I have found a used '07 550i for sale and want to make a decision pretty soon. The car is a plane flight away and I have no way to see it otherwise. I have a satisfactory CARFAX report. With the VIN number local BMW service rep ran a warranty vehicle inquiry for me and I was able to receive a printout.

I have a few questions for you of more wisdom with these 5 series vehicles.

- CARFAX shows first owner is 'fleet'. What does this generally mean? A rental car?
- Options CODE includes 0902 "PRESS". What option is this?
- The printout included a section called "Vehicle Comments" and shows "DISCLOSURES DATED 03/20/07 AMOUNT $1,003.09 VEH @ 2,002 MI:REP&REFIN.f.BMPR CVR,PER DOC.05/07 NAT.VEH.FILE.DATE POSTED 05/03/2007" How does non-warranty repair information end up on the BMW's warranty history database? Can this be a hint for bigger hidden repairs in this vehicle's past history?

The car has low mileage (under 10K miles). Not being sold by a BMW dealer (does this make any difference?), and I cannot see it with a trusted mechanic. What should be my top concerns?

I am quite ready to pay a fair price for the car, just concerned about the accident history or any other major hidden issues. Any other tips will be highly welcome.

asking if anyone is local to the car you are interested in. Most forum members would be happy to do an inspection, I believe. Then get a recommendation for a 3rd party PPI. take VIN to your local BMW dealer and ask for a service history.

If that cannot happen, I would buy a plane ticket, examine the car myself and than have a 3rd party PPI done

That's the minimum I would do on an expensive purchase like the 550i.

If you cannot do either, wait to find one more local.

DO NOT trust Carfax alone.

Good luck

thanks M5inVA. I tried E60forum.com but it didn't come up. Is this in our forum or on a different one?

It's e60.net. Lots of info there also. For the forums - click forums up top.