[ianturner]

Should i steer clear of buying one?

I'm thinking I shouldn't even consider it, but figured you guys would know better than me.

[ak335]

i would stay away

[NiVeDh]

Mine was a "lemon" due to HPFP issues. I've owned it for 3 months and no issues! If the buyback is due to the HPFP problem, then just go ahead and buy it because they will fix it for free and the warranty on that part is extended to 10 years.

[nezfotnemom]

Originally Posted by NiVeDh

Mine was a "lemon" due to HPFP issues. I've owned it for 3 months and no issues! If the buyback is due to the HPFP problem, then just go ahead and buy it because they will fix it for free and the warranty on that part is extended to 10 years.

how can you tell what part caused the buyback? Im lookin at a 2007 e90 with 18k miles that was a buyback in cali (30 day part). Still under warranty and what not. The seller said the title is still clear, but a carfax shows lemon/buyback.

[NiVeDh]

Ask them or go to a dealership to check service history.

[iheartsole]

there going to buy it back for cheap and sell it for more than what they bought it for. so i would stay away from selling it to the dealer

[VTECaddict]

There should be a document directly from BMW that documents exactly why the car was lemoned, what was fixed by BMW, and that everything is working fine now and remainder of warranty still applies.

Or yeah, just take the VIN to a dealer and ask for the service history.

Unless you get a KILLER deal on it, I would stay away. It's forever going to be on the car's title, so you'll most likely take a hit on it when you try to sell it again. Dealers probably wont even take it as a trade if you want to get a new car.

[CaptainDang]

If you wanna put up with the HPFP issues and the buy back vehicle was bought back due to that problem, I wouldn't worry about it.

It has the same chance of failing again if it was a certified used, private sale, buyback or brand new.

[ianturner]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

There should be a document directly from BMW that documents exactly why the car was lemoned, what was fixed by BMW, and that everything is working fine now and remainder of warranty still applies.

Or yeah, just take the VIN to a dealer and ask for the service history.

Unless you get a KILLER deal on it, I would stay away. It's forever going to be on the car's title, so you'll most likely take a hit on it when you try to sell it again. Dealers probably wont even take it as a trade if you want to get a new car.

what goes on the title?

[NiVeDh]

After I got the title transferred to my name, I noticed that it doesn't say "Lemon" on it. The original California title said "Lemon" but the Georgia one doesn't.

[VTECaddict]

Georgia probably doesn't require it (this is how a lot of shady dealers and sellers "wash" titles to remove brands, but that's another topic). But if it remains a California title, it will be forever branded.

Isn't there also a sticker on the driver's door jamb saying it was a lemon/buyback? It will also show up in BMW's systems.

[ianturner]

so what actually goes on the title of the vehicle?

[persian54]

if a car is salvaged or lemoned and you take it out of CA
then the title can be cleared up due to that state's laws not requiring it

tricky business buying used...

[ianturner]

what about WY?

[persian54]

Originally Posted by ianturner

what about WY?

you'll have to do your own research as I have no idea

[spyderbret]

I wanted to resurrect this thread to see if any opinions have changed over the past few months. As I continue my search for a 335i coupe I keep running into buyback cars. I have to believe there is a price point that would make buying one worth it. Not that I am too tempted at this point, just considering all my options.

I have to believe that eventually BMW will come up with a permanent fix for this issue. It appears their first fix is to change the engine completely for 2011. But beyond that, it does not make sense to keep paying for the same repair over and over. Not good business sense. Just extending the warranty to 110k miles although nice is not a permanent solution to me.

So if we were going to assume that BMW will come up with a solution and you could get an 07 or 08 with fairly low mileage and a significant portion of the factory warranty remaining it's entirely possible to have 2-3 years before you needed to be extremely concerned about the warranty running out. And if in fact BMW did come up with a permanent fix, you might end up really making out on the deal in the end. I know you can't get the title cleared but if you have had the permanent repair done and were going to sell the car would that lessen the impact of lemon blemish on the title?

Knowing what you know about the issue and being prepared for the inconvenience, what price would you put on that? If you could find 2 very similar vehicles, what kind of dollar or percentage difference would make the purchase worth it?

I know the first instinct is to stay away, but if you were going to bite, seriously, what would it take? I'm looking forward to some well thought out opinions!!

[JayKay335i]

Plain and simple: If you keep running into nothing but buy backs you price point is too low and you probably shouldn't be purchasing one if you're stretching just to reach the point where you can afford a lemoned BMW. Chances are, its going to cost money in the long run. You're going to lose money when you sell it in a couple years when your warranty runs out.

[335e92tx]

Had a BB since April 08. No probs with HPFP. Standard other may lays

Steering column.
Xenon gas generator.

[E90330iS]

noooo

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by ianturner

Should i steer clear of buying one?

I'm thinking I shouldn't even consider it, but figured you guys would know better than me.

It was a buyback because BMW couldn't fix the problem(s) after many attempts. If you like to regularly visit the dealer then buy it, otherwise stay clear.

[Brey335i]

If you do buy a lemon buy back and the problem occurs again, would that make it easier for you to get it lemoned again? Because at that point you know there is a problem that BMW did fail to fix even when they bought the car back

[spyderbret]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Plain and simple: If you keep running into nothing but buy backs you price point is too low and you probably shouldn't be purchasing one if you're stretching just to reach the point where you can afford a lemoned BMW. Chances are, its going to cost money in the long run. You're going to lose money when you sell it in a couple years when your warranty runs out.

It's not about price point for me. I was just exploring the idea. I mean, if I could get a comparable car for say $10k below current market average would that be worth it? I don't know that it would be and I am currently leaning toward getting a good 335i with a clean title. If I can get CPO that would be a bonus.

Just exploring ideas, that's all.....