Fix or keep old BMW

Soldato
Joined
12 May 2011
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Southampton
My car has developed a knocking noise as well as clutch release bearing problem recently. It is a 2003 330ci manual. I have taken it to the garage.

The knocking noise happens when cold and immediately put the engine light on. It doesn't happen every start up. When driving the car the release bearing (or something else) makes the car judder occasionally. This could possibly be the "ABS sensor" rubbing on a corroded... something or other. Or it could be caused by whatever is causing the knocking.

The garage has undertaken this initial diagnostics. The next step would be to take the engine out and strip it to identify if it is "big end" or "small end" knocking. I have been quoted £1,200 just in labour to take the engine out and strip it. This number will keep going up when parts are replaced, especially if the clutch bearing gets done at the same time. I could be looking at £1,600 all in, maybe more maybe less. They did suggest putting a new old engine in would be cheaper!

The car is certainly not problem free and has 'niggles' but is driveable - it burns oil, the central locking doesn't work, the front wings are rusty... It might be worth £1,500 as a trade in (before the knocking)? Maybe 2k private sale? It is a top spec one, other than the satnav and being a prefacelift - it has heated leather memory seats, 6 cd changer, sport trim...

I have saved up 2k allocated to "car purposes". Would you fix it un-drivable problems, go all in and fix as many problems as possible, or We Buy Any Car it with the current problems?

The twist is we have two cars. We don't need two cars any more so it is not a problem to just sell it on and I wouldn't have to buy a cheap replacement car which may or may not have similar problems!

Sorry for the wall of text...
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Apr 2012
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London
I think WBAC will pay a lot less with the problems.
You could ebay it and probably someone looking for a track car project would buy it.
if you have space, sell the parts
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2011
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10,401
Run it until it actually dies then break or scrap it

You can pick up an M54 sans gearbox for around £500 so it'll be worth money to someone with space and an engine hoist even when it fully goes
 
Soldato
Joined
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Midlands
With problems like that you'll struggle to sell it, I guess it's only worth £1200-1500? WBAC might surprise you, I've taken a few bangers to them in recent years and been pleasantly surprised - of course you might get more selling privately, but it's going to be hard going when you can buy a running one from a trader for around £2k.
 
Soldato
OP
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12 May 2011
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Southampton
of course you might get more selling privately, but it's going to be hard going when you can buy a running one from a trader for around £2k.

Would you sell it on without declaring the issues?

To be fair, the running ones for 2K are older, smaller engine or diesel etc. Having put petrol / manual / 3L / into autotrader, you're starting at £2,300 for an older 150k car, £3,250 for something comparable (although this is actually an auto) £3,700 for a facelift with slightly more miles but in better general condition as the absolute cheapest. But I get your point there isn't a gulf of difference between a reasonable condition one and mine.also someone at this end of the market might not care if it is sport trim or not.

I would declare the actual 'issues' - the rust, the central locking and knocking. The smaller niggles, no probably not as it is an old car and being reasonable all old cars like this will have niggles, also there is probably a character limit on eBay.

I've decided I am not going going to fix it and will see what WBAC will do and make a decision about ether to use eBay / AT / WBAC.
 
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Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2014
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5,758
Location
Midlands
I think that's a good decision, any knocking sound from the engine is always going to scream big end shells, WBAC do take non-runners or cars with serious issues, they also hardly check old cars, I took my old runaround to them a while back - it had broken suspension, they didn't even drive it, started it up, walked around it and gave me pretty much what the dealers were offering in part-ex, in cash on the spot..
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Mar 2006
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United Kingdom
eBay it. I've got my E46 330i with 91k, decent spec and condition is better then most. Sadly mine isn't standard but it should be going on the weekend. Priced mine at 2.4k.
 
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