[NoLongerAFan]

Wondering if anyone has had any luck with the Buy Back Program. We have a 2023 G05 X5 45e with less than 20K miles (original owners) and all the service at BMW. We started having trouble in Sept 2025 with the Drivetrain issue. This error kept coming up on the display . We contacted our BMW Service center and brought the car in.They had it for 3 weeks the 1st time and it was returned to us. The errorshowed again less than a week later and back it went. At this point we researchedthe California Lemon Law I contacted BMW North America and submitted thepaperwork for the Buy Back program. Eventually I received a call back from our case managerstating they were not buying the car back. I informed him it was in the shopfor the 3rd time and asked him to review the case. After over 5weeks and 3 attempts made to fix the issue, they finally agreed to buy it back.We were made to feel like they were doing us a favor. I asked to speak with hissupervisor more than once and was told that I couldn’t get any higher than him.I highly doubt that. We couldn’t agree on a buy back price because we wanted thesame car without having to pay even more money for it, but BMW refused to makeus whole. We purchased a car, not leased it from BMW. We didn’t feel we shouldhave to pay anything since they sold us a brand-new unreliable car. We were finepaying the difference of the loan. We just wanted a safe and reliable car todrive our daughters around in. As of right now we still have the car, but we will be moving away from BMW toanother luxury brand since brand loyalty doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Aswell as the lack of quality of their vehicles and the fact that they do notstand behind their vehicles. We have been life long and faithful BMW ownersand currently have 3 other BMWs in addition to the one we wanted replaced; 2010E93 M3, 2013 E70 X5 35i, 2018 F80 M3 and 2023 X5 45e. We have owned atleast 10 other BMW’s over our lives. I am just wondering what experiences others have had and if anyone was made whole when BMW sold them a lemon.

[zx10guy]

I'd be with you if the car was the current model year and had maybe a couple of thousand miles on it. But this car is two years old with about 20k miles. I think it's reasonable for them to deduct the depreciation of the age and mileage in figuring out their buy back package as you got use out of the vehicle.

[whofelt]

So they’re buying the car back from you?

What was the issue? Just the buy back price? Where was the price discrepancy that you had issues with ?

[Mason Hatcher]

A two year old car with 20K and they are honoring the warranty, and you expect them to give you the MSRP? CA law is if it has a substantial defect that impairs its use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer or its authorized dealer is unable to repair the defect after a reasonable number of attempts. The defect must also occur within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles of ownership, whichever comes first.

[BeEmVe]

I am confused, you want the same vehicle without paying more for it. But then state you will be moving away from BMW to another luxury brand. Those are two different directions.

At the end of the day you are not getting your money back because you have used the vehicle for two years. The BMW buyback is no different than if the vehicle was totaled and dealing with your insurance. Both are going to lowball you.

What you need to do is some basic home work. Find a series of comparable vehicles that are currently for sale. The same vehicle, same specs, same mileage, same condition, same color. Find the highest three for sale and present them, telling them you will take the average.

[jmg]

I had a very positive experience with the buyback program on our i3 years ago. It was a leased i3, as you should do for all electric bimmers, and about 1 year into our lease.

It was in the shop 4 times for the power steering just cutting out randomly. BMW called me and offered to buy me out of the lease. I said no, I like the car, I got a great deal on it, I wouldn't qualify for the state incentive again, and I wouldn't be able to get the same killer deal. They countered by offering me cash back, which was more than enough to cover all the lease payments and the state incentive.

I returned it, then leased another i3 with more options. The cash offer covered the drive off fee and the increased payment for the term of the lease too. So in the end, I basically got a free upgrade and only paid insurance the first year of the first car's lease. Oh, and the 5 series they let me borrow for all those times it was in the shop was nice too, but unfortunately, I did have to pay for gas instead of using the charging station at work.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by NoLongerAFan

We have a 2023 G05 X5 45e with less than 20K miles that we are the original ownersof and all the service has been done at BMW. [...]After over 5weeks and 3 attempts made to fix the issue, they finally agreed to buy it back.[...] We couldn’t agree on a buy back price because we wanted thesame car without having to pay even more money for it, but BMW refused to makeus whole.

First of all, sorry to hear about your troubles with your car.
Congrats on getting the buy-back process working in your favor. The disagreement seams to be about the buy-back price.

To be clear, buy-back is not guaranteed to be executed at 100% of the purchase price. Some reasonable depreciation for time/miles in service has to be deducted.

What exact # would "make us whole"?

Originally Posted by NoLongerAFan

We didn’t feel we shouldhave to pay anything since they sold us a brand-new unreliable car. We were finepaying the difference of the loan.

The car was OK for the first <2 years of ownership, then it started throwing errors. What is the "difference of the loan" which you are willing to pay (aka depreciation on the car)?

It sounds like you are, broadly, on the right trajectory with BMW.
It's just the question of bu-bay price?

Originally Posted by NoLongerAFan

we will be moving away from BMW toanother luxury brand since brand loyalty doesn’t seem to matter anymore. [...] We have owned atleast 10 other BMW’s over our lives.

It clearly sucks to be stuck with a car that sends you on a buy-back ride.
Whether or not you buy another BMW is up to you.
I would consider test driving other brands, just to evaluate the competition.

This single bad experience aside, you may find what you are looking outside of the BMW stable. And there is nothing wrong with that (especially given the modern-day BMW design language).

Good luck either way,
a

[Westside Guy]

In my opinion the OP would receive a similar depreciated offer from other luxury brands if they were dealing with a 2 year old car with 20,000 miles.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

In my opinion the OP would receive a similar depreciated offer from other luxury brands if they were dealing with a 2 year old car with 20,000 miles.

Agreed.
Otherwise it would not be a "buy-back" program, but a "money back guranteed" program!

a