BMW car and engine Life Longevity. (Worth Reading)

[Jim Bassett <jbassett@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>    My 95 325is has got to last me another 5 years or so with about 10K
>miles annually.  I only have 27K miles on it now.  Am I enjoying this
>car TOO much with my JC chip and other such mods in this quest to have a
>faster car.  Is taking it to such high RPMs before shifting going to
>cause an premature engine overhaul at some early mileage (before 100K).
>Should I back off and drive more conservatively and maybe shift at 3K
>RPMs, in which case, I would get smoked by vans and 76 Novas? What do
>you all think?  

This isn't a set-up is it? (If it is, I got hooked :-))

I just sold my 1996 328is w/68K miles (that's right, 68,000 miles in 32
months). Mostly freeway driving, but also two track schools, two years of
autocrossing, and numerous red-line shifts. Not a lick of engine trouble,
faithfully followed scheduled maintenence (with twice-as-frequent oil
changes). Car felt as smooth and strong when I sold it as it was on Day
One. Keep up on the maintenence and all should be well.

>And if I do need some SERIOUS engine work because of the
>way this car is driven, what do things like overhauls, clutches,
>transmissions, etc. cost????  

About the only thing you *might* need in the time-frame you're discussing
is a clutch - around $1000 including labor (that was the estimate given on
the 328 when the buyer inquired about this). I doubt you'll need an
overhaul or transmission at less than 100K.

Other than that, my advice (which you may ignore :-)) is: Quit worrying and
just drive the car.

Then again, I could be a raging babboon :-)


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Jim Bassett
Walnut Creek, CA
1996 328is - sold with 68,000 miles
1998 M3/4 - 1200+ miles in first week, time for some red-line shifts, woohoo!
BMW CCA #131681

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