Pre Purchase inspection
- Thread starter bensz4mc
- Start date
How do you know the seller will allow this ? I know i wouldn't & ive sold a good few used cars 
Got nothing to hide but certainly not going to let some half trained stranger meddle with my car then voice his opinion like he's some sort of expert :? especially so with a S54 & all its foibles , , , nah , not happening
Got nothing to hide but certainly not going to let some half trained stranger meddle with my car then voice his opinion like he's some sort of expert :? especially so with a S54 & all its foibles , , , nah , not happening
I think it would depend on who the inspection was being carried out by. Also who covers the sellers time travelling to a dealer etc.
Difficult as nobody wants to buy a lemon but sellers aren't free to be running about getting their car inspected by strangers either.
Tough one.
Difficult as nobody wants to buy a lemon but sellers aren't free to be running about getting their car inspected by strangers either.
Tough one.
. Thanks guys... I don't particularly like being punched in the face, especially when I'm trying to hand over my hard earned money When I bought mine, I just arranged for the owner to take it down to a local BMW garage to have it inspected. I think that driving it there himself and the fact that it was a shop that dealt in BMWs reassured him. I told him that I was paying in any case and even if I didn't buy it, I would give him a copy of the report so he knew what might come up again.
The shop did it in a couple of hours, the fee was modest and they emailed me a report right away.
If the owner has no time to take it in, you can always ask if he could drop it off and leave it and consider using his shop that services it rather than an independent, although the latter would obviously be better.
No way would I buy a car like this without having an inspection. The days when I could do a satisfactory inspection myself are long gone - cars are just too darned complex today but OTOH they also offer easy hook up to the ECM for error codes etc.
The shop did it in a couple of hours, the fee was modest and they emailed me a report right away.
If the owner has no time to take it in, you can always ask if he could drop it off and leave it and consider using his shop that services it rather than an independent, although the latter would obviously be better.
No way would I buy a car like this without having an inspection. The days when I could do a satisfactory inspection myself are long gone - cars are just too darned complex today but OTOH they also offer easy hook up to the ECM for error codes etc.
Where is the car located? I'm sure you'll get a friendly member help you out. As stated, you'd be far better off getting a member who has an M to know whether your M stacks up 100%. I think you'd be better off taking it for a £30 MOT then paying a dealer £200 for an inspection.
Angelus666 said:
I think the point is that the owner doesn't pay. If the prospective buyer wants an examination of the car, they foot the bill. The seller just accommodates them by making the car available.
No way would I buy a modern high tech car based on the word of an amateur owner who probably can't even access the service history of the car. I want to know what went wrong in the past, how it was fixed and if anything else is going or has just gone wrong. You need a mechanic familiar with the cars and a hoist for all that, no?
That is my point (we are advising the buyer on this thread)....if I was buying, then you'd be better off paying £30 for an MOT than £200 on a dealer who won't inspect the car any further.
These cars aren't that modern really, largely it's a 2001 car in the most part. If you're new to the M, then don't be surprised by the clunks, knocks and dubious gearbox upon first drive....you get used to it!
These cars aren't that modern really, largely it's a 2001 car in the most part. If you're new to the M, then don't be surprised by the clunks, knocks and dubious gearbox upon first drive....you get used to it!
As above, these cars are hardly modern which I why I like them. They are easy to work on, unlike E89 which with its engines and electrical systems are in another world.
An mot is a good choice if it's not had one recently as is a forum member taking a look. Chances are they'll know more about them than most garages.
An mot is a good choice if it's not had one recently as is a forum member taking a look. Chances are they'll know more about them than most garages.
Modern, to me, is anything without a computer and with a carb! Most of my fleet (with only two exceptions) are classic cars in that category.
The MOT would presumably address part of what you need to know - are there any incipient conditions that may cause issues - marginal suspension etc., plus an MOT failure Don't think it tells you about service history and what was previously repaired, though.
The MOT would presumably address part of what you need to know - are there any incipient conditions that may cause issues - marginal suspension etc., plus an MOT failure Don't think it tells you about service history and what was previously repaired, though.
bensz4mc said:
I used the RAC to inspect mine, however it was from a family run garage 200 miles away from me, the guy at the garage said the RAC man was totally professional, showed him insurance before taking it for a test drive and treated the car with respect. It wasnt cheap because I also got an oil analysys, under body check, paint thickness test, etc... the full monty.
It highlighted a few things that I used to get the price down, infact the cost saved paid for a full Ins I + brake fluid change, from a BMW indi, and also to fix the bits that the RAC highlighed, and some the indi found.
All of that has givin me the confidence that I will be safe using the car to its fullest until an Ins II may next year just before its MOT.
Dont know if youve already done this but you can check the cars owner and mot history for free online.
The mot history shoukd give you list of advisories etc on the car... its not a replacement for inspection and test drive but does give you some premeptive details to look into further, but as previously advised take a knowledgeable forum member with you if you can.
The mot history shoukd give you list of advisories etc on the car... its not a replacement for inspection and test drive but does give you some premeptive details to look into further, but as previously advised take a knowledgeable forum member with you if you can.
wspohn said:
Absolutely this is the only way to go about it When I was in the USA for work, I sold my E46M3 ZCP to a guy who was over a thousand miles away. He said take it to the local BMW dealer if it checks out just leave it there cuz I'll buy it and take delivery by way of the BMW dealer. This past spring I sold my E90 to M3 zcp Frozen to a buyer in Montreal which is 3500 km away. Same thing take it to the dealer, pass the pre-delivery inspection, i will send a shipping company to pick it up directly from the dealership.
We're not selling bicycles here ... we're buying and selling expensive (and expensive to fix) performance automobiles.
If you want big money for your car you might have to take half a Saturday and drive to the dealership for an inspection. If you want to buy a nice car set the expectation with the seller ... and if they don't want to play ball find another car / seller.
At the value you're paying for a performance car like a Z4M, really you're mad buying without having a reputable mechanic do a pre purchase inspection. Pretty standard practice here in Oz, even when I sold my 3.0si: the buyer places a deposit for the sale pending a pre purchase inspection (paid for by the buyer).