Sanity or Stupidity? - 260k e39!

Scania

Scania

Scania

Caporegime
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On the road....
Disregard the title, to my mind, this is a no-brainer, no matter how much I have tried to warrant me sticking with plans of a £5k e38 740i !!!

My old man has finally decided to change his e39, which he has driven from new.

He was offered £500 for it by a Merc dealer,so I have offered the same. Effectively, I am paying just shy of £800 for it as I now have to cover my Dads train fare to collect the Merc and the transfer of his personal plate, which seems fair enough.


Its a 1997 528i SE Auto, FBMWSH upto around 160k and detailed independent history thereafter.

Looking through the history though confirms that it has never had an exhaust in 14 years mind you, so thats an expense straight away!

I am going to sell my 328i for probably around £500,which should cover a new exhaust system for the e39, so hopefully all good..... (Famous last words!)

Other than that, it has pretty much had most things done to it. The cooling system, suspension, bushes etc etc etc, the bootlid is starting to go at the lower edge, otherwise, its in very good condition.

I will probably get it next weekend as I am away in Scotland all this week.

Perhaps, this will stop my daft dreams of another e38..... time will tell!

This should be interesting.....
 
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Huuuge mileage, but I guess you know the history of the car on a "personal" level, which helps somewhat.
 
Will Gill said:
sounds risky and expensive, but if a car is going to run and run it would be german marque
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Well Will, thankfully, he's only decided to change as I think my Brother in Law's new F10 525 and my sisters E Class have made him feel its too old!

Tbh, he's always run it with the intention of only letting it go when something major breaks.

Touching every bit of wood around me, that time is not yet with him..... :D

Witor said:
Huuuge mileage, but I guess you know the history of the car on a "personal" level, which helps somewhat.
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Well, its only managed 260k in 14 years, my Scania has done more than that in two.... :D

But, yes, I do know its history, something I can't say about my current steed......

I am umming & arring about getting the gearbox fluid replaced as a matter of urgency. I did a similar fluid swap with my e38 @ 125k miles and soon after it stopped changing up into 5th in auto mode.

Part of me shudders as to what the transmission oil must be like, on the other hand, I have been told that changing the fluid can often finish them off if its not done properly.

Preventative maintenance that could kill it, hmm, great! :(
 
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Just because the exhaust hasn't been changed in 14 years, why does that automatically mean its an immediate expense? If there are no holes in it, and the baffles are all still there, then what is the point?
 
Firestar_3x said:
Risk it for £500, if it dies then put it on eBay and get most of your money back.
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If I bother to tidy up the crumbly arches, I'd probably get more for my e36....

Effectively, it is costing £500, just a shame he has a private plate on it. (I believe Mercedes were not going to charge for a plate swap had he chopped it in)

MikeHiow said:
Just because the exhaust hasn't been changed in 14 years, why does that automatically mean its an immediate expense? If there are no holes in it, and the baffles are all still there, then what is the point?
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Sure Mike, but that old Devil "Sods Law" will undoubtedly step in here!

I'd be surprised if its not needing a new system come the spring.

I am 99% sure it had a stainless system put on it but Dad does not recall (I also know one of his cars definately did but forget which one!)

So I may be lucky, as I say though, Soda Law.... :D

[Corsa]Fox;17891551 said:
E39s are crap.
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Yes mate, this worries me greatly, when you get a minute, dig out your excellent e39 pointers please. :) ;)
 
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I'm well versed in the downfalls of Sods Law, but after 14 years, if there is no sign of it dieing yet, I reckon you'll get a bit more use out of it yet.

Besides, its a cheap car, if you have any problems, just get any holes patched up or individual sections replaced if the box goes. No need to go buying brand new exhaust systems as a "preventative measure" IMO.
 
MikeHiow said:
Besides, its a cheap car, if you have any problems, just get any holes patched up or individual sections replaced if the box goes. No need to go buying brand new exhaust systems as a "preventative measure" IMO.
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Yes and no, yes, its a cheap car, but its only a car that I am even considering at this age and mileage, as it has never been run on the cheap.

