bat1

Hello,

I'm new to BMW but always wanted one and I'm looking at a 2008 BMW 550I with 103,000 miles..I think it's a good price but what should I check before I get it?

I don't want to buy a lemon or a money pit..Thanks for any advice!

The car is here....2008 BMW 5 Series 550i Austin, Texas | South Point Hyundai

DTD

Do a search on here. 1st look for Car Fax. Need history.

DTD

How many owners! Who are they!

KyleB

IMO if this is your first BMW, and you are not going to be comfortable working on it yourself, I would steer clear of any 5+ year old BMW with 100,000 miles on it. it is VERY likely you will be spending money on that car, sometimes in large sums, on a regular basis.

15K for a 550i M sport just doesn't seem right to me. I think something is up with that car that they're not telling you.

Jim165

Car looks very clean, but like others state, check the history. You can take the vin to a BMW dealership and pull the history, if there is any. I would be afraid of the car having had 15K mile oil changes all its life. Valve stem seals tend to go at around this mileage, resulting in blue smoke after idle and oil consumption. Many components tend to need replacing at at this mileage, so have cash reserves. Check for the vacuum pump leaks, but other than that the V8 550s tend to be fairly solid.

Kashoggio

A BMW with 100k is going to cost you in up keep. Remember it's a luxury car, and it's going to cost that's same luxury $$ to fix it.

seablue550i

I agree. First BMW with that many miles. You will be spending a lot on maintenance. I bought mine a few months ago with 43K and im sure within 20k miles or so I will have to start replacing stuff.

e60rider

I got a 528xi 2008 at 97k and now i have 104k, and i have done over 2k on maintenance in less than a year. 1200$ for mechanictronic sleeve (trans) 600$ 2 precat O2 sensor, and some cash here and there on tire change, oil change etc. Doesnt relate to this post, but goes to show, your getting a money pitt more than a car (in my opinion don't judge me based on this, but for me buying my car, i could have spent the 2k outright and bought a 528xi with less than 70k miles rather than 97k)

bmwrider2010

check valve stems. warm it up then leave on idle for 5 min then put your foot down and see if any blue smoke comes out of exhaust you can see it from drivers seat. this is common and costly repair
2. check for oil leaks in front of engine especially alternator side where the oil cooler pipes connected to the engine block.
3. check transmission for oil leaks don't be afraid to take it to garage put it on a ramp for better inspection remove engine guard and transmission guard it does not take long pay some one to do it won't cost a lot.
4. ensure gears change smoothly

KyleB

As an added FYI, NADA shows the value of this car as over 23K. It's for sale for less than 15K.

Something is up.