found some pics of crimson red car

Went over to view car today - it was in very good condition - looked as though it may have had the front bumper resprayed but not concerned about that as is quite normal for a car as low as this accumulating stone chips etc - went for a test drive - couple of warning lights popped up - one indicating a bulb malfunction and the other showing the bonnet was open even though it wasn't - still fairly trivial ?

got back fairly convinced there was a deal to be made here - asked to see service record and any history - salesman went off and came back very apologetic - they have no service record or anything even a handbook :( he said he will try and get any information off BMW but would not be able to get copies because of data protection - and of course if serviced at an independent no chance . May only be £9k but not happy about buying a car with no service history record or even a handbook - the car only had 2 owners - why would they not keep such important documents ? Salesman immediately refunded my £200 deposit and said he would try to find the missing documentation although I got the impression he wasn't that enthusiastic - I'll wait and see !
 
gov said:
Went over to view car today - it was in very good condition - looked as though it may have had the front bumper resprayed but not concerned about that as is quite normal for a car as low as this accumulating stone chips etc - went for a test drive - couple of warning lights popped up - one indicating a bulb malfunction and the other showing the bonnet was open even though it wasn't - still fairly trivial ?

got back fairly convinced there was a deal to be made here - asked to see service record and any history - salesman went off and came back very apologetic - they have no service record or anything even a handbook :( he said he will try and get any information off BMW but would not be able to get copies because of data protection - and of course if serviced at an independent no chance . May only be £9k but not happy about buying a car with no service history record or even a handbook - the car only had 2 owners - why would they not keep such important documents ? Salesman immediately refunded my £200 deposit and said he would try to find the missing documentation although I got the impression he wasn't that enthusiastic - I'll wait and see !
Click to expand...
That’s annoying, and probably all legit.
Pretty sure bmw can confirm any work they have done.
Can the previous owner be contacted?
It’s a shame if all seems good, but as you say, you want something to say what’s been done.
 
It’s annoying they never informed you about the lack of any service history :roll:
I should think it’s had servicing during the warranty period at least but I’d want to see proof as well, the bonnet issue would probably be sorted by opening the bonnet & closing it firmly-they often look closed but there’s a latch each side of centre and it’s not always obvious it’s not been shut properly :thumbsup:
How did you find the driving experience?
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
It’s annoying they never informed you about the lack of any service history :roll:
I should think it’s had servicing during the warranty period at least but I’d want to see proof as well, the bonnet issue would probably be sorted by opening the bonnet & closing it firmly-they often look closed but there’s a latch each side of centre and it’s not always obvious it’s not been shut properly :thumbsup:
How did you find the driving experience?
Rob
Click to expand...

Hi Rob - I did ask about the service history when it was up in Peterborough - the bloke said he hadn't got it in front of him but said he was confident it had a service record - as it was a big national company I assumed they would have it - so my fault partly - still surprise d there wasn't even a handbook !
As for the drive I found it quite responsive even though it was a 23i - looking at stats I can see the E89 23i is half a second quicker 0-60 than the old e85 2.5 - feels better built than the old model and a much better cabin

Tony
 
When I take mine into my local BMW dealer they read all the details from the key fob, they have a digital service history of the car. They never seem bothered with the service history book, I always have to ask to get it stamped. The bonnet sounds like its not shut properly, mine does that sometimes. I found dropping the bonnet gently and then firmly pressing both front corners works.
 
EH never came back to me with any information - I see the car has been readvertised .

I went to my local BMW dealer who accessed their computer system and gave me a print out of the car's details - the service record is patchy - the last bmw service appears to have been done at Cooper York on 24/04/15 at 33000 km ( 20000 miles ) there also some entries on the print out showing previous service work carried out in previous years as you would expect whilst it was under warranty.

Worse case scenario is that it hasn't been serviced for past 3 years or so or if it has it's been done by an independent - EH won't be happy about giving me any personal details of previous owners ( there have been 2 owners they say but I could check this )

Normally I would just lwalk away it but the car is in very good condition and at just over £9k is a very good price for a 2011 car that has only done 36k miles

Is it worth taking a risk - was thinking may be getting them to do a full service before sale and asking for at least a handbook - they already said they would do a fresh MOT ( current one expires end of April 19 )
 
Hi, it’s probably fine as it’s only been 16k since it’s last bmw service & it may have had an indie service in the interim period as well.
I’d still use the patchy history to try and beat down the price a bit more though :)
Rob
 
I wouldn't be too worried about 16K between services. Mine did 21K (in just 13 months) before it got it's 1st service, but it's still going strong at 88K.

But hopefully that and the lack of the service book might help when it comes to haggling. :thumbsup:
 
Yes was thinking along the same lines although at £9k is cheap - Cap valuation is a lot more - even WBAC is almost at that figure.

I suppose because I've been unable to find the right car for nearly two years perhaps I'm getting desperate lol

Whilst the car has to be red I am still torn a bit between a six pot and the new 4 pot turbo - the 20i 4 pot doesn't have the same sound but can be remapped easily to match my old E85 3 litre - can't do that with a 23i
 
gov said:
Whilst the car has to be red I am still torn a bit between a six pot and the new 4 pot turbo - the 20i 4 pot doesn't have the same sound but can be remapped easily to match my old E85 3 litre - can't do that with a 23i
Click to expand...

Probably depends on how often you'll be on the mainland!

If not often the 23i will sound better. :thumbsup:
 
Mr Tidy said:
gov said:
Whilst the car has to be red I am still torn a bit between a six pot and the new 4 pot turbo - the 20i 4 pot doesn't have the same sound but can be remapped easily to match my old E85 3 litre - can't do that with a 23i
Click to expand...

Probably depends on how often you'll be on the mainland!

If not often the 23i will sound better. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

You wouldn’t be able to stretch the car’s legs often on the island to use all the bhp but a mapped turbo zed has considerably more torque than a 23i or a 3litre, that will be useful all the time around all the hilly areas of the iow :thumbsup:
Rob
 
I had to make that exact same decision last week: Crimson or Melbourne Red (also briefly considered Titan Silver).
I went for Melbourne Red when I saw the car in real life (pic in my sig). But both reds are ace though. Has to have black leather though :wink:

Good luck finding the right one! Bummer about the last one’s service history (or lack of it).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom