Is it worth it

[Johnny B]

I bought my 90 525I about three years ago for 5 g's and thought I got a pretty good deal with less than 100k miles on it. It was my first Bimmer and I fell in love with how the car drove, felt, sounded and looked. Maybe should of replaced a few things right away but it ran perfect at the time. Well my first problem started with a broken timing belt which cracked the head I had that replaced, than had to replaced the radiator, water pump, alternator, brakes, tie rod, gas hoses to name a few. Running great again until my wife threw a fan belt and warped the new head. Had that machined and put back on ran good for a week than ran like crap wouldn't idle right. Had O2 sensor, temp sensors, air flow box, idle control valve, thottle sensor, fuel pressure regulator and a valve ajustment. All in all I have spent around 6g's just fixing the thing. And over two months in the shop. It really runs great now, better than when I bought it. I finally bought the wife a SUV so she no longer is in the Bimmer thank god. Was it worth it all the money, time and heartache I put into a car. Or are Bimmers so special that you do something you don't normaly do? If this was my truck I would have sold it for parts long ago. I'm a little tight for money this month after the last repair bill but all I'm thinking about is getting my Bimmer a new paint job and and new set of custom rims and tires. Am I crazy or what. My buddies tell me I should sell it before it sets me back another 2g's what do you think?

Johnny B

[BillionPa]

hell yes its worth it.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

you might as well keep it and enjoy it.

[Jehu]

except with what you spent you could have mine, minus maybe the new clutch or the alternator and new tires or the new belts,motor mount and upper control /bushings... I've got about $14,000.00 in what I'm driving now.What else are you gonna drive? Asking myself this and i honestly can't see another car i'd find to be more desirable that i could afford in reality. I can say I'd rather a Mclaren F1 or whatever sky's the limit Bugatti Veyron etc but i missed that boat apparently. If there exists a better handling more enjoyable ride out there i haven't found it.Every time i get in this thing its like an adventure.Other than stop and go traffic on the way to and from the highways and the open roads its always a pleasure to be behind the wheel.Its added a whole new dimension of enjoyment to my life and since i need a car anyway and I've driven this i couldn't willingly give it up for anything but another like it or of course one of those in your dreams super cars.. but its your life don't listen to me.I should add though i drive for a living so if you don't need a car like i do your priorities will differ.

[Paul in NZ]

i think you already know the answer.....

[Digita1 Ecstasy]

If there exists a better handling more enjoyable ride out there i haven't found it.

E34 535i

[BillionPa]

actualy, a 525 should handle a bit better than a 535 due to less weight of the engine block.

nevermind...... he was talking about a 540...... 3Kg heavier engine...... but it has aluminum lower control arms, so its pretty much the same!

[bigtisas]

What are you going to get if you sell your bimmer? That may help to answer your original question.

[Fahad]

had 2 bimmer before and throw good amount of money to repair and mentain each till i got fed up.
shortly after selling both i realized that i can't live without a bimmer.

recived my 93 525 one month ago for BD1400 (around 3700 USD)
spent 1600 $ so far to get things right and i am not done yet.
im trying to correct things from the start to -hopefully- avoid some expensive repairs later

i have no idea how much i will spend withen the coming 3 years but no matter what, every time i throw money in my bimmer i will be way ahead of making a new car payment .. plus the new cars that i can afford wont satisfy me like my old bimmer.

[Ross]

Your in pretty deep. May as well get something for the investment, if the body is good and a new PJ makes you happy why not. Don't expect to recoup the $$$ though.

[ILoveMPower]

Can you really justify selling your well maintained and gorgeous E34 for some extra cash? Your friends are just jealous ;)

[Boom n Zoom]

Take it from this angle,

You enjoy the car, Yes you have invested a great deal of money into it but I assume that you didn't skimp on the quality of the parts that you have put in, therefore you should get a huge amount of mileage out of it without incident.

