Hello All!
I am a first time BMW buyer. But not a first time used / car buyer.
Generally speaking when I look at buying a car- before i even test drive it I kind of ask myself - does it have the right miles for the year... Some say 12k, some say 15k.
While I was a mechanic for a few years, I by no means consider myself well versed in automotive side of things(heavy equipment). I am a big fan of having my mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection. That being said,
I am genuinely curious about buying advice.
In particular I am looking at a 2013 740LI. with 55k miles on it. I believe its the n55 engine? so, rough math, but if 12k-15k is average mileage, this is 60-90k miles below average? Which to me spells "car grandparents got to drive to church" OR "Car that someone took to the track, blew the engine and unloaded it before a dealer could notice"
So, my question(s) are
A) thoughts on the n55 engine?
B) any particular thing I should have my mechanic look for that might be more unique to that engine/that car/bmws that might not usually look for with a ford- fwiw.
C) I dont mind old person cars like the 7 series flagship
D) locating unbranded oem parts for it?
E) thoughts on which maybe BMW sedans/coupes 2012 and newer that i should avoid. M-series is likely gonna be out of my price range unless its got high mileage... so probably gonna pass. I find the 3 series a little to small for my liking (for a sedan). SO to perhaps refine a little more - 4+ series, automatic sedan/coupe (if exist). And also- which BMWs on the vin diagram might be easier to find unbranded OEM parts for?
F) good place to decode VINs that would show engine codes like n55?
