G20 330i msport / BMW AUC generally
Discussion
Hi all, I'm intending purchasing one of these in the next couple of weeks and have found one I like the look of which I'll be test driving next week.
Having not bought a BMW AUC for many years, is there anything in particular I need to be aware of and check (other than checking the car itself over). I was thinking:
- confirmation no warranty work has been done
- asking if last owner was individual or business to try and suss out if it was a fleet car
- service history
Does anyone know if a 19 plate msport will be ID7? Reading online it looks like only ID7 has had an android auto update and I'd like to get it. The model I am looking at has HUD and a fully digital dash.
I am not sure what approach BMW will take with software updates and the like. Will they update it on an AUC as a matter of course?
I'm not guessing they will move much if at all on price so what else could I ask them to sweeten the deal with? Is an extra years warranty feasible?
Gap insurance - I bought for cars I leased should I buy for this one (and I am guessing buying online cheaper than with BMW)?
Thanks in advance for help.
ITR
Having not bought a BMW AUC for many years, is there anything in particular I need to be aware of and check (other than checking the car itself over). I was thinking:
- confirmation no warranty work has been done
- asking if last owner was individual or business to try and suss out if it was a fleet car
- service history
Does anyone know if a 19 plate msport will be ID7? Reading online it looks like only ID7 has had an android auto update and I'd like to get it. The model I am looking at has HUD and a fully digital dash.
I am not sure what approach BMW will take with software updates and the like. Will they update it on an AUC as a matter of course?
I'm not guessing they will move much if at all on price so what else could I ask them to sweeten the deal with? Is an extra years warranty feasible?
Gap insurance - I bought for cars I leased should I buy for this one (and I am guessing buying online cheaper than with BMW)?
Thanks in advance for help.
ITR
Nowadays AUC is locked down. Most dealers won’t tell you about previous owners or the like because they hide behind GDPR where someone doesn’t understand it fully. I also believe the additional years warranty is much harder to come by now as the dealer has to buy it, and they don’t want to spend the money.
I would still check the iDrive servicing log, and make sure the tyres and such all seem okay. While I like an AUC car, I would treat it as any other used purchase. Make sure it’s right before I part with the readies.
PH does (or used to) have a GAP insurance partner. They might do you a better price than BMW.
I would still check the iDrive servicing log, and make sure the tyres and such all seem okay. While I like an AUC car, I would treat it as any other used purchase. Make sure it’s right before I part with the readies.
PH does (or used to) have a GAP insurance partner. They might do you a better price than BMW.
I bought an AUC car last year and the experience was very good. I didn't have an intention to buy a car on the day but it was what I was looking for, the price was as expected and the car was in superb condition.
I spotted a couple of very minor door dimples which were corrected. After pickup I noticed that the steering wheel wasn't perfectly straight (difficult to notice without being on a smooth straight road). Decided to raise it as a concern. The Dealer took the car straight back in, full alignment and a new set of tyres.
As has been said, even though you have the backup of AUC, treat it as any other used purchase and take your time to look over the car and agree any areas for correction.
You could ask to look at the V5 to check number of previous owners etc. This will have the previous owner on. If the car reg is Y*** *** it may have been a BMW company car. Nothing wrong with that although who ran it could be anything from a BMW employee to Thrifty.
I spotted a couple of very minor door dimples which were corrected. After pickup I noticed that the steering wheel wasn't perfectly straight (difficult to notice without being on a smooth straight road). Decided to raise it as a concern. The Dealer took the car straight back in, full alignment and a new set of tyres.
As has been said, even though you have the backup of AUC, treat it as any other used purchase and take your time to look over the car and agree any areas for correction.
You could ask to look at the V5 to check number of previous owners etc. This will have the previous owner on. If the car reg is Y*** *** it may have been a BMW company car. Nothing wrong with that although who ran it could be anything from a BMW employee to Thrifty.
Be careful if you do manage to negotiate any extra extended warranty...it might not be the BMW Insured Warranty at all.
In my case I was negotiating for an extra year, or a price reduction to help pay for the insured warranty myself (on top of the included 12 month AUC warranty), and was told they'd rather include it as it costs them less that I can get it for.