The minute I start cutting corners with it, it'll go downhill rapidly, in short, I expect to throw some cash at it, even though its going to be expensive for such a "cheap" car - Fox's dilema in extremis if you get my drift!

Fear not though, the exhaust won't get done until it starts rasping , the preventative measure that worrys me is the transmission fluid......
 
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Leave the tranny well alone. As you said, sometimes changing the fluid will kill it. Is it knocking or going in to limp mode at all? If not, then it's fine.
 
Rilot said:
Leave the tranny well alone. As you said, sometimes changing the fluid will kill it. Is it knocking or going in to limp mode at all? If not, then it's fine.
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No mate, the trans is fine.

I always thought it changed smoother than my old e38 even though at the time it had done 50k more than my car!

Its a lot smoother than the 'box in my auto 328i too.

Its one of those Angel & Devil decisions, I hear what your saying about leaving it alone, but can you picture the inside of that "Sealed for life" 'box at this age @ miles? makes me shudder! :D
 
The thing is, a replacement transmission isn't going to be mega money if it does go bang. If the rest of the car is tip top I'd say it's worth waiting for it to go and then making a decision on whether to replace it as and when it goes pop.
 
Sounds like a safe buy if.

1. Body is in good condition.
2. You mention bushes and suspensions bit have been done.
3. If engine or gearbox let go then how much can you pick up a 2nd hand item for.
 
Mileage isn't an issue - what kills a car is not its mileage but the decision that it is no longer worth repairing. This usually corresponds with mileage because the value of a high mileage car is so much lower than a low mileage car.

If you get a £500 bill on a 40k mile car worth £2k you'll pay it. If you get the same bill ona 260k mile car worth £500 you might be tempted to bin it.

You can keep any car irrespective of mileage going seemingly for ever (Provided the shell doesn't rust out) if you are happy to continue to pay for the repairs. Most people, however, are not, and thats why they die.
 
Looking through the history though confirms that it has never had an exhaust in 14 years mind you, so thats an expense straight away!
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Age is irrelevant, it's the condition you should be looking at. If there are no holes and emmission are ok, why replace?

Dads MKII Granada has the original exhuast on it - 25yrs old.
 
amigafan2003 said:
Age is irrelevant, it's the condition you should be looking at. If there are no holes and emmission are ok, why replace?

Dads MKII Granada has the original exhuast on it - 25yrs old.
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I already said above that I won't replace it until it needs it. Its just a very likely expense in the near future I'd say.

That said, I fired his e39 up yesterday and its quieter than my e36's system (which is about 2 years old!).


[Corsa]Fox;17892398 said:
Mileage isn't an issue - what kills a car is not its mileage but the decision that it is no longer worth repairing. This usually corresponds with mileage because the value of a high mileage car is so much lower than a low mileage car.

If you get a £500 bill on a 40k mile car worth £2k you'll pay it. If you get the same bill ona 260k mile car worth £500 you might be tempted to bin it.

You can keep any car irrespective of mileage going seemingly for ever (Provided the shell doesn't rust out) if you are happy to continue to pay for the repairs. Most people, however, are not, and thats why they die.
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Absolutely spot on.
 
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I agree with the above - if a car with 200k has a major issue that costs a lot to repair, most would be hesitant to spend the cash, but if a 50k car had the same issue, most wouldn't think about it and go straight ahead.

I despise this mentality, my 620ti got a brand new clutch, a gearbox rebuild and the whole front suspension re-built even though it was worth 50p and had 120k.
 
My '98 528 has 180k on the clock, and the only repair cost in 10 months has been a £7 platic screw from the cooling system and even that little badger allowing the water to leave the rad hasn't killed it (though it had the head done at 158k). It's due a service in January along with the MOT but I have no concerns about it getting through.
 
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