The BMW Graveyard

[drcollie]

I saw my very first BMW that i ever owned today, my 1990 535i that I was so proud of. I bought it in 1993 with 68K miles on it. Waxed and shined regularly, I really loved this car....that is until the 1995 E36 M3 came out! In December '95 I finally bought my first brand new BMW, that blue E36 M3 that provided me with with so many stores to tell and took me to race tracks around the country. This 535i I sold to the guy across the street at the Rent-All Center. He always admired how sharp and shiny black it was.

I had not been over to his place in years, but today I had to rent a commercial truck so when I walked around the back, there it was....my old car. Beat, Broken, Forgotten. I stood there for a moment and looked at it sadly - there's been a lot of cars come and go since then. For a minute I thought "I could get this back for nearly nothing and restore it", but then that's a fool's errand - spending $ 30K on a car that would never be worth a fraction of that. I went over the old ride and whispered to it "sorry, you were good once" and snapped two photos with my iPhone, then went on about my business. This is not a proper end for this car that was once one of the finest road cars on the planet, but it is - what it is. A shame.

[artielange]

That makes me sad!

I had a very similar car -- my first BMW as well -- a 1992 525i, 5 speed, Oxford green with your same parchment leather interior. The car was a dream come true for me. I had wanted a BMW for so many years but it took the birth of our son to make my husband realize that we needed a safer car than a Trans Am or a Ford Probe. I bought it used with 27,000 miles on it in 1993 and I loved driving it for almost ten wonderful years. It was hauled away from here in 2002 with 198,000 miles and a cracked head. I donated it to the American Cancer Society and they sent a wrecker out to pick it up. We saw it later that week parked with a bunch of other junked cars and it still brings a lump to my throat knowing that I took that car from practically new to finished. I have owned several BMW's since this one and currently drive an X5 but that little green car has a big spot in my heart.

I know exactly where you're coming from.

[drcollie]

That E34 series BMW was a GREAT car! One of the best to come out of BMW. The E39 chassis that followed it was plagued with a number of problems. That was my first BMW and I've had five since then (including my BMW motorcycle), though we sent my wife's X5 out to pasture when it turned 114K miles (I was not going to do the massive repair bills that old BMW's get). I've got my 2006 330i for sale now and that will leave just my daughters ancient 323i sedan and my R1200GS motorcycle in the garage for the brand.

I followed a new Aston Martin DB9 into work today. You should get that car Artie - you'd be stylin' in it. Wow - what a beauty that Aston is....

[artielange]

Duane, I would be stylin' in that car. If I just had the spare cash that it would require... What I really want is the Aston Martin Vanquish. That to me is car perfection.

I had a 2000 E39 528i Titanium 5 sp Sport that I loved but I didn't keep it long enough to have problems with it.

I know what you mean about those massive BMW repair bills. My 2006 X5 is going in tomorrow to have the heated seat mat replaced before it burns a hole through my leather. It has a hot spot on it that could brand me. The nice folks at BMW do not see this as a safety issue so it's not covered on a car with 76,000 miles. They are giving me a lovely 530ix to drive for the day. All for the low price of $1250.

Too bad I am so addicted to my heated seats and steering wheel.

What are you replacing the 330 with?

[karlos]

Bmw,s got my attention , I still use my 98 528i as a daily commuter in seattle 77 miles round trip a day, 135k on it . Its been good to me except for radiator needed new one last month, should have put in new t-stat that acted up right after , other than that i need some upper control arms, still have not bought those from elephant motors Duane, thanks for the tip on that. I have a gmc sierra 4x4, 99 that has far more issues than the oxford green beemer with black leather , I love that car waxed and when the suns setting this car gets noticed 11 years later... By the way my antelope harness kodaik sofa is great, thanks for the great price... I want a recliner soon but i have had some major structural issues and plumbing leaks on my new home, so I files suit on the builders bond and that attorney I just fired forgot a major rcw code on that so my new attorney said I just lost the bond claim!! Man I seem to be getting robbed by everyone the bldr and attorney. I could have bought a new sofa, not sure if it is time to throw in the towel before I say it cost me 25k one year from now? Karl

[drcollie]

Duane, I would be stylin' in that car. If I just had the spare cash that it would require... What I really want is the Aston Martin Vanquish. That to me is car perfection.

I had a 2000 E39 528i Titanium 5 sp Sport that I loved but I didn't keep it long enough to have problems with it.

I know what you mean about those massive BMW repair bills. My 2006 X5 is going in tomorrow to have the heated seat mat replaced before it burns a hole through my leather. It has a hot spot on it that could brand me. The nice folks at BMW do not see this as a safety issue so it's not covered on a car with 76,000 miles. They are giving me a lovely 530ix to drive for the day. All for the low price of $1250.

Too bad I am so addicted to my heated seats and steering wheel.

What are you replacing the 330 with?

