[YED OHW]

Looking at a 2024 X5 x40i with 26K that’s listed as CPO. My question is should the CPO status make me less leary of a vehicle with 2 prior “issues”…or should I be confident that the issue is resolved and don’t worry about it?

The carfax shows in the first month or so of being owned:
Accident reported: very minor damage
Vehicle involved in a sideswipe collision
Damage to front
Airbags did not deploy

Later in May 2024 at 20k miles there’s a maintenance record of Cylinder head replaced. Once this happens is this a red flag for future issues with this engine?

[BlkGS]

Cylinder heads are one of those things that are either good or they're not. The more important question is if the head gasket was done properly. After 6k miles, if it wasn't done right, they'd have figured it out by now, and being CPO should cover you as well.

That said, I would question why that work was done. Is it confirmed via bmw service records, or carfax's bogus junk records? If BMW confirms they did in fact replace an entire cylinder head, I'd make sure to triple check it hasn't been flagged for warranty issues, someone may have installed a tuner and that was the root cause, and may have been flagged in the warranty system. You'd think that a CPO car would not be flagged, but it's worth triple checking.

[JFS007]

Originally Posted by YED OHW

Looking at a 2024 X5 x40i with 26K that’s listed as CPO. My question is should the CPO status make me less leary of a vehicle with 2 prior “issues”…or should I be confident that the issue is resolved and don’t worry about it?

The carfax shows in the first month or so of being owned:
Accident reported: very minor damage
Vehicle involved in a sideswipe collision
Damage to front
Airbags did not deploy

Later in May 2024 at 20k miles there’s a maintenance record of Cylinder head replaced. Once this happens is this a red flag for future issues with this engine?

I would still approach this vehicle with caution given its history. Here’s my perspective:
1. Accident History: Although the damage was classified as “very minor,” the fact that it involved a sideswipe and front-end damage raises questions. Even small accidents can lead to long-term issues like alignment problems or uneven wear on suspension components, depending on the quality of the repair.
2. Cylinder Head Replacement: A cylinder head replacement at just 20,000 miles is a significant red flag. This kind of repair suggests that the engine experienced unusual stress or a defect early in its life. Even if the issue was resolved, there’s a risk of downstream effects like premature wear on other components, especially in a complex engine like the one in the X5.
3. Risk Assessment: While the CPO designation means the car was inspected and meets certain standards, it doesn’t guarantee that no future issues will arise. In this case, the combination of accident history and major engine repair makes me hesitant. BMW repairs are notoriously expensive, and even with a warranty, you could be dealing with the inconvenience of further problems.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t gamble on this particular vehicle unless detailed repair records are available, reviewed by a BMW specialist, and you’re completely confident in the quality of the fixes. There are likely other CPO options out there with cleaner histories that will provide more peace of mind.

[RPA8888]

Not to be repetitive, but clearly there are red flag issues with this car as others have called out. One other concern is the relatively high mileage that the car currently has.

There are risks with this car for sure. The fact that the car is a CPO would assuage some of that I think.

For me it would come down to other specific aspects of the vehicle - the equipment level and how that would satisfy my needs, and also the price.

If you are still inclined to pursue purchasing it - I would only do so if you can negotiate down the price in consideration of the known issues.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by JFS007

I would still approach this vehicle with caution given its history. Here’s my perspective:
1. Accident History: Although the damage was classified as “very minor,” the fact that it involved a sideswipe and front-end damage raises questions. Even small accidents can lead to long-term issues like alignment problems or uneven wear on suspension components, depending on the quality of the repair.
2. Cylinder Head Replacement: A cylinder head replacement at just 20,000 miles is a significant red flag. This kind of repair suggests that the engine experienced unusual stress or a defect early in its life. Even if the issue was resolved, there’s a risk of downstream effects like premature wear on other components, especially in a complex engine like the one in the X5.
3. Risk Assessment: While the CPO designation means the car was inspected and meets certain standards, it doesn’t guarantee that no future issues will arise. In this case, the combination of accident history and major engine repair makes me hesitant. BMW repairs are notoriously expensive, and even with a warranty, you could be dealing with the inconvenience of further problems.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t gamble on this particular vehicle unless detailed repair records are available, reviewed by a BMW specialist, and you’re completely confident in the quality of the fixes. There are likely other CPO options out there with cleaner histories that will provide more peace of mind.

