Quote:
Originally Posted by Dessertrunner
Be careful of the BMW as they get older they give problems, I am not a expert but a friend has a BMW and it seems when they get over 200,000k they need to be sold off, computer, transmission and radiator. The dash system tend to drive people nuts as well.
They are a good car but need to understand they don't grow old gracefully.
Tony
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Thanks for the advice. I have been looking for one for a while & have done quite a bit of research on their strengths & weaknesses. This info. is used to filter the wheat from the chaff & as such, I am still looking for the right one, but I do know they are out there. I have a good friend who has one & is fastidious in looking after it. I am in no rush anyway, so can be patient. It took me 2 weeks of PPI checks & double checks for my 95 SVX & it will take me at least as long when the right M5 comes along (I am never rushed when working out for anything - there will always be another one sometime soon).
Speaking of the SVX, my car has 300km on the clock, but is in exceptional condition, cosmetically & mechanically. Without fail, people cannot believe the condition it is in with most cars in worse condition at 50-100km. This just goes to show what TLC & regular servicing & maintenance can do for a car. This is also part of the reason why I have passed up a couple of the recent opportunities for both SVX & M5.
As a side thought for discussion, my purchase conditions are guided by some obvious & less obvious matters.
1. Obviously the first is regular schedule servicing & maintenance (FSH) by a reputable workshop. It doesn't have to be Subaru/BMW, but someone who has a good reputation with looking after their customers. SVX/M5 experience is nice though.
2. Secondly, I look how well the car has been kept cosmetically i.e. interior condition esp. with leather, curbing of wheels, minor stone chips repairs done (as opposed to just being left), door rubber condition, general tidiness, type of tyres. The latter point is about the tyre being the only thing between you & the road - if you select cheap tyres, then you are more likely to be cheap when it comes to looking after the car.
3. Attitude of the owner/driver/seller. In my experience, it is unlikely that having been all good with the first 2 above that the owner/driver/seller will be have a bad attitude, but if he/she does, I normally walk away. I just do business with people with bad attitudes.
4. I also try not to buy from car yards, as they tend to be good at covering up a multitude of near future issues that even a PPI will not uncover, but when I do, I always make contact with the previous owner to discuss his experience with the car.
As for PPI's, I have used the AA, but find them very generalist picking up little or no more than I would. Finding a reputable workshop with no agenda is key here. Problem is, most of them are concerned about repercussions should something go wrong with the car shortly after the PPI & subsequent purchase.