Advice re m235 viewed yesterday
Discussion
Hey guys,
Hope you're all well. I'm new here, so hello! I'm after some points of view please if possible.
So, I viewed a 2014 m235i yesterday with 53k miles. The car looked gorgeous and ticked a lot of boxes for me. It drove well; steered straight, sounded nice.and went well. Gearbox precise, steering had no vibrations. No knocking sounds or other suspicious sounds etc.
Albeit, a few things drew my attention. The salesman did point out the front bumper in all fairness, citing some orange peeling on the right hand (O/S) of the bumper where it's been sprayed and a small crack on the splitter. He stated that it may have had some damage to the bumper, but the car is HPI clear and there isn't evidence of any further damage beyond the bumper (that I can see that is). I checked the front crossmember and there wasn't anything obvious bar some small bubbling spots on the metal in places and slightly rusty looking bolts. He has offered for the bumper to be redone if it bugs me...
The other thing I then noticed is the driver's door didn't close properly at first, even with a decent enough push and clunk. Second attempt and harder did close it. Salesman was curious and did point out that it could be the seal; pushing it in did somewhat help, but he offered to look into it to see if the latch can be adjusted. I noted that the trim (coloured black instead of chrome) around the bottom of the window had chipped off in a certain spot and had some striations. The trim around the left side of the window had a small crack too. The passenger side seemed fine.
The price, mileage and owners are all fine. Alloys immaculate and tyres brand new (Michelins), new brakes etc, plus the garage appeared clean, professional, and the salesman is a BMW enthusiast. So some positives.
But am I right to be concerned that it's potentially had a knock (unrecorded) and maybe some vehicle frame alignment issues?
Thank you!
Hope you're all well. I'm new here, so hello! I'm after some points of view please if possible.
So, I viewed a 2014 m235i yesterday with 53k miles. The car looked gorgeous and ticked a lot of boxes for me. It drove well; steered straight, sounded nice.and went well. Gearbox precise, steering had no vibrations. No knocking sounds or other suspicious sounds etc.
Albeit, a few things drew my attention. The salesman did point out the front bumper in all fairness, citing some orange peeling on the right hand (O/S) of the bumper where it's been sprayed and a small crack on the splitter. He stated that it may have had some damage to the bumper, but the car is HPI clear and there isn't evidence of any further damage beyond the bumper (that I can see that is). I checked the front crossmember and there wasn't anything obvious bar some small bubbling spots on the metal in places and slightly rusty looking bolts. He has offered for the bumper to be redone if it bugs me...
The other thing I then noticed is the driver's door didn't close properly at first, even with a decent enough push and clunk. Second attempt and harder did close it. Salesman was curious and did point out that it could be the seal; pushing it in did somewhat help, but he offered to look into it to see if the latch can be adjusted. I noted that the trim (coloured black instead of chrome) around the bottom of the window had chipped off in a certain spot and had some striations. The trim around the left side of the window had a small crack too. The passenger side seemed fine.
The price, mileage and owners are all fine. Alloys immaculate and tyres brand new (Michelins), new brakes etc, plus the garage appeared clean, professional, and the salesman is a BMW enthusiast. So some positives.
But am I right to be concerned that it's potentially had a knock (unrecorded) and maybe some vehicle frame alignment issues?
Thank you!
At the end of the day its an 11 year old car with 50k + miles on it - - I'd be more wary of a front bumper that was completely free of marks at that age
Sounds like you have concerns, if you have them now you probably always will have so maybe best to walk
Personally there is nothing you have mentioned that would give me cause for concern apart from maybe the door closing that I would allow them to (try and) rectify before you commit to purchase
Sounds like you have concerns, if you have them now you probably always will have so maybe best to walk
Personally there is nothing you have mentioned that would give me cause for concern apart from maybe the door closing that I would allow them to (try and) rectify before you commit to purchase
I'd ignore anything a salesperson says, they just want your money and most will say anything to trivialise anything you spot.
The door not shutting properly would be a flag for me and if I were intending on buying that one I'd insist on the door shut being fixed prior to purchase, after all it's just a bit of rubber, right!
I'm not sure of your budget but if at all possible I would be looking to stretch to an M240i as the B58 engine is a vastly superior engine to the N55 imo (and many others!). Absolutely loved the engine in my M140i.
The door not shutting properly would be a flag for me and if I were intending on buying that one I'd insist on the door shut being fixed prior to purchase, after all it's just a bit of rubber, right!
I'm not sure of your budget but if at all possible I would be looking to stretch to an M240i as the B58 engine is a vastly superior engine to the N55 imo (and many others!). Absolutely loved the engine in my M140i.
Richard-390a0 said:
The mods & partial service history would be a red flag to me, if it's the one on Autotrader it appears to be from your description.
The red one at Chichester? Yes, that's it. I spoke to him about that. Not all the services are on the idrive system and the ones that are were based on 2 year service intervals... He did provide paperwork that shows servicing afterwards, with an independent garage. That's all something that I was weary of too. 