Cars tend to 'wear out' in fazes, some cars will do a huge number of miles without anything going wrong, others will seemingly need constant repairs, but if you are able to get replacments done in batches i.e. all the suspension components, the brakes overhauled, the engine work done. You will find that you may well spend a lot of money in a hit but those items will not require replacement for many many miles. I am just about to spend $6K on full overhaul of the Automatic Transmission in mine, when I talked to the Wife she never even batted an eyelid about it. We just 'had' to do it as she loves it (even though she is dead set scared of driving the car!) as do the kids. It's funny this car has affected the whole family.

Sorry I digress........

I also think that if you do a lot of short hops say less than 15 miles a day in a trip all the time it car never really gets all the components up to their full operating temperature for an extended period, this can lead to premature wear and tear.

Here's an idea,
If your able to, take your Wife with a picnic lunch and your car and go for a day trip every couple of weeks if you can manage it. The day out with your Wife will be appreciated by her (you probably won't get any grief about a day out even if it is in the car, the picnic lunch will help here) and you will get the joy of driving your car for an entire day. This will help to keep it in good condition as it is getting everything nice and hot, your car will thank you and your Wife will thank you and what is more you will be happy and you may kindle the affection that most people here display in one way or another for their 'special Bimmer'


Like Paul said, 'I think you know the answer'

:)

Cheers!

[Johnny B]

You guys are right just what less would I buy. I have thought about it a lot, it would hard to down grade to a lesser ride than a Bimmer. I guess the repair bills are part of the price we pay for the ultimate driving experance. I have thought about getting a newer Bimmer but really like the e34's design compared to newer models. So I going drive it everyday until it goes back in the shop. I got my fingers crossed. Thanks for the advise.

Johnny B

[John B.]

Ideally when buying one of these cars you look for a one or 2 owner car that was well maintained with all records. My 90 535i was a 2 owner, dealer serviced car that I bought 4.5 years ago for $5800. I redid the suspension w/M-Tech stuff, renewed some bushings, replaced some trim pieces & replaced the cat w/a nice used stock one. Other then that its been a great car which has never let me down.

Yesterday I bought a 2 owner 95 525i Touring w/136k for $4200. Second owner bought it from a dealer w/24k & has maintained it religiously since. I got a 1" thick folder filled with all service receipts with the car. In the last 3.5 years (40K) he spent over $9,000 replacing most everything that goes on these cars; most of it within the last 20k. Frt & rear shocks/inserts/mounts, links/tierods, frt & rear brakes incl calipers/rotors/lines, radiator, complete a/c system, engine & auto tranny seals(incl. pump work/flush/filter @92k) and much, much more. Oil & filter changes every 3k by his tech. All parts were BMW factory stuff & the prices are mindboggling. $433 for EACH front caliper!! He commuted in the car & had to have it on the road so anything his tech pointed out was replaced. Just got a new water pump/thermo/belts last month. He was a motivated seller with an 06 325ix Touring who wanted out, dropped his price over $1000 & threw in a nice Yakima roof rack to close the deal.

[Jehu]

E34 535i

I forgot to add;"with this kind of power" because i forgot not everyone knows it as intimately as i do now.... I couldn't do without the power,the power..... the powerrrrrrrrrrr.....:)

[angrypancake]

If there exists a better handling more enjoyable ride out there i haven't found it..


e34 m5, SLS removed, Koni/Eibach, camber plates and upgraded sways. turrrrrr(psh)rrrrbo

[Jehu]

e34 M5, SLS removed, Koni/Eibach, camber plates and upgraded sways. turrrrrr(psh)rrrrbo

not by much and without the turbo and plenty of highway it would be close wouldn't it ? How do the M5's do WOT up over 100MPH next to the M60 with six gears?My 540 already has the bigger sway bars were M5 sway bars even bigger than the Sport bars?Still my point was in reference to E34's in general not necessarily my 540 but these cars as compared to anything else which is not in the Super-car category which i suppose would include some Porche.