BMWphiles - F31 Purchase Heeelp

[Steve85]

I've become more and more taken by the F31 and very interested in one. I kind of have one picked out and want to talk to the owner. What do I need to know? What do I need to ask? It has pretty much everything I'm looking for. Here is the car:

http://www.lamborghinicarolinas.com/vehi...d-19682688

It seems priced OK, a lot of options. I'm finding that the M Sport package is not really everything so things like adaptive suspension, M brakes and I think a few other things are options on top of that.

Appreciate any input / guidance from the BMW gurus here!

[JPolen01]

That's a good looking wagon. And wow the options list is endless. Jump on that quick.

[WRXtranceformed]

You should buy it that's nice man!

[Nis01]

Can't really comment on the details of that car but I have been watching it for a while from that site.  For some reason it hasn't sold, but it seems to be spec'd quite well and the price doesn't seem outrageous.  I always find myself drawn to that color, even test drove a similar one but it wasn't nearly as clean.  I'm interested to see what knowledgeable folks have to say about it.  I would take just about any used car they have on the lot, they seem to find some rare/clean examples of all sorts of cars.  Good luck on the purchase.

[.RJ]

That’s a great buy at that price. Do it.

Then do a Dinan tune. Yassssss.

[Steve85]

Can't really comment on the details of that car but I have been watching it for a while from that site.  For some reason it hasn't sold, but it seems to be spec'd quite well and the price doesn't seem outrageous.  I always find myself drawn to that color, even test drove a similar one but it wasn't nearly as clean.  I'm interested to see what knowledgeable folks have to say about it.  I would take just about any used car they have on the lot, they seem to find some rare/clean examples of all sorts of cars.  Good luck on the purchase.

I think part of the reason it hasn't sold is that it's not really out there. When I search for a blue 2014, I see a few repeated at all the sites (autotrader, cars.com, etc) and I think this is only listed on F30 Post and his dealership.

Yeah, hoping some of the BMW experts have some insight on these. My perusing of the boards doesn't alarm me and I still have 5K miles of warranty to work with.

---

That’s a great buy at that price.  Do it.  

Then do a Dinan tune.  Yassssss.

Yeah, that's what I thought. There is one in Suitland with 10K less miles at same price but lacks the brakes and suspension and I kind of want it all if I'm going to a wagon.

Yeah, saw those, definitely getting ahead of myself here! I think someone else has tunes also (BMS?, might even be BMW) where I saw a guy doing some comparison testing, impressive results!

[Jake]

That'd be a kickass daily. The 320i isn't powerful enough but the 328 is sufficient (240 hp stock, I believe) and will be good on gas. The ZF 8-speed is a good pairing with the engine, too. M-Sport is a must, if for nothing else but the seats. This one is the correct color and has a lot of nice options, I'd do it.

[.RJ]

I'll just leave this here

https://www.dinancars.com/product/f31-32...%20xDrive/

[JustinG]

Hnnngggggggg

[Apoc]

We've had our F31 for about 1.5 years and I absolutely love the car. I only end up driving it on weekends, but I always think about how perfect it is for our family. You can stomp on the gas when you need and just cruise at highway speeds. The thing can eat miles like it's no one's business and it's a very capable city car. My wife doesn't really like city driving, but she drives this thing with no issues. That and it's still big enough to carry a good bit of shit around. We put four adults and a rear racing car seat in ours last weekend without any problems. There was also a stroller and a couple cases of booze in the trunk with plenty of space to share. It also sits really low for how big it is, so it feels a lot quicker than it probably is on paper.

We have every package in the listed car, except the M Sport. You wanna feel like a pimp ever winter day? Wait until you use the steering wheel heather. I wanted a diesel, but we drive less than 3k miles a year so the break even was like 10 years. If we drive like normal people, we'd probably be driving a diesel now. The only thing I would change, if I cared that much, is to put the sports seat in. The navigation can't compete with the likes of Google, if you care about such things.

I did research on the model when we were looking and didn't see anything major. I don't think these are old enough for the gremlins to have shown up, which is why we got a CPO two-year old. We have an odd squeak in the left seatbelt hanger and the window switch panel is loose on the driver door. I'll get them looked at during the next service. Awhile ago we did have some rear wheel squealing after the car sat for a bit. I figured it was just bad pads, but the dealer said the rotors were warped. They replaced both rears for free and ground down the pads to provide a fresh bed. The sound went away after that. 

This is what it looks like with two adults and a one year old going camping for the weekend. The roof box is a must, if you can't lay a seat down and have long items.

[.RJ]

so did you buy it yet?

[Steve85]

We’ve played some phone / email / text tag due to holiday travels but expect to connect tomorrow.

