BMW Buyback Z4 30i for Sale on eBay

teagueAMX · 04-04-2010, 09:41 AM

Interesting Informational Item

Anybody know who's car this may have been ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2009-...item519185192a

VIN: WBALM53509E161550

Has very low miles - 845 at Buyback, now has 985 miles. I ran Kelly Blue Book on it and based on the very limited info from the eBay listing the car appears to have a retail value right around $46,000. Buy It Now is listed at $39,900 but dealer is willing to entertain all offers.

History report indicates it was a California car, but purchased back by BMW based on California Lemon Law. It appears that now it's at a Florida dealership for sale. Does Florida have Lemon Law and does that apply to used cars?

Has statement:

Quote:

The Vehicle was purchased by us directly from BMW NORTH AMERICA due to "convertible top in/op" issue. Due to this inconvenience for the original owner, the vehicle was purchased back by BMW, FIXED (by BMW) and re-sold by BMW and now comes with a Returned to Manufacturer notation on the title.

rmorin49 · 04-04-2010, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teagueAMX

Interesting Informational Item

Anybody know who's car this may have been ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2009-...item519185192a

VIN: WBALM53509E161550

Has very low miles - 845 at Buyback, now has 985 miles. I ran Kelly Blue Book on it and based on the very limited info from the eBay listing the car appears to have a retail value right around $46,000. Buy It Now is listed at $39,900 but dealer is willing to entertain all offers.

History report indicates it was a California car, but purchased back by BMW based on California Lemon Law. It appears that now it's at a Florida dealership for sale. Does Florida have Lemon Law and does that apply to used cars?

Has statement:

Any way to determine the reason for the buyback? My 07 335i vert was "bought back" by BMWNA, I don't believe this makes it a lemon. It can be sold without revealing it was "bought back" in most states.

Interesting that this car was bought back in CA and ended up in FL.

teagueAMX · 04-04-2010, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmorin49

Any way to determine the reason for the buyback? My 07 335i vert was "bought back" by BMWNA, I don't believe this makes it a lemon. It can be sold without revealing it was "bought back" in most states.

Interesting that this car was bought back in CA and ended up in FL.

+1 You're reading my mind.

Reading the eBay listing history report indicates that CARFAX has info about it that shows up on the title.

Vintage · 04-04-2010, 12:36 PM

go to your local BMW dealer - they should be able to pull up the repair/buyback history

teagueAMX · 04-04-2010, 03:19 PM

Thanks Vintage.

It's a conversation starter, that's all. I'm not interested in buying the car - but for someone who might, your suggestion is a good one. I also thought that maybe one of the forum members might have had a history with the car and tell us the tale.

Regardless, the thing that caught my eye was the Buy Back, particularly after everything you went though. You had quite a hard time and fortunately it all worked out OK. BMW did the right thing - kudos to them!

The eBay listing simply says (in my words) that he/she had trouble with the hardtop, wasn't happy with it and BMW bought it back from him, then fixed it and sold it to a dealer in Florida. Nice and tidy. Seems if it was that easy to fix, they could have done that before the buy back. But it also says that it got bought back under the California Lemon Law, which means there was something significant. Now it's in Florida. Anyway, I've watched too much Sherlock Holmes and Colombo over the years.

lrc454 · 04-04-2010, 09:22 PM

Very interesting. I bought my wife a surprise birthday present, 2009 BMW 30i on E-Bay January of this year (not this dealer though) and it was a Florida car with only 750 miles. The title reflected the original owner located in Florida.

The purchase was a success (bought and shipped to VA) without ever going to the dealer in Fla.

Never thought I would make a purchase like that on E-Bay but the options were exactly what I was looking for. Payed more than the OP's example but options are higher on the wifes car.

The car has proven so far to be perfect. I did try to look up the original owner without success and continue to be curious about why the vehicle was turned over.

The carfax rating on our car was 94 if I recall correctly.

Anyways, no regrets.

teagueAMX · 04-05-2010, 12:16 AM

I know a lot of people use eBay to buy cars and it's not bad if you do your homework. I've used it myself to buy stuff over the years, including locating a few vintage cars.

Seems that 94 rating on your car is about perfect. The one I pointed out above is an 86 because of the big red flag on the title with the buy back.

