If the previous owner ever incorrectly jumpstarted the car (connected negative to positive and positive to negative), it would've caused all of the motors in the lock actuators in the car to spin in reverse at such high speeds that the gears get stripped. Most idiots (especially the redneck mechanics around here) don't know that brown is ground on european/german cars. Digression: tell them that the battery's under the rear seat and they go, "I ain't touchin' it!" and/or, "It's a gawddamn beeeemer!"
If the lock can't be manipulated from the inside of the car or the exterior door lock, chances are that's the problem. The gears strip and the actuators seize. Lucky for you it didn't happen when they were in the "locked" mode.
I bought my car with the same problem. The actuators are not serviceable with this problem, they have to be replaced. Only the trunk locked on my car - manually with the key. I had to pull all the door panels and replace all of the lock actuators (and the ones for the fuel door and trunk lid) to make it work right. If you don't feel like doing the work, expect to pay at least $800 to have a mechanic do the four doors with used parts. I can only imagine what the stealer charges. I got the entire thing done for less than $150 and my time.
Bentley's doesn't cover the idiocy of the PO. I could f'ing kill the guy, though (read my thread from a few months ago entitled, "$@#% Previous Owner" [sic]).
Here's a pic:
...and I still haven't gotten all of the electrical gremlins out of my car (down to TWO).
best, whit