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M3 XAL

1996 BMW M3

Purple Petrol 3201cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires14 Nov 2026
Tests25 (20 pass, 5 fail)
Pass rate80%

Mileage

140,371 mi
Last recorded140,371 miles
Recorded on14 Nov 2025
Typical for 1996 BMW M3100,666 mi

Above average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this BMW
Stolen
Finance
Write-off
Keepers
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationM3 XAL
MakeBMW
ModelM3
Year1996
ColourPurple
Fuel typePetrol
Engine3,201cc

All premium checks include

50+ data points
Finance Check (Experian) Insurance Write-off Salvage Auction Stolen Check Previous Owners Ex-Taxi, Police, NHS Mileage Anomaly Import / Export Scrapped Check Plate Changes

MOT History

20 pass 5 fail
Pass 14 Nov 2025 140,371 miles

Nearside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Pass 12 Nov 2024 140,229 miles

Nearside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Inner Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Inner Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Fail 8 Nov 2024 140,229 miles

Nearside Rear Outer Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Upper Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush Top mount (5.3.2 (c))

Offside Front Outer Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Upper Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush Top mount (5.3.2 (c))

Nearside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Inner Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Nearside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Inner Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Pass 10 Nov 2023 140,106 miles

Coolant leak very slight leak from radiator area ()

Fuel Pipe/s corroded ()

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Nearside Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Tyre has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords splitting on inner sidewalls (5.2.3 (d) (i))

Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge worn on inner edge (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Shock absorbers has a slightly worn bush top mount (5.3.2 (c))

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge worn on inner edge (5.2.3 (e))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Pass 8 Nov 2022 140,098 miles

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Nearside Rear Inner Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge worn on inner (5.2.3 (e))

Nearside Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement outer (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement outer (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Pass 5 Nov 2021 140,090 miles

Nearside Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

slight play in both inner tie rods

Pass 29 Oct 2020 140,006 miles

Nearside Front Suspension component pin or bush slightly worn wishbone rear bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Nearside Front tyre slightly out of shape (flat spots)

Nearside Rear Inner Tyre has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords has cuts/splits on inner sidewall (5.2.3 (d) (i))

Nearside Rear Inner Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Front Suspension component pin or bush slightly worn wishbone rear bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Pass 15 May 2019 139,923 miles

Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Fail 3 May 2019 139,921 miles

Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Front Inner Integral body structure or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting Sill (6.2.2 (d) (i))

Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Rear Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))

Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Pass 8 May 2018 139,383 miles
Fail 24 Apr 2018 139,306 miles

Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault (3.4.1c)

Pass 27 Apr 2017 137,713 miles

Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

Nearside Front Valve stem slightly damaged (4.1.D.1e)

Offside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

engine oi leak

power steering oil leak

Pass 7 May 2016 135,719 miles
Pass 28 Apr 2015 134,248 miles

both front brake flexi hoses slight cracking

nearside front tyre valve cracking

Pass 22 Apr 2014 133,406 miles
Pass 18 Apr 2013 132,217 miles
Pass 27 Apr 2012 131,448 miles

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Front Ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Offside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a component (2.3.3b)

Fail 16 Apr 2012 131,448 miles

Offside Front Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Front Ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Offside Front Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Ball joint dust cover deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Offside Rear Lower Suspension arm has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a component (2.3.3b)

Pass 30 Apr 2011 130,437 miles
Pass 10 May 2010 126,813 miles

Corrosion forming within 30cms of the offside front suspension turret

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Offside front tyre starting to go out of shape

Power steering pipe(s) or hose(s) has slight seepage (2.3.3b)

Fail 8 May 2010

Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Corrosion forming within 30cms of the offside front suspension turret

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Nearside rear tyre worn low on the inner edge and perishing on the sidewalls

Offside front tyre starting to go out of shape

Power steering pipe(s) or hose(s) has slight seepage (2.3.3b)

Pass 2 May 2009 124,056 miles

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a component (2.3.3b)

nearside front tyre is worn slightly low on inner edge

offside front tyre has a cut across the width of the tread

Pass 1 May 2008 120,385 miles

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Oil leak

Pass 5 May 2007 116,264 miles

Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

o/s/f tyre split across tread but not down to canvas

pipes damp from p/s resivoir

rear tyres are about 2-3 mm from tread bars

slight diff oil leak

slight engine oil leak

slight play in o/s tie bar

slight play in o/s/f link rod

slight play in o/s/r lower outer suspension bush

squeak from back box mounts

Pass 9 May 2006 109,533 miles

How Reliable is the BMW M3?

Based on 440,678 MOT tests across 34,038 vehicles.

80.8%
Pass Rate
3,682
Miles/Year
32
Year Lifespan
34,038
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 14,421
Brake pipe excessively corroded 7,386
coil spring incomplete 5,157
coil spring fractured 4,494
Tyre has ply or cords exposed 3,944
Full BMW M3 reliability report

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M3 XAL is a 1996 BMW M3 in Purple with a 3,201cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 25 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 80%.

Across all 1996 BMW M3 models, the average MOT pass rate is 72.5% with a typical mileage of 100,666 miles. This particular vehicle has performed better than the average for its year.

The most common reason a BMW M3 fails its MOT is tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, accounting for 14,421 recorded failures. If you're considering buying M3 XAL, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The BMW M3 typically stays on UK roads for around 32 years. At 30 years old, this BMW M3 is approaching the upper end of the typical lifespan for this model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of M3 XAL?

You can check the full history of M3 XAL by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was M3 XAL registered?

M3 XAL is a 1996 BMW M3, first registered on 21 May 1996.

Is M3 XAL safe to buy?

The MOT history for M3 XAL shows 25 tests with a 80% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does M3 XAL have outstanding finance?

Finance checks require a premium vehicle report. This checks against all major UK finance providers to see if there is any outstanding finance on M3 XAL. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the finance company can repossess it.

No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided for any free data on this page. The data guarantee applies only to information obtained through the purchase of a full check.