I have a trade in dilemma...

[njdrive]

Hello,

I have a dilemma, I have a 2006 e90 330i; I know this is the M3 forum but I want to trade my 330i for an M3.

I really like my 330i but lately it has been having electrical issues (if I don’t start is every 2 or 3 days it needs a jump start) and I believe it is due to the battery cable. I know about the BMW recall but my car does not meet the recall because it is a 2006 3 series built in 2005 and the recall is for 2007s and up. I had a minor accident in 2010 and the airbags deployed; there was nowhere near enough damage to total the car. I needed one fender, front bumper cover, one headlight, hood, and two airbags. After the collision and airbag deployment the car turned off by itself. Later it was explained to me that the car “cuts” the battery cable if the airbags deploy. The body shop replaced the airbags and the battery but never programmed the battery to the car which caused me to need a new battery. BMW would not warranty the battery that was placed in the car by the body shop because the auto body shop did not program the battery resulting in a void warranty. I paid out of pocket for the new battery that should have been covered under warranty. The body shop said I should have returned the car to them and let them work it out with the BMW dealership. The BMW dealership tried to work it out with the body shop for weeks to have the body shop reimburse me. I guess out of frustration or having me sit in their service room every other day, the BMW Dealership reimbursed me 90% of what I paid to them and told me to work with the body shop to get the rest. To this day I have not seen a dime of my money from the body shop.

Getting back to my electrical issue, I believe the body shop put one of the recalled battery cables in my car and that is causing the electrical issue but due to the accident and it being a replaced part I don’t think BMW will cover me under the recall. The BMW dealership said the recall is only for the 2007s and later.

So I decided to trade my 330i in for an M3. The dealership ran a Carfax and said due to the airbag deployment in the accident and mileage (113,000) they would offer me chump change for my car. The salesman said that I should try selling it on my own. To sell it on my own, I would need to repair the electrical issue and spend money on the car; money I don’t want to spend. I want to push the car off on a dealership and let them deal with the repairs and any other headaches. I know I could never sell the car to someone without disclosing everything that is wrong with it, I wouldn’t sleep at night.

Any advice on what I should do?

[OneRib]

How much is the dealer offering in trade? It's hard to judge how good/bad the deal is without specifics.

I recommend you take the car to Carmax. They tend to give the most for trade ins, they do their own inspection, and you don't have to buy a car from them. The carfax showing airbag deployment really hurts the value. I understand you had some bad luck with the car, but you will never be able to fully recoup those costs. No one with half a brain will purchase it and spend anywhere close to bluebook.

If carmax is within 30% of what you would list privately, then take the deal and save yourself the hassle. You know that car doesn't have a lot of value right now. It's the price we all pay when we buy new and keep it for more than 4-5 years, especially with the accident.

Good luck.

[OneRib]

Also one more note. If you need top dollar on trade to get the M3, then I would just forget it and aim lower for a replacement car or your going to be way upside down almost immediately on the M3.

If you are looking new M3, consider used 2011 on up. Very similar options and you avoid the depreciation hit.

[bruce.augenstein@comcast.]

Originally Posted by njdrive

Hello,

I have a dilemma, I have a 2006 e90 330i; I know this is the M3 forum but I want to trade my 330i for an M3.

I really like my 330i but lately it has been having electrical issues (if I don’t start is every 2 or 3 days it needs a jump start) and I believe it is due to the battery cable. I know about the BMW recall but my car does not meet the recall because it is a 2006 3 series built in 2005 and the recall is for 2007s and up. I had a minor accident in 2010 and the airbags deployed; there was nowhere near enough damage to total the car. I needed one fender, front bumper cover, one headlight, hood, and two airbags. After the collision and airbag deployment the car turned off by itself. Later it was explained to me that the car “cuts” the battery cable if the airbags deploy. The body shop replaced the airbags and the battery but never programmed the battery to the car which caused me to need a new battery. BMW would not warranty the battery that was placed in the car by the body shop because the auto body shop did not program the battery resulting in a void warranty. I paid out of pocket for the new battery that should have been covered under warranty. The body shop said I should have returned the car to them and let them work it out with the BMW dealership. The BMW dealership tried to work it out with the body shop for weeks to have the body shop reimburse me. I guess out of frustration or having me sit in their service room every other day, the BMW Dealership reimbursed me 90% of what I paid to them and told me to work with the body shop to get the rest. To this day I have not seen a dime of my money from the body shop.

Getting back to my electrical issue, I believe the body shop put one of the recalled battery cables in my car and that is causing the electrical issue but due to the accident and it being a replaced part I don’t think BMW will cover me under the recall. The BMW dealership said the recall is only for the 2007s and later.