Vanquish? Whooo-Hoooo! You Go! Here's a nice one thats priced right for you. Good color, too! EBAY item 320427558940

I am VERY wary of running a BMW too long. Costs to repair can be huge, even if you do the work yourself as i do. I currently have $ 600 worth of parts out in the garage that need to go on my daughter's 323i (1999). New brakes and Rotors, and a Secondary Air Pump along with a new check valve. And that's with me doing the labor! Her car is only worth about $ 4,600 right now, and I have put close to $ 16,000 in repairs in it over the past three years. New automatic transmission, control arms, brakes (again), SRS control Module, All cooling system comonents, window regulators, rear diff bushings, new stereo amp.....the list goes on and on and on. That's why we got out of the X5 at 114K miles, I just to too spooked on it.

The 2006 330i (black, 6-speed, $ 21.5K) I have is probably one of the finest cars I've ever owned. With 32K miles on it, it has lots of life left. Its never even had the first warranty repair. I should not be getting rid of it, but I bought a new Porsche out of Florida that should be here in four or five days. Porsches are cheap in Naples FL right now (hard hit in the real estate market). Here's what's coming on the transporter! Come down to the store and I'll toss you the keys to it - take it out for a ride on the Parkway along the Potomac!

I have a bad car habit......

[drcollie]

Bmw,s got my attention , I still use my 98 528i as a daily commuter in seattle 77 miles round trip a day, 135k on it . Its been good to me except for radiator needed new one last month, should have put in new t-stat that acted up right after , other than that i need some upper control arms, still have not bought those from elephant motors Duane, thanks for the tip on that. I have a gmc sierra 4x4, 99 that has far more issues than the oxford green beemer with black leather , I love that car waxed and when the suns setting this car gets noticed 11 years later... By the way my antelope harness kodaik sofa is great, thanks for the great price... I want a recliner soon but i have had some major structural issues and plumbing leaks on my new home, so I files suit on the builders bond and that attorney I just fired forgot a major rcw code on that so my new attorney said I just lost the bond claim!! Man I seem to be getting robbed by everyone the bldr and attorney. I could have bought a new sofa, not sure if it is time to throw in the towel before I say it cost me 25k one year from now? Karl

Hi Karl !

Are you still on original control arms on that 5'er? You definitely want to replace them (they only go for about 80K miles per set). It will make the steering feel like new on the car when you do. If you have a good toolbox, you can even do them yourself - not that hard to do (if you have a pickle fork or ball joint remover).

Glad the sofa is working out! You know how to find me when you are ready for a recliner....maybe wait for the Feburary 2010 sale period?

Bummer on the problems with the new home. No fun at all. Sorry to hear that.

[artielange]

Duane, I like the new ride! Did it arrive yet? Did you buy it on Ebay?

We're looking for a car that my husband can use for work to replace our TDI Jetta. We're considering the new Outback but we have no experience with Subarus. Do you know much about them? Everyone we know has an older one but this new model is larger and could work for us.

[drcollie]

Thanks! Its not here yet, gets loaded in Florida today and should be here Sunday...It was on Fleabay, but the reserve wasn't met on it. The dealer really wanted to move it, so they called me and they agreed to a very low price on it, which I had not anticipated. I low-balled them and to my surprise, they agreed to it. Normally a car like that is unaffordable for me, but the dealership in Naples FL was on hard times from the real estate market hit down there and they took a bit of a blood bath on this one. It's a leftover new 2008 and they had 1.9% financing on it too boot via Porsche USA. Just one of those rare deals that comes along every once in awhile that you can't pass up.

Kind of like the Aston Martin Vantage Coupes that the WASH DC area A/M dealer in Tysons Corner was dumping last December. $ 131 to 133K MSRP on them, and they had (18) in stock. They ran an ad in the Washington Post - any color - any transmission - $ 79,999. I thought it was a joke and called them up. They were very much serious. That was killing me....LOL. I called all my car friends to tell them, and no one had any money. Of course, you can't get a new one at that price now.

Subies are bulletproof. I have a pal who works for Subaru America as a development engineer. If you decide you want one, let me know the model and features before you go buy one. I'll call him up and he can probably find one in the Fleet for you that will come close to the specs you want. It will be a current year model and may have a few miles on it, but it will be a whole lot less than you'll buy one at the dealer. He's offered to hook me up on Subies for my own use many times...but I'm pretty much a German car guy all the way (will gladly accept any gifts of Ferrari's or Aston Martins, however). Don't think you can go wrong on a Subaru, they have their cars and mechanicals down pretty good.

[karlos]

Subies are good rigs I just bought the 2010 outback limited 4banger, I average 28mpg on a full tank half city and freeway 70mph. cruise good would have liked the 6 cyl but i needed gas mpg for our long commute. Lots of room in the new one, go test drive, only complaint is kinda spongy suspension which is new for this year , getting used to that, it is definitely not a bmw when your screaming into a corner , I will test it this winter on my 2mile mountain road one lane super steep in places semis cant make up. thats why we bought this, I tested the toyotas they felt too cheap and plasticy with really light doors, the rav 4 was jittery on the freeway and no front end, scary...