RE: 325is Maintenance results so far

["Fadeev, Alex" <alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Daniel Pham [mailto:dpham@domain.elided] wrote:
> 
> I'm assuming no one keeps a spreadsheet on their BMW 
> maintenance since I haven't received on spreadsheet yet. Do
> most BMW owners keep their cars for less than 3 years and move
> onto another newer model? So far I've heard views that 10 yr. 
> old BMWs can be good and maintenance cost is proportionate. Has
> anyone had a BMW for 10 yrs and tracked their costs..ie. 
> bushings, struts, clutch replacement, head gasket jobs....etc? 
> 
> Any car can be expensive, but I'm curious to find out how expensive
> specifically. I had a T-Bird once for 5 yrs. It cost me $600/yr. 
> over 5 years to maintain it to 125k. A friend has a Datsun 280zx 
> for 10 yrs. and it cost him $150/year to drive it to 230k. Another
> friend had an Alfa for 10yrs. and it cost him $2000/year to drive it.
> This all excludes gas and oil changes. Where do BMWs stand?

Danny,
Some of us keep track of the maintenance performed on our E30s, but the cost
is a another matter. I try to do as much work myself as possible. Partly
because I enjoy working on my cars. Partly because it saves me a ton of
cash. Thus my maintenance records would be a). statistically worthless; b).
of no use to non-DIY-ers. My WAG would be about ~$750/year spent mostly on
parts over last 6 years and ~100K miles.
If you are buying an old (10+ year old car) there will be significantly more
maintenance than with a new(-er) vehicle. If you pay someone else for the
labor your overall cost of upkeep will be significantly higher bordering on
prohibitively expensive. Not to mention that the cost of labor will vary
tremendously from independents to dealers and between different parts of the
country. 
One other thing: if a 10+ year old car is your one and only source of
transportation, things will be significantly more expensive as you will need
to fix that car ASAP when something breaks. If it's your second car/ daily
driver, than you can afford to take the time to park it, price out and order
after market parts from your favorite mail order sources, wait for them to
arrive to your door, then pull out the E30 Bentley manual and attempt to fix
things at your own pace. You get the idea.

good luck,
alex f

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