what an I N S P E C T I O N

Owning and driving a BMW might sound a little cool. Personally, cars aren't that big of a deal to me. I get way more excited at the prospect of owning a cool, old {I mean super old} truck than any kind of car- even if cars are faster, sleeker, newer. Guess I'm a simple kind of girl like that. Here, BMW's are a bit like a Ford Focus in the United States- they are everywhere.

I'm sure the newer ones are a bit more luxurious, but the older ones such as the one we bought as a basic commuter car, are nothing special. Plus, they're rear-wheel drive. Notso good for driving on these winding, steep roads during a snow storm. We decided to sell ours- not such an easy process, let me tell you...

When buying or selling any car here, you have to have an inspection before you can make the transaction.Yet another thing we had never heard of before living here. Even if there's not enough tread on the tires, or a minor leak, you have to fix it before you're able to sell it. Once you have the certificate that you passed inspection, you have to go with the potential seller to the registration office where you sign it over, pay the fees and get new plates.

Now, they make both spouses meet there and sign off on the sale as they said they've had problems with guys who are deployed, then their spouse sells a vehicle without their consent. There's no option for and/or on the form- both have to show up. Everyone signs; done deal. It's this inspection process that I don't get.

When we bought our BMW, it passed but Jim noticed immediately that the shocks were bad- terrible. It also overheated a day or two after we bought it- smoke going everywhere only to discover a leak or something wrong. Can't remember what it was, I just know we had to shell out some more money plus money on a rental car to get around while it was being fixed. Why they didn't find this on the "inspection" I don't understand. At first it sounded cool- like you can't go wrong buying something used knowing that the major stuff will be caught before purchasing. Not so.

February rolls around, and we decided to sell it- we're done with this German-made vehicle and wanted to get in to something a little more reliable that specifically will be able to make it around next winter. Besides, anyone who knows Jim knows how much he really loves to buy and sell cars. I kid you not, I think it's a secret passion of his. He denies it, of course. We decided on anything Toyota or Honda- both makes of vehicles that we have had great luck with.

Jim went to get the inspection done on our BMW and they ding us with problems. Just more than three months after buying it and the {same} inspectors now find problems with it. Same car. A rear shock has to be replaced, there's a leak and the headlights are uneven- one is brighter than the other. Seriously? Jim never even changed out a bulb. We knew the shocks were bad- why wasn't it documented when we bought it? Whatever... Jim fixes it and sell it. No tears were shed on this one.

Then, he finds a Honda that we agree will work for us. Nothing fancy, just a basic get-to-work car. The guy goes to get the inspection done- no problem, passes without a thing wrong. We head to the registration office to finish up the transaction and get the keys. I'm mostly just excited to be a two-car family again after weeks of being stuck at home.

A day or two later, Jim goes to check the oil and discovers the spark plugs {wires} hanging on by a thread. I really am so grateful to have a mechanically-inclined husband, but from the looks of this, I'd guess you don't have to know much to see there's a problem. It's pretty obvious. They look as though something chewed threw them. I thought it just passed inspection- how could this have been missed? I'm not liking inspectors {house or car} so much these days.