# Selling my 540 :(



## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

Thanks for all your replies. I still have had no calls and have since lowered my asking price to $23,900 on autotrader. I will try the local paper and some other sources, but first I'm taking it to a trustworthy mechanic and fixing any problems he may find so nothing comes up later. I may even try an ebay auction of all things (local pickup only) 

I wish I were trading it in for the new M6 I just read about in R&T.


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

BrettInLJ said:


> ....... I may even try an ebay auction of all things (local pickup only)
> ...........


Don't waste your time or money w/ Ebay auctions on cars. Its a waste of time and an insult to your intelligence. If you are willing take less for your car and by all means lower it more. You don't need to spend the money and time on Ebay and some jerk-off winning his lowball bid at $18k.

just my 2 cents,

beewang :bigpimp:


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## markseven (Apr 30, 2004)

dagoo98 said:


> I agree with your point and I think it makes sense. My point is that should not be the only reason why you are willing to pay a premium. It should be in imaculate condition, well maintained, no leaks from the valve cover, no signs of liquid spray in the engine bay, spark plug condition, air filter condition, etc. You may say well an air filter is $15. Correct but you can make an inference on the maintenance habits of the previous owner if he has a clean air filter versus a filthy one and whether other tune up parts are in poor condition.
> 
> Let me tell another story, when I was shopping for my 540 two years ago, I found a fully loaded 2000 540/6 like mine with 22,000 miles. A warranty was offered and they wanted a premium for the car because of the low miles. At that time, a 2000 540/6, fully loaded anywhere from 40K-60K was selling for $30,000. They wanted $36,000 for this car. It was immaculate, it had looked that it was fresh off the production line. I had the cash so if I approved after looking it over I was going to buy it. I looked over the car got it on a lift and I noticed something that made me think. I noticed the control arms had been replaced and so had the shocks. I began to think, on a 22,000 mile car this is not normal maintenance. I also noticed that the rear shocks were not changed which also raised a red flag. I began to go over the car meticulously and then I came across a mechanic walking around the dealership but his uniform was from another shop. I engaged in a conversation with him and we spoke about the car. I told him I worked there and wanted to know what work had been done on the car. He was quite helpful, he told me that the whole front suspension was replaced because it was in a bad accident. All the arms, shocks, links, etc. He told me that it would probably never ride the same so they painted the entire car so customers wouldn't notice there was damage to the front. I must say they did a great job painting it. The moral of the story is you can get screwed paying a premium for a low mileage car also. :thumbup:


Dagoo,

Before I bought my car (40k on the clock), I had a pre-purchase inspection performed. My car was put on a lift, and the undercarriage, suspension, and drivetrain were inspected. A compression check was performed, and the electrical and cooling system were checked as well. She passed with flying colors, so I bought her.

A pre-purchase inspection is ALWAYS prudent. 

Here's a story you may find interesting. We just sold our 03 Corolla that we owned since new. All major scheduled maintenance was performed by Toyota (5K, 15K, 30K), and I changed the oil every 3k. I mentioned this on every ad... not one person who called about the car asked about the scheduled maintenance. No one cared! The big question was if a smoker drove the car. I'm still scratching my head... we spent close to a grand on scheduled maintenance, but it didn't help when it came to selling the car. :dunno:

-Mark


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## Dave T (Apr 18, 2004)

FWIW, I just sold my 99 540 for $19K and change. I initially hoped to get closer to $25K, based on Edmunds pricing, but I didn't get any calls until I lowered my asking price to $22.5K, and then ended up lowering it again before it sold. My car was 6 speed, Tit Gray, NAV, heated seats, and premium sound, with about 70K miles. It had been in an accident, which did discourage one of the buyers, but I didn't mention that in the ad, so it wasn't a factor in the lack of calls I got when it was listed at $25K.

- Dave


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## dagoo98 (Apr 23, 2004)

markseven said:


> Dagoo,
> 
> Before I bought my car (40k on the clock), I had a pre-purchase inspection performed. My car was put on a lift, and the undercarriage, suspension, and drivetrain were inspected. A compression check was performed, and the electrical and cooling system were checked as well. She passed with flying colors, so I bought her.
> 
> ...


