| I bought a car through eBay about 6 months ago. It is a 93' 325i with an M3 body conversion, 101k miles and I paid about 9k for it. It was a good deal considering how good the car looked and the upgrades (See picture below). I was very careful to make sure I wasn't being ripped off before buying. But, the car was in another state and I couldn't check it out physically. I spoke with the BMW mechanic at the dealership who checked the car out and he gave me the thumbs up on it's service history and condition. But after 2 months, here's what went wrong:
Heater hose ruptured
Oil filter housing had a hole that was glued shut and began leaking badly
Transmission malfunctioned regularly and required an EPROM upgrade
Valve cover gasket leaking
Spark plug boots were torn and taped together with electrical tape
All 6 ignition coils needed to be replaced
Front Ball Joints
Front Control Arm Bushings
Rear Shock Mounts
Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
Rear Camber Arms bent
Car was lowered too much and rear wheels rubbed - this caused a blowout on wheels the seller claimed had 50% tread left.
Driver's door handle switch and door lock actuator
Here's what the seller told me needed to be replaced (what I knew ahead of time):
Passenger seat adjustment switch
Sunroof relay
All I remember is the seller saying he would accept a bid cancellation only if I picked up the car and something significant was wrong. It drove back (from Las Vegas to Sacramento - 8 hrs) fine. But it took about 2 months for all the problems to surface, and when they did the BMW dealership wanted about $5500 to do the work. I spent the next 4 months with the car garaged in order to fix the problems myself in my spare time for $1100 worth of parts.
I just want you to know, there is definitely a risk with buying a car through eBay. This is a must --> Make sure you have the car throughly checked out before you buy it. This can be difficult if the car is in another state - But this is no excuse. It is better to play it safe. Ask as many questions as you can before even thinking about it. Check the car out yourself before buying. If you are getting a good deal on eBay, make sure to figure travel and vehicle inspection costs into your budget. Fly down there and take a few days to check the car out. This is what I would recommend. But maybe I'm being too cautious.
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