I'm sure yours is fine and wouldn't worry about. Have you had any top down weather yet over in Virginia? Good luck and enjoy your Z.

lrc454 · 04-05-2010, 03:13 AM

In fact, top down weather in VA this week, temps in the mid 80's. About 20 degrees above normal for this time of the year.

We're going to enjoy it after an unusually difficult winter. Come on Spring!

Vintage · 04-05-2010, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teagueAMX

Thanks Vintage.

It's a conversation starter, that's all. I'm not interested in buying the car - but for someone who might, your suggestion is a good one. I also thought that maybe one of the forum members might have had a history with the car and tell us the tale.

Regardless, the thing that caught my eye was the Buy Back, particularly after everything you went though. You had quite a hard time and fortunately it all worked out OK. BMW did the right thing - kudos to them!

The eBay listing simply says (in my words) that he/she had trouble with the hardtop, wasn't happy with it and BMW bought it back from him, then fixed it and sold it to a dealer in Florida. Nice and tidy. Seems if it was that easy to fix, they could have done that before the buy back. But it also says that it got bought back under the California Lemon Law, which means there was something significant. Now it's in Florida. Anyway, I've watched too much Sherlock Holmes and Colombo over the years.

Our first Z4 35i was on eBay last week with NO DISCLOSURE about previous problems!!!! Amazing and all should be careful on eBay; before this experience I would not have been too concerned about an eBay car purchase but seeing my wife's first and very DAMAGED Z4 up for sale with no history made me think that eBay may be fraud central for cars (at least your chances of being ripped off may be much higher than normal - whatever that means).

teagueAMX · 04-05-2010, 01:36 PM

I think they were able to sell yours without disclosure because BMW stepped in and traded a new one so there was no flag to the title.

The one that I found was flagged due to the California Lemon Law, so I'm sure the dealer had no alternative but to make a disclosure. At least there was some indication something may have been wrong with it so an intelligent buyer could make an intelligent decision – particularly if the price was right it could be worth the risk. On your 1st car, there was nothing to flag the unsuspecting buyer so that’s a bad deal.

eBay has a lot of fraudulent sellers, that’s for sure. But my thoughts are even with any of the high performance BMW CPO’s or normal pre-owned cars it’s a gamble. On the forum we talk about chip flashes, piggy backs, etc., so who’s to say that a lease return or a trade in hasn’t been abused pretty bad.

rmorin49 · 04-05-2010, 09:39 PM

Personally, I figure a CPO car sold by a reputable BMW dealer is worth the extra $2K or so that they usually cost. You are getting the equivalent of an extended bumper to bumper warranty for 2 extra years and usually getting a car that is in decent shape with a known history. I know there are always some horror stories about CPO cars that are not what they should be, but I think the odds are better with a CPO car than anything else you can find other than a car from a trusted friend or neighbor.

mikeinaustin · 04-05-2010, 10:41 PM

so, anyone check the carfax report on the car? should list everything the dealer did to it.

Roadstergal · 04-06-2010, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VintageBMW

Our first Z4 35i was on eBay last week with NO DISCLOSURE about previous problems!!!! Amazing and all should be careful on eBay; before this experience I would not have been too concerned about an eBay car purchase but seeing my wife's first and very DAMAGED Z4 up for sale with no history made me think that eBay may be fraud central for cars (at least your chances of being ripped off may be much higher than normal - whatever that means).

I thought that was your first 35i on ebay when I was browsing last night.

