My Engine has just self destructed!!!!

[Am Piobaire]

On the way to work a couple of days ago, the timing belt tensioner broke and it threw the belt with the result that I have a whole stack of bent inlet valves, some broken rocker gear and damaged pistons. I got a tow to a mechanic who gave me the above diagnosis. I have an 88 model 525 with an M20 motor that has just clocked over 300,000 km. He can get me a reco-ed head for $2200 AUD or a 2nd hand motor for $2800 AUD and reckons there won't be much change left from $5000 by the time it is installed. Added to this the rego is due next week (approx $600) and it needs new tyres to get through the rego inspection.

It looks like it's time to put the old girl out to pasture and buy another car. It's been a really good car, but it's hard to justify spending this much money on it. It also needs thrust arms, rotors and rear pads - It's got to the stage where it is costing lots of money to keep it on the road - money that I don't really have at the moment.

This begs the question ... at what stage do you bit the bullet and scrap it instead of continuing to throw buckets of money at it.

cheers

Andrew

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Go find a cheap E34 with an M20 that is a pig or a wreck and take the motor....oh, and do the belt and tensioner.

[Paul in NZ]

it will take buckets of money to buy a newer car too.....

[BigKriss]

agreed on the above two posers comments. second hand m20 motors in australia are aud$1000 at most. They are sometimes on ebay. Did you try wreckers live AVS and other places? Probably aud$5000 is right if a workshop does all the work for you. Maybe get other opinions from other places.

[Omega]

It depends on what work you are able to do versus what you have to pay someone to do.

Like the guys above say, if you can do it yourself get a new engine and fit it otherwise it's simple economics. If giving someone else $5k to work on your $2k car seems illogical to you, then scrap it.

My old e34 was great but failed the MOT (road worthyness). It needed over £600 of parts to get a new MOT, without labour charges, and was only worth at best £400. In addition I knew that it probably needed another £500 on parts the MOT tested didn't find :-) The only logical solution was to scrap it.

When a car starts to regularly cost you money to keep it running then it's time to get rid and start again. I personally cannot get emotionally attached to a lump of metal so when said lump of metal becomes expensive to maintain it gets outed.

.

[Omega]

Addition.

Just seen this http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35763

1993 525 M50. Do a heart-lung transplant? :)

[Nick.Hay]

I looked at this post and thought "Nah, this guy will be in the USA"

PM Sent...

[CharlesAFerg]

Third board-member owned E34 death this week.

[genphreak]

Third board-member owned E34 death this week.I know that I'd buy an old 325 or a wrecked 525. There are heaps of M20 powered 525s that can't find a home. $3500 wll buy you one easily, Why not do that- use the best bits from both and then part the rest. That way you get to make money AND end up with a better car... :) Nick

[Dave M]

I know that I'd buy an old 325 or a wrecked 525. There are heaps of M20 powered 525s that can't find a home. $3500 wll buy you one easily, Why not do that- use the best bits from both and then part the rest. That way you get to make money AND end up with a better car... :) Nick

This makes good sense if you have room to spare. Its often suggeted on here, but I presume many are not in the position to take on another car. I can only imagine how many parts vehicles would be strewn around annoying my wife if/when we have the space to accomodate them.

Anyhow, Nick said, do it if you can.

Dave M

[Ross]

Where I'm from good body condition is what's tough to come by.
If that's the case there and yours is good then perhaps it's worth the expense and effort to restore the old girl. If she's rusty let her pass peacefully.
Usually the pistons are okay once you smooth down ant sharp edges from the impacts to avoid hot spots.
A used head is how I'd approach it.

[Sam-Son]

5k?! here in the US that'll get you a nice S52

[Morgenster]

It depends on what work you are able to do versus what you have to pay someone to do.

Like the guys above say, if you can do it yourself get a new engine and fit it otherwise it's simple economics. If giving someone else $5k to work on your $2k car seems illogical to you, then scrap it.

My old e34 was great but failed the MOT (road worthyness). It needed over £600 of parts to get a new MOT, without labour charges, and was only worth at best £400. In addition I knew that it probably needed another £500 on parts the MOT tested didn't find :-) The only logical solution was to scrap it.

When a car starts to regularly cost you money to keep it running then it's time to get rid and start again. I personally cannot get emotionally attached to a lump of metal so when said lump of metal becomes expensive to maintain it gets outed.

