buying a used 149k miles 2006 330ci zhp automatic

[yyj3869]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums and would just like some advice on buying a used 2006 bmw 330ci zhp. I found the car on craigslist, and I checked the car in person. i testdrove the car and everything worked well. the car is in very good shape interior but exterior has some dings and scratches on both side of doors. The inner fender liner was damaged. the owner said while she was driving on the freeway something was stuck and broke it. the car has 150,000 miles on it. The car looks like it has been taken care of by owners. she said she owned this car for 9 years. I've checked the carfax today and it was sold as CPO first time and she was a second owner. I offered $3000 first time when we met in person but she says she will keep me updated because another guy wanted to see the car as well so i've waited her update. Today i've received a text message from her and she said "there were two drips about the size of a dime on the floor. the color wasn't blue but seemed like it might just be water because it seemed kind of clear, but it was hard tell when i wiped it up because the floor is dirty down there. so it could be oil i just wanted to be up front about it"

she also said it leaks from toward the front. any ideas of where leaks from?

My main concern is how is the reliability of these cars? This will be my daily driver, and I don't want to end of spending the same amount I bought the car for in repairs. Thank you for any help!

[Raddee]

Best case: if it's clear, then it is most likely just condensation dripping down from the AC system.

If it's oil, there are a few usual suspects. The oil feed line from the VANOS on top of the engine (easy to spot), the oil filter housing (shine a flashlight up from underneath the car on the front of the engine to check) or (worst case) the oil pan gasket. The oil pan gasket is a pain in the ass because you need to lower the front subframe out of the car to change it.

If it's coolant, the most likely suspect is the coolant expansion tank which cracks and breaks over time. Always check it and even preventively change it if you're not sure, because it can suddenly break and make you lose all the coolant while driving.

[MarcoZandrini]

Have the car undergo a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) performed by a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers. Try www.bimrs.org to find a shop. Does the car have maintenance records? Has the transmission ever had its fluid and filter changed? If not run from the car. There’s no such thing as a cheap BMW.