Pre-purchase inspection

[PindiXpress]

Hello all,

I'm on the hunt for an E39 M5 - I've lined up a couple to view but I was wondering how I'd go about arranging a pre-purchase inspection should I find the right car. Is there a mobile service available ? If so, can someone recommend one for M cars or is it simply a case of persuading the owner to take it down to a local indy.

Cheers,

Talat.

[MarkwG]

Loads out there: RAC & AA will, & most include a history check. Most will either have a local inspector, or will travel. Well worth it for an M5, but, you will have to interpret what you read; if it's an older car, they should high-light everything, irrespective of how serious it actually is. An indie who specialises would also work, as would a BMW dealer. Have a surf & pick one that suits. Nothing beats checking out the car, first, though. Good luck!

[PindiXpress]

Cheers mate. Saw a car today which was missing its 1200 mile service - not sure if it was missed or whether the stamp was forgetten - owner is going to check it out for me. If it checks out then the owner agreed to take it to a local indie to get it inspected - bit wary of using AA/RAC on such a car.

[krisdelta]

PindiXpress said:

Cheers mate. Saw a car today which was missing its 1200 mile service - not sure if it was missed or whether the stamp was forgetten - owner is going to check it out for me. If it checks out then the owner agreed to take it to a local indie to get it inspected - bit wary of using AA/RAC on such a car.

IMHO and RAC or AA inspector would have no idea what to look for on these cars. BMW Main Dealers may offer the service (e.g. a mirror of the AUC checks they do for stock cars), indy's like Munich Legends and Thorney's would be excellent places for this kind of check.

If there is doubt over the 1200 mile service - walk. There are plenty of fully documented cars out there - and a nice one is well worth the wait.

Good luck in your search!

[the_smalls]

I second Thorney Motorsport.

I actually did a post-purchase inspection there, despite my E46 M3 CS only having done 18,000 miles. I was advised at the time to avoid the likes of AA/RAC when it comes to M-cars. In the end they told me that my car was in excellent condition - just what I needed to hear.

IIRC it was about £100.

HTH