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| Message: | Now, THERE's some good advice. I am a used car dealer, and buy and sell a lot of BMW's. I love the cars, and take good care of my own personal ride (02 525i)... HOWEVER If you believe that the BMW you are looking at with most large, franchised car dealers is anything more than a piece of inventory, you're being naive. Dealers don't love these cars the way we do. I believe I read in this thread that this is a Mazda dealer or such. That means he most likely took this E39 in as a trade-in. Normal procedure is the customer walks into the showroom, trades in his car, and drives home in his new Mazda. The dealer will get whatever keys the customer gives him, usually the one off the keychain. A Mazda dealer is unlikely to know the cost of replacing BMW keys, and honestly, they probably don't care. Somebody will buy the "unit" and once they've done so the car, complete with it's lack of keys or other problems that it may have, are the buyer's problem. My own personal car came from the auction, I got one key and no owners manual. THat's the used car business. It's also a sad but true fact that most car dealers employ car salesmen, who have a deserved reputation for saying anything they think they can (without being sued) to get a customer to buy a car from them. That's how they earn their commission. Do they lie? Of course they do. (I don't, by the way, but I'm a one man operation and rely on things like my 100% positive feedback on ebay to stay in business). They shouldn't, but they do. I buy a lot of cars from individuals, too, and if you think car salesmen lie, you should see what individuals have to say. A sad commentary on the human condition, but there it is. So, if you have ever spoken to anyone who has purchased a used car from either a franchised (Mazda, Ford, Hyundai or BMW) or independent car dealer, you should probably be wise enough not to take the statements of the car salesman at face value. At the very least, you should suspect that they are being less than entirely truthful with you. It's a fact of life in the car business, and consumers should be smart enough to know that (but many are not). I've had any number of conversations with buyers who are considering flying to Dallas to buy a 150K mile 10 year old car from me, and want me to assure them that the car can safely be driven to (pick one) New York, or LA. When I try to discuss the imperfections of the car they don't want to hear it. I suggest they get a mechanical inspection, again they don't want to hear it. Last thought - used cars are almost always sold "as is". Meaning, no matter what the salesman said, no matter what you assumed about the car or it's condition, once you sign the paperwork and drive off the lot, it's yours just as it is. Smart buyers will get an independent inspection of the vehicle prior to buying it, so you have a better idea what you're getting yourself into. If the dealer doesn't want to cooperate or tries to talk you out of it, walk away. If you are not comfortable doing business with the dealership after you caught them lying to you, walk away. If you can't negotiate the price down to accomodate the repairs you want to make (remember, the dealer's not obligated to do squat), walk away. As someone earlier in this thread pointed out, the E39 is not exactly a rare car. There are plenty more of them out there. Nobody is holding a gun to your head to buy THIS one. If you do decide to buy THIS one then don't rant on the dealer because it wasn't everything you assumed/hoped it would be. At the end of the day, if you're disappointed you normally have only yourself to blame. Here endeth the lesson...:) | ||||
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