Outstanding recall, no current MOT & the number of failures & advisories on the prior MOT's on the Gov website is quite impressive too. Originally a Scottish car too so the underside will probably look like the wreck of the Titanic & is supported by the comments of corrosion on the MOT's.
Yeah, absolutely spot on there.
Glad it's not just me then, and that my concerns are mirrored by others. I came on here as I knew I could rely on people to be straight with matters and have the knowledge and experience, so thanks for your advice guys! It is appreciated.
The engine MIL light being on for one of the MOTs does suggest some potential crash damage in my view too.
I've decided I'm not going to purchase this one. I enjoyed the car though, so it has confirmed that it's the sort of vehicle I could picture myself owning. I note there is a white one (private owner) on AT and another blue I've spotted on Car Gurus, so I might take a look at those being as they aren't much more in terms of price and distance. But I'll certainly be on the lookout for any further red flags with these kinds of BMs.
Glad it's not just me then, and that my concerns are mirrored by others. I came on here as I knew I could rely on people to be straight with matters and have the knowledge and experience, so thanks for your advice guys! It is appreciated.
The engine MIL light being on for one of the MOTs does suggest some potential crash damage in my view too.
I've decided I'm not going to purchase this one. I enjoyed the car though, so it has confirmed that it's the sort of vehicle I could picture myself owning. I note there is a white one (private owner) on AT and another blue I've spotted on Car Gurus, so I might take a look at those being as they aren't much more in terms of price and distance. But I'll certainly be on the lookout for any further red flags with these kinds of BMs.
On the lookout for another example now. Too many red flags with that one as you guys say, and as my buddy said, always go with your gut feeling.
I'll scrutinise the next one and won't neccessarily settle on the first one I see. Buying a used car is a bit of a mine field isn't it! Ha! But I guess that's how it is when you buy used.
I'll scrutinise the next one and won't neccessarily settle on the first one I see. Buying a used car is a bit of a mine field isn't it! Ha! But I guess that's how it is when you buy used.
DukeNukem3D said:
On the lookout for another example now. Too many red flags with that one as you guys say, and as my buddy said, always go with your gut feeling.
I'll scrutinise the next one and won't necessarily settle on the first one I see. Buying a used car is a bit of a mine field isn't it! Ha! But I guess that's how it is when you buy used.
It CAN be a minefield, that's for sure.I'll scrutinise the next one and won't necessarily settle on the first one I see. Buying a used car is a bit of a mine field isn't it! Ha! But I guess that's how it is when you buy used.
I've always had better luck buying privately as I tend to buy the person rather than the car. I've learnt to tell whether the seller has looked after the car or not from talking to them. 50+ cars bought privately and to date only two lemons and one of those was when I was too young and stupid to spot the signs!
One of two cars bought from a dealer turned out to be lemons!
If you're not in a hurry to buy, do give an M240i a try. The engines are very different to an M235i in character and delivery (some say less characterful) but more robust and more powerful!
I bought an M235 in January. I absolutely love it. I bought it on a a bit of a whim to be honest, although I did need a car (just not a 300bhp coupe). But it’s brilliant.
Anyway it has 107k miles on it now and you’d never know. It looks and drives like 27k miles. It has no service history other than the iDrive and a generic service book, and had had spacers fitted. All things that would normally put me right off. But it just looked, drove and felt right. And it’s turned out that way. I guess the paperwork got lost in the p/x or auction process.
But the biggest assurance I had when buying was that the dealer (small independent trader) was more than happy to put the car on a ramp and let me inspect it. It was as good underneath as on top.
I think you did the right thing walking away. The door not shutting doesn’t sound right, although from the sounds of it it might just have been the window not dropping.
I’ve never driven a 240, but nothing I read about them made me want one. The N55 seems pretty good if looked after. There are just as many B58s on the facebook groups with spun bearings as N55s and they’re both pretty rare. B58 has some kind of injector problem from time to time too. If you want a manual I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) the 240 auto blips for you but the advantage is that 17 plate onwards will have cheaper road tax. The disadvantage is that x40s seem to have higher insurance than x35s.
Anyway, take your time, keep your eyes open and enjoy the hunt they’re great cars.
Anyway it has 107k miles on it now and you’d never know. It looks and drives like 27k miles. It has no service history other than the iDrive and a generic service book, and had had spacers fitted. All things that would normally put me right off. But it just looked, drove and felt right. And it’s turned out that way. I guess the paperwork got lost in the p/x or auction process.
But the biggest assurance I had when buying was that the dealer (small independent trader) was more than happy to put the car on a ramp and let me inspect it. It was as good underneath as on top.
I think you did the right thing walking away. The door not shutting doesn’t sound right, although from the sounds of it it might just have been the window not dropping.
I’ve never driven a 240, but nothing I read about them made me want one. The N55 seems pretty good if looked after. There are just as many B58s on the facebook groups with spun bearings as N55s and they’re both pretty rare. B58 has some kind of injector problem from time to time too. If you want a manual I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) the 240 auto blips for you but the advantage is that 17 plate onwards will have cheaper road tax. The disadvantage is that x40s seem to have higher insurance than x35s.
Anyway, take your time, keep your eyes open and enjoy the hunt they’re great cars.
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