Pre-purchase inspection in Wellington

[Yuen 16]

Hey guys,

I may be buying an E36 sight unseen from Wellington, and would like to get a very thorough pre-purchase inspection done on it. Although I could go with the standard AA inspection, am I right in thinking that a BMW specialist would do a better job? If so, which specialist do you recommend (I have only found one name from past posts and that is Page European), or maybe I should be going straight to Jeff Gray?

Also I don't think I can find the time to go down to drive the car up, so I'm thinking about getting a transport company to bring it up to Auckland. Have any of you done this before - I have no idea who to go to other than 'Captain Transporter' and 'CourierConnect' which I found from Google.

Cheers.

[jochen 4]

Try Jeffs Car Transporters: http://www.jeffs.co.nz/prices.asp

[kiwi535 538]

I got a car checked by Shelley BMW before i bought mine,it was very thorough and even had some part prices relating to the faults found.I would therefore recommend that you get Jeff Gray to check it.

Edited October 18, 2007 by kiwi535

[Yuen 16]

Thanks Jochen, will check them out.

kiwi535: Thanks for that, may I know how much you paid at the time?

[jjs 60]

Unless it's a corolla, STAY AWAY from the AA. They have a very strong prejudice against euro stuff.

[Yuen 16]

Unless it's a corolla, STAY AWAY from the AA. They have a very strong prejudice against euro stuff.

I've heard that before too, entscheidend posted here awhile back about his experience with them. Personally though I have gone through a pre-purchase inspection with AA in the North Shore and the inspector didn't seem biased, aside from mentioning little things like steering rack fluid weep which I'm told is a common E36 item. Probably down to luck whether you get a biased inspector.

[Yuen 16]

I see lots of views but barely any posts... Even the tiniest bit of info would be appreciated guys!

Cheers.

[jjs 60]

I see lots of views but barely any posts... Even the tiniest bit of info would be appreciated guys!

Cheers.

OK... Is the car NZ new? I have found in the past main dealers tend to bag imports (some times rightly so, other times just nit picking). Also, a main dealer will likely just perform a "tick the box" type of pre-inspection. Also, an E36 is probably getting a bit old for them to be all that interested.

I have had experience with Page Euro (as others here have too) and they are excellent. It would be a fair guess to say they would take more of an interest and give you a more rounded opinion of the condition of the car, and the way it drives compared to other similar vehicles they service.

Have you agreed to purchase the car yet? A good friend of mine went through the same process as you and the day it was to be dropped off for a pre-paid mechanical inspection, the seller sold it to another buyer. I would recommend giving the seller a deposit, subject to the car's mechanical inspection being to your satisfaction. That way you are protected. Also, get the inspectors to quote on any repairs, which can be a good bargaining tool when negotiating a final sale price.

Good luck!

Oh - do you have pics or any other info on the car?

[Braeden320 0]

Bmw dealer would be my opinion as they no the specific things that go wrong with any certain model.

I deal with Jeff Grey in Palmerston North and they are supurb, so i would hope the wellington branch would be as well.

AA are comprehensive but not on things specific to a certain model of car.

[kiwi535 538]

the pre puchase inspection was a tick box,but it was thorough.They were nit picky but thats the whole point isnt it.You can debate the merits of that with the buyer.It was called a 90 minute inspection r similar,and at the time was 130 odd(that was 5 years ago!).Jeff gray is pretty convenient(right by the railway and bus routes) too and i dont think any one would be unwilling to leave their car there.I can vouch for Page European too.

[318Touring 40]

Price at Jeff Gray hasn't changed.

[Yuen 16]

OK... Is the car NZ new? I have found in the past main dealers tend to bag imports (some times rightly so, other times just nit picking). Also, a main dealer will likely just perform a "tick the box" type of pre-inspection. Also, an E36 is probably getting a bit old for them to be all that interested.

I have had experience with Page Euro (as others here have too) and they are excellent. It would be a fair guess to say they would take more of an interest and give you a more rounded opinion of the condition of the car, and the way it drives compared to other similar vehicles they service.

Have you agreed to purchase the car yet? A good friend of mine went through the same process as you and the day it was to be dropped off for a pre-paid mechanical inspection, the seller sold it to another buyer. I would recommend giving the seller a deposit, subject to the car's mechanical inspection being to your satisfaction. That way you are protected. Also, get the inspectors to quote on any repairs, which can be a good bargaining tool when negotiating a final sale price.

Good luck!

Oh - do you have pics or any other info on the car?

Cheers! The car is a fresh Japanese import, a 1996 328i. Currently awaiting pics from the seller. I haven't put down a deposit yet, have been thinking about it but didn't want to before I saw the pics. Will be doing so if it checks out though. The main item I'd want to get checked is the Jatco gearbox - whether it has the 'Jatco Jerk', etc. Thanks for the tip on getting them to quote prices, great point

Bmw dealer would be my opinion as they no the specific things that go wrong with any certain model.

I deal with Jeff Grey in Palmerston North and they are supurb, so i would hope the wellington branch would be as well.

AA are comprehensive but not on things specific to a certain model of car.

Cheers Braeden. I have heard good things about Jeff Grey in Palmy. But I have seen posts about Jeff Grey in Wellington that say they aren't that great because although the name has changed, they still have the old management of Shelley... not sure eh?

Agree on AA, they are fairly comprehensive and still a good option if I couldn't get a BMW shop to do it. I will definitely want a compression test done.

the pre puchase inspection was a tick box,but it was thorough.They were nit picky but thats the whole point isnt it.You can debate the merits of that with the buyer.It was called a 90 minute inspection r similar,and at the time was 130 odd(that was 5 years ago!).Jeff gray is pretty convenient(right by the railway and bus routes) too and i dont think any one would be unwilling to leave their car there.I can vouch for Page European too.

Thanks kiwi535. Yep I'd rather they be super nitpicky, then I can decide whether the issues are serious. Price sounds reasonable, I just found an old post that says Team McMillan was $140ish so it should be in that region.

Many thanks to everyone who replied. At this point it seems Page European or Jeff Gray are fine, I'll discuss with the seller to see which one is more convenient and also give Page a call to see how much they charge.

Cheers!

[Yuen 16]

Price at Jeff Gray hasn't changed.

Great to hear. Thanks for that!

[muppet23 0]

Hi Yuen,

Shelly BMW serviced my car for most of its previous life, as they did for my Dad's E46 328i. Have heard only good things about them from quite a few people.

[Yuen 16]

Hi Yuen,

Shelly BMW serviced my car for most of its previous life, as they did for my Dad's E46 328i. Have heard only good things about them from quite a few people.

Cheers Scotty, that's reassuring!