Do I sell my car or keep it?
Discussion
Hi Guys,
I currently have a BMW 520D (F11) with around 120k on the clock. The car is lovely to drive and is very practical however in just 2 years of ownership I have spent over £4000 in repairs and maintenance.
List of Repairs/Maintenance:
6 Tyres £820
Tyre Air Sensor Replacement £460
Rear Parking Sensor £200
Brake Pads £100
Turbo Linkage £180
Gearbox Oil Flush and Major Service £950
Air Suspension (Compressor + Relay) £1450
Misc: £ 200 - £500
My question is very simple, do I keep the car as I have put so much money in it or is it time to get rid off it?
If I sold the car it would enable me to pay off the rest of my credit card I used to pay for the car which has about 6K on it. Giving me an extra £300 per month in the bank.
I would then look at replacing it with something allot cheaper for around 2k like a Skoda Octavia or a Golf MK5/MK6.
One of my main concerns is I could purchase something else with more issues especially being older and it won't be as fun to drive, however should be cheaper to repair within reason.
I have been going through pro's and con's in my head and really can't make up my mind, so any feedback would be super useful.
Many Thanks
I currently have a BMW 520D (F11) with around 120k on the clock. The car is lovely to drive and is very practical however in just 2 years of ownership I have spent over £4000 in repairs and maintenance.
List of Repairs/Maintenance:
6 Tyres £820
Tyre Air Sensor Replacement £460
Rear Parking Sensor £200
Brake Pads £100
Turbo Linkage £180
Gearbox Oil Flush and Major Service £950
Air Suspension (Compressor + Relay) £1450
Misc: £ 200 - £500
My question is very simple, do I keep the car as I have put so much money in it or is it time to get rid off it?
If I sold the car it would enable me to pay off the rest of my credit card I used to pay for the car which has about 6K on it. Giving me an extra £300 per month in the bank.
I would then look at replacing it with something allot cheaper for around 2k like a Skoda Octavia or a Golf MK5/MK6.
One of my main concerns is I could purchase something else with more issues especially being older and it won't be as fun to drive, however should be cheaper to repair within reason.
I have been going through pro's and con's in my head and really can't make up my mind, so any feedback would be super useful.
Many Thanks
Galveo said:
If I sold the car it would enable me to pay off the rest of my credit card I used to pay for the car which has about 6K on it. Giving me an extra £300 per month in the bank.
Surely this is a no-brainer? How much are you paying in interest on 6k every month?!The car is clearly a lemon - ditch it and buy something more sensible ASAP would be my advice.
Sounds like you’ve fixed the unpredictable issues and done maintenance.
The question is are the regular maintenance items going to be that much cheaper on another car + what other random issues might the other car have / gain
The trouble is no one knows. Your car might only need maintenance from now and not throw up any issues (most realistic) Or from this point forward it might a money pit (unrealistic unless known engine / gearbox / rust issues specific to the model)
Edit read this properly, finance wise I’d get a cheaper car, with cheaper parts. That much money on a car that you can’t just walk away from makes no sense. Sorry didn’t read the bit about finance. Use the money and go on holiday once every 2 months, take up hobbies and generally enjoy your life (not suggesting you already aren’t).
I recommend fords, or any Japanese motor. Looks at total cost not just MPG, think about maintenance costs, depreciation at £2,000 you can kinda ignore
The question is are the regular maintenance items going to be that much cheaper on another car + what other random issues might the other car have / gain
The trouble is no one knows. Your car might only need maintenance from now and not throw up any issues (most realistic) Or from this point forward it might a money pit (unrealistic unless known engine / gearbox / rust issues specific to the model)
Edit read this properly, finance wise I’d get a cheaper car, with cheaper parts. That much money on a car that you can’t just walk away from makes no sense. Sorry didn’t read the bit about finance. Use the money and go on holiday once every 2 months, take up hobbies and generally enjoy your life (not suggesting you already aren’t).
I recommend fords, or any Japanese motor. Looks at total cost not just MPG, think about maintenance costs, depreciation at £2,000 you can kinda ignore
Edited by mintmansam on Monday 4th October 16:03
Bennet said:
Well, if you want opinions from random strangers on the internet...
