[DUBitDOWN]

Originally Posted by cjm41

- Carfax at a minimum, Autocheck optional.

This will show you if the car has been in an accident and how many owners it's had. If it's low miles be weary of more than an owner or two. You'll also want to see the service history on the Carfax... It'll have the dealership's name. CALL THEM or go there and have them tell you what the car has had repaired. For my car it just said "Serviced" which is lazy on the service writer's part because when I called the dealer it was more like "fuel pump replaced, lower control arm replaced, wheel repaired" — so... Don't trust Carfax in and of itself. It's a tool to be used during your investigation. Also- if throttle actuators have been done- awesome. Rod Bearings won't show up on a Carfax because it's not warranty work and nobody goes to the stealership for that (so if it were done, may not be reported). Rod bearings are preventative, engine replacement is the result of not doing rod bearings (and qualifies as warranty work). In short, you won't know if rod bearings have been done without a receipt, if they've not been, expect to do them.

- Take the car in for a pre purchase inspection but MAKE SURE to take it to a proper euro shop. Read their Google reviews, read their Facebook reviews, read through their website, make sure they they're the right people to do a PPI on your semi-collectible-ish high performance German sports car.

- receipts. Get receipts from the owner for anything that was done. Even if it's just general maintenance. Verify this against the dealership's info.

- search the VIN on google. Click every link. Don't buy anything if you end up on some "car history report" BS page though. You're looking for anything pertaining to previous sales.

- google the owner's name. You'll want to know if he has a YouTube Channel called "Best M3 Burnouts" or some crap.

- look the owner up on Facebook. If you know him, shoot him a friend request. If not, creep on him if he's not private. Make sure there are no "it's in the shop again for that transmission rattle" type posts.

- obviously drive the car. If you're not close by, have a member or someone you know drive the car. Make sure it feels and sounds good. If it's manual is the clutch slipping? If it's DCT are the shifts not strong when on 4 or higher? Go with your gut, the PPI will tell you the rest.

- take note of cheap tires or worn brakes... these are indicators that the owner did not have the money to maintain the car as well as they should have.

there's a lot of variables with these cars and they're starting to get a little older so issues will arise. Every car is different.

Just don't skimp on the PPI and the CarFax. Don't be lazy and not call the dealer on the Carfax.

Due diligence is particularly important when buying a car like this. If you buy a turd and try to sell it, the next guy will do his research. And you'll be the one stuck without a chair when the music stops.

What helpful feedback! Great post.