Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

breld

We bought that E91 one week after finding my 2011 E90 335i xdrive manual, m-sport. Le Mans Blue over chestnut interior.

Can’t believe we found such gems, lightly used, local, within a week of each other.

And both were at non-BMW dealers, which means they were purchased for appropriate prices. $32k for the wagon and $35k for the sedan. Some seriously cool, enthusiast-oriented cars for a pretty average transaction price.

Wife and I were just talking about this the other day - what’s the current equivalent? Or is it those kind of cars haven’t been made for a while?

28firefighter

Yeah - that car (the wagon) would still be worth in the 20s with that kind of optioning and miles below 100k.

28firefighter

So my Dad's punch...still not on a truck yet, but the deal is done and he has the title and all but one key.

His lease on the Stelvio was up and went back. There wasn't anything appealing to him new to lease and he wanted something he could drive all winter and not feel bad about, put a bike rack on for going bike riding, and was a manual. His commute has dropped dramatically to less than 10k per year, so that's good too. Budget was less than $15k for this exercise.

I was initially looking for an E91 manual wagon with xDrive but prices of become astronomical. Instead, I came across a 2007 530xi Touring 6MT in the bay area with 100k miles, 2 owners all in NorCal. A fully loaded boat - just about everything except the auto trans. Not as sporty looking, but actually more space for his purposes and not quite the astronomical rise in costs (though that seems to be changing now, too).

Sent for a very thorough PPI and it needs a few things, but nothing that is a deal breaker. Settled on $11,500 for it. Details:

2007 BMW 530xi Touring 6MT
Mystic Blue Metallic
Beige Dakota Leather
100k Miles
Cold Weather Package
Premium Package
Premium Sound Package
Sport Package
Navigation System
Head-Up Display
Night Vision
HD Radio
Satellite Radio

Already had tons of work done to it - including a couple big jobs like the valve cover gasket, eccentric shaft sensor, cooling system overhaul, rear hatch electronics, etc. When my Dad gets it he is going to get the belt tensioner replaced, power steering cooler hose leak, upper rear control arm ball joints, and rear brakes at his local indy.

I figure if (when) he tires of it, I'll take it...

stickguy

That sounds nice. Might work for me. But would be perfect if RWD.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

That sounds nice. Might work for me. But would be perfect if RWD.

Those later 5-series wagons weren't available in RWD, unfortunately

stickguy

Figures.

Michaell

I could still live with it....

pensfan83

breld said:

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

and that one is RWD which must be super rare.

I can't hack the "eyebrow" front end on the '06/07. Where the chrome strips on the grill are attached to the hood. They fixed that in '08

Agreed.

We found my wife’s 2010 E91 manual, m-sport advertised on craigslist by a local broker. That was in 2013 and the wagon had 21k miles on it. Pretty much just another car on their lot as far as they were concerned, and I think they were pleased there was someone who wanted it.

Not so much anymore.

We bought it for $32k and kept it for 16 months - pretty good for us, but clearly we should have just held on to that one. Sold it to the next owner in Boston for $29,500.

If I was given a Godfather offer on the ZHP I would look hard at a manual E92 M-Sport.

nyccarguy

@Sandman6472 - That sounds like a good price. Before we traded in our 2011 Pilot (102,000 miles, no power liftgate), both front axles were leaking. I was quoted $500 (plus tax) per axle to replace. That lead me to project what other maintenance costs it would take me to get to another 50,000 miles. As you know, I ended up trading the car in. I think you'll be ok with this $350 repair.

stickguy

Oh, I would live with the X drive too if pushed into it!

stickguy

nyccarguy said:

@Sandman6472 - That sounds like a good price. Before we traded in our 2011 Pilot (102,000 miles, no power liftgate), both front axles were leaking. I was quoted $500 (plus tax) per axle to replace. That lead me to project what other maintenance costs it would take me to get to another 50,000 miles. As you know, I ended up trading the car in. I think you'll be ok with this $350 repair.

