fax shows it's been serviced. I don’t remember where. But I remember been at ease after looking at the car fax. 2 previous owners. The dealer mentioned engine rattling.

2nd
2013 bmw 328i sportline 38k. 300 miles from me. Still under warranty.

3rd car
2013 black bmw 320 CPO with 30k with sport package. 50 miles from me.

Car 2 and 3 are about the same price and $3k more than car 1

[335penguin]

Originally Posted by WGTKTMB

I'm looking at the same car right now with 38k miles. When did you get your extended warranty?
Does it rattle?
This is from a regular dealership not a bmw dealership so It's not CPO from what I understand.

Yes if you're buying from a non BMW dealership it is not CPO, I purchased my extended warranty at the same time I purchased the car it already came with the 2 year 50,000 mile warranty and I purchased the maintenance plan and the 6 year 100,000 mile warranty.

It started giving me problems early on headlamp (headlight) malfunctions multiple times fog light malfunctions, battery issues, then transmission malfunctions. The transmission malfunctions started happening around 65,000 miles and because I had the extended warranty it was all covered I paid nothing and the warranty definitely paid for itself. The labor and parts add up so quick you'd be surprised how fast you get to a $10,000 repair bill.

[335penguin]

Originally Posted by WGTKTMB

Here’s my scenario"

Car 1
I'm looking at a 2012 black 328 sport line with 52k miles which is about 7 miles from me. The car was purchase at a BMW dealer. I went to the dealer but there is any info on its maintenance. But the car fax shows it's been serviced. I don’t remember where. But I remember been at ease after looking at the car fax. 2 previous owners. The dealer mentioned engine rattling.

2nd
2013 bmw 328i sportline 38k. 300 miles from me. Still under warranty.

3rd car
2013 black bmw 320 CPO with 30k with sport package. 50 miles from me.

Car 2 and 3 are about the same price and $3k more than car 1

If I had to choose from your list I'd go with number 3 and I'd get the extended warranty, just my personal opinion. I wish you the best of luck with your purchase.