Purchasing an X3 from a BMW dealership with comments

[ThorinOakenshield]

Hey guys - new member here so sorry if this question has been asked before

I’m currently in the market for used BMW X3 2.0D G01. There’s one available at a certain bmw dealership that falls within my budget - however upon doing checks - The car does fact have comments - I’m no expert when it comes to cars and how that will affect its resale value - According to the dealership the damage was approx 80k where they replaced the rear and front door , they mentioned the damage was ‘non structural’ - How much will that affect the resale value of the car if I were to sell it 4 years down the line? Thanks for taking the time to read

 

[MR_Y]

Hi

What is the mileage, year model and asking price?
Also what "line" does the car have (M Sport, X Line, Standard)

We can then advise whether the price is ballpark.

If you are getting the car at a decent enough discount, then the perceived drop in resale in 4 years may not be as bitter a pill to swallow...

 

[ThorinOakenshield]

Hi. It’s a 2019 X3 Msport with roughly 78000kms - Priced at R490k

 

[MR_Y]

Hi. It’s a 2019 X3 Msport with roughly 78000kms - Priced at R490k

Similar age and mileage cars are selling around R550k.

If it is a BMW dealership, see if they can sweeten the deal with an extended Motorplan.

If the car was repaired to BMW standards (BMW approved body repair) and the panel gaps are not concerning, then it might be worth the gamble.

I would like others on the forum to also respond.

This is my experience:

I bought a 2018 G01, from BMW Sandton in 2022, that had undisclosed accident damage of R60k - I found out a year afterwards. If I had known at the time of purchase, I may have cancelled the deal. But, the damage was not structural and did not impact the Motorplan. The car has performed very well and I am keeping it longer than expected, so the accident history has become a non-issue for me.

I think kudos to your dealer for disclosing the repairs. I would advise that you also pull a VIN report just to verify if there wasn't any other damage that is being undisclosed. Also, just confirm that the Motorplan is indeed still active.

 

[ThorinOakenshield]

@MR_Y Man thank you for this - I’ve been going back and forth whether to put down a deposit on this for the past couple of weeks - Happy to hear some insight from someone with similar XP - yup all repairs done at BMW ARC so happy days.

 

[YozTruly]

Hi OP.

The resale value is anyone’s guess to be honest. Just know that the G01 X3 was BMWs best seller for a few years, so there won’t be a shortage of options 4 years from now. With infinite options, many people will stay clear of ones with disclosed accident damage. If you want to maximise resale, you probably should stay away from that car. Maybe try find one a little over your budget and try negotiating it down (might take a few attempts at different dealers).

Also note, you are buying the Pre-LCI model. LCI models will likely be more desirable down the road.

Resale value is a horrible thing to factor in when thinking of buying a BMW. Second hand pricing is all over the place.

 

[KevM]

I doubt that 4 years from now any prospective buyer will even do such a check. It becomes a bit irrelevant on a 10 year old car. Mine had R90k damage in its first year, light, fender and bumper .... parts are so expensive that it creates a perception of serious damage. If not structural and it was repaired properly, it should not be an issue.

 

[MR_Y]

@MR_Y Man thank you for this - I’ve been going back and forth whether to put down a deposit on this for the past couple of weeks - Happy to hear some insight from someone with similar XP - yup all repairs done at BMW ARC so happy days.

Caveat...
I am keeping my car for longer than 4 years.
These cars are pretty strong.
Suggest keeping it a bit longer to minimise any depreciation hit...

 

[Mytfine]

If it was properly done I don't see an issue. As you said it's already around 60k under retail.

 

[TurboLlew]

Similar age and mileage cars are selling around R550k.

If it is a BMW dealership, see if they can sweeten the deal with an extended Motorplan.

If the car was repaired to BMW standards (BMW approved body repair) and the panel gaps are not concerning, then it might be worth the gamble.

I would like others on the forum to also respond.

