Advice on buying a 35i or 35is

[db_]

Hi, I'm looking to buy a 35i or a 35is (need a car for a short, in city, commute and decided it might as well be a fun one).

Currently considering this one from auto-trader: 35i DCT
Here's how I'm looking at it:
Positives:
1. I like the color and the spec. Idrive is a must for me so I can install a carplay adapter.
2. I think the adaptive suspension is a plus as I'm planning to use this as my daily driver for a 5 miles commute in Cambridge.
3. Doesn't seem to have any rust in the trunk.
4. Relatively cheap (and I might be able to get it at a lower price as the price was already reduced by 500pounds last week) so I can spend some money on servicing it/preventative maintenance.

Negatives:
1. No preventative maintenance. Nothing for the roof, no indication that the adaptive suspension has been checked or replaced.
2. Some servicing done recently (ABS pump cleaned, plugs and pins refreshed, smoke test, engine purge valve replaced). This sounds to me like the car was throwing some errors and they were addressed but not necessarily in a thorough way.

This is a private seller and this would be my first car bought in the UK so I would appreciate some advice:
1. Any red flags with this car?
2. If no red flags any recommendations for a specialist around North London for a pre-purchase inspection and what should I pay attention to?
3. Do I just buy James' car z4 buy vehicles and try to somehow retrofit a carplay display(not recommended from what I could gather from the forum)? I would really like to have the option to hide the display as I love the look of the dashboard with the screen closed.
4. Extra question: how bad is the DCT in traffic? Is it a no go or just a possible annoyance?

Thanks in advance for any help with the questions above.

 

[Pondy]

I'll be honest that any post that has been written by a bot I don't bother reading and skip past it.

You are gonna struggle to buy a used car from a dealer then. Every single ad I've seen recently for any used car has been AI generated. You can spot them a mile off. Generally because they are better than the uneducated car dealers could write.

 

[jarmsie]

Welcome to the forum, from a fellow Cambs member looking for a z4. I have nothing to contribute to the thread discussion, but good luck with the search - hope you find one you love!

 

[tiglon]

I'll be honest that any post that has been written by a bot I don't bother reading and skip past it.

Same. I've got numerous colleagues and friends who use AI for everything. Critical thinking and creativity have been outsourced...

That's not a dig at B21, just a general rant.

Anyway, idrive? Touch screen? Personal preference. I'm happiest with my phone on a magnetic wireless charging mount on the dash, connected via Bluetooth. Everything I need is on the phone screen, I don't need it to be on another, bigger screen. Other people wouldn't want to live without carplay, it's all subjective, get what you want db.

I would agree that an N52 would be better for the short commute. Although really, you'd be better off with a cheap shed for the commute and a 35i/35is for the weekends. The N54 isn't going to suddenly explode if you do short journeys in it though, you'll just need to be mindful about altering maintenance needs somewhat.

Good luck with the search, for what it's worth my research has concluded that the orange ones are more reliable.