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      09-03-2018, 10:30 AM   #1
OJRD
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Advice on buying my first BMW 1 series (2nd hand)

My lease on my current 1 series is up in a month, I wish to buy my first ever car that I own.

It will be second hand therefore I need some buying advice. I was hoping for some insight into telltale faults/circumstances to avoid.

I spoke to a BMW mechanic briefly, under his advice, I should avoid examples over 70k miles without a new clutch/gearbox, otherwise its just general maintenance you expect from a decent service centre.

I noticed on a few examples I like the seats were wore badly on the drivers side.

If you can provide some insight/advice, I will truly appreciate it.
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      09-03-2018, 11:04 AM   #2
NorthernDancer
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People who love their car will talk forever about them. Try and talk to an owner. If you see a really nice one, leave a message on the windshield asking the driver to contact you. On my 2008, everything is still almost perfect but mine is driven only 7-8 months a year (kept out of the snow and salt). Go and see every one you can that is for sale. 8 out of 10 will not be worth going beyond a quick look; you're looking for that 2 out of 10 that has been looked after by an enthusiast. Don't go for a car with a lot of mods. Look at the brand of tire on the car. Michelin, Pirelli, Toyo, Dunlop, etc=good, Wang Ho Super Trak=not so good.
Keep talking with your mechanic-that's very important.
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      09-03-2018, 11:22 AM   #3
OJRD
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernDancer View Post
People who love their car will talk forever about them. Try and talk to an owner. If you see a really nice one, leave a message on the windshield asking the driver to contact you. On my 2008, everything is still almost perfect but mine is driven only 7-8 months a year (kept out of the snow and salt). Go and see every one you can that is for sale. 8 out of 10 will not be worth going beyond a quick look; you're looking for that 2 out of 10 that has been looked after by an enthusiast. Don't go for a car with a lot of mods. Look at the brand of tire on the car. Michelin, Pirelli, Toyo, Dunlop, etc=good, Wang Ho Super Trak=not so good.
Keep talking with your mechanic-that's very important.
A problem I am facing currently is that, not many nice examples are on the market. I always avoid cars with excessive modifications, I want something stock, bmw service or next best.

This is an example of something thats tempting: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...del=1%20SERIES
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      09-03-2018, 03:27 PM   #4
NorthernDancer
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Car does look very good (can't make out brand of tire) but it's a dealer & that usually means no maintenance records (which I should have mentioned before; are there dealer stamps in BMW maintenance book?). I do note you can get a "full check" which would be very valuable. Many here (& myself included) recommend not to settle for something that's not quite what you want. Don't rush-keep looking. I looked for months, then bought almost exactly what I wanted even tho it was more than 2000 kms away.
By the way, I do see something wrong with car - steering wheel on wrong side (lol)

Good luck with search-its really fun.
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      01-29-2020, 05:36 AM   #5
JethroK6
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      02-23-2020, 09:20 PM   #6
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I agree with avoiding cars with excessive modifications. That is my mindset when buying 2nd hand cars.
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      03-09-2020, 08:23 PM   #7
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How do you create a new thread on here? I'm trying to ask a question but it says I don't have permission to post.
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