Your opinion on purchasing this 128i?

[dgx55]

Hi all, I'm new here and posting because I'd like to purhcase a 128i and would like your opinion on a car that I found online.

I've been looking for a 128i blue M-sport coupe automatic.

Additional preferences: bluetooth, power seats, heated seats.

I'm not an enthusiast and I don't have my own garage, so I'm not looking for one that's in pristine condition.

I found this car online, which meets my criteria. It's located in CA and I'm located near Washington DC, so I'd need it shipped to me.
https://shift.com/car/2013-blue-bmw-1-series/c148542

Any thoughts on purchasing this car?

And is purchasing through Shift and having it shipped across the country very risky?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Almuliman]

Great color combo.

Looks nice enough from the few pictures. There's no way I'd buy it without a lot more, and more detailed, pics. And a PPI at a trustworthy indy shop (which you can probably get recommendations for here on the forums). And, honestly, I'd probably go see it myself before buying or at the very least have somebody you trust go through it. Fly-and-drive, if that's an option

IMO, it's too much for the mileage and options. Nice that it's the full M Sport package, slicktop, no nav, and manual seats (nice for weight, but you say you prefer power), but Sensatec, halogens, and no Comfort Access, so it's "lightly" optioned, so to speak, and it should show in the price. It's been a while now, but FWIW I paid a private party $11.5 for my manual fully loaded 2013 with 73K miles in July of '21.

Oh, and it looks like the climate display in the center stack has pixel issues.

From mdecoder:

Editions And Packages
S337 M Sports Package
S704 M Sports Suspension
S715 M Aerodynamics Package
S7XA M Leather St.wheel+Shiftpaddle+Multif.

Comfort And Interior Equipment
S423 Floor Mats Velours
S441 Smoker Package
S473 Armrest Front
S481 Sports Seat
S4MG Int. Mouldings Aluminium Glacier-Silver

Multimedia
S645 BMW US Radio
S663 Radio BMW Professional
S676 HiFi Speaker System
S693 Preparation BMW Satellite Radio
S697 Area-Code 1 For DVD
S6FL USB/Audio Interface
S6NN Hands-Free Kit

Driver Assistance And Lightning
S520 Fog Lights
S521 Rain Sensor
S534 Automatic Air Conditioning
S540 Cruise Control
S570 Reinforced Power Supply

Wheels And Drive
S205 Automatic Transmission
S249 Multifunction F Steering Wheel
S2MG BMW Alloy Wheel, M Double Spoke 207
S2TM Control, Transmission Type
S2VB Tyre Pressure Display

Environment And Safety
S321 Exterior Parts In Vehicle Colour
S823 Hot-Climate Version
S840 High Speed Synchronisation
S845 Acoustic Fasten Seat Belt Reminder
S850 Dummy-SALAPA
S853 Language Version, English
S876 Radio Frequency 315 MHz
S8SC Telematics Access Request,Country-Spec.
S8SP Control Unit COP
S8TN Daytime Driv.lights Adjus.via Light Menu

Individual Equipment
S760 High Gloss Shadow Line
S775 Headlining Anthracite

[NorthernDancer]

By joining BMWCCA, you can probably ask a local club member to lay eyes on the car; that's important.
No maintenance listed for first 3½ years. Very good maintenance for 2017,18,19. Little or none for 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023.
Great color
California so likely no rust.
I'd pay someone $100 local just to look over the car, or
Get a PPI by a local indy BMW garage

[dgx55]

Thank you for the inspection suggestion, detailed spec list, and for pointing out that potential display issue. And for the price comparison. I'm going to continue looking

[BMWCCA1]

I still don't understand the fascination with stripped E82s, especially the "slick-top" reverence here. I'm 6'-1" and can fit in my sunroof and power-sport-seat interior with enough headroom left for a helmet. And I'd never give up my LCI Nav car's "music collection" feature which allows me to use the car's hard-drive as an iPod, with a decent display of the music menu or even just radio stations or phone lists beyond the crappy one-line display of the standard MIDI. And if you've ever driven at night with the standard Halogen headlights, I'll bet you immediately started searching for headlight upgrades. Any and all of these options are desirable and functional—and far cheaper used than what the original owners paid for them! Let's hear some support for the fully-optioned E82 out there. I'm sure those who own them would never trade for a stripper again, even if the stripper is cheaper, which they don't seem to be.

And paying 6-speed-manual prices for an automatic (regardless of color) is just crazy. It's like paying more for a convertible over the coupes. The fully loaded Msport stick-shift coupes are what drives the prices on these cars lately. All other E82 versions are simply riding those coattails.

[dgx55]

Not quite as opinionated here, but I'd prefer a sunroof. Actually, it's now added to my list of criteria. Now I'm definitely never going to find the right one! ha ha

[Almuliman]

I suppose I'd prefer the cleaner look of no iDrive, even though I do like the ability to see what I'm playing over Bluetooth. I haven't driven a 1er without sunroof, but living up here in the often grey and low light Pacific NW, I like the extra light I get from the sunroof. Sreten makes good points about the wind noise from sunroofs, but then again I will trade that for the light.

[Blau]

Slick top owner here. They're dope. No leaks, no error codes, no sweat. One less thing to break. Just thought I'd add my 0.02.