.

I'd say yes and no to that. I look at a little more than that. It's total cost of ownership per km that I keep track of and sometimes that makes the option you didn't take economically more interesting.
I bought mine at 2500 euros and have spent some 2000 on repairs including wear items like tires and oil. That's over a period of 1.5 years. A 5k car would probably reduce the repairbills but you're still at risk and with a newer car the partscost could actually increase significantly so 1000 euros extra over the same period (1.5 years) would actually be a reasonable estimate if you include tires and oil.
So that makes the 'newer' car 1500 euros more expensive over the same period.
Lots of people tell me I'm nuts for putting all that effort in a 17 year old car until I calculate total ownership costs and compare it with them.

That doesn't mean I'm going to hang on to this car forever though and if I'd be faced with that kind of trouble I'd probably scrap it too and invest that money in an e39.

[Omega]

I see where you're coming from but this is where we differ. I never factor in tyre/oil/fuel or other consumables or even figure the cost per mile(km). I merely look at what I am willing to spend to keep it moving.

I don't factor in replacing consumables because if you run a Fiat 500 or a BMW X5, if you blow a tyre you need a new one. It's not like you can ignore it! You have to appreciate that a £50k car will always cost more to run/maintain than a £5k car. If I could afford it I would buy an 850. I can't so I won't!

I especially never figure in fuel costs. If I can't afford to fill it and drive like you stole it then I wouldn't buy it in the first place! Besides if I did the math I'd then have to hide the workings out from the wife..... :)

Any major repair cost is viewed against vehicle value, tempered against what I know I could buy a replacement for. Over the 5 years I had the e34 it "lost" me £600 per year in depreciation (3.4k to buy, £400 as scrap). This for me is a reasonable cost. I have friends who buy £500 cars off fleaBay to run them for a year before scrapping them. They think they are driving a bargain. No they are driving a shed. I, however, have a BMW.. :p

The key for me is "what are you willing to spend to keep mobile"?



That doesn't mean I'm going to hang on to this car forever though and if I'd be faced with that kind of trouble I'd probably scrap it too and invest that money in an e39.

If I were 100% honest I was actually looking at e39's with a view to changing car in six months time anyway. Failing the MOT and finding the perfect car sealed the fate of the e34 a bit sooner than expected.

[Morgenster]

I understand completely. But consumable cost is important to factor in when buying a used car. It's always hard to predict what's going to be needed when and how much that'll cost. That even includes timing belts.
My point wasn't to say that the E34 should be looked at as a bargain car. I know that not to be true and If I really wanted a cheap ride I'd be driving a japanese car.
The way I went into buying mine was this: I wanted a decent bimmer with the oldschool style body and preferably a variety that wouldn't run me into bankruptcy. Before I got the car I had the bentley manual and had researched every bit of info I could find.
In fact, I specifically wanted an M50 model to avoid the mishaps with timing belts.
Anyway, to each his own. If I didn't have to drive at least 3000kms a month I'd probably have gone for something more powerful or fancy but out here fuelconsumption is a big deal with 98 octane fuel at 1.45 euros/liter (2$/liter). Luckily LPG will sell for 0.45euros/liter:p

The E39 keeps looking better and better though and I sometimes feel guilty for looking at 528i's for sale :(

[nirvana19]

Third board-member owned E34 death this week.

Our cars just keep getting older... and the reality is most E34s still running are closing in on it. Now SOME will probably run forever with the right owner, but eventually.. Makes me wonder what'll happen to this board in a couple years.. maybe everyone will stick around and reminisce about the good old days? Move onto the E39? Become an antique car forum?

[icesoft]

The E39 keeps looking better and better though and I sometimes feel guilty for looking at 528i's for sale

But then you look at the cost of repair parts for an E39 and decide to hang onto the E34...

Case in point, my brother just bought an '01 530i, he is having some suspension problems (rattles, clunks, etc...) He went looking at shocks and control arms only to find that those parts cost roughly 2x what the E34 parts cost. I'm finding my Ford truck parts aren't very economical either, it's starting to make my 535i look like a bargain...

[ThoreauHD]

My E34 is the Tutonic equivalent of the American '57 Chevy.

http://www.workdance.com/Site_Images/Galleries/2D/57_chevy.jpg

The E34 is what is the heart of BMW.