DEALER VS PRIVATE
Instead, consider the many advantages of buying a pre-owned vehicle from a dealer.
“At Brian Jessel BMW we believe that although the vehicle might be pre-owned it will be new to you, so we do everything we can to make your vehicle look and feel as good as new.”
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In my two and a half decades in the automotive business, countless people have come to me with the same question: why should they buy a pre-owned vehicle from a dealer rather than a private seller? After all, in a private sale the buyer only pays one type oftax, and surely the vehicle quality can be just as good. Right? My answer to this question is “yes.” It’s true that in a private sale the purchaser pays only a single tax. This initial cost saving could be construed as an advantage.
But as for the quality of the vehicle, that’s when the old adage caveat emptor rings particularlytrue. Fartoo many people who buy through private sales eventually discover problems with their vehicles they hadn’t bargained for and end up paying more money to fix the problem than they “saved” on purchase taxes. Buying from a dealership, on the other hand, has many advantages. And at Brian Jessel BMW, I believe we offer the most advantages of any dealer, anywhere in North America.
To begin, we make sure that every pre-owned vehicle we sell is free of any liens, is not stolen and has not had any major accidents or repairs. Then we recondition yourvehicle inside and out. At Brian Jessel BMW we believe that although the vehicle might be pre-owned it will be new to you, so we do everything we can to make yourvehicle look and feel as good as new. Whether your budget is $10,000 or $100,000 we give your pre owned vehicle the same reconditioning treatment, including: Alloy wheel repair (in case of curb damage) Vinyl and leather repair Bumper scuffs Body panels
Dent repair Chip and light scratch repair Windshield repair or replacement Plastic floor covering Full vehicle detailing Most importantly, your pre-owned vehicle receives a full and complete vehicle inspection to ensure yourvehicle is in absolutelytop condition, so that all you’ll need to do is enjoy its safe driveability and performance. Another huge advantage to buying yourvehicle with us is our warranty program—just try asking a private seller for a warranty! If your pre owned vehicle is currently covered by a warranty, we offer an extended warranty you may purchase.
If your pre-owned vehicle qualifies for the certified series protection plan, we will include it with your purchase. The certified series protection plan involves putting your vehicle through a 360-degree inspection; any issues reported by our technicians are noted and repairs made to bring the vehicle back to its original condition. Once this is completed, warranty coverage is extended for six years or up to 160,000 kms from the original service date.
Components covered bythe certified series inspection plan include the engine; transmission; final drive assembly; front suspension; rear suspension; steering; ABS brake system; fuel system; electrical system; sensor; airconditioning, heating, and cooling system. Roadside assistance is also extended forthe term ofthe certified series protection plan. And for the occasional pre-owned vehicles that come to us with expired warranties or are too old to qualify for the extended warranty program, we’ve crafted a solution.
We pass the vehicle through our service department and bring it up to our high safety standards, then give the vehicle a three-month or 5000 km mechanical breakdown warranty. Once again Brian Jessel BMW offers our customers peace of mind, much more than a private sale could offer. When your pre-owned vehicle purchased with us requires servicing or maintenance, we supplyyou with a loanervehicle free ofcharge. You can take advantage ofourvaletservice:
we drive the loanervehicle to you, and bring yourcarback to you when its servicing is complete. As always, we’re only a phone call away to meet your service needs: Jim Krahn and his customerservice team areavailable toyou 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Finally, when you’re ready to trade in your current vehicle, dealing with us at Brian Jessel BMW has many advantages over doing it on your own. While you may think you’ll make more money selling your car privately, consider the following: Do you wantto take on the the labour of cleaning, repairing, preparing, advertising, showing and negotiating the sale of your car? Do you have the time to waste when appointments fail to show up? When a strangercomes to testdrive the car, would you trustthem to bring itback? Orwould you trustthem enough to ride in the caralone with them? What would you do if a buyer offered to trade their vehicle for yours?
