Inspect my future purchase

[Bigsurprise]

Hey guys,

Just sold my 2017 M3 and looking to get a SUV as I am now engaged and looking to possibly start a family. I've been looking for months for the perfect X5M in my price range(40k or under) and I came across this:
2015 X5M
70k Miles
BSM exterior
Mugello Red interior
$38.5k


It's in WA and I'm in CA so I can't inspect it in person so I just had a PPI done on it and the shop seemed to think it was in great condition besides basic maintenance that needs to be done. This was their findings, what do you think?

- Noticed brake fluid service reminder displayed on dash. Inspected brake fluid to find fluid currently containing 30 ppm of copper content. Recommend performing fluid service based on fluid condition
- Noticed air filter is dirty and due for replacement. Recommend to replace engine and cabin air filters to improve engine and HVAC system performance
- Noticed oil wetness present at front of engine by oil pan/ timing cover area as well as left side intercooler piping. Recommend performing oil leak inspection to remove components required to determine source of leak
- Inspect spark plug to find plug appears aged and worn. Spark plug replacement interval is every 30k miles. Recommend replacement of spark plugs to improve engine performance and fuel efficiency
- Noticed power steering fluid at minimum mark in reservoir upon arrival. No visible leaks detected at this time.
Recommend to top off fluid and monitor for now
- Noticed coolant fluid at minimum mark in reservoir upon arrival. No visible leaks detected at this time.
Recommend to top off fluid and monitor for now
- Noticed freeplay movement present in front steering system. Inspected to find left inner tie rod end of steering rack worn. Recommend replacement of worn left inner tie rod to eliminate excessive steering system freeplay
- Noticed parking brake button cracked. Recommend replacement of broken button due to damage.
- Noticed wheel lock key is missing. Recommend obtaining wheel lock key for future circumstances where wheel
removal is required
- Noticed menu display button on center console sticks. Recommend replacement of compromised display
switch
- Noticed light minor scratches on right rear exterior quarter panel
- Noticed luggage compartment floor panel missing lift handle
- Noticed small door ding present on driver's door


The only thing that makes me a little nervous is the oil wetness they discovered. The shop called me and said it was leaking slow enough that it wasn't starting to drip yet. It's just a very slow seepage of oil. They said to know the exact cost of the future repair, they would need to do a deep dive and remove a bunch of engine bay components to find the exact source/problem.

Is this a red flag? The dealer told me they will send over an agreement that they will get everything on the list repaired/fixed except for the oil seepage. They said it was a small and slow enough leak that they don't think it's something that will come up within 30-40k miles. But that's just the dealer talking and I can't really trust them much.

Would you pull the trigger?

[shimmy23]

i personally steer clear of that dealer. nothing but auctioned cars there and most seem to have questionable history's.

[jiggz]

Sounds like a well performed PPI! Do u mind sharing which Seattle area shop did the inspection?

Anyhow I agree with shimmy23 on this one, we’re both local to this dealer and they’re truly awful. Crappy auction cars with no service history and tons of issues. Years back I had a PPI done (by Strictly BMW in Bellevue WA) on an E70 50i they had for sale. The list of issues was lengthy, and not only that, the iDrive was completely inoperable, and they didn’t even bother to have the local BMW dealer fix it for free as it was still under factory warranty.

I would avoid Definitive Motors at all costs. Just my .02.

[ArthurMorgan]

I would stay away from that one, especially with oil leaks being found around the pan. If it's the lower one, no big deal. If it's the upper one, it's many hours of shop labor and an enormous bill.

IMO, I would not touch an F85 without the ability to get an extended service contract on it. I love mine, it's the greatest vehicle I've ever owned hands down, but it was still a $115k car MSRP, and service/maintenance is priced accordingly. 6 months into ownership and my service plan already paid for itself and then some.

[Bigsurprise]

Thanks for the reply guys! I thought maybe this vehicle would be alright despite the shitty dealer, but I just let the sales guy know I'm going to pass. He actually sent me over a sales order form to sign digitally lol but I declined it.

I used Ishii Motor Industries for the PPI, I highly recommend them. I researched them a bunch and all of their reviews were glowing. Their communication with me and knowledge of the car was exceptional. They didn't release the car back to the dealer until I was satisfied that they had performed a deep enough dive to my satisfaction. They basically had it the entire day from 10:30-4:30