[BMWSpeedFreek]

Wow.

I have my own experience with them as well (short version, happy ending):

Bought a CPO local lease return 2006 M5 with 13,oookm two years ago from BMW Store with a trade in of my very clean 03 530iA M-sport Exec AG pkg with 60,oookm (requiring only new rotors/pads to be CPO`d itself). I lived in Cold Lake AB at the time and this was my fourth CPO purchase but first from BMW Store.

Purchase experience was unbelievably HORRIBLE! Got there at 10:00am on the Fri morning expecting to get out of there by noon so we could drive to Kamloops for an overnight on our way back to AB. Shockingly, we didn`t leave until almost 4 pm!!! Smack-dab in rush hour traffic. Great start.

2 days later, after a wonderful drive through the rockies (May timeframe), we made it to Edmonton where I dropped the car off (sched`d) at Bavaria BMW for an Out of Province inspection ($200). 10 mins later, the SA approached me and asked me if I knew the car had been in a recent accident.

WTF!?! I was pi$$ed, and my wife was downright livid!

SA showed me the brand-new right rear wheel, suspension, rotor and associated nuts and bolts, indicative of a car that has slid sideways into a curb at a significant speed.

Immediately called our salesman in Vancouver who claimed to know nothing about what I was talking about. I told him I wanted to talk to his boss. It took an hour before I finally got a hold of him - same response, but said he will investigate. I told him he can have his car back, that I want my deposit and my trade-in back. Several days later, after leaning on the salesman, he admitted that the car was lease-returned in early Dec and 'a senior salesman' had taken it home one snowy night, slid into a curb at about 30 km/h. As it was on a dealer plate, he said there was no need to inform ICBC of the accident given that their shop could fix it to 'as good as new'. Sure. (Easily >$3000 damage incl labour, according to Bavaria BMW SA).

I was, and am still, pretty sure M5 diffs are not meant to take a sideways bang of 30 km/h. I paid for a CARFAX report, it showed clean of course, so I informed them of the details as related to me - they thanked me, and refunded my cost of the report.

Long story short, it took almost a month and many calls and emails to both the used sales manager and dealership general manager to rectify this to my satisfaction...though just imagine if a BC'er bought the car - they would have had no idea of the stresses imparted to the axle and diff and their shortened life (unless they paid for an inspection of a dealer-certified pre-owned car. And who does that?) ...I wonder what a new diff installation would have cost...?

Of course, once rectified, I was very concerned my very understanding wife would nix any future purchase of my dream car based on this experience.

Bless her heart, and Jack Goodman and his superb staff at Edmonton BMW, for they found our 'perfect' 2008 Sepang Bronze M5 and she let me buy it.

Will never, ever deal with BMW Store again. BJ BMW only when in Vancouver. Sorry I didn't share earlier...

SF out.

PS. Our next car purchase is an M3 Coupe scheduled for a May '12 delivery here in Germany - can't wait!! So far the experience has been absolutely superb!