04-04-2010, 12:36 PM	#4
Vintage Colonel 379 Rep 2,588 Posts Drives: BMW G80 (MT), 718 Spyder Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Austin, Texas iTrader: (0)	go to your local BMW dealer - they should be able to pull up the repair/buyback history
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04-04-2010, 03:19 PM	#5
teagueAMX Colonel 62 Rep 2,087 Posts Drives: Some are road worthy Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: So Cal, USA iTrader: (0)	Thanks Vintage. It's a conversation starter, that's all. I'm not interested in buying the car - but for someone who might, your suggestion is a good one. I also thought that maybe one of the forum members might have had a history with the car and tell us the tale. Regardless, the thing that caught my eye was the Buy Back, particularly after everything you went though. You had quite a hard time and fortunately it all worked out OK. BMW did the right thing - kudos to them! The eBay listing simply says (in my words) that he/she had trouble with the hardtop, wasn't happy with it and BMW bought it back from him, then fixed it and sold it to a dealer in Florida. Nice and tidy. Seems if it was that easy to fix, they could have done that before the buy back. But it also says that it got bought back under the California Lemon Law, which means there was something significant. Now it's in Florida. Anyway, I've watched too much Sherlock Holmes and Colombo over the years.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-04-2010, 09:22 PM	#6
lrc454 Enlisted Member 5 Rep 47 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 30i Steptronic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	E-bay purchase Very interesting. I bought my wife a surprise birthday present, 2009 BMW 30i on E-Bay January of this year (not this dealer though) and it was a Florida car with only 750 miles. The title reflected the original owner located in Florida. The purchase was a success (bought and shipped to VA) without ever going to the dealer in Fla. Never thought I would make a purchase like that on E-Bay but the options were exactly what I was looking for. Payed more than the OP's example but options are higher on the wifes car. The car has proven so far to be perfect. I did try to look up the original owner without success and continue to be curious about why the vehicle was turned over. The carfax rating on our car was 94 if I recall correctly. Anyways, no regrets.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-05-2010, 12:16 AM	#7
teagueAMX Colonel 62 Rep 2,087 Posts Drives: Some are road worthy Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: So Cal, USA iTrader: (0)	I know a lot of people use eBay to buy cars and it's not bad if you do your homework. I've used it myself to buy stuff over the years, including locating a few vintage cars. Seems that 94 rating on your car is about perfect. The one I pointed out above is an 86 because of the big red flag on the title with the buy back. I'm sure yours is fine and wouldn't worry about. Have you had any top down weather yet over in Virginia? Good luck and enjoy your Z.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-05-2010, 03:13 AM	#8
lrc454 Enlisted Member 5 Rep 47 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 30i Steptronic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	In fact, top down weather in VA this week, temps in the mid 80's. About 20 degrees above normal for this time of the year. We're going to enjoy it after an unusually difficult winter. Come on Spring!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-05-2010, 01:36 PM	#10
teagueAMX Colonel 62 Rep 2,087 Posts Drives: Some are road worthy Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: So Cal, USA iTrader: (0)	I think they were able to sell yours without disclosure because BMW stepped in and traded a new one so there was no flag to the title. The one that I found was flagged due to the California Lemon Law, so I'm sure the dealer had no alternative but to make a disclosure. At least there was some indication something may have been wrong with it so an intelligent buyer could make an intelligent decision – particularly if the price was right it could be worth the risk. On your 1st car, there was nothing to flag the unsuspecting buyer so that’s a bad deal. eBay has a lot of fraudulent sellers, that’s for sure. But my thoughts are even with any of the high performance BMW CPO’s or normal pre-owned cars it’s a gamble. On the forum we talk about chip flashes, piggy backs, etc., so who’s to say that a lease return or a trade in hasn’t been abused pretty bad.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-05-2010, 09:39 PM	#11
rmorin49 Major 53 Rep 1,162 Posts Drives: 11 335d/10 Z4 s30i Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hagerstown, MD iTrader: (1)	Personally, I figure a CPO car sold by a reputable BMW dealer is worth the extra $2K or so that they usually cost. You are getting the equivalent of an extended bumper to bumper warranty for 2 extra years and usually getting a car that is in decent shape with a known history. I know there are always some horror stories about CPO cars that are not what they should be, but I think the odds are better with a CPO car than anything else you can find other than a car from a trusted friend or neighbor. __________________ Colonel (Retired), US Army/Hagerstown, MD 2016 518ixdrive/MSport AW/Ivory White ED-01-10 2010 Z4s30i AW/Beige/Burl/ 6MT/SP/PP/CWP/NAV/ipod/USB/CA (retired) 2011 335d BS/Oyster/PP/CWP/NAV/ipod/USB(Daily Driver) 30+ mpg(retired)
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04-05-2010, 10:41 PM	#12
mikeinaustin First Lieutenant 42 Rep 362 Posts Drives: 2010 z4 3.0 crimson red Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: austin, tx iTrader: (0)	so, anyone check the carfax report on the car? should list everything the dealer did to it.
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