Pre purchase inspection

[Bubble1982]

Has anyone ever had a professional pre purchase inspection carried out before - I'm keen to get an idea of how much this costs and how thorough they tend to be. Has anyone had a particularly good experience where they've been saved from buying a 'lemon' ?

I've spotted a very tasty looking 61 plate M5 with about 25k miles and a really nice spec - it's not an approved used and therefore doesn't already have the benefit of an inspection / 1yr warranty. I'm relaxed about the latter, but would rapidly become less relaxed if I bought something with an existing problem.

There seem to be a lot of outfits that can offer this, but keen to find someone / somewhere that specialises in high end BMWs and will do a really thorough job. I'm guessing a main dealer is probably the best bet but thoughts warmly welcomed.

 

[matsmith749]

My gut feeling regards inspections is 'meh' - in an ideal world they would spot every fault & you can barter / be prepared for them (or walk away), but with the cars being so complex now I'm a bit more hesitant to say I would be confident in their report.

I think a pre-purchase inspection by a dealer is a good idea for peace of mind & will spot the obvious issues - you will probably only pay a couple of hundred £ for this at your local main dealer - then cover the bases with a solid warranty.

Even then you are taking a chance & have to keep your fingers crossed to an extent.

Normal rules of common sense apply - get a car with as few owners as possible, check the history, make sure the person who currently owns it can 'afford' to maintain the vehicle properly & has not skimped.

Ideally I buy cars that cost > £50k from people who live in nice houses in good areas that have owned the vehicle for over 2 years & have receipts for service (or other work) within that time frame.

Matt

 

[Stark]

I'd use Adrian from Gilbert's in Ealing.....he would come out and check it over for you. He knows every BMW inside out and very very reasonably priced too