BMW Repair: BMW 323Ci, pzero nero, bmw m3

Question
Hello

      I have come across a 323Ci that i'm interested in buying.  I'm not sure on it though because i've never owned a BMW.  The car is a 2000 I believe.  It is in excellent cosmetic shape and the car has a few upgrades.  I was wondering what kind of maintance to expect with a car like this.  Is a higher mileage car like this more likely to have a major failure such as engine or transmission?  The work that was done includs, Brembo break package, new flywheel, BMW M3 clutch and pzero nero tires.  As far as I know, nothing was modified in the engine.  

The are asking 12,000 dollars for the car or best offer.  Do you think this would be a good buy or is this a car looking for trouble?  Thanks for any info on this.  The reason i'm being so cautious is because this is a first car for a 17-year-old.  

Thanks for any info you can provide.
Nick

Answer
Nick, I think a kid could get in trouble with a BMW manual trans, but you know your kid better than I. BMWs eat up brakes pretty quick and faster with a heavy footed driver. Oil services and inspections every 15K miles. Weakest point on BMWs are the cooling systems. Don't overheat that M52tu engine. I would inspect cooling system with close attension. I would also run a compression test to make sure the motor has good compression. Have it checked out. I would take the car to a dealer and have them do a detailed inspection for two hours labor including fault memory read out.
-Evan