I absolutely want opinions from random strangers on the internet! Galveo said:
pay off the rest of my credit card
...sell it and buy a cheap reliable shed.
But per your advice I also think this is where my head is leaning towards.
Any suggestions for cheap reliable sheds?
Ideal requirements are:
Enough room for 2 grown Labradors.
Automatic
Leather seats/Butt warmers
Deranged Rover said:
Galveo said:
If I sold the car it would enable me to pay off the rest of my credit card I used to pay for the car which has about 6K on it. Giving me an extra £300 per month in the bank.
Surely this is a no-brainer? How much are you paying in interest on 6k every month?!The car is clearly a lemon - ditch it and buy something more sensible ASAP would be my advice.
In regards to the car I don't think it's a complete Lemon I just think I have been really unlucky with a few of the repairs, however they do seem to come often and be expensive.
That's the problem with car ownership these days. A 'premium' car (yes I know it's only a 520) is now so costly to build that when a repair comes along, it is not a small bill.
I was watching a YouTube video recenlty which explained why cars break so easily these days; The old Mercs were over-engineered because there was no computer aids like there are today. They built components to last beause there was no way to test longevity.
Nowadays, items can be built of of plastic like a thermostat housing and BMW know that it will last around 3 years. CAD design type software can predict quite closely a components lifespan and the component is built down to a price to reflect this
But the customer only wants the car for three years (PCP). The manufacturer knows this and doesn't care about secondhand owners.
Buy a shed and fix problems cheaply. There will be the same amount but cost less!
I was watching a YouTube video recenlty which explained why cars break so easily these days; The old Mercs were over-engineered because there was no computer aids like there are today. They built components to last beause there was no way to test longevity.
Nowadays, items can be built of of plastic like a thermostat housing and BMW know that it will last around 3 years. CAD design type software can predict quite closely a components lifespan and the component is built down to a price to reflect this
But the customer only wants the car for three years (PCP). The manufacturer knows this and doesn't care about secondhand owners.
Buy a shed and fix problems cheaply. There will be the same amount but cost less!
Fastchas said:
Nowadays, items can be built of of plastic like a thermostat housing and BMW know that it will last around 3 years. CAD design type software can predict quite closely a components lifespan and the component is built down to a price to reflect this
But the customer only wants the car for three years (PCP). The manufacturer knows this and doesn't care about secondhand owners.
My BMW will be 5 years old soon and nothing has broken yet. When do you predict that BMW have decided that bits are going to start breaking please? But the customer only wants the car for three years (PCP). The manufacturer knows this and doesn't care about secondhand owners.
Not sure who\how you are opting to repair this, I do feel there's a large chunk of dealer or expensive "specialist" involved here, and that always pushes the costs way up. You can cut costs, but some level of getting hands dirty may be required.
Also, with a spot of luck you've cleared a load of problems and have a sound car that won't throw a big bill for a while. Most of the sheddists around here are happy to live with niggles, or can repair themselves.
6 Tyres £820 - £135ish each, you could probably trim that a bit. Also - it's a running cost.
Tyre Air Sensor Replacement £460 - feels expensive. Aftermarket sensors pre-coded cost about £120 a set , and on a budget you could live with the fault until money's available. Some ebay scavenging can find oem ones for similar money, coding extra.
Rear Parking Sensor £200 - again, feels like dealer pricing. It's a £25 part, there's eBay sellers will paint it for an extra £10.
Brake Pads £100 - not bad, and a running cost.
Turbo Linkage £180 - unlucky, but not silly expensive.
Gearbox Oil Flush and Major Service £950 - a bit spendy for sure, look at independents. Also, gearbox won't need doing again for years.
Air Suspension (Compressor + Relay) £1450 - Shame you post now. Often, the compressors are repairable DIY, look up "bagpipingandy" on ebay.
Also, with a spot of luck you've cleared a load of problems and have a sound car that won't throw a big bill for a while. Most of the sheddists around here are happy to live with niggles, or can repair themselves.
