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2012 BMW 328i - Sport Model |
New year, new ride.
After 12 years and the increasing costs to keep my beloved BMW 325i in working shape, I traded her in for a 2012 Certified Pre-Owned BMW 328i Sport Model on New Year's Day.
Certified pre-owned is like buying a used car with new car benefits. My bumper-to-bumper warranty is almost 3 years. The standard warranty on a new BMW is 4 years/50,000 miles (whichever comes first).
I'd been looking at pre-owned listings (Carfax, Carmax, True Car, Bay Area BMW) for the past 3-4 months. Like my first BMW (318ti) in 1998, finding a new BMW 3-series sedan in stick shift with a real clutch pedal were few and far between. And those I could find were limited to black, white or the occasional gray.
Finally, this past week, I found a lease return/1-owner (Carfax verified) 6-speed manual in blue and in my price range. Two days later, I made an appointment for a test drive at the same dealership where I bought my 325i. When the price was reduced another $1K, and an offer to throw in an additional $500 to the trade-in, I pulled the trigger and bought the car.
The 328i is my third blue BMW. It'll take me another week or two to get fully comfortable with the new technology (I-Drive) and features (retracting side mirrors, power controlled seats, individual climate controls, and auto dimming rearview mirror are among the few).
Can't wait to take her on my first road trip.