So I decided to trade my 330i in for an M3. The dealership ran a Carfax and said due to the airbag deployment in the accident and mileage (113,000) they would offer me chump change for my car. The salesman said that I should try selling it on my own. To sell it on my own, I would need to repair the electrical issue and spend money on the car; money I don’t want to spend. I want to push the car off on a dealership and let them deal with the repairs and any other headaches. I know I could never sell the car to someone without disclosing everything that is wrong with it, I wouldn’t sleep at night.

Any advice on what I should do?

Yeah. Fix the car, drive it and enjoy it.

As has already been stated, you're never going to get a lot of money for your car, because of the accident and mileage.

You should also understand that even without the accident, no new-car dealer wants your car. It's way too old and has way too many miles. What the typical dealer will do is to call their wholesale "partners", give them the stats, and then take the best offer - which will be way low. They'll also probably try to make a little money off the car by offering you less than their best wholesale offer, because they're in business to make some money, right?

Check their used-car lot. There's typically nothing there that's over three (possibly four) years old, and all the cars are in top-notch shape.

Checking with CarMax is probably a good idea, but no matter what, chump change is what you're going to get.

Bruce

[FormulaMMM]

Originally Posted by njdrive

The salesman said that I should try selling it on my own. To sell it on my own, I would need to repair the electrical issue and spend money on the car; money I don’t want to spend. I want to push the car off on a dealership and let them deal with the repairs and any other headaches.

I think you answered your own question here.

What's the difference between what you'd receive on trade and what you could hope for if you sell privately? What's the cost of the electrical repair?

[FlyingHorse]

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

I think you answered your own question here.

What's the difference between what you'd receive on trade and what you could hope for if you sell privately? What's the cost of the electrical repair?

What he said. If i were you, just fix the car and then you can buy a M3 when you are ready financially as a nice weekend car.

[LargeMargeSentMe]

Fix it, then sell it. Never trade it to the dealer.

[njdrive]

Originally Posted by OneRib

How much is the dealer offering in trade? It's hard to judge how good/bad the deal is without specifics.

I recommend you take the car to Carmax. They tend to give the most for trade ins, they do their own inspection, and you don't have to buy a car from them. The carfax showing airbag deployment really hurts the value. I understand you had some bad luck with the car, but you will never be able to fully recoup those costs. No one with half a brain will purchase it and spend anywhere close to bluebook.

If carmax is within 30% of what you would list privately, then take the deal and save yourself the hassle. You know that car doesn't have a lot of value right now. It's the price we all pay when we buy new and keep it for more than 4-5 years, especially with the accident.

Good luck.

OneRib, Thank for the response.
You are correct in that I kept the car longer than I should have. I should have traded it in days after I got it back from the body shop.
My 330i has every option except navigation. It has winter pkg, heated seats, sports pkg, power rear window shades, 18 inch wheels, HIDs, satellite radio, Bluetooth, 6spd. The dealership offered me $7000.00 as is; I would like $10,000 but settle for $9,000. With everything you have said, I may have to take what I can get for it while there is still some value in a car.
The 2009 - 2011 is what I would like to get and I wanted the $10,000 for my trade so I would come out of my pocket with less cash. I’m prepared to put down substantial amounts cash with the trade. I guess I will look at Carmax.

[njdrive]

FormulaMMM, Bruce., and FlyingHorse,

Sometimes when I hear my own common sense spoken to me by others that is when the words of wisdom makes the most sense to me.

The repairs in total will cost about 2k this includes new tires. I just didn’t feel like putting more money into it.
At this point putting more money into it is like taking a woman who you want to break-up with on an exotic beach vacation. --Please don't judge me.

[OneRib]

Originally Posted by njdrive

FormulaMMM, Bruce., and FlyingHorse,

Sometimes when I hear my own common sense spoken to me by others that is when the words of wisdom makes the most sense to me.

The repairs in total will cost about 2k this includes new tires. I just didn’t feel like putting more money into it.
At this point putting more money into it is like taking a woman who you want to break-up with on an exotic beach vacation. --Please don't judge me.

I wouldn't waste money fixing it if you can financially afford a used M3. Blue book on your car with the miles is probably right around 10K and you still have the accident to disclose. So even if you invest 2k to fix it, you will never get value back for that. If it were me I wouldn't buy your car at that because there are to many other E90's out there.

Since its not my money its simple. If the car you want is available, negotiate well on that price first. Then take your car to carmax, hope they offer more than 7K, and you can go back to the dealer and see if they will match. That would save you money if you are in a state where you can offset the sales tax with a trade in. You have 5 days to take the carmax price, so that gives you some time. Also search carmax for a used M3 they have a big selection and you can have a car shipped in from anywhere in the country.

If you don't have a specific car in mind, start looking. Hopefully you can find something and dump your current car. The one advantage you have is your car has had most of its depreciation, it will be worth around 7K as trade or private for the rest of the year.

Good luck