[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

<ALL> Buying a used BMW (Long)

  I've just had such an awful experience, I had to share it with my friends
on the list, as much to vent my frustrations as it is a last ditch attempt
to help someone else.
  We have been consigning a 2002tii for sale for about a month and
represented it fairly as an original '73, repainted only, no sheet metal
replaced ever and no rust. Several people looking at it were put off by the
owner's asking price ($9995) which I said would be negotiable if they made
a real offer I could bring to the owner as a reality check.  One looker
actually went to the O'fest to try to increase his knowledge of these cars
and I spent considerable time with him explaining differences and telling
him what to look for.  Seems he found a '72 tii in PA through a parental
business associate, and went to see it and bought it.  All so well and
good.  He called me to tell me about it and just brought it by an hour ago
to show it to me and ask my opinion.  Ever been in this spot before?  It
shows up, what do I say?  Everything I told him to look for is displayed,
textbood style in this bad example which he paid over $8000 for.  The car
was in the Roundel classifieds (July) as "meticulously
maintained".."beauty".."fully restored"..."fresh, immaculate example, one
of the best to be found anywhere".
  Now here's the problem.  The car was obviously hit in the front, has a
badly fitted new front panel, bent and reworked front frame rails, non-BMW
front fenders, poor hood fit, 73 bumber brackets, rust in the rockers you
can push your thumb through (and this is not a sunroof car), aluminum
screen door extrusion door sill covers *screwed* into the sill, repaired
rear outer and inner wheel house so bad you'd cut your hand reaching into
the fender opening, with rust bubbling underneath the "new" fjord paint.
Even the non-functioning inertia reel seat belt mechanisms are "color
matched" as is the edge of the carpet.  The door latch buffers are
authentic 8mm fuel line, the $2 5x7 speakers in the rear shelf are so
poorly placed as to require remounting of the vapor tank.  The seats are
not original for the car which is a late '72 (alum. intakes) and the
drivers seat was previously the passenger seat of its first mount, complete
with the overhang over the door sill and the seat-back release on the
*inside*.  Normal dash cracks, door panels soggy with no vapor barrier on
the doors and ripped out holes for the panel clips.  Wheels are early BBS
with the FWD-style curve to the "basket" and 2 are bent. Trunk has center
emblem on it, rear panel 2002tii logo is above the horizontal trim with
small roundel misplaced below (yes, 2 roundels when viewed from the back).
  The owner says he was told the engine was rebuilt at 30k miles (what
happened?) but the Roundel ad says rebuilt 30k ago in the mid-80's.  The
head casting is '80-something but could discern no ser. # on the block.
Valve train sounds like a freight train and the total mileage on the car is
attested to be 80k.  Lots of paper work including an accounting of the
butchery executed on the body, about 5 pages with totals like $8k, but with
the shop's name cut out of the copies (why).  Said it was cause he paid in
cash, any IRS folks on the digest?  It came shod with A008-Rs with obvious
track use but the make-shift seating and inoperative seat belts lead me to
believe we had a track-used car "decontented" for resale.
  What bothers me about this?  That old-line BMWCCA members would
mis-represent a car so badly in the Roundel?  That maybe they don't know
what a good car is?  That someone I spent time with was unable to take away
enough knowledge to make an informed purchase?  That the public's
expectations are so far below mine that I'm wasting my time and energy?  I
don't really know, it's just sort of depressing to see it happen, to know
that what I've experienced in 2002 ownership for 25 years will probably not
be enjoyed by this owner with high expectations and yet such poor
judgement.  And what can I tell him, after the fact, about a purchase which
he is thanking me for helping him make?  Thanks for listing.  If you're in
the market, listen to what people are telling you!

- -Phil Marx  BMWCCA #6024 (Sept. Roundel, pg.49)