How can I get vehicle history before purchasing?

[W1TAK]

I am about to pull the trigger on a GTS on sale here in Houston, it is a one owner vehicle with 1,200 miles in Frozen Grey and has front PPF. Car looks immaculate, says first owner paid a small premium for it, and dealer tells me car has never been tracked, as this shouldn’t be done until after car is run in (1,000 miles)

How do I know this particular GTS wasn’t one of those thrashed around a circuit from cold by journalists in late 2016? I am new to the US, anything else I should be worried about or can check up on before purchase?

I heard there is also an outstanding recall for these cars, driveshaft?

Many thanks
W1TAK

[FormulaMMM]

Have the Carfax? Look for any irregularity in the first owner details.

Visual, on-site evaluation will tell as well. Condition of the tires? Brake pad life? (Should be no pad wear w/ 1,200 street miles.)

Other suggestions:

Check the in service date and factory warranty expiration. Some will be more limited in terms of factory warranty at this point.

Verify that the 1,200 mile break in service was conducted, and determine the date of the last service, + what service(s) could be conducted based upon timing (call local BMW service department with vin).

Still not clear on if the driveshaft recall applies to GTS. In any case, I'm not doing anything until I get the recall notification in the mail.

[RandyC54]

Get the VIN and see if a local BMW dealer's service department will pull up the records for you. If the car was serviced at a dealer, and it should be, then all of the records will be there, including the break-in service that should have been done.

There is an outstanding recall on the carbon fibre drive shafts, but they have been out of stock so far. I would not worry about this issue, as it's under recall and would not be subject to warranty, regardless of age or owner.

[Darth One]

Here’s a quick check - see if the car has its suspension c-clips lying around (like in the glovebox or the trunk). If they’re not actually on the struts, then the car has been put on its track setting. Not a foolproof test to prove track usage, but a super easy indicator.

[RichBunch2]

It's should still be under warranty anyways, unless I'm mistaken