But they are more then worth it!!! (archive)

I own a 1988, 535is (oh i love this car!!!) and yes they are very expensive to buy and maintain, but if you truely love BMW's it's worth it. I live in San Jose, so everything is more expensive then it has to be, so it is a real bitch when something needs to be replaced! My dad bought me my car a year ago for my 18th birthday. He paid for my new rims and tires as well, but i've paid for just about everything else. The person who owned my car before me never fixed anything! First thing I had to do was replace all my hoses. Then my fan clutch, coolant sensor, new breaks and rotors (that bill sucked!), and a few other parts whose names I don't remember. And just when you think you're done, something else pops up. Again, my car will be in the shop to have some hose for my transmission replaced (i'm tired of leaving a little puddle everywhere I go.) Plus it's time for my inspection. But the best part is I'm getting my Jim C chip put it!!!

SO after all is said and done, and you're cruising on the freeway at about 100 with no hesitation...that's when you say to yourself "This is why I pay so much for a BMW!!!"

:) Amanda

I lurked awhile here on the Forum before jumping in and purchasing an '86 535i (I wanted a 535is, but couldn't find a decent one).

You guys all seem to love these cars, and after driving one, I found I liked the model as well and thought that one would last a long time and be fun to drive.

I had heard stories about rip-off repairs, but I needed new shocks and springs for my car because there was a banging in the left front corner on parking lot speed bumps only a week after buying it, so felt that the dealer would be more honest than unknown independent shops.

I ended up paying over $2200 for shocks and springs plus almost $1000 for front brakes (I needed pads and calipers, but the dealer wouldn't do the job without new calipers since my car had over 100,000 miles on it and I couldn';t prove the calipers had been previously replaced).

I only paid $4500 for the whole car, and now I have almost $9000 (including tax and license) in it and they told me that I need new front end parts ($2500 or so)to make the car "right."

Add to that the fact that I failed CA emmissions and they want $1700 plus an additional $300 to install a new catalytic converter. The local muffler shop won't touch the car since their cats are not CARB certified for BMWs unless they get a cat from the dealer, so it's the same price either way.

Short of actually doing the work myself (I live in an apartment don't even own a hammer), how can I ever afford to own this car? I like driving it, but they just didn't build them like I thought they did! Do you guys have a list of shops that can fix my car somewhere? I live near Redding, CA. and cannot justify owning a $14,000 car of 1986 vintage regardless of how much I like it.

Erik

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