Re: 850Ci purchase question. (archive)

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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.

If your screening criterion is the "brown" under the hood, then you'll probably NEVER buy an e31, or most any BMW for that matter. The coloration you are seeing is the cosmoline (a petroleum and waxed based substance) that is sprayed all over the undercarriage and engine compartment to "preserve" the car during ocean shipping. The dealer is supposed to remove it during PDI, but virtually none of them do. As it ages, and hardens, it turns a nasty looking honey brown, and is virtually impossible to remove. I would be more concerned over service records, campaign recalls fulfilled, and if the dealer really wants to sell the unit, ask him for the previous owners name and address. And yes, I have bought and sold at least two cars out of state, but flew in to "eyeball" them after doing other homework. BTW, Carfax is only a START, since it merely gives worst-case legal situations with the title (total/flood/odometer, etc.) A better start is the DSC (Dealer Service Computer) run on the car and the service dossier. Good luck.

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