[zulloE39]

I am buying an 03 w/ 70k miles tomorrow. It had inspection 2 service done at 60k. Other than that, the owner says he is on original clutch and has not put brakes on it in 40k miles. Is that possible? What should i be looking for when i order the ppi?

 

[desmotesta]

I recently picked up a 2002 with 64K.

For starters look for service receipts. Its not unusual to go 70K on original cluth. My car has 65K on original clutch and it is not showuing any signs of wear (knock on wood).
Factor in the price of brakes(rotors and pads) into your offer/price. I hope you are leaving the final negotiation until after the PPI.

Ask the PPI to look for ANY paint work and rust. Ask them to check rear differential seals, valve cover gaskets leaks, T-Stat (using the secret menu) tie rods/center link (play in steering, car wanders on uneven roads), check date on fuel filter (not all dealers change fuel filter udring 60K service), VANOS noise, ask them to check brake booster.
At teh time of delivery, STUDY the receipts in detail. A lot of sellers will keep some information to themselves thinking it might discourage a buyer, but if they are including all receipts then its all there. you just have to look for it.
People have a funny way of justifying "cheating" the buyer by using the phrase "Buyer beware".

All of teh above are normal items that you will eventually need to replace/repair but they need to be looked at so you can try to factor them in your negotiation.
Remember, no matter how nice the car, this is a buyer's market.

 

[NogginM5Beast]

103k on the original clutch so far - yes, it's possible. However, my fuel pump just bit the big one, so I'd definitely set aside $350 for that.

 

[desmotesta]

103k on the original clutch so far - yes, it's possible. However, my fuel pump just bit the big one, so I'd definitely set aside $350 for that.

+1 on the mileage information on your sig/avatar. When I first joined the forum, it took me forever to search threads to find how many cars were "high" mileage. Wish everyone had their mileage listed in their sig.

 

[mostlyharmless]

I bought a May/2003 build M5 with 64K miles, in October. Gave it a thorough PPI, and it was in good shape but needed the following:

- Clutch, flywheel, and slave cylinder were toast.
- Tires were wrecked.
- New pullrod bushings. Be sure to check the rest of suspension bushings.
- Needed four-wheel alignment.
- Dying pre-cat O2 sensors (replaced).

other than that, the car was in excellent shape (super clean inside and out).

I've just taken an oil sample and will be sending it to Blackstone Labs. But it has run flawlessly so far.

 

[richord06]

I bought a 03 with 65k on it. Had inspection 1 and 2 done. Very cherry of a car. It's still on the original clutch at 94k miles. Only thing I've had to do is routine maintanece and change the brakes and rotors. You can do the brakes yourself for ~$600 and a 6 pack. It's just like changing brakes in any other car.