BMW retailer Vista BMW, based in Southern Florida, has been awarded the "Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Dealer of the Year Award". The award was presented to CPO manager Frank Lynch of Vista BMW by Auto Remarketing NewsMagazine, the leading magazine of the used car industry, during an industry wide CPO Forum in Dearborn, MI, on April 7-8, 2008.
Vista BMW is BMW's largest dealership of new and used vehicles in the US. In 2007 alone, it sold more than 1,217 certified pre-owned BMWs, up 9.1 percent compared to 2006. All in all, Vista BMW sells more than 6,000 new and used BMWs per year.

According to Auto Remarketing NewsMagazine, the award was given to Vista BMW in recognition of its very professional and customer focused approach to selling high quality luxury used vehicles. Vista BMW is the only BMW dealership that received the award. Six other dealers in the U.S. received similar mentions.

Says Frank Lynch, CPO Manager Vista BMW: "Here in South Florida, certified pre-owned BMWs have turned into a major draw for new and existing customers. What makes our used vehicles so attractive is that you get high quality products combined with premium service and warranty backed by BMW at a very competitive price.

The BMW CPO Program also holds the luxury segment's "Best Residual Value Award" in 2007 from the industry bellwether Kelley Blue Book. Since its inception in 1996, BMW Certified Pre-Owned program has become the number-one luxury certified program in the United States, with more than 89,795 vehicles sold in 2007 and March 2008 was BMW's best month ever, with sales of 9,600 certified vehicles.

"The BMW CPO program is one of the fastest-growing areas of BMW of North America's businesses and we are expecting yet another record year for our used car business in 2008," said Joan Horst, CPO Marketing Manager, BMW of North America, LLC. "The fact that BMW continues to achieve record CPO sales results in the face of weakness in the overall used vehicle market and uncertainty in the U.S. economy is a testament to the underlying strength of the BMW brand and the professionalism and competence of BMW dealers around the country."

Customers are increasingly recognizing CPO vehicles as a low-risk, high-reward proposition. Certified Pre-Owned BMWs offer a number of benefits to the customer including:

* Every Certified Pre-Owned BMW is backed by a special BMW Protection Plan which provides coverage for up to two years or 50,000 miles (whichever comes first);

* The Warranty is administered by BMW of North America, LLC, ensuring that covered repairs are performed by BMW-trained technicians using only genuine BMW replacement parts;

* To be eligible for enrollment in the Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Program, vehicles must be in service for at least six months or have less than 60,000 miles on the odometer and must pass extensive certification checks by BMW factory-trained technicians; and

* Certified Pre-Owned vehicle owners are given around-the-clock roadside assistance protection at no additional cost.