This is my experience:

I bought a 2018 G01, from BMW Sandton in 2022, that had undisclosed accident damage of R60k - I found out a year afterwards. If I had known at the time of purchase, I would have cancelled the deal. But, the damage was not structural and did not impact the Motorplan. The car has performed very well and I am keeping it longer than expected, so the accident history has become a non-issue for me.

I think kudos to your dealer for disclosing the repairs. I would advise that you also pull a VIN report just to verify if there wasn't any other damage that is being undisclosed. Also, just confirm that the Motorplan is indeed still active.

In agreement here:

Just check the car out thoroughly and you're going to be fine. I don't think it is a bad deal.

I think there are many MANY cars (even at dealers) that have had cosmetic work done and not disclosed (and also not commented). Psychologically we want a car to be 'clean' but there are very few out there past, say, 5 years old that present very well cosmetically AND have had no work done. You will either spot the wear/tear or start to ask questions. I'd rather the car had a comment and it was a known value than me visibly seeing that something was done and having to dig myself.

In terms of cosmetic (or rather non-structural) that can actually cover ALOT more than you would imagine. The devil is in the detail... It's one of those 'hand wave' comments but there can be more to it. You can have cars with 300-400K comments that are considered non-structural repairs. You could also have a car with half that value in damage that is a major structural repair because some specific part was hit/compromised. The value really is more a function of how fancy the part was that was hit is (eg: an option light, carbon-loaded section that also gets marked up vs. what you'd pay retail or even things like radiators/oil coolers that have to be replaced as a whole system with extra tests and calibrations - where their repair procedure requires it to maintain warranty/plan). As with many things, they are making it harder and harder to get the details of repairs in the name of POPI (outside the nebulous 'overall' value)

In general though IMHO under R100K is not much to worry about on modern cars, though it can seem like alot after the car has depreciated. As with any kind of repair or maintenance you have to take the original value of the car into account for context. R100K on a R1M car doesn't seem as bad as R100K on a R300K car does. There's the BMW tax as well as ARC tax on these things to maintain your plan as well. There are repairs I've had on other non-BMW cars that I know I could have probably taken to a shop and sorted for half the price, still using OEM parts. That said, looking at what Midrand ARC (ABS) did relative to other panel shops with other cars, I can't really fault the work they did 'under the skin' and I had several inspections (granted my work was also just cosmetic). You'll always spot the odd paint imperfection (months or even years later) but unless it is a very dodgy or careless repair there is no real issue buying something with a comment.

 

[ThorinOakenshield]

Amazing thanks for all these responses chaps - I’m probably going to pull the trigger on this - Will send an update during the week!

 

[Nastaliq]

Remember, what everyone is saying here is Do your own research. Information is power and the more you understand about WHAT was repaired on the car, the more capable of understanding how big of an issue its likely to become further down the road.

Also I know for a fact brand new cars delivered from the port often have damage which is repaired and then delivered to a client.
Therefore its hard to find a car these days that hasnt had some work, unless its been parked in a garage and unused. Yhese are rare, but they exist.

Ultimately the advice is avoid things that have damage to air suspension, engine mountings and absolutely anything with water damage (you will save money today, but are going to pay alot down the road when modules cease to function, looms pack up and electrical faults start).

Use what you know about the damage to your advantage. In my case i tried to use the fact that the car had significant damage to try and squeeze the price down, but the seller wasnt having it, and there will likely be some unsuspecting buyer who will come along and think hes getting a deal at the current price.

All the best and i hope you score a great deal.

 

[ThorinOakenshield]

Hello everyone. Just an update on this - Took delivery of the X3 today. Will post some pics soon.

 

[user06]

Hello everyone. Just an update on this - Took delivery of the X3 today. Will post some pics soon

Congrats man, I'm sure it'll give you many happy km's

 

[Nastaliq]

Congrats, I wish you many happy KMs in the future.

 

[m0lt3n]

any pics?

You happy with your purchase?