Buying advice - private seller

F

feersum_endjinn

Member
 London
Hi All,

Newbie here. Let me start with an apology first - sorry for asking advice on buying a car. I know a lot of you must have gone through this several times! I have read three threads on bying advice and printed out this checklist to take with me. But I still wanted your advice on a car that I'm interested in.

  • Car Spec
  • 2006 3.0si Sport Coupe
  • 30,000 miles
  • Automatic with paddle-shift
  • Two previous owners, I will be the 4th
  • Has had oil change at BMW dealer at 15k, Inspection 1 due in 1000 miles
  • Sport and Comfort pack
  • M-sport pack(?) - stearing wheel + seats are M-sport
  • Price: £16.5k

As far as I can tell it has the following non-standard modifications/changes
One of the previous owners has fitted non-BMW alloy wheels
Has non-run flat tyres
Has a after-market Sat-nav (which I think is non-detachable)

It has not had any repairs, mechanical or electrical and no major accidents (according to seller, will do an HPI if I go ahead with the buy). The rear bumper has been repaired due a car park bump. There's no other issues with the car.

  • My list of questions (there are many!)
  • Is this car worth the asking price?
  • Is it generally a bad idea to buy a car at this price from a private seller?
  • Should I consider getting a warranty (from e.g. Warranty Direct) for ~£750/year
  • I cannot test drive since I'm a "named" driver on the current policy - but have been for a 30min test drive as a passenger. Both in traffic (slow) and A road (60mph-ish). Is this an issue?
  • Inspection 1 is due soon - this seems to be around £180 to £400 - should I be concerned about any repairs? Should I make an offer of buying the car if the seller does the service beforehand?
  • I know BMW's are very reliable but is there anything in particular I should look out for on the 3.0 engine? E.g. the automatic gearbox, alternator, spark plugs, etc

Aside from this any general warning, advice, information you can give me will be much appreciated!

Thank you!
 
16.5K does not sound bad to me but then i may be out of touch, as paddy says, pics of the sat nav would be worth lookin at

the coupe is definately the 1 to buy
 
No doubt you've checked Parkers and Autotrader to see if the price is in the right ball-park. (If not then suggest you do) but price sounds OK to me.
Shame about the wheels, but I've some spare mv2's that would look nice if the price is right! (See Taz x's signature for an illustration!)
p.s M-sport pack(?) - stearing wheel + seats are M-sport is standard too for this coupe.
 
If it has the M wheel and sport seats (so no separate headrest) then it most likly is in Sport trim.. as opposed to the SE trim.. so has the lower sport springs too.

Price seems good to me.. even if it has 3 previous owners.. cars like these often change hands often (midlife crisis - whim buys then realise they are inpractical etc).. so doesnt often signify trouble.
 
Hello feersum_endjinn,

The only advise I can give you would be; If you like the car, then make an offer to purchase with the condition that the car be inspected by a BMW dealer. It will cost you a few pounds, however, you will be in a position to make a solid decision. Also, you will know what and when you need to attend to maintenance issues. This then will help you to negotiate a fair price for the car.

I drove a 2008 Z4 3.0is for 10 months, picked it up as a good year end deal new, then traded it in for my now Sdrive Z4 3.5i for only 2 reasons, the price was right and I wanted the retractable hardtop.

Good luck and good hunting :)
 
Hi all,

Thank you all for your replies. I think I will definitely ask for the car to be inspected. I didn't know you could do that but yes, it would be good to know if anything is wrong with the car. Is this a service that all BMW dealers provide? Any idea how much it would be?

What's the general consensus on getting a warranty? Waste of money or peace of mind?

I'm hoping to go for a second viewing(!) and will take the checklist and do a more thorough check.

Will post pics as soon as I've paid a deposit!

Thanks again for your replies.
 
Guiseley said:
Shame about the wheels, but I've some spare mv2's that would look nice if the price is right! (See Taz x's signature for an illustration!)
Click to expand...

Thank you for the offer! I do like those alloys but I don't know if I can't afford the car + £1000 insurance + possible warranty for £700 + your alloys! :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom