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    Posted: 01-February-2012 at 19:34
Last week I discovered one of the fuel pipes above the exhaust silencer was leaking last week so while I'm working somewhere different this week and the company are providing me with a vehicle I got one of the MOT testers to do a pre MOT inspection to see if anything else needed doing before the MOT and while the fuel pipe was being done.
Well I got emailed the report this morning and I was gutted.
Front anti roll bar links.
Front suspension ball joints.
All rear fuel pipes.
Fuel tank vent and pipe.
All brake pipes.
Both rear inner sills holed.
Rear subframe mounting bushes.
 
And it's really struggled to get through the emissions part of the mot the last few years which is probably down to the misfire I cannot pinpoint.
 
It's time to throw in the towel. If I had the money I'd set about a full restore project but having 4 kids and another on the way really doesn't justify it!
 
So as well as sympathy, i'm after advice as to what to do. I have only just had an alternator put on it and that has less than 500 miles on it. I have 4 tyres which have only around 5000 miles on them. The engine block was replaced 100k ago with an alusil block which I have paperwork for.
It has a 6 speed manual box which I know are sought after.
 
It is one of only 62 ever made in RHD form and it's top spec so in an ideal world she'd make a lovely restoration project for someone or selling as spares may be the next best thing.
 
Any advice would be gratefully recieved and if it's worth seperating I may either stick it on ebay or see if any of you chaps want to cannibalise it. It may be worth me putting it on the selling pages on here?
 
Regards
Mike

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrew Rolland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-February-2012 at 19:52
Awwww  that is indeed sad news. 
How old is the old girl?
 
Chin up, there will be plenty of newer V8s on the second hand market that the lentil munchers want off the road so they attract low prices.  Good for buyers......
 
Bummer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 540 V8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-February-2012 at 20:31
She is 18 years old. Doesn't matter how solid a car is, the time will come when rust takes it's toll and that time is now.
I'm not currently in the market for anything expensive at the moment, nor am I in a hurry to get a car though a nice 328 with lovely alloys and schnitzer kit on it came to my attention today but I'm not going to jump headlong into anything.
I'd love another V8 but perhaps when the younger kids are out of nappies n baby milk etc! that alone would fuel my car every month but either way, I'm still going to look for a nice, tidy beemer, even if it is a 3 (I'm a big car person! nothing against the 3's though)
Just waiting for a few financial things to balance out and i'll see what I have to play with of course the sale of the car and/or bits will help.
 
I did see a lovely E61 in white yesterday. Not an M5 but it did have a lovely set of alloys and ace body kit so I imagine M-sport package on it. I'd love one but way out of my price range for some time no doubt! I can dream though can't I?
 
Perhaps time to look at the E39 market!
 
Mike

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dergside Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-February-2012 at 10:43

Its horrible when the time comes to have to make a decision like that, when its clear from your postings over time that the car has been more than just a means of transport.  I feel for you on that score.

As regards a replacement, having had several of both e39 and e46, I'd advise the e39 since you are coming from a 5.  I've been using our 328i Touring as a daily driver again for a while and its a great car in terms of perfromance, etc. but I had a run in the 5 in parallel recently when taking it for test and the e39 is in a different league as far as balance, refinement (road and wind noise), comfort and generally feeling solid.  Driving it again felt like coming home.  Imho, the build quality of the e39 is way ahead of the e46.  The e46 isn't exactly flimsy, but to me they do feel a little bit more delicate. 

This isn't just based on the Touring, but also the others that we've had through the years.  Maybe I've been particularly lucky with my 5's but 140k miles is a big enough sample to identify weaknesses.  The good news is that prices are very reasonable (probably even better than e46's) and there still seems to be a decent supply of genuinely well loved and cared for examples.  Low mileage ones are starting to get a bit more scarce but I wouldn't be scared of a 6 figure mileage if the car has been loved.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 540 V8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-February-2012 at 21:00
Thanks chaps, I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves his car!
 
Well there has been a bit of an unforseen turn in the story. My bosses wife works for a local garage who do all of our breakdown recoveries. It's a very old garage run by a very old guy who hates modern cars and so only really chooses to take on older cars. It's a garage that actually 'fixes' things rather than replacing and so proper mechanics rather than fitters.
My boss was arranging for this garage to recover my car back to my house when his wife said "You can't do that, Mike loves that car! let us do him a quote"
When my boss told me that they have all the equipment there to make any pipes you want and I know a couple of the guys are really good at welding so it looks like if the quote is within reason I may well hang on to my car yet! Big smile
 
Watch this space!
 
Mike
 
 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrew Rolland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-February-2012 at 08:10

Good stuff.

I'm a great believer in fixing things rather than replacing but sadly, with today's labour prices, it is cheaper to replace a £50 part than have a mechanic spend two hours stripping it out the car, stripping it down, cleaning it, replacing a seal or a bearing then put it all back together then back in the car.  Unless of course you have the skills and tools available to fix it, like the old boy you are talking about, he might have lower overheads which all helps keep costs down and beasts like yours on the road.
 
I can totally relate to you, mine is in the MOT testing station as I type and I'm currently stressing out my box. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sporty1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-February-2012 at 09:28
I hope this has a happy ending.

Good Luck.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 540 V8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-February-2012 at 00:05
Cheers guys. The thing with this particular garage is the fact this guy has so many customers as old as him that have been using him for well over 30 years and he has no concept of what to charge people. A lot of his work he just says call it 100 quid when most other places would charge over 3 times that amount. Knowing I will get quality repairs for well under the expected price has me feeling very optimistic about this one. I'm hoping to hear in the next couple of days the full extent but for now I have some hope to cling on to!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrew Rolland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-February-2012 at 08:21
Good stuff
 
Keep us posted on developments.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 540 V8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-February-2012 at 19:03
As the old addage goes, no news is good news Disapprove
 
The garage she went to has simply said "We look after a lot of old cars that need a lot of work but this really is not worth it"
The problem being is that to access some of the bits that need changing, there are more brittle/seized parts to take off first which may end up breaking too.
It's a proper, money no object, full on restoration job, like the kind you'd find on wheeler dealers.
 
My wife put her up on gumtree just to se what kind of interest and straight away a guy rang up and asked how much so I've said £500 and emailed him some pics.
 
A bitter pill to swallow but it sounds like he may want to restore it whihc I'd be happier with than scrapping the old girl.
 
Mike

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrew Rolland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-February-2012 at 23:55
Ah bu$$er I read your other post first, makes sense now.
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