When it comes to price, working with a dealer has a huge advantage over private sale: it helps with your tax savings. For example, let’s say your currentvehicle is worth $10,000. You wantto trade it in for a vehicle at Brian Jessel BMW that falls into the 13% tax bracket. Because you pay the tax on the difference in price between the vehicle you are purchasing and the one you are trading in, yourcurrentvehicle becomes worth $11,300 as a trade-in.
You would have to sell yourvehicle privately for $11,300 to equal the value of a dealership offer of $10,000. I hope I’ve clarified some of the advantages of purchasing your next pre-owned vehicle from our team at Brian Jessel BMW. Please make sure to visit www.brianjesselbmw.com to see our inventory of pre owned vehicles.
Each vehicle has 25 pictures and every day we update our site with new inventory. If something catches your eye, please call our sales department, we’ll be happy to assist you!
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Buying your next vehicle in the US instead of Canada:
In spite of the at-par loonie, why buying Stateside ISN’T a bargain
As I write this, the Canadian dollar has been hovering near par with the US dollar, sometimes even exceeding it in value. This hasn’t happened since the mid-1970’s, and although financial forecasters aren’t certain how long the strong loonie trend will continue, many Canadians are considering taking advantage of this situation by heading to the United States to purchase their next vehicle.
Most of these people believe that by doing so they will save much more money than they would have by buying the same vehicle in Canada. But is this indeed the case? As with anything in life, it’s important to examine any “bargain” closely before buying, because that bargain may indeed end up being too good to be true. I have dealt professionally in the United States for years and I can honestly saythat before you buy in the US, do your homework.
Have you ever heard the term “flood car”? The US is currently inundated with cars abandoned and stolen during Hurricane Katrina, then rebuilt and titled in another state under new VIN numbers. These are vehicles that were damaged to the point of being written off—how would you recognize if your potential vehicle was a flood car? A car proof search to discover a vehicle’s history may not reveal it’s true damage. This is just one of the more frightening situations you might encounter when considering purchasing a vehicle stateside.
Let’s face it: our dollar is on a high and may keep climbing. But when it comes to buying a vehicle—a major life purchase—price is really only one factor to take into consideration. It’s important to keep the big picture in mind, namely, the return you’ll receive on your vehicle when you eventually decide to sell it. Selling is notthe time to discover prior damage you never knew about, particularly if the value of the Canadian dollar has dropped in the meantime your bargain purchase will begin to look like less of a wise investment.
Another thing to keep in mind before considering purchasing in the US is that manyvehicles in Canada are actually very comparable in price to American vehicles—do your research in Canada before automatically thinking you will save money if you buy in the US. And if you do make a purchase in the US, what happens when you have to bring it back into Canada? You may have bought what is known as a “grey market” vehicle, a car that doesn’t meet Canadian standards.
Officials will simply not let your grey market vehicle cross the border. Canadian automotive standards are many and detailed and can range from emissions (standards are higher in Canada than most US states) to bumpers and even headlights. By contrast, any vehicle forsale in Canada will have alreadymetall Canadian standards. If your vehicle does make it into Canada, you may discover such inconveniences as not having a dual miles/kilometres speedometer.
Or you may make a worse discovery usually at a critical moment, like when the car breaks down—that your warranty isn’t valid in Canada. What will you do then? At best you’ll have the hassle of trying to argue with the vehicle’s manufacturer over the warranty, which is rarely a battle you will win. Finally, if you want to purchase in the US, forget financing—you’ll have to write a cheque forthe full price ofthe vehicle.
With financing in Canada frequently as low as 2.9%, it makes not having to lay out all your cash up front feel fairly painless, even advantageous. In the end, the greatest advantage you’ll find to buying in Canada is that your dealer will stand behind the vehicle you buy.
You’ll know you’ve paid a fair price, that your warranty has you covered (just try finding that with a car you buy off eBay!), that the vehicle is in excellent condition and that you’ll get full value when it’s time to resell it or trade it in. That’s peace of mind you simply can’t find in a “bargain” vehicle