Everything was agreed, and car was delivered a couple of weeks later.
A couple of weeks later I got some more documentation, including some very sparse documentation that implied the extended warranty was not a BMW Insured Warranty, but a 'dealer warranty'.
When I queried this, I was assured that it was just the name used on the invoice for the Insured warranty purchased by the dealer. So far, so good.
However, when further reviewing the documents I found online, it seems that this 'dealer warranty' is not administered/underwritten by the same company as BMW's Insured Warranty...so another call was needed.
In the end, it seems that the 'dealer warranty' is not the BMW Insured Warranty at all, and is just the dealers (in their words) 'clone' of the BMW offering...but obviously cheaper for the dealer to purchase and easier to refuse claims as you've not got a BMW contact to call to complain/escalate a claim.
If that had been made clear to me, I'd have pushed for a discount to fund the proper BMW Insured Warranty...but the dealer has promised it's as good as the BMW one...and has European breakdown cover (but will be an independent, not BMW Assist), and I can still get warranty work done at any BMW dealer...but it will have to be authorised by the supplying dealer...not BMW warranty!
Probably could have pushed for compensation for being mis-sold, but I've negotiated a 2nd year of this dealer warranty (won't know if it's any good until I need to use it though) - and I can always go back to the BMW Insured warranty if needed.
In my case I was negotiating for an extra year, or a price reduction to help pay for the insured warranty myself (on top of the included 12 month AUC warranty), and was told they'd rather include it as it costs them less that I can get it for.
Everything was agreed, and car was delivered a couple of weeks later.
A couple of weeks later I got some more documentation, including some very sparse documentation that implied the extended warranty was not a BMW Insured Warranty, but a 'dealer warranty'.
When I queried this, I was assured that it was just the name used on the invoice for the Insured warranty purchased by the dealer. So far, so good.
However, when further reviewing the documents I found online, it seems that this 'dealer warranty' is not administered/underwritten by the same company as BMW's Insured Warranty...so another call was needed.
In the end, it seems that the 'dealer warranty' is not the BMW Insured Warranty at all, and is just the dealers (in their words) 'clone' of the BMW offering...but obviously cheaper for the dealer to purchase and easier to refuse claims as you've not got a BMW contact to call to complain/escalate a claim.
If that had been made clear to me, I'd have pushed for a discount to fund the proper BMW Insured Warranty...but the dealer has promised it's as good as the BMW one...and has European breakdown cover (but will be an independent, not BMW Assist), and I can still get warranty work done at any BMW dealer...but it will have to be authorised by the supplying dealer...not BMW warranty!
Probably could have pushed for compensation for being mis-sold, but I've negotiated a 2nd year of this dealer warranty (won't know if it's any good until I need to use it though) - and I can always go back to the BMW Insured warranty if needed.
Maxus said:
You could ask to look at the V5 to check number of previous owners etc. This will have the previous owner on. If the car reg is Y*** *** it may have been a BMW company car. Nothing wrong with that although who ran it could be anything from a BMW employee to Thrifty.
Depends on when the V5C was last issued, as due to that old chestnut GDPR, DVLA decided in their wisdom to remove previous owner details...it now simply shows number of previous owners 
mmm-five said:
Maxus said:
You could ask to look at the V5 to check number of previous owners etc. This will have the previous owner on. If the car reg is Y*** *** it may have been a BMW company car. Nothing wrong with that although who ran it could be anything from a BMW employee to Thrifty.
Depends on when the V5C was last issued, as due to that old chestnut GDPR, DVLA decided in their wisdom to remove previous owner details...it now simply shows number of previous owners Maxus said:
Interesting. Mine showed the previous owner when I bought in October 2020 but the car was originally registered late 2017. It sometimes feels like GDPR is a great reason for not being helpful without the benefit of stopping the unsolicited phone calls!
Makes dodgy sales/fraud much easier - but DVLA don't care about that as that's your problem not their's 
If you're buying from the current owner, then of course their details should be on the V5C, so you can at least check that it matches who you're paying. I think it's only really an issue when it's a dealer selling it.
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