i''am going broke paying repair bills on my wife''s POS...

[Dancing Fire]

1995 BMW 540i.

i know it is 10 yrs old but the car only has 89k miles on it,probably worth about $8-9k.

this is only the last 3 repair bills.the list goes on and on and on....

Trans rebuilt.....$4000

Suspension.....$1000

and now....at least another $1200 + for the ignition,alternator and some other S**T.

 

[decodelighted]

Quit ya fancy-pantsin'' & get yourself a nice Honda or Toyota. They "impress" where it counts - low maintenence, high performance, great gas mileage.

Ditched my Land Rover (boat anchor) for a Toyota a month ago. Buh-bye STATUS SYMBOL.

 

[Dee*Jay]

DF, before we bought out current vehicle we had a 7 year old Honda Accord. It started to make a noise like a donkey braying, coming from the trunk area, whenever you would go over a bump. Hee haw! Hee haw! We had no other problems with the car so we looked into getting it fixed. Took it to three different places and no one could figure out what was wrong. The last straw was when the third guy said he had no idea what was wrong but it was going to cost at least $2,500 to fix. (If he didn''t know what the problem was how could he put a price on correcting it???)

Anyway, that was it. At least $2,500 to fix a 7 year old car was the end of the road for me. The next week we bought a new car!

 

[Dancing Fire]

deco....i love my 2001 Toyota Tacoma truck, no problems. my daughter''s 2001 Honda Civic,no problems.

DJ....i''m surprise you have problem with your Accord.i heard they''re nice cars. how about forget your upgrade for now and loan me the money for a new car.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Sure DF! The check is in the mail!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 7/1/2006 3:51:54 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
DF, before we bought out current vehicle we had a 7 year old Honda Accord. It started to make a noise like a donkey braying, coming from the trunk area, whenever you would go over a bump. Hee haw! Hee haw! We had no other problems with the car so we looked into getting it fixed. Took it to three different places and no one could figure out what was wrong. The last straw was when the third guy said he had no idea what was wrong but it was going to cost at least $2,500 to fix. (If he didn''t know what the problem was how could he put a price on correcting it???)


Anyway, that was it. At least $2,500 to fix a 7 year old car was the end of the road for me. The next week we bought a new car!

bad stuts and a cracked spring on the rear and maybe a bent bracket, $650 or so.
Had it ever been in an accident? that usualy dont happen unless they get hit.
Im shocked that they didnt know what it was... the noise you heard is designed in if the spring is displacing in the wrong direction.

 

[jadeleaves]

DF - get a new car

Or get her to pay the bill herself

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/1/2006 7:24:18 PM
Author: jadeleaves
DF - get a new car

as soon as DJ''s check arrive in the mail.

 

[ladykemma]

assuming these bills are from that last year, $6200 divided by 12 is $516 a month.

what would a new car payment be?

 

[moremoremore]

that''s why I lease...j/k...go get a new car...your koi don''t need to eat next week

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/2/2006 5:12:04 PM
Author: ladykemma
assuming these bills are from that last year, $6200 divided by 12 is $516 a month.

what would a new car payment be?

it all depends on how much DJ is willing to lend me.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/2/2006 6:05:25 PM
Author: moremoremore
that''s why I lease...j/k...go get a new car...your koi don''t need to eat next week

but i do!!! wish i could afford a Lexus GS 430 .

 

[Dee*Jay]

DF, hmmmm... I''m surprised it hasn''t arrived yet. Let me look into it and I''ll get back to you...

And Storm, I wish I knew you when we were getting the run around on our old car! Hee haw!

 

[blodthecat]

Date: 7/3/2006 4:12:17 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/2/2006 6:05:25 PM
Author: moremoremore
that's why I lease...j/k...go get a new car...your koi don't need to eat next week

but i do!!! wish i could afford a Lexus GS 430 .

DF you've gotta be kidding. Lexus is an old mans car!

But seriously, it sounds like it's time your wife changed her car.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/3/2006 10:17:49 AM
Author: blodthecat


DF you've gotta be kidding. Lexus is an old mans car!

But seriously, it sounds like it's time your wife changed her car.

Blod

i'am a very old man

seriously, maybe you and Lorelei (my 2 Brit GFs) can loan me like 30,000 British pound?

 

[Sundial]

Don''t listen to them DF, Lexus is the only way to go! These cars never have issues.

 

[codex57]

Accords have transmission issues. It''s a well known issue. Not every Honda is bulletproof.

