Piston Slap: Singin' the Topaz Blues?
Matthew writes:
So I have a beautiful Topaz Blue 2001 BMW 325Ci with the sport package and Steptronic automatic. It has 226,000 miles but the tranny was rebuilt 19,000 miles earlier (warranty is good for 24,000), the shocks were updated with Koni FSD’s (installed myself) and some fresh Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tires were added over the summer soon after the shocks. I spent well over $4000 on the car in the last nine months alone.
I hit a deer, crumpling the hood, right front headlight, radiator core support, radiator, etc, above the bumper. Insurance totaled it, so to repair I would have to give back $900 salvage value of the $5100 due me (post-deductible with some taken off for the high mileage) and repair the car with the $4200 remaining. Body shop says it can be done for $4000 with everything except the front bumper, which is intact save for 12 years of stone chips.
In the New York metro area (I live on Long Island), $5100 or slightly more will get you a nice 330Ci sport of equivalent vintage, an E39 530/540i M package or even a 740i sport with nearly 100k less mileage. Even a 2004 Jaguar XJ8 that needs a new nav/stereo/HVAC unit goes for $5500, and the unit can be had for $350 on eBay. Only problem is I don’t trust automatic transmissions after getting burned for $3000 on the last one, even though it held up for 207k. And even then, only reverse gear went out. Still required a rebuild, but could be driven to the shop.
So do I walk away from the car I know or roll the dice on something else?
Sajeev answers:
The question is: do you actually like this 3-series?
Or perhaps…do you like it more than the alternatives mentioned?
Your 3-series sounds easily repairable, and this platform is cheaper/easier to keep running compared to the E39, E38 and the Jaguar too. I mean, none of these machines are an Accord…but you already knew that. And don’t care about keeping a fully depreciated, executive European machine up and running. So what should you do?
Not an easy question, mostly because of mileage. I normally suggest to stick with the problems you know, as all of your choices are a huge financial gamble. But again, those 226,000 miles. But still, E38 BMW? Come on, I love the E38 in theory, but you don’t hate your wallet/mobility that much…do you?
Enjoy a few more years with Topaz Blue, see if anything else attracts your attention next time fate puts you in a complicated position.
[Image: Shutterstock user Delbars]
Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.
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Take the money and run. Once a car has been hit hard, all sorts of things get shaken out of kilter. Mr. Friction often gets his chance right away, and he will take it post haste. If you choose to keep your blue beloved as a parts car (possibly a good plan for some), keep in mind you gotta store it somewhere.
Okay, folks, I'm the Original Poster. Thanks to everyone for their input. It was a real kick to see so many people thinking on the same wavelength, even if their conclusions varied. There was a slight time lag between sending in my original question and it being published, so I had to make a move in the meantime. The three cars I came down to each had some issue, which they would at this price point, but they were the best of the several similar cars I checked out, many of which had worse flaws. The XJ8's nav unit turned out to be OK. Either that or it exhibited typical British car behavior by deciding to work again for no apparent reason. What turned me off was a slightly hard 1-2 shift on the tranny and a $600 additional insurance premium due to its harder-to-work-on aluminum construction. It sure wasn't the performance because the E39 540i would have cost no more than the original 325. And yes, the 540 was a rocket. But it was an auction car and the shifter had a little bit of extraneous friction in it. Clean, though, and the full-size spare had never been used. I could have lived quite well with it. Even then, the Jag was a revelation. It rode like a magic carpet with little penalty in handling. Did I mention before that it was British Racing Green? In a different situation, I might have gone for it, air spring units be damned. Not cheap but a relatively easy bolt-in, certainly no worse than a MacPherson strut. The 540i and 330Ci needed new tires. Fine for the 330 because I could lift the Goodyears off the old car, but not so great because I would then be stuck with a dead BMW rotting in my driveway as it was being parted out. And the aftermarket H&R coil overs made it ride like a buckboard. Koni FSD's are firm, to answer one question, but incredibly not harsh over sharp bumps. That's why I chose them over the yellows or Bilsteins. I should be satisfied with the mileage I got out of the 325's tranny, but bottom line, if it were a manual, the worst I would have had to deal with is a slipping clutch, and that costs a lot less than $3K to repair. My next car will definitely be a manual. Whatever it is. My record with automatics is dismal in that every one I've ever owned required a tranny rebuild at one point or another. I've never had to even replace a clutch on two MR2's, a Miata or my previous car, an E36 328is. So you can guess what I ended up doing. Old Topaz Blue simply didn't deserve to die. It's an emotional decision for sure, but that happens when you work on a car yourself. It becomes part of you. Not having to spend an extra dime out of pocket was a bonus. I could have been out an extra grand on any of the other three cars once you tack on the sales tax on top of their particular needs. In this case, I came out a little bit ahead. I did have the shop do the work, but they relented on the bumper and threw that in. Came out gorgeous. And with so little internal damage, it's like the accident never happened. I'm a pretty good wrench, but usually leave body work to the pros. The insurance company did an inspection and put comp and collision back on the car. No salvage title. Remember, they only totaled it because the repair was quoted at greater than 75 percent of the car's value. Not that I plan on selling it off any time soon. Even if I did at its reduced worth, someone would be getting a bargain. Wish I could post a picture to show that this car was no heap before the accident and definitely not one now. I bought it at high mileage three years ago because a lot of the work it would have needed had already been done, kind of like it is now. It's a car I enjoy driving, and I spend a lot of time in it. I drive about 24,000 miles per year on average. My main beef is the merely OK fuel economy at 21-24 mpg. Even the missing half-liter of displacement compared to a 330 is hardly a deal-breaker. Otherwise, it's been the perfect car for the type of driving I do. I've always been fond of the BMW coupes, from the E9 to the present day. The E46 coupe I think has the best balance of old-BMW crispness while still looking modern. So I acted with my heart, probably because it didn't conflict too much with my mind. And from the comments I received here, many of you feel the same way.