Five things to check when buying a used BMW 3 Series
From an economically amicable car in the beginning to a high end luxury vehicle, BMW has fledged a long way in a few decades with lots of advances, changes, and innovations. What didn’t change all the while is the superior quality that it provides. Including its legendary dynamics and advanced engineering, BMW 3 series has maintained its promising driving experience all through. Now who wouldn’t like to have a taste of that? But here’s the good news! Even if one isn’t all set to buy a new car, there are no fewer alternatives to get the dream car! An increasingly alluring option for budget strained buyers is to get hold of the used ones. But even buying a used car is daunting, in its own way.
Here are five key things you need to be aware of before cutting the cheque off the book:
- Proper Research:
The first step to buy a used BMW is to gather as much information as possible: Consumer reports, auto reviews, gas consumptions, and maintenance. Checking complete service history is another important aspect. The best option will, however, be checking out the car yourself or to take a specialized mechanic to the show room and examine the car thoroughly. These include checking the door handles, hairline cracks in the alloy wheels, APS pumps, and also oil leaks.
2. The Paper Works :
Paper works should also be read scrupulously with patience and attention. As a used car gets transformed from one owner to another, there are nooks and corners to be dealt with. The previous car purchase invoice, loan history (if there’s any), tax receipt, Registration Certificate are few of the essentials. Next comes getting the insurance transferred to your name. Here’s a little but a very important thing we often miss out being carried away during the purchase. Remember, having the insurance name transferred will add up to the financial security and claim cover in case damage occurs by any chance.
3. Certified Pre-owned Car :
One of the first and foremost things important here is to have a certified pre-owned BMW. The certification provides a long-term warranty which is only offered after a rigorous test fully resolving any visual or technical flaws. The warranty program in fact provides a protection plan of 100,000 miles or 6 years of coverage. It also provides you roadside assistance 24/7. Besides there are special financial offers like loans and payment plans that sometimes comes with only the pre-owned cars. So having a certified authorized car basically reduces half your job to test it as you get an authorized testing history of the car.
4. Depreciation :
There is a great deal of depreciation hit when it comes to BMW. Within a few years its effect almost turns the price to half. For a new car the depreciation hit is the worst. And then it keeps going on as, for example, a six year old BMW 3-Series will be around $17,000 while the price of the same car 3 years old might have been $30,000. This along with maintenance and insurance cost may shoot way too high. Owing to such factors, it will be better to buy a 5–6 year old BMW to avoid the huge depreciation hit.
5. Choosing the model and Testing the car itself :
Due to depreciation hit and certification of pre-owned cars, you get opened up to a lot of models which you would have probably been unable to buy because of their sky high price. So choosing the right model becomes quite a daunting task for you. Enlist your capacity and needs, tally them with the models, and of course choose the one that serves maximum criteria. When you visit the showroom, whether it’s a certified pre-owned car or not, test a few things yourself as well. Try to actuate the power windows individually, and while doing so, notice the irregular noise operation. You should also check the cooling system leaks by taking up the hood. BMW uses mineral coolant which is dark blue in general tuning to chalk white when dries down. The check engine light must not be illuminated. While lifting the car, always use jack stands or floor jacks which comes with safety locks. Notice the brushings, the clucking sound while you brake hard. Observe the wheels well. Last but not the least go for a test drive yourself. Test drive will state your comfort level and your connectivity to the vehicle you will be owning. So this is really an important step.
Summing Up
However, if all these seem to be way too complicated, you can always ask for assistance from specialised people of different sections related to 3 series. But taking care of these things is of utmost importance. Once you’re done with the scrutiny and things settle down well, buying a used model from BMW 3 series will be a complete win-win!
