PPI for out of town bmw dealer

[smolieri]

Do you guys think that a ppi is required for a vehicle at a bmw dealer from out of state?

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by smolieri

Do you guys think that a ppi is required for a vehicle at a bmw dealer from out of state?

In my own opinion -

If CPO'd - no (reasoning here, BMW isn't certifying a vehicle that has issues. The CPO checklist is pretty extensive)

If not CPO but factory warranty left - probably. If it's the model/color/options you want, you could purchase it, ship/drive it to your house, and get a PPI done locally at a shop of your choice. If issues are discovered, then take it to your local dealer and have them all fixed under warranty.

No warranty - yes

[P1]

Just like Jiggz says, if CPO or under factory warranty, nope. If there is no warranty, then absolutely. Actually, have them pay for the PPI if you're serious about buying it.

[bmwx5er]

Originally Posted by smolieri

Do you guys think that a ppi is required for a vehicle at a bmw dealer from out of state?

Absolutely! I would do a PPI whether the car is CPO'ed or not; however, I'd have the PPI focus on different aspects based on CPO, warranty status, etc.

My $0.02:

For cars under factory warranty (regardless of CPO):
- primarily focus on whether the car had body work done (not everything shows up on carfax). you may not care if there was some bodywork done, but when you're looking to sell, your potential buyer might..
- focus on items that you might have to pay in the near term, that factory maintenance wont cover (tires -- as Jiggz pointed out, a CPO inspection would take care of these items).

For cars under CPO only (factory warranty expired):
- focus on body work + any items that won't be covered by CPO (e.g. headlights, etc. - you may need to familiarize yourself on CPO exclusions). Also, CPO has a deductible of $50; a good PPI should cost under $150, and could reveal a lot that you can get covered prior to buying the car.

For cars outside warranty:
- focus on pretty much everything, including hooking up the computer to read codes, etc. A good shop normally charges at least 2 hours of labor for this "deep" inspection.

When I was considering a car from the SF bay area, the dealer agreed to drop the car off for a PPI at a nearby Indy that I chose (it's a different story that the dealer got mad, because the deal fell through as we couldn't agree on price, LOL).

[goodmaj]

CPO - Likely not needed. However, there definitely are some shadier dealers out there who will CPO cars that have been hit and/or have had long lists of issues. I've seen lots of 2.0 - 3.9 Mannheim cars that ended up being CPO on a dealer lot. Do your homework with the dealer as well. If the dealer has a lot of relatively cheap CPO cars on their lot, I'd get suspicious. If however the car is relatively rare (Sport Activity w/ 20s, M Sport) and the dealer kept it off lease or trade and is offering it as CPO, that's probably a keeper. As always, make sure you ask for the CPO checklist, the DCS report, and the CPO repair order.

Non-CPO w/ warranty: IMO this is a bit more sketchy. CPO is a pretty powerful marketing tool. My first question would be why isn't it CPO? My next question would be how much to get it CPO'd. If you get rigamarole to these questions then pass. Even if it has warranty, there could be issues that aren't covered by warranty, such as if it had been hit and put back together poorly. The dealer might be attempting to sell it retail vs. taking a bath at the auction. I would lean towards the PPI, and the DCS report is mandatory.

Non-CPO at dealer w/o warranty: This falls into one of two categories. One is the above scenario. Two is a car that will retail well due to condition/desirability but due to age and/or miles it'll lose at the auction. Think really well cared for e53 4.8. In either case, the PPI is mandatory.

If the car is in a major metropolitan area, you should be able to find reputable third parties who will come onsite to inspect the car. I would not have another BMW dealer in the same town do the PPI. It'll be well worth the money in terms of peace of mind.