I’ve been engaged to assist my mother in law in her purchase of a new car where i can hone my negotiating skills at a Nissan dealer. Which will surely come in handy negotiating with the GM of a Lamborghini dealership. I honestly think it’s a pretty fair price so perhaps I should save face and not embarrass myself [emoji23].

Appreciate the response Chris! I’ve been following your thread and it was definitely helpful to see that four adults can be comfortable as my boys quickly become adult sized. Having to add roof storage kind of made me feel like I would just be buying a wagon and adding shit to make it an SUV...so why not just stick with SUV.

I thought more about how often I really use all the space, the need for a roof top ski carrier anyway (and how much easier that is on a wagon vs higher SUV) and just wanting something fun and much better looking for 98% of my driving. There are other considerations too so hopefully I can land this thing!

[Apoc]

I had the same thought about a rooftop carrier, but you aren't gonna fit the same shaped shit in the back of an SUV that you can in a carrier... unless you want to fold seats. We've done a few road trips and things like camp chairs, kytes, and cots are so much easier on the roof. The height is the best part as you can load it from the ground, or still on a door will if you're short and/or have to load something in the center.

The best part is its removable, so you don't have to drive your storage box every day in the form of an SUV with shitty gas mileage. Ours has been in our garage rafters since October, where it will probably stay until spring.

[RawrImAMonster]

Yeah this thing has pretty much all the options you'd want. I love the new version of estoril blue too. Slightly darker than the old version but it's even better IMO.

[Steve85]

It looks like we're about settled! We had a great conversation and I asked about it not selling. He said he feels like he was high when he first listed it at 35K and had a lot of interest and nothing serious until he was 31K. There two deals fell through (financing and spouse intervention) and I think I caught him the day he dropped to 29. He's a big GTI guy and dropped this to get in a Golf R.

The one thing I'm a little hung up on is an extended warranty. I looked at a couple options of the one he sent over and it's crap like the turbo isn't covered in the powertrain option, you have to go full bumper to bumper. It'd be nice to have the piece of mind with all the gadgetry, but even just the basic coverage is 1,800. And then I'd be risking coverage if I did a tune or anything. Might just have to self-insure...

We need to finalize pick-up which will likely be next Saturday. They aren't normally open on the weekends, which is odd for a dealership but then I guess you don't really spend the day cross shopping Camry's, Accords and Aventadors. I'll probably just rent a car to drive down and get it.

[.RJ]

You can get aftermarket warranty options, of if you want factory you dont have to get it from that dealer. Take your time and research.

[WRXtranceformed]

Everything I've heard about aftermarket warranties is that they are not worth it and they try to screw you when you file claims. Dealer backed warranties, either CPO or one you broker through the manufacturer's dealer, seem to be your best bet if you need that peace of mind

[Jake]

I learned a bit about aftermarket warranties with my E46 M3, which came with one from Route 66. On the surface, it sounded great - hey, rod bearings are covered! In talking with my one mechanic (who is old and angry and has many years' experience with all these companies) he gave me more insight.

Let's say I get a Blackstone oil analysis and they reveal that the rod bearings are on the way out. Route 66 won't accept that claim to pay out. The engine has to be actively knocking. Even once it starts knocking, Route 66 wants the shop to disassemble the engine enough to take photos of the bad bearing(s) so they can decide to cover it or not - but they won't pay for that labor. Oh, and you must have records of the oil being changed every 3k miles, even though BMW and every other new car all go off of the oil life monitor that recommends no less than what, 5k OCI's?

...and Gary said Route 66 was the easiest one to deal with. They did pay out for a new fuel pump when mine died, so yay I saved $800 (this is a "savings" because I never paid for the warranty up front)

He had another BMW in the shop a while back - a 3.0i Z4, I think? It had dropped a valve or something similarly expensive. It was cheaper to just source a good used M54 and drop it in versus pay the warranty company (not Route 66, some other group) to inspect, decide, blah blah.

I'd probably YOLO it and forego any aftermarket warranty as they all sound like various degrees of suck to me, unless you get one direct from the OEM.

[Steve85]

Agree with all the above and kind of where I was. I asked him Friday evening to wrap it up without the warranty for now. I'll continue to do some research but I think you guys are right, outside of a factory backed warranty, there would be so many holes in coverage it just wouldn't be worth it.

Oh, and I haven't heard back since then and it's off their site now. I guess he'll either confirm Saturday is good or let me know someone else came in and scooped it over asking price.

[davej]

Nice! I hope this ends up working out for you. Jake, that was some good insight on the warranty companies from your salty mechanic, but confirms my long suspicion that they will make it hard as hell to get a valid claim through. I guess you don't get rich by writing a lot of checks.

Steve, if you end up going down you're​welcome to drive the 02 to Chan in Roanoke then pick up your rental from there if you'd like.