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I've been looking for a later model 850Ci for a while. They are very hard to come by, especially in the bay area. I have found one last week that seems to be in a good condition. But the problem is, the car is located in New York (and I'm in California). It looks like I might have to do a "blind" transaction without inspecting the car first hand. Fortunately the car is sold by the dealer, and it's Certified Pre Owned with 2/50K additional warranty. I would think the CPO status says a lot for a used car. I'm going to ask a bunch of questions before making an offer. If there are other things that I should keep an eye on, please comment on.
- get VIN and run carfax.
- get photos inside out.
- check for any after market parts installed in the vehicle (manifold, suspension, exhaust).
- books and records.
- number of keys.
I'm not against all after market mods, and I'll probably end up upgrading suspension anyways, but I think it's good to get a glimpse of previous owner's driving habits by looking at the mods. I didn't have very good experience last week when I found a white '97 850Ci from a dealer locally. Upon a casual inspection, I've noticed the accel/brake pedals have been replaced with racing style metal pedals, in addition to very noticeable 18" custom wheels. Test drive went OK, but when I looked under the hood after the drive, the white paint in the engine compartment had brownish discoloration, obviously from over heating! At that point I said "thanks, but no thanks" and I left. God help the next owner..
Well, please comment on. Has anyone done a similar "blind" transaction before? Thanks.
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