XSeries-forum

So.....had decided that we were going to get an AUC E70 but was going to wait till August after my 3 week hols......made the mistake of having a quick look on the site on saturday and found what i wanted. Quick list is:

x5 35d M sport, Black Sapphire, black nevada leather, october 2008 '58 plate.

Additional spec is
Adaptive Drive
Adaptive Headlights
4 Zone Air Con
Comfort Access
DAB
Leccie seats
Folding mirrors
Head up Display
High Beam assist
Pro Loudspeaker
Media Pack
Sunroof
Seat heating F + R
Reverse Assist Camera
Sun Pro Glass
USB
Xenon's

Negotiated a good price......its down in wales though and im in london.......am a little worried about buying something i havent actually seen even under the BMW AUC........do i need to be worried about this or is the approved used a good thing?

Managed to get another years warranty at cost too.

Are there any questions i need to ask the dealer before i go down to pick it up?

The new car excitement has settled now and the nerves of spending so much on something i havent actually seen yet are starting to make themselves felt.

Any thoughts of things i should know or any reassurance would be greatly appreciated

I thought most BMW main dealers used to let you place a plastic card deposit to buy with proviso you can have refund & walk away if you later reject the car legitimately.

Obviously I wouldnt expect to be able to later reject on basis of known & agreed colour/spec etc but flexibility would be desireable for issues such as evidence of bad repair, poor history etc.

I dont work for BMW & haven't bought AUC from a BMW dealer - despite coming close in past.

Hopefully others will be able to clarify or expand.

I bought mine from a BMW garage in Northern Ireland but fortunately had my father-in-law there locally who had a look for me to ensure that it was really in "immaculate" condition.
Personally, I would never commit to buy without seeing it - for example I would never buy a smoker's car, dog owner's car or one with a towbar - none of which may be mentioned in the blurb.
Also some BMW dealers are great, some are shocking.
The AUC warranty does de-risk the exercise both for major issues and for niggles (the odd electric not working).
I had a couple of issues I got sorted when I took the car back to London - very minor but would have cost a few hundred quid if it had been a private sale.
Also, AUC does have reasonable minimums for consumables (3 mm for tyres for example).
So, if you are going to buy unseen, getting a BMW AUC is probably the least risky way of doing it albeit not risk-free.
Good luck.

Hi there
I bought a car from a dealer in London, that I had seen on the web,, asked him about any dings dents scrapes, service to date, when next is due, also about brake fluid and coolant change, dings on alloys, owners, etc etc, and any other issues with the car,,
and give £500 with card down payment.

if you have any problems, It is distant selling dont forget!!! , and you should be able to walk away,

hope it all goes well for you, and enjoy, by the way I went from North Wales!!, are you going north or south

regards

hi squeaky

call me a magpie but are you stripping and selling that speaker mod you did to the e53??
also whereabouts in wales are you heading to fetch the new one ???

phiggy

Hi all. Thanks for the advice. A little nervous still but on the basis I'm going to pick it up I'm a little happier about it.

Not really heading north or south just due west from london to Cardiff. Looking forward to the crawl back up the m4

Hi phiggy. Will be leaving the speakers in as I don't have the original set. Do have to admit that with the hooligan head unit they do sound pretty good. So much better than just with the standard HU.

Will get round to selling the silver beast when I get back from holiday in august and still not sure whether I should stick the original head unit back in or leave the hooligan in and sell the other bits on eBay. Or sell the hooligan on eBay. Any views on that bit?

I bought my 4.8is as an AUC that way - just couldn't get from Norfolk, where I was based at the time, to Hexagon in London to view etc. Salesman assured me I could change my mind if the car was not as described. After all, until you actually sign the finance documents or hand over the money, the offer to purchase provided it is as described, remains just that. Best of luck with the new X!

Nice one squeaky it will be good to read a write up going from the e53 to the e70 and what the differences are etc.When the finances allow me to do so i will probably make a similar move.

Will do a proper review when i get back from my holidays but its a little like comparing chalk and cheese at the moment........the engine is so smooth and ive managed to get one with the adaptive ride and considering it is running on 20" wheels with run flats the ride is so smooth. Even around london its soaking up the roads unbelievably.

Definitly managed to get the right spec and considering its 2 1/2 years old with 35'000miles it feels like new........except for the engines run in a bit so i dont have to worry about it being run in

once i get some more mileage under my belt ill let you know more.