Urgent.. Throwing good money into old cars please help !

londonTiger

bigjl wrote: »

I would personally not buy an old BMW for retail price.

A Vreg BMW is firmly in Bangernomics territory imho.

Wouldn't pay more than a £1000.

There is no way to know what work the BMW needs, remember owners of older cars tend to sell when a bill looms, just like you are doing.

which is why there's no point selling an old car that you've cared for and looked after unless it no longer meets your requirements because you'll get joke money for it.

Juding by OP it sounds like they've been doing dealer service all this time too. I would recomened switching to a trustworthy indie garage and keep it going.

Helen27

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Who's quoted for £700 worth of work? The fact you're quoting dealer service price suggests possibly dealer. In which case, look somewhere else for another quote. Using dealers for £600 cars is, as a rule, madness!

Thanks for your reply .. Next service is £300 main oil change at dealer and oil leak spark plugs etc =Aporox £700

Marktheshark

Find a local mechanic to do the very essentials like oil and filter, the plugs should be ok until they start giving issues which may be never.
Go bangernomics reactive maintenance

Helen27

Strider590 wrote: »

You've not stated how old your current vehicle is..... I struggle to believe that a BMW Mini is worth so little in the current market and if it's an older Rover Mini then it's worth quite a lot of money.

Hi my mini it's on an 02 plate ... But worth more to me .. Not in perfect condition in the boot area due to carting stuff but body work good. 99000 miles on the clock next major service at 105 000 miles Aporox £700 with odd works. Thank you for your advice

Joe_Horner

Helen27 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply .. Next service is £300 main oil change at dealer and oil leak spark plugs etc =Aporox £700

Run far, far, away from the dealer and find a local indie.

Those service prices are shocking. They're basically saying an extra £400 for, maybe, £40 of plugs and leads which take minutes few to fit (well, be generous and call it an hour).

With a 14 year old car on that mileage you're gaining absolutely nothing by having dealer stamps in the book unless you're planning to keep it until it's a 40 year old classic, in which case full dealer history will probably add a pretty big premium. But you'll be paying through the nose for the next 28 years to benefit!

Helen27

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Who's quoted for £700 worth of work? The fact you're quoting dealer service price suggests possibly dealer. In which case, look somewhere else for another quote. Using dealers for £600 cars is, as a rule, madness!

Thanks so much... Am keeping my car.. The mini. The one I was interested in was a v Reg Bmw in mint condition.. However being a 323 se auto it would be juicy and rubbers and seals may be on their way out who knows but thanks to all.

Strider590

For trouble free motoring, 3 years old is the sweet spot. New enough to still be in good condition, yet old enough to have had all it's new car teething problems fixed.

regprentice

Interestingly there is another thread on the front page where someone has just paid 3k for a 2002 mini with 87k on the clock.

Ive never seen a bmw mini for sale for £600 unless its had a serious problem. Suspect its worth significantly more as a private sale.

V reg 3 series is an impulse purchase and potential money pit. Especially if you dont want to work on the car yourself. Why did you fancy that car?

If i were you i'd keep my eyes open for something that really took my fancy and not rush into it. Might take a while. As long as your mini has an mot its going to be worth more than 600 for the forseeable future.

Check out the 'best smoker barges 1-5 large' thread on pistonheads. If you fancy a 20 year old 3 series then this thread will be full of cars and sensible advice that might appeal to you. Personally for reliabilities sake, against a 3k v reg bmw , i'd be looking at a subaru legacy or a lexus IS. For your 3k you could pick up a 5-10 year newer car if buying privately.

gingerdad

Helen27 wrote: »

Hi my mini it's on an 02 plate ... But worth more to me .. Not in perfect condition in the boot area due to carting stuff but body work good. 99000 miles on the clock next major service at 105 000 miles Aporox £700 with odd works. Thank you for your advice

I wouldn't be going anywhere near a main dealer on a vehicle that old. In fact I don't go near a main dealer with any of my fleet unless it's warranty work.

Find a good independent local mechanic

robatwork

Helen27 wrote: »

Thanks so much... Am keeping my car.. The mini. The one I was interested in was a v Reg Bmw in mint condition.. However being a 323 se auto it would be juicy and rubbers and seals may be on their way out who knows but thanks to all.

Yes, some of that BMW would be built like a tank and last forever. But the bits that don't last forever can cost a ton to replace/fix. Exhaust, suspension, brakes, cambelt, gearbox, the list goes on. Avoid.