BMWs can last quite a long time if you maintain them properly, but you''ve gotta maintain them pretty religiously. None of that 15,000 miles btw oil changes crap. The factory maintenance schedule is designed to make sure the car can last the length of the warranty period. Maybe a little more. Oil changes every 7500 miles (at most) if you use synthetic oil. Tranny fluid flush every 30,000 unless you don''t do it at all and just look to rebuild the tranny at @100K. Stuff like that.

Since yours is starting to sound like a money pit, it''s time to dump it. Likely not worth it if you''re not a huge BMW nut. Japanese cars have better tolerance to a less than religious maintenance schedule. Plus, they take more abuse. However, once old enough, pretty much all cars turn into money pits. These things don''t last forever. They''re not diamonds.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/3/2006 2:02:38 PM
Author: codex57

Since yours is starting to sound like a money pit, it''s time to dump it. Likely not worth it if you''re not a huge BMW nut. Japanese cars have better tolerance to a less than religious maintenance schedule. Plus, they take more abuse. However, once old enough, pretty much all cars turn into money pits. These things don''t last forever. They''re not diamonds.

this car has less than 90K

anyway pick up the car yesterday. $1100 repair bill.

 

[codex57]

Yeah, that''s pretty low to be such a money pit. Did you buy it used? Maybe you just got a bad example? Maybe it was just really picky about maintenance and decided it didn''t have enough preventive maintenance? Maybe your mechanic is selling you services you actually don''t need (the "I don''t know what''s wrong, so I''ll just tell the owner the part needs replacing" type or worse)? Who knows.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/4/2006 11:36:36 PM
Author: codex57
Yeah, that''s pretty low to be such a money pit. Did you buy it used? Maybe you just got a bad example? Maybe it was just really picky about maintenance and decided it didn''t have enough preventive maintenance? Maybe your mechanic is selling you services you actually don''t need (the ''I don''t know what''s wrong, so I''ll just tell the owner the part needs replacing'' type or worse)? Who knows.

no, my mechanic is a close friend of mine.after i bought the car i read the consumer report (three yrs later) it was one of the worse rated car for that yr.

 

[blodthecat]

Date: 7/3/2006 10:47:13 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/3/2006 10:17:49 AM
Author: blodthecat




DF you've gotta be kidding. Lexus is an old mans car!

But seriously, it sounds like it's time your wife changed her car.

Blod

i'am a very old man

seriously, maybe you and Lorelei (my 2 Brit GFs) can loan me like 30,000 British pound?

You mean dip into our diamond fund

 

[portoar]

Date: 7/1/2006 3:51:54 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
DF, before we bought out current vehicle we had a 7 year old Honda Accord. It started to make a noise like a donkey braying, coming from the trunk area, whenever you would go over a bump. Hee haw! Hee haw! We had no other problems with the car so we looked into getting it fixed. Took it to three different places and no one could figure out what was wrong. The last straw was when the third guy said he had no idea what was wrong but it was going to cost at least $2,500 to fix. (If he didn''t know what the problem was how could he put a price on correcting it???)

Anyway, that was it. At least $2,500 to fix a 7 year old car was the end of the road for me. The next week we bought a new car!

I just went through this exact problem with my PT Cruiser. Well, actually, going over bumps, turns, it would make this incredible creaking sound. It sounded like the whole car was going to fall apart. It sounded like a suspension or spring kind of thing (keep in mind I''m car-ignorant). The car had to be warmed up to make the noise. When I took the car in to the dealership I had to drive around for a good 1/2 hour and then go get a repair guy to ride with me to hear the noise. He thought it was coming from under the hood and I thought it was coming from under the car behind him. . . . anyway, they had no idea what was wrong, kept it for two days and finally called and told me some hoses were rubbing up against something. Cost me $89 because I had the extended warranty.


DF, I also went through this talk with DH this weekend. He has an ''94 Acura Integra he just loves and wants to keep. It has 188K miles, the clearcoat is peeling off all over, so it looks terrible, he eats bagels on the way to work every day and doesn''t vaccum so it''s knee high in sesame seeds, the engine needs work, it''s eating oil, it''s a disaster waiting to happen. I want to unload it and get him another car, he wants to keep it and throw 5-6 grand into a new paint job, a new engine, and whatever else it needs. I say it''s a waste of money to pour that much into a car that''s so old. We don''t know what to do.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Portoar, you're lucky it was only $89! When they started quoting me in the thousands of dollars, well visions of diamonds that I would never own started dancing in my head...

