ms244
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In the Russian action flick Brat 2 (Brother 2) the protagonist has to go to Chicago to avenge his friends death. Knowing that his enemies will be looking for him there at the airport, he is advised to go to NY, buy a car at Brighton Beach (Brooklyn part where all the Russians live) and drive to Chicago.Also, not to sound like a jerk or anything, but be extra careful if the seller is Russian. Not to kind of take down a nation of people, but in my area they are notorious for rebuilding totaled cars, although anyone of any background can do the same. Some can be rather severely wrecked autos that should not be road worthy even with a fair amount of repair. If they are extra shady they will not even get it inspected or tell you that it was a minor wreck but was fixed. I helped a friend find a car this summer and 90% of cars in her price range were "in a minor wreck, but fixed." Most of these cars looked great on the outside but on closer inspection you could find bondo spots under the paint, twisted or missalligned seams on the unibody (some even patched up with Caulking to keep water from getting in the car) or other hidden damage.
So he gets to NY, goes to Brighton Beach and meets with an old guy who tells him "we are Russians, we won't screw each other over" and proceeds to sell him a 1975ish Cadillac boa...er coupe.
Next you see the protagonist drive through America, lots of open space, scenery, etc. Then you see a sigh, Welcome to PA, and the car is dead on the side of the road.
But yea, don't buy a car from them. I've seen some very questionable practices from them. One of my good, Russian, friends showed explained to me once his theory of how to change the millage on a Chrysler minivan, without "rolling" back anything. He figured it out by looking in the electrical schematics in the repair manual.
I would recommend the following inspection procedure:
Carfax, see the title history, this will not reveal everything but if a car was wrecked it usually shows up. Avoid flooded cars.
Visually inspect the car, listen for any creeks, rattles etc. Everything should be tight. Also, note the condition of the interior, if its a one owner car with a beat interior, I would pass.
Check for maintenance history- if the car was serviced at the dealer, then the owner should be able to get a print out of all work done on this car. BMW dealers used to give the records out on request, but they quit doing that a few years ago but if you call and be nice to the service manager they will look up their records and tell it to you on the phone. For BMW, you need to call the dealer where the work was done, I think Lexus is nationwide database. Not sure about any other brands.
Check to see what maintenance is required. For example, at 80K you might need a timing belt replacement, this could run upwards of a grand if you have someone else do it. Lots of slightly older higher end cars get dumped a 2-3K miles before a major expensive service. If thats the case, use it to bargain on the price.
Take your finger, and wipe the grit from the inside of the tailpipe after a test drive and the PIPE HAS COOLED DOWN. You should see dry soot, if there is some oily deposit, then the inside of your engine MIGHT have some issues. Usually the oil doesn't come out till after maybe 150K or so.
If you are committed to buy call a dealer or a good indy mechanic and have them go over the car, shouldn't run more then $100.
I would recommend looking at a previous generation 5 series. I have a 528i and they are now in your price range.