[Victor G]

Hello!
I found a 2015 X3 35i with 13k miles (private party listing) with following options:
M sports
20" staggered 310 wheels
Navigation
Tech package
DAP
HK sound
Listed for $47k
Considering it is not certified and has factory warranty until 2019 - is $47k a good price?

[Crashnbrn5]

Originally Posted by Victor G

Hello!
I found a 2015 X3 35i with 13k miles (private party listing) with following options:
M sports
20" staggered 310 wheels
Navigation
Tech package
DAP
HK sound
Listed for $47k
Considering it is not certified and has factory warranty until 2019 - is $47k a good price?

pretty good. for example, my 2013 x3 35i M Sport, MSRP 60k, fully loaded is worth $35,500 right now and it has 38k miles

[Portimao318]

Originally Posted by Victor G

Hello!
I found a 2015 X3 35i with 13k miles (private party listing) with following options:
M sports
20" staggered 310 wheels
Navigation
Tech package
DAP
HK sound
Listed for $47k
Considering it is not certified and has factory warranty until 2019 - is $47k a good price?

Why would anyone sell a car the same year with low mileage?
Most likely:
1) has been involved in accident
2) has had so many problems, that the owner wants to get rid of it.
3) divorce or other personal problems why he needs money

If you can spend 47.000, you should be able to spend a few dollars more and get a brand new one (perhaps fewer options, but brandnew which is always better and safer in my book) . A new X3 35i M Sport starts at 49.000 $. And don't forget you will get a discount on a new car.

Personally I would never go for a used car (unless I could not afford a new one of course).

[Victor G]

Originally Posted by Endre2

Why would anyone sell a car the same year with low mileage?
Most likely:
1) has been involved in accident
2) has had so many problems, that the owner wants to get rid of it.
3) divorce or other personal problems why he needs money

If you can spend 47.000, you should be able to spend a few dollars more and get a brand new one (perhaps fewer options, but brandnew which is always better and safer in my book) . A new X3 35i M Sport starts at 49.000 $. And don't forget you will get a discount on a new car.

Personally I would never go for a used car (unless I could not afford a new one of course).

The seller is moving out of country for a project. I'm thinking to get the pre purchase inspection done to see if there is anything wrong with it.

[Portimao318]

but you'll never know how he drove with it.
Why not buy new ? I don't get it. Chose your colour, chose your options and most importantly....nothing beats the smell of a new car !

[JoeU]

Used is a solid way to go and this one has a nice spec.

If I were buyting from a private party, I'd do the following for piece of mind:
- do a pre-purchase inspection
- talk with the dealership where it is serviced to see if there is anything amiss
- get a carfax

Best of luck!

[Victor G]

Finally I drove two hours today to test drive the X3 and I really liked it. The guy seemed legit too. I have the Pre purchase inspection scheduled next week. Still trying to negotiate the price down to $45k.

[kevink1]

If I had wanted to buy used, i would have had to wait quite awhile. A combination of some less popular options, which would have limited my options. Mainly diesel Not available used 15 months ago.

[FSociety]

Don't buy X3 without Dynamic Handling pkg, oh yes that's going to be a rare find too.

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by Endre2

Why would anyone sell a car the same year with low mileage?
Most likely:
1) has been involved in accident
2) has had so many problems, that the owner wants to get rid of it.
3) divorce or other personal problems why he needs money

If you can spend 47.000, you should be able to spend a few dollars more and get a brand new one (perhaps fewer options, but brandnew which is always better and safer in my book) . A new X3 35i M Sport starts at 49.000 $. And don't forget you will get a discount on a new car.

Personally I would never go for a used car (unless I could not afford a new one of course).

That is a very mainland European way of thinking.
Many in Europe keep their cars for a lot longer than in the States or the UK.
All our lease deals are set up for 12, 18 or 24 months in the UK now, more popular than the 36 or 48 month deals from a few years ago.

Finance packages with an option to own still seem to be based on 36 months ownership, but lease deals are now 85% 24 months.
I guess they get the car back with low miles and still a years worth of manufacture warranty at least, which makes it easy to sell.

