In September of last year I bought a 2001 530, in good shape but in need of some TLC. The previous owner was a nice guy but not a car guy, so little upkeep and no preventative work had been done. I had a pre-purchase inspection done that found nothing major, the car only had 48K miles and I knew it had been driven lightly. So I pulled the trigger, and after some cosmetic work like getting rid of some dings and reconditioning the wheels she was looking good:
One of the least fun things about owning a used BMW is when they flash the “check engine soon” code. You don’t know what the problem is, and dealers charge you (of course) just to tell you the issue, never mind fix it. That’s why a good indie mechanic is vital for the non-wealthy BMW owner. I’ve had a couple of good ones, and currently mine is Gary Martin of Martin Motorsports.
I had already brought the car into Gary a couple of months ago for a total fluid change — brake, transmission, differential and oil. He read the code as a misfire, brought on by too much ethanol in 93 octane fuel. For reasons hard for this new blogger to follow, ethanol percentage is higher in 93 fuel than 89, and the extra alcohol causes tiny misfires in the cylinders. One tank of 89 later, no light! If only all car stories ended like this…
I’m not much of a car person either. Yet, I do appreciate a good looking ride and you certainly have that, Chris.
Many congrats on the new BMW!