Very interesting, this correlates to my original hypothesis that people purchasing cars do not act in a prudent manner by taking the necessary precautions before making these large investments. Whether a smoker drove the car should be a concern but not the only concern. 

By the way, way to go on the thorough pre-purchase inspection. :thumbup:


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

I would always get a pre-purchase inspection. I haven't bought used car without getting one. I did get my first call today, but it is discouraging to hear that a 540i with similar miles sold for $19k. That would mean the depreciation has averaged about $750 a month for the past year and a half. I would just assume put 4 grand into the car rather than sell it that low.


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## Dave T (Apr 18, 2004)

I was disappointed to sell it for that low, too. But, I got over it. By the time it finally sold, I just wanted to get rid of it, and skipped the hardball negotiations. I might have been able to get another $1K or so. But, hopefully, your mileage will vary.

In any case, where do you get the $750/month from? Based on your purchase price? I would say that you either paid too much, or that 540's go for more in your area than mine. If you're pretty sure that you got a decent deal on your car when you bought it, maybe you should just pro-rate the bluebook when you got it to that now, and apply that ratio to what you paid - to get a reasonable selling price now.

- Dave


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

I bought it in October of 2004 for $29k when it had 54k miles on it. This was about $800 below Edmunds TMV, without taking into accound the Dinan upgrades. BTW, was yours a auto or 6-speed? The 6-speeds are worth several thousand more.


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

Just an update... yesterday I sold my 540i for $23,200. I got no calls from autotrader, but I put it on craigslist.org for $23,500 and the first person to look at it bought it the next day. And the only reason he took $300 off the price was because I told him about the smog pump that needs replacing.

This may not be goodbye though. I want a daily driver and my parents have a '93 525i with 150k miles that is their second car and immaculate. They are going to buy a new one soon. For $4k, it only has to last me 6 months and I will still come out aheady, but it probably has a lot of life left in it.

I just can't get away from BMW's! If I try to, they just seem to find me. Siiiiiigh.... Bye for now until my next cooling problem, check engine light, or funny noise issue. So you'll see me back here soon. LOL


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## chivas (Aug 31, 2002)

i don't know what you were planning on getting in the 3'er or what lexus you were going to get but you'll be hating yourself. i can't imagine the fun of driving a lexus be as fun and fullfilling as it would be in a 540i/6.

but good luck in your endevours. i just found this board and i'm sure there's some here that have seen me on rf and bf.c


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## bmwxdrive (Nov 13, 2004)

BrettInLJ said:


> I have decided to sell my 540i in preparation of getting an '06 3er or Lexus. I'm really going to miss this car and wanted to thank everyone on the board who has helped over the bast year and a half.
> 
> Do you guys think $24,900 is a fair initial asking price for a '99 6-speed with Xenon, DSP, and about 69k mi? I've had it listed for a week on autotrader but haven't received any calls. I figured it would be a good deal (below Edmunds TMV) since it has the Dinan CAI and software. Does it just typically take longer to sell these cars, or should I lower the asking price?


Dont get a lexus :thumbdwn: Get the BMW E90(2006) :bigpimp: It had great reviews from edmunds and others reviewers. :thumbup:


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

Yes, I just read the E90 Autoweek review in their newsprint magazine. One theme to all these reviews, is that they acknowledge that this time around BMW has some serious competition, whose "price of admission" is about $5k less. When I'm in the market next year or the following I will be test driving several of the compeitors and keeping an open mind. There is some talk about Lexus starting to introduce sport versions of their models. I want to see what they do to the IS330 before I commit to the E90.

If I had the money, I would probably get the new Lexus Hybrid SUV, loaded, and a Lotus Elise (or maybe a Boxster S). That combination would satisfy most of my driving needs and desires.

For now, I will probably have one of the best maintained and cared for '93 525i's in existence, to hold me over. Maybe adding a Jim Conforti peformance chip for kicks.


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