Hi Rich,
Yea the car was from a dealer I did end up buying it, the engine is smooth and pulls well at all speeds.
One of the ring lights on the passenger side does not work but the actual main lights are fine.
It has service history, mostly digital and a mix of bmw main dealer and specialist a few scratches on the paint and bumpers but not more than expected for this age of car with these miles and the price I paid.
Had a warning on the idrive screen saying 'drive train problem full performance not available' on the test drive on start up but it disappeared soon after and on further start ups. Dealer said it was just the battery as it had been left not running with lights on previously. Was completely fine on the 100 mile drive home but 2 days after that drivetrain warning came up again and went away again after driving for a min or 2 and it had a brief show of the engine warning light.
I have it booked in with a BMW specialist just to be safe and he said that warning can be a whole variety of things so its hard to know until they can get a look at it. The service status on the system is all good looks like alot of things were done on it recently, oil, front and rear breaks, tires and service is up to date. There is an annoying knock coming from the dash on the mid-left side. And it has no washer fluid, which I was looking and see some washer fluids labeled as BMW washer fluid. Does a bmw need a certain fluid? Or is it just recommended? I'm praying that its not gonna cost too much to fix. Got abit of money set aside for the purpose of getting it sorted if required but sadly I am not a wealthy man.
But so far loving the car its fast, comfortable really good economy for its size and weight and not bad sounding considering it is a diesel, effortless to drive due to the auto gearbox. As long as I can get it mechanically sound and kept that way its a dream car (for me anyway) In the future I'd be looking to get the scratches and whatnot sorted but I am not too sure about the body shop is there BMW specialist body shops too? Or is it just for mechanical matters?
And I did get a months warranty on the car so if there is something I should test or have looked at please let me know as if its a problem that makes the car not fit for purpose then at least I can fall back on the warranty.