And DF, for what it's worth, we did coincidentally buy a Lexus (the RX 330). Absolutely could not be happier! When this one wears out we're buying another one of the exact same car. Comfortable, safe, holds lots of stuff; the perfect vehicle. And best of all, DOES NOT bray like a donkey when going over bumps! Hee haw!

 

[Julian]

Eek. That makes me so nervous. I have a new 530i and am not looking forward to maintenance problems. That''s what would turn me off them forever.

Do you think it was that year''s model? The newer BMWs have pretty good ratings...

 

[Dancing Fire]

portoar....tell your hubby forget about putting $6k into a 13 yr car. i would rather buy a $6k used Acura .

Date: 7/5/2006 9:20:08 AM
Author: portoar

DF, I also went through this talk with DH this weekend. He has an ''94 Acura Integra he just loves and wants to keep. It has 188K miles, the clearcoat is peeling off all over, so it looks terrible, he eats bagels on the way to work every day and doesn''t vaccum so it''s knee high in sesame seeds, the engine needs work, it''s eating oil, it''s a disaster waiting to happen. I want to unload it and get him another car, he wants to keep it and throw 5-6 grand into a new paint job, a new engine, and whatever else it needs. I say it''s a waste of money to pour that much into a car that''s so old. We don''t know what to do.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 7/5/2006 11:00:08 AM
Author: Julian
Eek. That makes me so nervous. I have a new 530i and am not looking forward to maintenance problems. That''s what would turn me off them forever.

Do you think it was that year''s model? The newer BMWs have pretty good ratings...

i heard the new BMWs are better now. the consumer report usually do a pretty good job of rating three yr old cars.

 

[pinkflamingo]

we have a 92 and a 93 acura legend. the 92 has 220K miles on it, DH is replacing the transmssion currently- he is a car guy. the 93 has 120K miles on it.
they are wonderful cars. super reliable, fun to drive, powerful engines, spacious and comfortable rides, nice Bose stereos. my parents bought the 92 new and then gave it to me when I graduated from college in 2000- it has been such a nice car, we never want to get rid of it. if you know how to work on cars and have the time, it is less expensive to take care of them instead of bothering with expensive leases.

bmws are nice, but parts are so expensive. i think hondas are much more reliable

 

[portoar]

Date: 7/5/2006 11:30:21 AM
Author: Dancing Fire
portoar....tell your hubby forget about putting $6k into a 13 yr car. i would rather buy a $6k used Acura .

Date: 7/5/2006 9:20:08 AM
Author: portoar


DF, I also went through this talk with DH this weekend. He has an ''94 Acura Integra he just loves and wants to keep. It has 188K miles, the clearcoat is peeling off all over, so it looks terrible, he eats bagels on the way to work every day and doesn''t vaccum so it''s knee high in sesame seeds, the engine needs work, it''s eating oil, it''s a disaster waiting to happen. I want to unload it and get him another car, he wants to keep it and throw 5-6 grand into a new paint job, a new engine, and whatever else it needs. I say it''s a waste of money to pour that much into a car that''s so old. We don''t know what to do.

I agree . . . just try to get him to part with his beloved car though . . . honestly, the thing is an embarrassment, it looks so bad.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Up-date on wife''s POS car....

yesterday... the motor oil coolent line busted (methink

) oil got into the new ALTERNATOR and it started a small fire!!!

my wife said she was in shock,didn''t know what to do, luckily a stranger whom was park next to her,he got hold of a fire extinguisher and put out the fire.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 7/5/2006 2:23:56 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 7/4/2006 11:36:36 PM
Author: codex57
Yeah, that''s pretty low to be such a money pit. Did you buy it used? Maybe you just got a bad example? Maybe it was just really picky about maintenance and decided it didn''t have enough preventive maintenance? Maybe your mechanic is selling you services you actually don''t need (the ''I don''t know what''s wrong, so I''ll just tell the owner the part needs replacing'' type or worse)? Who knows.

no, my mechanic is a close friend of mine.after i bought the car i read the consumer report (three yrs later) it was one of the worse rated car for that yr.

Obviously not close enough!!!! My Father-in-law has a POS BMW 7-series from the early 90''s, probably a 91-92, and his best friend who we address as "Garage-uncle" repairs and replaces everything for free. Never charges FIL a dime!