Approved used premium price

[Bigivo1]

Hi all,

My lease car (Leon cupra) is going back next Friday. I've not seen any lease deals to temp me so I'm looking at used. Really fancy an F30 330d or 335d around the 2015/16 Reg. I had an e90 330i and it was a good and reliable motor.

I've seen a few cars I'm interested in, however I've seen two similar cars that have most of what I want in terms of options. Compared to a similar spec car (minus one or two options) the approved used car is £4k more (£13.5k and £17.5k). Does that seem normal in terms of the premium that an approved used car would demand? In terms of warranty I'm guessing that could be purchased for a lot less than the difference, even from BMW.

Grateful for opinions.

[CJ1]

Personally I tend to always stick to approved used. I’ve been stung too many times! I would say £4K premium definitely is a bit steep. Have a look at cars nationwide on Approved Used and consider getting it delivered FOC, after all if anything goes wrong it’s under a BMW Warranty at your local dealer.

[gizlaroc]

£4k more?

If it is under 60k miles you could stick a years BMW warranty on for £60 a month.

[mmm-five]

How much value do you put on having the security of an AUC warranty or some come back if the car's a lemon over buying from a private seller?

Assuming the private car has a full history, you could save a chunk of cash by buying an insured warranty as has been mentioned.

Of course, we don't know what discount you'll be able to negotiate off either of these cars - so the eventual difference may be less.

[England87]

Even approved used I would run through a vcar check. Been looking at private M135i‘s and Adding a bmw comprehensive warranty only works out about £35 per month so a big saving. I’m not sure 150 whatever point multicheck AUC are all they’re cracked up to be and from experience if anything goes wrong having bought from a dealer doesn’t count for much unfortunately. I’d take the saving and a warranty... good luck with your purchase,

[dasbimmerowner]

Just remember with the extended warranty you (or the previous owner) needs to have had it serviced to BMW standards (so using OEM parts etc) with the appropriate service history. In the past I've found that you can play dealers off against one another and save a reasonable amount e.g. find a similar car from another dealer and tell dealer A that BMW "X location" has one for 3k cheaper, so you'd be prepared to negotiate on this one if they're willing to bring it in line.

[RUSSELLM]

For an F30, I’d happily pay up to a £1k for an AUC over an identical vehicle (Condition/mileage/History etc), elsewhere.

£4K would be a bit much for me.

Edited by RUSSELLM on Friday 10th July 13:12

[PanicBuyingBogRoll]

I paid the same but for a car with less options and a year older when I got my F11 535. There weren't many available in my price range when I bought it.

That extra as it were, was well worth it when the timing chain and a few other bits needed fixing after 6 months. No issues whatsoever. Just booked in and done.

[sjj84]

My last 3 BMW's have all come from main dealers, I've never found them to be any more expensive than a non main dealer and usually within a grand of what people where asking for private sales.