i'm looking at a 05 545i that is at a non-bmw dealer. could i call a bmw dealer with the vin, and would they tell me what options it has? would they give me any more info on the car, like service history?

 

The dealer can certainly give you all the info by running a vehicle history report. It will show options, warranty info, work performed, etc. All you need is the VIN. The only problem is that there is personal information such as owner?s name and address on the form and some dealers may be reluctant to release it. I suggest going to a BMW dealership and speaking with the SA personally rather than call in. Indicate you are interested in purchasing the car and need to complete your due diligence. I would recommend you only do this if you are serious about buying the car. If you try to make this a normal practice of screening many possible cars, you may find the SA not willing to fulfill your request.

Al

 

It can be tough to identify options if you are new to BMW's and new to the e60.

The slow process is to search the forum.

The fast process is to take some pics of the interior and exterior of cars you are interested in and post them on here. People here can idenitfy what options you have from the pic.

The last is to call dealership service departements around the country until somone will talk to you. But as suggested, you should be really interested in the car.

 

Hi

I agree with Al, once you decide on the car...

If it was me i'd take it to the local dealer (who may know the car) pay them an hour's labour put it on the lift, get them to check it, print all the info etc.

That said, buying a complex car like this from a main dealer is always best (check if they have a similar used one? - because at least here they take customer care pretty seriously plus you have lots of protection under the law), if you end up buying outside the dealer (I did - how could I resist buying it - it literally had one gentle lady owner!) we can buy aftermarket warrantys that they only issue with their own inspection (which includes a service look up)... I would go for one of those if you can buy them in the states, if you can't don't buy it, IMHO an E60 out of warranty is only for the brave.

By the way the 545 is best car i have ever owned!

Cheers
stu

 

have someone familiar with bmw's to take a look at it and make sure everything is ok, as for options take a look at the info portion of this website there is a lot of info there on options and vehicle years.

 

ok, thanks for the replies.
i've owned a few bimmers before, last one a 97 m3. i've been out of the groove for a bit.
i went and saw an 05 bmw 545i locally. the dealer listed the main options. i just wanted to double check what the car had, since i dont know how to tell if a car has "adaptive steering" for example.
i called a local bmw dealer who wants $190 to do a used vehicle inspection, but the guy said they cant release any history, and it sounds like it is just a safety inspection, which seems to be a waste of money. i do all work and maintenance on all my cars, so i can tell if most things are alright.

this car i'm looking at still has a year and 6k miles left on warranty. so should i just skip the inspection, and just take it in for service after i get it?

 

They might not tell you the history but they should be able to tell you what options the car has if you give them the VIN. They should do that for free if you don't want to have them do an inspection.
If you are mechanically inclined you probably have a level of confidence that the car is sound. However, $190 might be worth the peace of mind to have them hook it up to the diagnostic computer and give the car a good once over.
Good Luck.