I did one on our S40, at the dealer (ouch). Honestly don’t remember what it cost, but must not have been too much or I would not have had them do it.

stickguy

The C30 was in better shape than I expected. Mostly suspension stuff, common on those cars, and some minor parts and a battery.

Michaell

stickguy said:

The C30 was in better shape than I expected. Mostly suspension stuff, common on those cars, and some minor parts and a battery.

He's talking about a respray to "Swedish Racing Green", which I wouldn't mind - I saw a Polestar Blue C30 just last weekend. But, I don't want him to go crazy with the spending ($2000 for a new, lowered suspension? I think not) so that the car is affordable to the next owner.

pensfan83

Michaell said:

I could still live with it....

Me too. And Mystic Blue....what are the odds of that?

28firefighter

I'm pretty happy about the whole thing. He's not been a BMW guy traditionally, but there just aren't many manual wagon options out there. It won't be fast but it should be more than adequate for his purposes - and he has his S5 Coupe and 968 for faster driving anyway. Plus the SQ5 when my mom lets him drive it.

Man, talk about a fleet...

stickguy

My dad has a base model Sentra I could inherit someday.

Almost the same.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Point is, when does it stop? $359 last month, $350 in a couple of months...when does one just say enough already? Apparently, some do feel these vehicles can be problematic, as he said today, and I don't want to keep dealing with problems. Just that there's not much out there that really makes me want to have it now, nothing gives me that feeling I got within 5 minutes of driving the Golf. So that's where my issue is, not going to buy just to buy. But don't want to make another error like I did back when. So I just do nothing for awhile and continue to think it out.
Best I think that I think about it in silence. Best for me to just read what y'all are doing and take a break from thinking about it.

$350 isn’t too bad for repairs but I get your apprehension at future costs. When I bought the PT Crusier I wanted to keep it until at least 100k miles but it frustrated me at every turn. It didn’t have European fun qualities but it had all the repair bills. I dumped it at 62k miles.

Do you really want to buy a company car? Maybe lease a new one.

Surprised someone didn't jump in with a link to an anecdotal story of their particular Chrysler product that went 250,000+ miles with no issues to excuse the ridiculously poor quality.

tifighter

stickguy said:

My dad has a base model Sentra I could inherit someday.

Almost the same.

Ha. My parents still have a 1st gen CRV, I think a 2000. It has less than 100k miles, and smells of golden retriever.

Michaell

tifighter said:

stickguy said:

My dad has a base model Sentra I could inherit someday.

Almost the same.

Ha. My parents still have a 1st gen CRV, I think a 2000. It has less than 100k miles, and smells of golden retriever.

Hey, I'm still looking to get out to CA to pick up my mom's Sonata - 2003 and just under 40,000 miles.

28firefighter

I should clarify, that none of the cars in the fleet are new or were bought new. The S5 is a 2011, the 968 is a 1992, BMW is a 2007 and my mom's car is the newest at 2017. Hers being the newest because she doesn't have the tolerance for a car out of warranty...

I like to remind my Dad that between 3 old european cars, it almost makes one new reliable Japanese car..

pensfan83

New or used I would be happy if I could get my parents into something other than Fords. My Dad isn't going to jump off the Ford truck bandwagon anytime soon but my mom's current Escape has been problematic enough and the dealer incompetent enough that she and my dad have soured on getting another one.

xwesx

28firefighter said:

I like to remind my Dad that between 3 old european cars, it almost makes one new reliable Japanese car..

That's an optimistic rationalization!

qbrozen

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Point is, when does it stop? $359 last month, $350 in a couple of months...when does one just say enough already? Apparently, some do feel these vehicles can be problematic, as he said today, and I don't want to keep dealing with problems. Just that there's not much out there that really makes me want to have it now, nothing gives me that feeling I got within 5 minutes of driving the Golf. So that's where my issue is, not going to buy just to buy. But don't want to make another error like I did back when. So I just do nothing for awhile and continue to think it out.
Best I think that I think about it in silence. Best for me to just read what y'all are doing and take a break from thinking about it.

