[natesi]

Howdy all,

It's taken a long time but I finally found (nearly) the perfect car for me -- except 1 thing -- it's an east coast car (New Jersey), and I live in Portland Oregon. The car was transported to the west coast by BMW after a lease return, to go to auction. That's where my dealership picked it up. It's a *early* 2014 328i xDrive and spent nearly 3 years (or so) in New Jersey (manufactured in Aug 2013 and purchased in Sept).

This is a down to earth mom/pops dealership run by a car enthusiast. He said there is a massive glut of cars on the east coast, for some reason, and manufacturers ship their lease returns to California for auction -- which is where he picked up this car.

Anyway, it's really rare to see rust on cars around here, as we don't salt the roads. This is HOPEFULLY a car I would keep for 5 - 6 years or so. Watching Youtube repair vids over the years, all I ever see is horrific rusting and other salt related issues (sometimes electrical) on east coast cars. I came prepared to purchase this car today, but was instantly disappointed when I got there to look at the car and they showed me the Car Fax (with a New Jersey owner). Uggg.

I'm torn because the configuration of this car is pretty rare:

• Dynamic handling package (want it kinda bad)
• Drivers assist
• Driver's assist plus (really rare; want the blind spot monitoring)
• Lighting package
• Harman Kardon sound (want it bad)
• Sunroof (added ala carte)
• Heated front seats (added ala carte - not part of package)
• Beige interior (BIG plus for me -- don't like black interiors)
• Exterior is NOT black or white (BIG plus for me. Don't get me wrong, black and white exteriors look awesome; I just don't want to own one).

PLUS.... It's a 2014 -- and under warranty and maintenance for another year.

I gave the car a very through look over: The only place I really noticed evidence of rust in areas of potential concern was in some body seems and the underside of the shock towers. The brake rotors and calipers had a healthy serving of rust, but that's to be expected giving the east coast purchase -- and caliper rust is generally only cosmetic (although it can bind up the pads if they can't slide like they need to).

Admittedly, I'm very picky about the condition of my cars -- like to keep them in good shape -- especially if I plan on owning them a while.

I attached some pics....

And a vid (sorry, I did a horrible job at filming, but the vid might provide some value):

The thing about the underside of the car is that it is *covered in panels*. So... I don't know what I can't see under those panels. But what isn't covered by a panel looks pretty good to me (not much rust).

I don't have experience with east coast road salt and rusting issues -- or what to expect down the road. Do you think I'm overreacting about what the potential rust issue may turn into down the road?

Thanks,

-Nathan

[natesi]

PS -- Here's a link to the car for those that are interested in more detail: http://www.westcoastautoenthusiasts....ar_id=MTM0OA==

It's got 31K on it and they are asking $28,000. Except for some scrapes on the front bumper and the rusty seams, the car is very clean and appears to be in very good shape. If it wasn't for the potential rust issues I'm pretty sure I'd snatch it up since the condition otherwise is pretty good and the car appears to be well cared for.

[F30inthe6ix]

I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Just rust-proof the vehicle and maintain it while you've got it.

I plan on driving my BMW through the winter here in Toronto, but I will be getting rust-proofing done annually, along with a car wash pass to remove the salt build-up every couple of days.

German cars in general seem to handle rust quite well. Japanese cars on the other hand...

[natesi]

One other thing:
It has the Adaptiv M Suspension but the roads on my test drive were so smooth I couldn't tell a difference when I went into sport mode (which had the chassis configured in the settings).

I thought I read that there should be wires running to the top of the shock tower, but when I lifted the rubber boot on either side of the car, I saw no such thing. But it must have it.... it's in the vin decoder and drive options.

[wilbur_the_goose]

I live in Pennsylvania and wouldn't worry about it. Cars are made a LOT better than 20 years ago, and it's unusual to see a rusted out car these days.

[Poon Stick]

Don't even worry about it. BMW has the best rust warranty in the industry at 12 years.

If you plan to only keep it 6 years just buy it.

Source: Just sold my 2005 e46 sedan that had every panel replaced on it except driver's door over the past three years. All without any hassle, and except for the trunk lid, none of it even looked bad before being replaced.

