Pre-purchase Inspections

J

James_G

Member
 Guildford, Surrey
Dear All

First post here. I currently have a lovely 2001 E46 330i Sport, which is my daily driver and a 1991 Porsche 944 S2, which is my fun weekend car and also used for trackdays.

The time has come however to sell them both and buy one interesting car and top of my list is a Z4MC. I have already driven one before (Scotthall BMW back in March - Interlagos Blue with Champagne) but the dealer and I couldn't meet at the right price and since then I've been busy. I was totally smitten though and I don't think there will ever be a car like it, so it's now or never.

However I notice that very few of these cars are now turning up on the AUC locator and that most are being sold privately. I have learnt my lesson the hard way with my Porsche that paying more for an immaculate example is far preferable to buying something with a few gremlins, and given the price of a Z4MC, plus the fact that this would be my only car, I'd be keen to get a pre-purchase inspection (PPI).

Over in Porsche land there are lots of options for PPI but I'm not aware of the best ones to use for something like a Z4MC. Can anyone advise? Also for modern Porsches you can insepct the ECU for the "over rev" report, which lists on a scale of 1-6 where the car has reached or indeed been revved beyond the limiter. Buying a Cayman that has too many hits at Level 4 or above raises all sorts of issues with the warranty so it's a common test. Does the Z4MC have something similar?

Thanks

James
 
There are some 9 cars on the BMW website at the moment.
Can`t help with the PPI, sorry. Best bet would be to find a reputable BMW specialist garage to do an inspection. The RAC ones I hear are usually shite. There is a place near Milton Keynes who will inspect BMW`s but you have to get the car to them. I can`t remember the name of the place now but they are a BMW specialist.

I think prices are a bit higher than they were in March and some dealers are trying to push prices higher. If looking for the right price (as I have been), I think (my guess!) is that more attactive deals will come towards the end of the year. Since March even house prices have been rising and I doubt that will be sustained into the winter either....

I recently found a car I like but the price is just way out and dealer doesn`t want to budge on price yet, so I`ve just left my offer with them. I would offer more but they don`t want to budge at all on price.
 
Darren M said:
If looking for the right price (as I have been), I think (my guess!) is that more attactive deals will come towards the end of the year. Since March even house prices have been rising and I doubt that will be sustained into the winter either....

I recently found a car I like but the price is just way out and dealer doesn`t want to budge on price yet, so I`ve just left my offer with them. I would offer more but they don`t want to budge at all on price.
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I think I would agree with your thinking.
 
Personally I would buy private and save a few grand, and get a car with some warranty still left so you have time to drive it for a couple of months and time to get any gremlins sorted under the warranty.

There are a few reasonably priced ones on pistonheads at the moment.
 
If buying from a dealer, one thing I have been trying to do is to get another full years warranty thrown in. They have to provide 1 full year anyway and the cost to the dealer to add another full year is less than we have to pay retail - just something to consider while they are pushing the prices higher, try to get more out of the deal for yourself. M repairs can be expensive so if you can for example get a 2006 car and screw them down to a 2 year warranty that could be worthwhile if you have to pay the current inflated M prices.
 
Personally I would buy private and save a few grand, and get a car with some warranty still left so you have time to drive it for a couple of months and time to get any gremlins sorted under the warranty
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That's my preferred route, but like all things it will depend on the seller. Clearly one would prefer it to be a) the first owner and b) an enthusiast.

Good suggestion on getting the 2 year warranty from a dealer though, as that would buy a lot of peace of mind.
 
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