My 99 528is is closing in on 180k. Everything is good now but the oil filter gasket needs replaced and the dreaded EGR system will need replacing. I can do these myself but the cooling system is hitting 5 years after plastic replacement. All this takes time from me working on my 1973 2002 tii. I can't justify a newer bmw replacement because of the same trap and the costs. I'm leaning towards either a Gti or focus st from Carmax for the warranty. I know the issues with vw. It will kill me to get rid of my dd but 40+ miles a day and the constant wrenching. Help
What would you do with the 528? It probably is not going to get you much of a down payment for the VW or Focus. Why not add another older BMW DD? This way if the 528 is not running just move over to the other new/old BMW DD. If you are just going to add the VW or Focus, go for it. If you are like me and getting older and see working on the DD as a chore rather than an escape then dump the 528 and get the Focus. Only you can say what the "right" answer is and you have to know that no matter what you do someone on the internet is going to call you a jerk and tell you that you were wrong, and that ain't me.
It seems your main points are that the necessary maintenance projects are taking time from the tii, and a sorta-confluence of needed maintenance all at once? Kinda sounds like you really like the E39 but are wishing for a break, time-wise, in dd maintenance tasks, and you're hoping that something with a warranty might give you that break. Several ifs in that - what if the hopes for the replacement dd don't quite pan out, warranty or not? Would you find yourself then re-thinking stepping away from the E39? Is there a rush or deadline on the tii project? As far as choosing what to prioritize goes, seems to me that would be the only reason to say ditch the E39, otherwise it sounds as if you just would like to be putting more time in on the tii. So, what about when the tii is ultimately finished? Unless the car's actually a hopeless project that really will take more than you can ever realistically hope to accomplish, I'm presuming there is an eventual end point for the tii project. Once the tii's done, or mostly done, presumably you'd have time to tackle E39 or other car projects. One thought on a newer car, the warranty won't last forever, all cars that you own eventually will require service or maintenance that won't be covered by any kind of warranty. Somewhere along the line, you'll be back in the place again of this or that or whatever needing fixed, replaced, or be a part of a normal maintenance regimen. It sounds like you're a pretty accomplished d-i-y'er - with the maintenance tasks on the E39 you mention, it sounds like you CAN do them all, but, you're not sounding necessarily like you really _want_ to. If the E39 meets your dd needs and you can juggle/manage what it needs to keep running as a dd, and don't have anything other than self-imposed deadlines/goals for the tii, then dealing w/ the E39 projects sounds perfectly plausible, even if they're what you might consider pain-in-the-neck projects. Attitude can make a difference - if you start a project with a negative mindset going in, seems to me that's not going to help any with the reality of actually doing it, or perhaps even being motivated about it - we always have choices in that regard; if it's do-able, and you can do it, if you choose to tackle a project, once that decision has been made, some positivity will help get through it, and particularly for overcoming anything unexpected that crops up along the way (and except for the simplest tasks, doesn't it always seem like there's something unexpected?). If you want some encouragement about the car, you're the best one to know if there's reason to be encouraged or not - is it clean, no rust? Well-maintained? The important stuff works the way it should, relatively little in the way of daily-use nuisances? A 180k small inline 6 out of the era of not-the-most-complicated of BMW engines? Maintainable, you know what the issues are, there are existing solutions to issues, etc.? Main driveline expense components of engine, transmission, & differential, relatively speaking, capable of going another 180k w/ the usual maintenance? As for the specific projects, filter housing gasket is logically done at a normal oil change interval, ya? So that's not any more than what - in another 5-7k miles since your last oil change, unless you're using conventional and not synthetic oil? I don't know the specifics on your EGR job, but is that something that can suddenly cripple the car stranding you w/out dd use, or keep running, perhaps less than optimally, but without damage, until it's tackled? You know what you've done w/ the cooling system - if you've opted for a metal-impeller water pump, then seems to me that's something that could run until you start detecting some looseness or leakage; of course a gamble to push an interval and risk water pump failure, but there is the chance for early detection or signs of failure too. But, perhaps some of the cooling stuff might be done more piecemeal, if possible. Anyway, point being, perhaps there's a way to balance out the desire for a comprehensive pre-emptive approach vs. more selective that might fit the bill for less expense and time-consumption. I realize of course that there are things that are worth doing due to duplication of effort and expense if a sub-component happens to need attention that was skipped over - don't forget the flip side though, if it's time to do the cooling system parts over again, depending on what you do, maybe it's another 5 years before it's a concern again. Don't forget to factor in other things that might be necessary - suspension bushings for instance, wheel bearings, brakes, etc. - all of which could get you to a tipping point on what you want to do with the car. Some nuisance repairs can be avoided - skip using the sunroof, and you're less likely to end up with the expensive replacement of a plastic sunroof cassette - stick to only opening/closing the driver's side window, and less chance of a failed regulator on the others - use remote key lock/unlock if you have it, and less chance of door lock-cylinder replacement, for instance. Anyway, you know your car and its issues, there are probably things you can do to mitigate potentialities going forward as you might be tackling other known issues. Good luck whatever you decide to do!
I had a '99 528... but that was under warranty. I sold it before the warranty ran out because I was scared of it. Now, this was before I discovered the "Internet" and before these forums were so prevalent, so had I known then what I know now, I would have kept it. It was a great car. The idea of a 16 year-old primary daily driver kind of scares me, so my contribution to this discussion will be that I briefly considered a GTI last year. They are quite impressive little cars, and if not for the discomfort that I experienced with the seat, I probably would have bought one. Those of us used to the firm BMW seats may have trouble adjusting to the overly soft and unsupportive US market VW chairs. Best of luck!
