[vindox]

Hi guys...Those who bought a pre-owned BMW, could you pls recommend a list of things things that you'd check before buying one.. So far this is what I've gathered -

1. Carfax
2. CPO Inspection list
3. Check for VIN # on all doors

Anything else to look out for? thx

[F32Fleet]

I would get maintenance history from the dealership and familiarize yourself with how piggybacks are installed in the engine bay (335/135/535). You would want to look for signs of tampering.

[SebringS2k]

you can check my thread, I'm in the process of buying a CPO...

carfax seems to be a must, though has anyone heard of autocheck? only $15 for 1 report compared to carfax $30, just wondering

[drawz]

Autocheck doesn't provide as much detail as Carfax in my experience. A car I looked at recently came back on Autocheck with an accident report and the date. Carfax told me about the accident, but also reported some of the service history. That service history included replacing the steering rack and a tie rod a couple weeks after the accident. To me, that was an indication of a pretty serious collision.

Carfax also seems to have more mileage reports, not that those usually mean much.

Autocheck does report some information from auction houses, and a lot of cars do go through auctions. Sometimes, they announce at the auction that there was a certain type of the damage to the car, and this will show up on Autocheck.

I plan to check both when I'm ready to buy.

[vindox]

Originally Posted by drawz

Autocheck doesn't provide as much detail as Carfax in my experience. A car I looked at recently came back on Autocheck with an accident report and the date. Carfax told me about the accident, but also reported some of the service history. That service history included replacing the steering rack and a tie rod a couple weeks after the accident. To me, that was an indication of a pretty serious collision.

Carfax also seems to have more mileage reports, not that those usually mean much.

Autocheck does report some information from auction houses, and a lot of cars do go through auctions. Sometimes, they announce at the auction that there was a certain type of the damage to the car, and this will show up on Autocheck.

I plan to check both when I'm ready to buy.

In my case, Autocheck actually showed an accident on my prev car where as carfax did not (I had bought my car based on the carfax report).. So as you said, it's best to check both

Also , I as told to "Ask you service advisor for your BMW vehicle history report" . This report contains the service history of the car etc...