[AlanYoro35i]

Hi guys

My uncle has a friend that works in BMW and currently there is an alpine white 2008 20,000 miles with leather , manual, pro sat nav and some other options i forgot( but almost fully spec'ed), for GBP22,000 , i think these are the ex-demo or company cars etc.

i know a post already discussed about ex demo but do you guys thinks its a bargain? should i go for it? i think i can get it even cheaper because they have a different tax rate for those cars but i am worried that it has been ragged like no tomorrow.

[ghosty]

what model is it?

[AlanYoro35i]

335i m sport :S

[sheps]

Maybe it's just me, but 20k sounds an awful lot of miles for a demo car.

Aren't they normally reg'd, then run for about 3-4k before they're moved on?

[SteveF1]

More likely a salesmans rep car used for all sorts including demos. I had a R32 that was an ex executives car from senior management at their uk HQ and that was spot on.

[davyk31]

Also too old for a demo car, they would never have kept it 2 years. Probably more like a car that has been leased or whatever. Find out more about its history but ultimately does sound a decent deal, and no matter what second hand car you got it could have been ragged to death, just get a look at its general condition to get a feel for how it was kept.

[Jeff123]

A car with low mileage that has had repeated stop/start short trips is probably a worse option - particularly a diesel. But how can you tell!

[AlanYoro35i]

wow, i will try to see what the car really is since i don't have direct contact to my uncle's friend but since im kinda doubtful about it i might stay off unless it's as you guys said maybe it was a ex-executives car then maybe just maybe ..

Thanks guys for the tips

much appreciated

[catdog1121]

If its a high milleage demo car like that be very careful.

When we could get company cars you could test cars, basically they would give you a car for a day or two, I used to just pretend I was looking at getting a company car just to test some cars, got a Z4 Msport once, but basically there is nobody sat next to you to make sure you dont hoon it and its not your car, ill let you make up your own mind about how we used to treat them. Think of it like a hire car.

Could be wrong of course but thats what I would guess its done in its life.

[ghosty]

price doesnt seem too bad at all actually
but like said you do need to check it out carefully to get a feel for how its been treated in its life. sounds likely to be a company car of some sort, and with any used car you have no idea of how its been used unless you actually speak to the previous owner(s), that applies to a sparkly one sat on a forecourt. there is no harm in checking it out first and see what kind of an impression it gives you

[acerboo]

just my thoughts, one day i left a dealership in traffic and saw a brand new bmw on trade plates leave behind me, after some traffic i got on the mway, after a while doing the legal limit, the other bmw came past me like a dose of salts "slighty" more than the legal limit. i bet that was nicely run in by the time it found an owner! i think its better to buy privately and assess the owner yourself watch his driving style, does he gun the engine from cold, tear the arse of it etc.

[peterg1965]

Do BMW run 335is as track cars for their corporate/complimentary BMW track events? I have been told that they do sell such cars through the AUC scheme. It could be one of them, although I would have thought the spec may be a little more basic for that kind of use.

I know that Porsche sell their track day event cars through their OPC used network, Porka at Silverstone must have a few I guess. I would have thought that with this sirt of use they are cars to AVOID at all costs, who knows what issues are lurking.

[dxb335d]

I wouldn't be bothered if it's been hammered. Just give it the
once over incase it's been in a smash.

[M3-FAST]

Originally Posted by sheps

Aren't they normally reg'd, then run for about 3-4k before they're moved on?

Yes, as soon as they fill the criteria top be sold as an AUC car (if the garge has registered the car, it has to be 3 months old before they can sell it as an AUC - no way would a 2 year old 'exdemo' car still be knocking about a dealership

Originally Posted by peterg1965

Do BMW run 335is as track cars for their corporate/complimentary BMW track events? I have been told that they do sell such cars through the AUC scheme. It could be one of them, although I would have thought the spec may be a little more basic for that kind of use.

Yes, they are sold through dealer networks, my local one just sold one of the ex-track M3's but the customer had to sign a disclaimer to say that he was fully aware it had track use etc before he bought it. The customers are fully aware of it's history.

[M3-FAST]

Originally Posted by Yoro35i

wow, i will try to see what the car really is since i don't have direct contact to my uncle's friend but since im kinda doubtful about it i might stay off unless it's as you guys said maybe it was a ex-executives car then maybe just maybe ..

Thanks guys for the tips

much appreciated

Just treat it the same as any 2 year old BMW - make sure it has BMW FSH and that it is in good condition - who knows the proper history of many 2 year old AUC cars?

If it was a BMW exec's car it would have been sold between 3-6 months - my mate is a BMW business manager and he used to have new cars every 3 months or 3k miles whichever comes sooner. I believe when times became slightly tougher they ran them until 5k miles and 5 months, but defo not 20k miles and 2 years!!

[leetennis]

After my exdemo woes, I aint ever getting another ex Demo!
Once bitten, twice shy!