EDIT: Took a closer look at vid and pictures - none of that is concerning and all mostly under the car where the cosmetic surface rust doesn't matter. Just go over the calipers with a wire brush to clean them off, being careful not to hit any rubber parts too hard with the bristles.
Are you sure that's rust at the seams of the metal? It actually looks more like rust inhibitor/adhesive/sound insulation leaking out. All of which would actually protect the metal.

[Kingpin4]

Your way to paranoid.
Keep looking!

[tturedraider]

That is one unusually equipped 3er. It was almost certainly a custom order. As such, I'll bet it was well taken care of. I don't think the little bit of rust you see is anything to worry about. I say go for it. You will probably never find another one equipped just that way. Just to be sure you noticed, it has Sensatec/leatherette, not leather. Good luck.

[tex2670]

All cars have a rust warranty that is way longer than the bumper to bumper. You aren't buying an '85 BMW; rust issues are not what they once were. Unless you were buying a car with body/paint damage that wasn't repaired, rust on a 2 year old car is the least of your worries.

[MuffinMan910]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

That is one unusually equipped 3er. It was almost certainly a custom order. As such, I'll bet it was well taken care of. I don't think the little bit of rust you see is anything to worry about. I say go for it. You will probably never find another one equipped just that way. Just to be sure you noticed, it has Sensatec/leatherette, not leather. Good luck.

+1

It was for sure a custom order. I wouldn't see a dealership getting a 328 spec'd like this without msport just for their lot stock

Don't worry about rust. As others said present cars are made very well especially BMWs.

[wrickem]

This is funny to me, I've heard all of my life of New Jersey being called the "Garbage State" from people who've never been here or only drove the NJ turnpike, but never the "Rust State"!

I've never had a car rust after a 1980 model when manufacturers improved on rust prevention. I'm at the shore every weekend and drive on salt covered road and remain rust-free.

...Unless of course it's a flood car, but I'd think any flood car would rust eventually. And there always is that long BMW rust warranty.

[Portimao Blues]

I guess they don't get rain or snow on the west coast...and there's no ocean on the west coast either, right?

[OuttaTheWoods]

That's strange, no sports seats..would've thought someone that optioned their car out like that would want sport seats.

[Goody4]

I automatically red flag late-model, still-under-warranty BMWs that are NOT on a BMW dealership lot. There's a reason why no BMW dealer has this car; likely not a good reason.

Personal paranoia.

Your Experience May Vary.

[mixedguy]

Originally Posted by Goody4

I automatically red flag late-model, still-under-warranty BMWs that are NOT on a BMW dealership lot. There's a reason why no BMW dealer has this car; likely not a good reason.

Personal paranoia.

Your Experience May Vary.

not necessarily true i traded my charger str8 in on my BMW at a BMW dealership and my Charger still had the factory warranty on it and then car was in perfect condition.

[DBIF BMW]

Originally Posted by Estoril Blues

I guess they don't get rain or snow on the west coast...and there's no ocean on the west coast either, right?

West "COAST". Yes there is an ocean.

[Danny Fireblade]

Stop worrying and get buying. Nowt wrong with that car

[bri1042]

Originally Posted by DBIF BMW

West "COAST". Yes there is an ocean.

We're 50 miles away from the salt of the ocean and we don't get much snow. Also, Portland has no idea what to do with the snow when it actually does fall, so our cars don't get the road salt treatment snowy East Coast and Midwest areas get. I saw a well-rusted car in a parking lot the other day in Beaverton and it was like seeing an old friend from my Michigan and Minnesota days.

I didn't see anything in your photos that looked too scary, and I grew up with rusting cars before I followed the advice of the Village People and the Pet Shop Boys to "Go West".

[DDD31]

From the pictures shown, nothing to worry about since it is just normal surface rust. The pictures of the seams of the car appear to be Cosmoline (rust inhibitor applied at factory) rather than rust. As other posters have said, BMW has pretty good corrosion protection.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by F30inthe6ix

German cars in general seem to handle rust quite well. Japanese cars on the other hand...

+1. Bavaria is snow country, Honshu is not.

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by DBIF BMW

West "COAST". Yes there is an ocean.

There is much more to it that concerns the OP, beyond the proximity of the ocean.
But as many have already pointed out - these cars are made much more rust proof that in the past.

[mwh2009]

It's a $28k used car, not a Ferrari!

Just take good care of it and treat it well. As long as you don't need it to be a museum piece, it will be probably be fine.