There is 105 used X3s at under a year old for sale on Autotrader today in the UK.


I know loads of people who buy a car and see it after 6 months or so, maybe they just don't like it?

Depends on the car too.
I would buy a 340i m-sport touring new, this is one I got a quote on....

Vehicle BMW 3-Series Estate TOURING 340i M Sport 5dr Step Auto




Metallic - Melbourne red
18" M double spoke alloy wheels - style 441M in Ferric grey
Show trim designation
Black roof rails
Individual sun protection dark tinted glazing for rear window and rear side door windows

Extended Individual Merino leather - Opal white
Heated front seats
BMW Individual leather instrument panel
Piano Black trim with pearl chrome finish

LED headlights

Media pack - Professional - 3 Series
Harman/Kardon logic 7 surround sound system

Adaptive M Sports suspension


Additional Options
Basic Price £31,912.50
Factory Options Price £4,704.17
Discount £7,986.16
Additional Options Price £0.00
Sub Total £28,630.51
Manufacturer's Delivery Cost £604.17
VAT £5,846.94
Road Fund Licence (12 months) £180.00
First Registration Fee £55.00
ON THE ROAD PRICE £35,316.61
TOTAL SAVING
£9,583.40

Used ones in the wrong colours (for me) are still over £40,000.


So I guess it depends on the saving, and if using some sort of finance the deal on new vs used.
BMW can do just over 4%apr on new and closer to 12% on used, this can make a 3 year old used car more expensive monthly than a new one.

So I guess unless the OP hasn't got figures on a new one he will know if it is a decent deal or not?

[Portimao318]

I buy a new car every 3 or 4 years. I never want to buy the problems of somebody else.
And nobody in the world can argue about my statement: nothing beats the smell of a brandnew car.
And the chosing, the ordering, the waiting.... it is all part of the game. A used car ? Never in my life.
It is not always just about the money..... if so, you should buy a Dacia.

[gIzzE]

Why do you think a used car will have problems?

Maybe the Dutch don't treat their cars properly, but many cars in the UK are their pride and joy.


My car was £42,000 new (£39k after discount) and at 12 months old I paid £27k for it.
Which is pretty much what I think it is worth.
Paying £42,000 for a 20d xDrive X3 is just barmy imho, it is a nice enough car, but it is not worth over £40,000.
It means my car is costing me approx. £300 a month.
Around £150 a month cheaper than renting new, and £300 a month cheaper, or half the price, of buying new.

I can rent a Porsche Cayenne, or an X5 40d Sport, Mercedes GLE or a Range Rover Sport for the price it would cost me to buy a new X3, and as nice as it is, they are not that good.


The problem for me is a car is only worth what it costs to rent it. As in work out the depreciation vs rentals.

I can rent a new 340i sport touring for £259 a month plus tax (20%) with 9 months down.
So £3000 down and then £310 a month for the next 24 months, or 36 months if I choose.

A Dacia Duster is going to cost me £189 a month plus tax, so around £240 a month.

You got to be some sort of idiot to buy the Dacia.

[MartinHattingh]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

Why do you think a used car will have problems?
The problem for me is a car is only worth what it costs to rent it. As in work out the depreciation vs rentals.

Excellent way to put it.

I bought my previous two cars (2009 Renault Megane, 2012 BMW 118i) brand new, but my X3 used with 86,000km mileage and full plan coverage. It is in mint condition and was really well looked after by the previous owner.

I paid ZAR340k for it, it was ZAR550k new. Does it feel like a new car? No. Does it feel like a car worth only 60% of new as the price would seem to suggest? Not even close. It's subjective but I'd say the figure is 80%. The first owner took a massive knock in depreciation, which I'm glad I didn't.

I could lease a brand new X3 for about 10% more per month than my current finance costs, but then I'd have zero to show for it at the end of the 4 years. The way my deal is structured at the moment I'll have something worth about ZAR180k to use as deposit when I've paid it off. At that point, I'll most likely look at a demo 2016 LCI with similar mileage to what the OP is considering, maybe slightly more.