Considering buying my BMW lease - seeking input

J

java

Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
27
Location
Ohio
My 2019 540ix comes due May 11. I’ll have right at 36k miles. Haven’t had any issues. My buyout is well below what similar BMWs are selling retail (non CPO) and about $3-4k below trade in. Pros: I’ve driven it and it’s flawless, it would have a year left on warranty. Cons it’s a BMW🤯. The B58 engine and ZF 8 transmission are both known to be reliable so my concern is bells and whistles which cost $$ to repair. The car market is crazy so as a low mileage driver I’m thinking buy and see what’s up in May ‘23. Feels low risk. Who knows I may even drive for three more years to maximize depreciation and sell it as 6yo with 72k one owner.
TIA for thoughts.
 
In my limited second hand experience, they don’t really start to show any trouble before 60-80k, and some go a good bit further than that, as long as you stay on top of maintenance. In this market, I’d keep it if you like it. Plenty of 200k mile bmws out there driving strong.
 
Java,

Please don't be surprised if you are contacted 30 - 45 days out from the lease ending by a broker / speculator. They may try to offer you a larger than NADA value of the car at that time, and may also be able to secure you a new lease on a new model at a lower than market rate. They make their money in 2 ways, one in securing buyers for new market inventory, and 2 in selling your vehicle into the retail used market by securing your vehicle at the residual price plus a markup.
 
java said:
My 2019 540ix comes due May 11. I’ll have right at 36k miles. Haven’t had any issues. My buyout is well below what similar BMWs are selling retail (non CPO) and about $3-4k below trade in. Pros: I’ve driven it and it’s flawless, it would have a year left on warranty. Cons it’s a BMW🤯. The B58 engine and ZF 8 transmission are both known to be reliable so my concern is bells and whistles which cost $$ to repair. The car market is crazy so as a low mileage driver I’m thinking buy and see what’s up in May ‘23. Feels low risk. Who knows I may even drive for three more years to maximize depreciation and sell it as 6yo with 72k one owner.
TIA for thoughts.
Click to expand...
You're right. You gotta buy it. You are buying it below FMV. If you replace it, you are paying the inflated current FMV.
 
I bought my BMW 528i 3 years old (coming off a lease probably) got a few things fixed during the year of warranty left, and then had mostly trouble free driving for 18 years. Tires, batteries, brakes, a few bulbs, windshield wiper blades, filters and a few repairs - power steering hoses, radiator hose, stereo amp, hood release cable. And that's about it.

It wasn't cheap to run or trouble free compared to Toyotas and Hondas, but it sure could have been a lot worse.

I'd buy it.
 
meep said:
In my limited second hand experience, they don’t really start to show any trouble before 60-80k, and some go a good bit further than that, as long as you stay on top of maintenance. In this market, I’d keep it if you like it. Plenty of 200k mile bmws out there driving strong.
Click to expand...
Maybe 20 years ago...
 
Have the newer ones declined? What kind of issues are they showing? I flirted with a mid-teens 328 4t a couple of years ago. Liked the car, couldn’t envision the seats being remotely worthy of a 3 hour drive, especially coming from Volvo ownership. but still, liked the car… really wanted to consider a 328d…
 
In this market, if you know your car and like it, then it seems like a no brainer. Some years back I recall there was a way to strike a deal and get it made into a cpo. With the crazy market these days I doubt that would be a deal…. but might be worth asking anyway…
 
Probably best to buy it. Buying a new car is most likely going to land you with a $5k market adjustment on a new car no matter where you go.
 
If you like it, buy it. Just stay on top of the maintenance- along with coolant every 2-3 years, ATF and TC fluid every 60k miles.
 
java said:
My 2019 540ix comes due May 11. I’ll have right at 36k miles. Haven’t had any issues. My buyout is well below what similar BMWs are selling retail (non CPO) and about $3-4k below trade in. Pros: I’ve driven it and it’s flawless, it would have a year left on warranty. Cons it’s a BMW🤯. The B58 engine and ZF 8 transmission are both known to be reliable so my concern is bells and whistles which cost $$ to repair. The car market is crazy so as a low mileage driver I’m thinking buy and see what’s up in May ‘23. Feels low risk. Who knows I may even drive for three more years to maximize depreciation and sell it as 6yo with 72k one owner.
TIA for thoughts.
Click to expand...
I would look at the cost of a BMW extended warranty. If you like the price you can get a better than CPO warranty and give you piece of mind. I had one on my 335d and it paid for itself within the first year and probably helped me sell the car (It was transferrable at the time). I passed on it with my 435i because it was just too expensive for for the extra 2 yrs I wanted to keep the vehicle. Turns out I would've almost broke even due to some problematic interior door handles that the dealer was unable to replicate and I still haven't had fixed.

I believe you can finance the cost of the extended warranty if you finance your buyout with BMWFS. Shop around on the BMW warranty and don't buy the third party warranty they want to sell.

Let me tell you one thing. Any work on the oil filter housing is going to be big $$$ because it's located at the back of the engine instead of the front as found on previous iterations of the BMW I6. VANOS solenoids are also on the back.

I recommend perusing BMW forums and reading up on typical issues with your engine. The 3-series section will probably be more active.
 
Last edited:
I would buy it unless there is something else out there you want that's better. Usually the longer you keep a car the less expensive it is to maintain in the long run. You stated you trust the engine and transmission therefore I would keep it.
 
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