$350 isn’t too bad for repairs but I get your apprehension at future costs. When I bought the PT Crusier I wanted to keep it until at least 100k miles but it frustrated me at every turn. It didn’t have European fun qualities but it had all the repair bills. I dumped it at 62k miles.

Do you really want to buy a company car? Maybe lease a new one.

Surprised someone didn't jump in with a link to an anecdotal story of their particular Chrysler product that went 250,000+ miles with no issues to excuse the ridiculously poor quality.

Gotta take it car by car. The PT Cruiser was a POS when new. Just like the Neon. You can’t buy the cheapest car in any manufacturer’s lineup and expect perfection. When something is built to a pricepoint, corners are cut. Even the Yaris is a disposable car.

stickguy

With my fathers health, and age, more likely he has to stop driving before the lease runs out on his Sentra (I think late 2021). If somehow that finishes and he is actually driving still, not sure what we will do. I’m thinking he should buy a Porsche and put it in my name.

stickguy

xwesx said:

28firefighter said:

I like to remind my Dad that between 3 old european cars, it almost makes one new reliable Japanese car..

That's an optimistic rationalization!

You can only drive one car at a time. So as long as each runs 1/3 of the time, you are good.

Hey, the math works!

stickguy

qbrozen said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Sandman6472 said:

Point is, when does it stop? $359 last month, $350 in a couple of months...when does one just say enough already? Apparently, some do feel these vehicles can be problematic, as he said today, and I don't want to keep dealing with problems. Just that there's not much out there that really makes me want to have it now, nothing gives me that feeling I got within 5 minutes of driving the Golf. So that's where my issue is, not going to buy just to buy. But don't want to make another error like I did back when. So I just do nothing for awhile and continue to think it out.
Best I think that I think about it in silence. Best for me to just read what y'all are doing and take a break from thinking about it.

$350 isn’t too bad for repairs but I get your apprehension at future costs. When I bought the PT Crusier I wanted to keep it until at least 100k miles but it frustrated me at every turn. It didn’t have European fun qualities but it had all the repair bills. I dumped it at 62k miles.

Do you really want to buy a company car? Maybe lease a new one.

Surprised someone didn't jump in with a link to an anecdotal story of their particular Chrysler product that went 250,000+ miles with no issues to excuse the ridiculously poor quality.

Gotta take it car by car. The PT Cruiser was a POS when new. Just like the Neon. You can’t buy the cheapest car in any manufacturer’s lineup and expect perfection. When something is built to a pricepoint, corners are cut. Even the Yaris is a disposable car.

No one (probably not even Scotty!) thinks the Yaris or any cheap model Toyota is special or particularly nice. Just reliable as an anvil and cheap to run.

breld

@28firefighter - your Dad's wagon sounds awesome. Mystic Blue over beige - love it!

My 2007 530xi wasn't quite as well equipped, but certainly fun for it's time. I special ordered it, and had almost gone for the wagon but for some reason decided on the sedan. In the last couple years of that model, you could get a 535xi wagon with the m-sport, and I believe with a manual still. That would be a find.

pensfan83

Well...punch in progress.

rayainsw

She appears content in Maine.
- Ray
Also content !

xwesx

rayainsw said:

She appears content in Maine.

You may want to ask her again after the snow flies.

rayainsw

Will be back in Georgia before that...

roadburner

qbrozen said:

Gotta take it car by car. The PT Cruiser was a POS when new. Just like the Neon. You can’t buy the cheapest car in any manufacturer’s lineup and expect perfection. When something is built to a pricepoint, corners are cut. Even the Yaris is a disposable car.

My Club Sport was the least expensive car in the BMW lineup back in 1995; of course it was essentially a E36 with the trunk removed and an E30 semi-trailing arm rear suspension installed.

andres3

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:

Gotta take it car by car. The PT Cruiser was a POS when new. Just like the Neon. You can’t buy the cheapest car in any manufacturer’s lineup and expect perfection. When something is built to a pricepoint, corners are cut. Even the Yaris is a disposable car.

