Buying my first BMW: 2018 f06 Petrol 6 cylinders

[Zmak]

Hello bimmers!

I am considering buying my first BMW. A 2018 gran coupe, PETROL 6 CYLINDERS engine . The milage is 55,000 km ( around 34,000 miles). The car is well maintained with no previous repair history and no accidents.

I have driven mercades E Classes all my life and this would be my first BMW. I love the looks and feel of this car but I am no expert. I would highly appreciate your opinion and input on the following points:

1. What to look for before buying (mechanical) : I took a test drive and a noticed that the steering is a bit stiff even at comfort, I also felt a slight vibration that started at 40 km and became more noticeable at 100 km. The reseller advised that most probably the vibration is happening due to a newly installed, unbalanced tyres and promised to fix it. They will check the steering stiffness as well. Can you please advise on the mechanical points I should check before making the decision?

2. Maintenance cost: I read that it is advisable to change the motor oil every 10,000 km or less. Are there any other major maintenance cost that I should pay special attention to?

3. Depression and common problems: please advise if the car has any common problem that I should pay attention to.

4. The reseller is offering a 6 months warranty (extendable up to 30 months at an extra cost) on the engine, transmission and AC unit. Nevertheless, I would highly appreciate any advices you can give me about this car.

Looking forward to receiving your valuable feedback
Best
Zmak

[Qsilver7]

...I took a test drive and a noticed that the steering is a bit stiff even at comfort...

Is the car AWD or RWD (all wheel drive or rear wheel drive)? If it is AWD, then the electronic steering system has hydraulic power steering assist (as well as a power steering reservoir in the engine bay)...and will have a steering feel that is kind of similar to the old BMWs of the e38/e39/e46/e53 era (not quite as good....but similar.) The hydralic assist will give steering feedback (heavier some would say)...prior to the introduction of electronic steering.

[Opie55]

This type of question gets asked a lot so you could do a few searches in the forum and get some answers. Use search terms like "common problems" or "common issues." Having said that, have it inspected by someone who is not the seller. The seller has no reason to find problems. I already am questioning your seller because he told you a vibration was due to new tires that are not balanced. Who would take the wheels off a car and put on new tires but not balance them? Doesn't make much sense. As for the inspection, make sure they look for a leaking valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket. The valve cover is not too much to fix, but the oil pan gasket is expensive if the car is XDrive. But at those low miles there may be no real issues.

[Opie55]

Duplicate post.