Could not express any better. Suggest to pass.

[LuckyBrand]

Hard pass.

[Dgjo2022X5MC]

Hard pass….many better units to choose from.

[sharkymcpeterson]

Hard pass. There are too many cpo 40i’s out there to settle on one that has a dirty car fax

[PunsGalore]

Hard pass!

[BruinMan]

It’s crazy to even think about this X5. There are so many pre-owned X5s available that are certified pre-owned and ready to buy. BMWs are costly to maintain, so don’t make a poor decision.

[X5MnM3comp]

I agree with the majority. Also consider resale value for your return on investment down the road when you decide to let it go. A 3rd hand car that’s been in accident would probably be tough to sell at a reasonably price that you would accept. Don’t take the fact of air bag did not deploy lightly. My mother was in an accident last year, thankfully she was ok. She was hit on the left front in an intersection. Given her Mercedes was older , the car was determined as total loss, however air bag was not deployed. When I saw the photos of her damaged car, I was not only surprised I was angry. I called Mercedes to question why, they told me some bs like air bags are designed not to deploy in minor hits to prevent injury to driver/passanger. But to me it just does not align with the damages occurred on her car. Again, it was a total loss. I’d thought this sharing might be helpful in your case.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by LuckyBrand

Hard pass.

Hard pass and accelerate to red line. There are so many better vehicles out there.

3 items which I would not compromise:

1. One owner
2. Verifiable maintenance history
3. No accidents.

[LuckyBrand]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Hard pass and accelerate to red line. There are so many better vehicles out there.

3 items which I would not compromise:

1. One owner
2. Verifiable maintenance history
3. No accidents.

My thoughts as well!

[YED OHW]

Thanks for all the input. Like many of you mentioned, there’s way too many options out there to inherit any known red flags. We found another one with the exact same build and no issues (that we know of). Bonus - it was $2600 cheaper.

It’s always fun searching for a new-ish car and just listening to what some of the sales reps say. I wanted a CPO. A rep for a BMW dealership told me they don’t CPO their vehicles because you can get an extended warranty cheaper. She said she would ask her GM if it could be CPO if I was willing to pay the $4-5,000 it costs to do that. She followed that up with “If you don’t mind me asking why does it have to be CPO?”

At that point I just stopped replying. BMW offers it and touts it as an added benefit of buying their slightly used vehicles off of a BMW dealer. Why would a dealer minimize or take away one of their tools to sell cars off their lots vs a car on a different brands lot? My only thought is there are hidden red flags they don’t want to disclose. Otherwise it’s just really odd to me. Maybe I don’t understand the warranty or marketing game.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by YED OHW

Thanks for all the input. Like many of you mentioned, there’s way too many options out there to inherit any known red flags. We found another one with the exact same build and no issues (that we know of). Bonus - it was $2600 cheaper.

It’s always fun searching for a new-ish car and just listening to what some of the sales reps say. I wanted a CPO. A rep for a BMW dealership told me they don’t CPO their vehicles because you can get an extended warranty cheaper. She said she would ask her GM if it could be CPO if I was willing to pay the $4-5,000 it costs to do that. She followed that up with “If you don’t mind me asking why does it have to be CPO?”

At that point I just stopped replying. BMW offers it and touts it as an added benefit of buying their slightly used vehicles off of a BMW dealer. Why would a dealer minimize or take away one of their tools to sell cars off their lots vs a car on a different brands lot? My only thought is there are hidden red flags they don’t want to disclose. Otherwise it’s just really odd to me. Maybe I don’t understand the warranty or marketing game.

A CPO is a marketing tool. Many dealers do not have to use it since they can sell the vehicles without it. During COVID just about every dealer stopped CPOing vehicles as it wasn't needed.