I recently “won” an auction for an E39 ’01 530i with 63K miles on BAT. I probably paid the highest price yet for an E39 ($23,530 + $1174 to BAT) non-M car. I flew to LA from Kentucky to pick up the car and drive home (with my wife and 13 year old grandson). The seller delivered the car to our hotel early in the morning after our late night arrival (cloudy and misty day). We exchanged pleasantries and I found him to be a great guy. As the sellers mother was waiting to take him home I didn’t want to delay his departure, so I made little reference to a couple of obvious scratches in the paint. Later in the day I looked closely at the car. I found many blemishes not seen in the BAT pictures (including worn rubber, ill fitting parts, dents and paint scratches, torn/worn interior parts). The wheels had considerable road rash, again not seen in the pictures. Fortunately, the car runs perfectly, as evidenced by our 2400 mile trip home with no problems. Although a piece of underbody plastic came loose and dragged on the road for quite some time before I cut it off (now needs to be replaced). The sport suspension needs replacement soon. I texted and called the seller attempting to recind the purchase. He refused. The point of all this is I failed to pay for a pre-purchase inspection. I am embarrassed and hugely disappointed! I have owned only BMW’s since 1963. I have prided myself in keeping my cars in pristine condition, thinking of myself as a caretaker (like the Patek Philippe watches). I thought of BAT as a repository for guys like me (and many of you!). Guess what? There are used car salesmen waiting to fleece buyers (since the beginning of time). It appears to me now that Bat provides a great platform for these folks to auction our beloved BMW’s (and other marques) to unsuspecting buyers. I write this to extend a WARNING to ALL club members thinking of buying their next car on BAT (or any other auction site). Do your due diligence before you bid. You might reach out to the chapter near where the car is located and find a club member willing and able to “eyeball” the car and report back what they see. Be prepared to offer payment for their services...it will be worth it to you. However you do it, get someone you trust to give you a realistic “view” of the car. Don’t trust the auction site, even if they claim to “curate” before “allowing” a car to be auctioned. They are there to make money (and make money they do!!). My seller specializes in BMW’s and Audi’s and knows how to take pictures that make the car appear perfect. He also knows how to do just enough work on the car to make it appear fully up to date with maintenance, as he writes in his descriptions. It is a shame I have learned the hard way! I would not have bought this car for any price had I seen it first. Consider yourself forewarned! .
