Ross
01-17-2007, 10:00 PM
A few recent posts have made me think about how some folks here have a bad experience with a BM that wasn't the cars fault.
A car that has been neglected or abused is nobody's friend. Unfortunately they are out there and sometimes the first example of a marque someone owns. If the owner isn't savvy enough to understand why the car is bad he tends to blame the brand.
Our BMWs can be expensive to repair if not maintained so lots of "deferred" maint. examples are out there just waiting to be snapped up by an eager buyer at a bargain price.
I can track the unhappy story of such cars some times by looking at the for sale ads then checking the threads of the seller: Bought a new E34 great deal have a few questions. Help, overheating problem. Why does my steering shimmy under braking?
All the E34 foibles in one neglected car, put upon an unsuspecting new owner who will forever damn the brand because the previous owner didn't maintain for the past ten years.
To add insult to injury these clunkers are often overpaid for as well.
Our elderly little E34s aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. A few minutes searching this forum will disclose all the weaknesses. The good news is all of them are easily corrected and the aftermarket parts world has made it economical to do so.
A shitbox will always be a shitbox but a neglected car or a moderately abused one can usually be returned to health and live a long life thanks to good design, build and quality materials.
I feel bad for the guys who post here who have troubles and seem to have been taken advantage of as well. Some are ready to give up just as all the stuff is getting sorted out.
Keep the faith.
A car that has been neglected or abused is nobody's friend. Unfortunately they are out there and sometimes the first example of a marque someone owns. If the owner isn't savvy enough to understand why the car is bad he tends to blame the brand.
Our BMWs can be expensive to repair if not maintained so lots of "deferred" maint. examples are out there just waiting to be snapped up by an eager buyer at a bargain price.
I can track the unhappy story of such cars some times by looking at the for sale ads then checking the threads of the seller: Bought a new E34 great deal have a few questions. Help, overheating problem. Why does my steering shimmy under braking?
All the E34 foibles in one neglected car, put upon an unsuspecting new owner who will forever damn the brand because the previous owner didn't maintain for the past ten years.
To add insult to injury these clunkers are often overpaid for as well.
Our elderly little E34s aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. A few minutes searching this forum will disclose all the weaknesses. The good news is all of them are easily corrected and the aftermarket parts world has made it economical to do so.
A shitbox will always be a shitbox but a neglected car or a moderately abused one can usually be returned to health and live a long life thanks to good design, build and quality materials.
I feel bad for the guys who post here who have troubles and seem to have been taken advantage of as well. Some are ready to give up just as all the stuff is getting sorted out.
Keep the faith.