My Club Sport was the least expensive car in the BMW lineup back in 1995; of course it was essentially a E36 with the trunk removed and an E30 semi-trailing arm real suspension installed.

My A3 in 2006 was the least expensive car in Audi's lineup. Apparently expectations can't be too high though.

carnaught

rayainsw said:

Will be back in Georgia before that...

Love the color Ray.

corvette

I got an email from Toyota to set up my connected services, and when I logged in to the app, they had added a Tacoma TRD Off Road to my garage. Are they trying to give me a second truck or something?

fintail

The traditionalists/brand loyalists are howling right now Not news, but somehow this is the new story, maybe as 2021 dealer ordering guides are coming out - more incentive to buy at lease end or seek a similar car when the time comes.

The E is also losing the dashboard/console clock, and that creates some howls , too.

Maybe this is a move to force the old fashioned buyer into S-class.

nyccarguy

I had to bring some items home for a customer & received a phone call from my wife on the way home: “can you stop by Costco and pick up a couple of things?”

$283 later...

fintail

I saw those shoes in the ad, tempted to take a look.

xwesx

nyccarguy said:

I had to bring some items home for a customer & received a phone call from my wife on the way home: “can you stop by Costco and pick up a couple of things?”

$283 later...

You got off light...!

stickguy

that E wagon. hideous. especially in white. Maybe wold look OK in a dark color.

nyccarguy

fintail said:

I saw those shoes in the ad, tempted to take a look.

I figured for $21.99 (after instant rebate), I can’t go wrong.

nyccarguy

xwesx said:

nyccarguy said:

I had to bring some items home for a customer & received a phone call from my wife on the way home: “can you stop by Costco and pick up a couple of things?”

$283 later...

You got off light...!

I spent about $20 on Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon, $13 on socks, plus $22 a piece for sneakers for the wife and I. So I really didn’t do THAT bad.

The truck does come in very handy. Only 13 months until the lease is up.

stickguy

pensfan83 said:

Well...punch in progress.

guessing the RDX?

I do like ours. for the little we use it. and on the RDX, I think the tech is just fine, no need for the A spec.

nyccarguy

@pensfan83 - I’ve been seeing more and more RDXs on the road. I used to think “A-Spec was the only way to go,” but I’m seeing more and more “regular” RDXs on the road. Acura did a sweet job visually with it.

pensfan83

Yep, RDX. My dealer came through for me. A dealer trade with sister store took place and this was the return. No one on the sales staff even knew it was there and their lack of A-Specs was the only reason I was looking elsewhere. Once this came up things moved quickly and like the last time there was one counter offer and we were done. Some dealers are treating the A-Specs like their dipped in gold but it was seamless and my dealer pretty much earned my loyalty until they do something that breaks that trust. Excuse the front plate frame, that comes off next week. Early impressions are that we're going to really enjoy it and the touchpad isn't as steep a learning curve as originally thought.

We celebrated with some Graeters afterward, Vienna Coffee milkshake for me. Plain jane vanilla for the Mrs.

So long to the TLX. Great car.

stickguy

congrats. but that cup on the dash of the brand new car, is giving me heart palpitations!

can't see in this shot. what color interior? Black?

sharp looking. You should enjoy it. and yes, once you get the hang of it, the pad is not really a big deal. We also don't do much with the infotainment, so makes it easier! read the manual, and practice what you want to do, and will become 2nd nature in no time.

stickguy

and if it didn't come with them, get a set of the Acura all weather mats.

pensfan83

Thanks, we'll definitely get the mats.

Black interior, Lunar Silver exterior.

corvette

nyccarguy said:

I had to bring some items home for a customer & received a phone call from my wife on the way home: “can you stop by Costco and pick up a couple of things?”

$283 later...

Nice tonneau cover! Was that factory?

I usually try to put the cold stuff in the cab so it doesn't melt / isn't exposed to the heat.

corvette

@pensfan83 - Nice! Buy or lease?