best way to buy car (not cash)

[rubez]

MinuteMan said:

rubez said:

how plausible does this sound? says there are emails as proof (?but no paper work)

Don't walk away, run away

lol yeah. of course that was the reddest of red flags right there, however...

if i could get it all accounted for, legit paperwork, this would be a 135i, with the N55 engine that's only done around 30k miles for £13K...

Edited by rubez on Tuesday 2nd May 17:10

[matt21]

Not sure if you have bought many cars, but the consensus here is go see it or move on. It's modified, has a dodgy history and subsequently cheap for a reason. I would personally take the advice here move on, but a fool and his money are soon parted

[MinuteMan]

rubez said:

lol yeah. of course that was the reddest of red flags right there, however...

if i could get it all accounted for, legit paperwork, this would be a 135i, with the N55 engine that's only done around 30k miles for £13K...

Edited by rubez on Tuesday 2nd May 17:10

You'll be wasting your time IMO. It's a remapped turbo car which hasn't been serviced properly, and the owner is being economical with the truth.

As above, it's cheap for a reason.

[DuraAce]

Cute the next thread....

"I paid 13k to a guy I never met, for a car I never saw and now is its broken down/cat c/faulty etc How do I get a refund?! "

You must be mad.

Take a day off work, find a mate who has a clue about cars and go for a day trip to look at some cars...

[AndStilliRise]

I would run.

[GreatGranny]

OP, this is only £450 more, for sale at a dealer, no mods, has BMW history (doesn't say full but can easily check that) and has only done 10k miles more than the one you are looking at.
Also it's half the distance so doable in a day.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-10-BMW-1-SERIES-3-0...

[rubez]

yeah, that looks like something a mid level manager would drive to an insurance meeting. sorry lol.

i have a great 135i in mind, but the guy is away for a few weeks, and he says he may not even sell anymore. so i am in limbo. i need some wheels, but not prepared to compromise and buy something that uninspires me every single day i have to use it... i know i would be kicking myself if i bought something so boring.

guess i'll need to wait it out :s

Edited by rubez on Wednesday 3rd May 10:33

[rubez]

so! just i got the emails forwarded to me... says the the engine, turbo and vanos units were replaced @ £17200

the email looks like it came from a used car sales place... Mathew Hutchinson @ Dick Lovett

http://www.dicklovett.co.uk/

surely there should have been the original physical paperwork kicking around somewhere? (and if i could secure it, all good?)

i mean, that's 20 grand worth of work carried out.

what do you think? try and contact the used car dealership i suppose? the link looks like it is a delaership that specialises in high performance motors.


thanks.

Edited by rubez on Wednesday 3rd May 10:33

[brrapp]

I'm with others on here , something doesn't seem right with this one, not sure what but lots of little niggles adding up. Engine change, very low mileage for 2013 to 2015(from MOT history), no service history etc. It may be absolutely fine, but that's not the sort of car I'd be buying unseen and the fact that you don't have the mechanical knowledge to check it out properly means I'd be looking elsewhere.
If however you choose to ignore and go with your heart, in answer to your original question, buy with Paypal, at least you've got some sort of dispute resolution if things do go tits up. (and don't pay him via a Paypal gift, yes he'll save some money on fees but you'll lose your protection.)

[TurboHatchback]

rubez said:

yeah, that looks like something a mid level manager would drive to an insurance meeting. sorry lol.

Edited by rubez on Wednesday 3rd May 10:30

If you really want a barried up monstrosity you can always ruin it yourself, surely better than buying a pre-ruined one of totally unknown providence.

If I was you I would listen to the advice and buy a decent car with history that's been looked after and absolutely go see it first. What you're planning sounds like an appalling idea, buying a modified abused car with no history completely unseen from Gumtree for a sizeable amount of money, what could possibly go wrong?

[The Don of Croy]

If you're keen to do the deal, why not call one of the Bristol based BMW indies and ask them for a price to check it over? Or even buy time at the main dealer for a pre-sale check (if they offer such a service)?

However, caveat emptor and if it looks too good to be true there's a reason for that (as many others have already said).

[RRLover]

Horse to water.

[Adz The Rat]

rubez said:

yeah, that looks like something a mid level manager would drive to an insurance meeting. sorry lol.

Edited by rubez on Wednesday 3rd May 10:33

And the white one looks like something you would normally find sat outside a club at 2am revving the nuts off it to impress 16 year old girls.

[PorkInsider]

Adz The Rat said:

And the white one looks like something you would normally find sat outside a club at 2am revving the nuts off it to impress 16 year old girls.

[rubez]

no, wouldn't go that far. it isn't that bad... i've seen MUCH more garish 135i's on my searches... i had a fairy low key impreza. it looked as much of a "sleeper" as an impreza could (silver alloys, low spoiler, in white)

that black 135i though - it just looks like it's asleep! i am not a businessman, and that black 135i looks like one of a thousand other BMWs I see every single day. mudane AF, and i'd feel that feeling everytime i approached it.

Edited by rubez on Wednesday 3rd May 13:45

[rubez]

brrapp said:

I'm with others on here , something doesn't seem right with this one, not sure what but lots of little niggles adding up. Engine change, very low mileage for 2013 to 2015(from MOT history), no service history etc. It may be absolutely fine, but that's not the sort of car I'd be buying unseen and the fact that you don't have the mechanical knowledge to check it out properly means I'd be looking elsewhere.
If however you choose to ignore and go with your heart, in answer to your original question, buy with Paypal, at least you've got some sort of dispute resolution if things do go tits up. (and don't pay him via a Paypal gift, yes he'll save some money on fees but you'll lose your protection.)

isn't the engine change a good thing? i have heard of these engines needing replaced before - turbos too especially. should be a good thing this happened under warranty and replaced/fixed by BMW themselves. if it blew on my watch, i'd have to scrap/break it. i'd be fked.

Edited by rubez on Wednesday 3rd May 13:47

[Christmassss]

That BMW is based near Yate,

Leave yours at 3 in the morning you'll get to the guys house around 8 ish, view it, pop to the mcdonalds round the corner and then start your drive back. You'll be back at yours by 3pm.

Easy

[rubez]

i have emailed the OG owner, under whose ownership the engine had failed.

lets see if i get a reply...

[GreatGranny]

Christmassss said:

That BMW is based near Yate,

Leave yours at 3 in the morning you'll get to the guys house around 8 ish, view it, pop to the mcdonalds round the corner and then start your drive back. You'll be back at yours by 3pm.

Easy

Really?

Do you know how far it actually is?

OP, you did say you weren't bothered if it was modded or not then say the black one looks too boring.
You've had advice on here mostly saying don't touch it with a barge pole yet are still determined to go ahead.

I'm oot!

[Christmassss]

GreatGranny said:

Really?

Do you know how far it actually is?

OP, you did say you weren't bothered if it was modded or not then say the black one looks too boring.
You've had advice on here mostly saying don't touch it with a barge pole yet are still determined to go ahead.

I'm oot!

Yep, I live in Gloucestershire and i bought one of my Rx7's from Perth.

Did the trip pretty much as i detailed