Buying a used BMW: 6 checks to do with the VIN

The VIN is the starting point. On a BMW you find it on the registration document, at the base of the windscreen on the driver's side, and on the driver's door pillar. All three should show the SAME number: any mismatch is a major red flag.

A valid VIN is 17 characters. A first decode (make, country, plant, model year) already confirms the car matches what is advertised.

This is where many listings exaggerate. The VIN reveals the configuration as it left the factory: options actually fitted, paint colour, upholstery. You can check that an "M Sport pack", a "sunroof" or "leather" were genuinely original.

If the current paint does not match the factory colour, it is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it is worth a question: has the car been resprayed, and why?

Since the mid-2010s, BMW records servicing digitally, tied to the VIN (often without a paper booklet). This history lists workshop visits: date, mileage, operations.

Regular servicing in the network is an excellent sign. Long gaps with no intervention, or an inconsistent history, deserve a closer look.

Mileage tampering is one of the most common frauds on the used market. The service history is your best ally: mileage is recorded at each visit.

The classic alarm: a mileage shown today that is LOWER than one recorded at a past service. Technically impossible without tampering. Progress that is too slow between two dates is also suspicious.

The VIN indicates the model year, which can differ from the first registration year. A car advertised as "2019" may be a 2018 model registered in early 2019, or the other way around.

It is not fraud in itself, but it affects value and warranty. Better to know before you negotiate.

For a BMW M, an Alpina or a limited edition, the VIN confirms the true model and its plant. Some listings present an "M look" (styling pack) as a genuine M. Decoding removes the doubt: BMW M GmbH (VIN prefix "WBS") is not the same as a BMW with an M pack.