6 Tyres £820 - £135ish each, you could probably trim that a bit. Also - it's a running cost.
Tyre Air Sensor Replacement £460 - feels expensive. Aftermarket sensors pre-coded cost about £120 a set , and on a budget you could live with the fault until money's available. Some ebay scavenging can find oem ones for similar money, coding extra.
Rear Parking Sensor £200 - again, feels like dealer pricing. It's a £25 part, there's eBay sellers will paint it for an extra £10.
Brake Pads £100 - not bad, and a running cost.
Turbo Linkage £180 - unlucky, but not silly expensive.
Gearbox Oil Flush and Major Service £950 - a bit spendy for sure, look at independents. Also, gearbox won't need doing again for years.
Air Suspension (Compressor + Relay) £1450 - Shame you post now. Often, the compressors are repairable DIY, look up "bagpipingandy" on ebay.
Galveo said:
I absolutely want opinions from random strangers on the internet!
But per your advice I also think this is where my head is leaning towards.
Any suggestions for cheap reliable sheds?
Ideal requirements are:
Enough room for 2 grown Labradors.
Automatic
Leather seats/Butt warmers
Most Volvos seem to have bottie burner seats. Plenty of cheap V70's etc around. Good time to sell a more expensive car and move to cheaper one I would think. But per your advice I also think this is where my head is leaning towards.
Any suggestions for cheap reliable sheds?
Ideal requirements are:
Enough room for 2 grown Labradors.
Automatic
Leather seats/Butt warmers
It's tempting to say, keep the BMW as you've gone through the pain and it would be a shame for the next owner to have all the benefit but it is always hard to know what will happen next. Our current 5 series used to belong to my Dad. Everything went wrong on it. Seemed to be a total lemon of a car. He relied on main dealers and the bills on it are eye watering. Final straw for him was when the gearbox died. He was totally fed up and gave me the car and I paid to get the gearbox rebuilt which hurt a bit but it's been faultless for nearly 30k miles since. Think my dad hates me a bit now!
Sell it pay off credit card.
Buy a straight petrol non turbo Japanese car, get it fully serviced when you buy it. Then enjoy simple motering until you’ve saved some pennies then ask yourself if it’s worth it to have a “premium brand” car.
If you think it is then buy another if you’ve enjoyed low maintenance then don’t.
Buy a straight petrol non turbo Japanese car, get it fully serviced when you buy it. Then enjoy simple motering until you’ve saved some pennies then ask yourself if it’s worth it to have a “premium brand” car.
If you think it is then buy another if you’ve enjoyed low maintenance then don’t.
Did the full service throw up any advisories? If no, keep hold of it.
I think a decent percentage of used cars older than 5-6 years old are sold due to expensive maintenance coming up, or with problems. So you're getting rid of something that you've maintained well, and potentially buying someone else's problem.
I think a decent percentage of used cars older than 5-6 years old are sold due to expensive maintenance coming up, or with problems. So you're getting rid of something that you've maintained well, and potentially buying someone else's problem.
Jiebo said:
Did the full service throw up any advisories? If no, keep hold of it.
I think a decent percentage of used cars older than 5-6 years old are sold due to expensive maintenance coming up, or with problems. So you're getting rid of something that you've maintained well, and potentially buying someone else's problem.
Interestingly, seeing an ageing car that’s been owned by the previous owner for many years going on sale immediately after a service always sets off my spidey senses.. I think a decent percentage of used cars older than 5-6 years old are sold due to expensive maintenance coming up, or with problems. So you're getting rid of something that you've maintained well, and potentially buying someone else's problem.
nickfrog said:
Fastchas said:
Nowadays, items can be built of of plastic like a thermostat housing and BMW know that it will last around 3 years. CAD design type software can predict quite closely a components lifespan and the component is built down to a price to reflect this
But the customer only wants the car for three years (PCP). The manufacturer knows this and doesn't care about secondhand owners.
My BMW will be 5 years old soon and nothing has broken yet. When do you predict that BMW have decided that bits are going to start breaking please? But the customer only wants the car for three years (PCP). The manufacturer knows this and doesn't care about secondhand owners.
It's never left her stranded, but the anciliaries seem to require constant expenditure and some new fault develops as soon as I fix the last one.
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