Can bmw's be driven on a shoe string?

[daimlerman]

I guess it depends on how expensive your shoestring is!

I've run E30's for 7 or 8 years now,I now do all of my own maintainance and consider that I get cheap motoring.
By investing in new parts and rebuilding from a sound shell,it is possible to end up with a totally reliable car that can be used on a daily basis.Then by carrying out regular servicing,the things can be made to run properly for years.

The most expensive bits are those that you cannot DIY,for most this is bodywork/painting,so buy accordingly or be prepared to invest.

[Osamam3]

Ha funny I typed log my o and p are so near on my phone but I meant LPG not wood ! And yes Brian Moore some people say its full of drama hence I said I do not know how far true that is never having owned a LPG car , I thought of one but just got discouraged and stayed with a diesel daily .

[Morat]

A badly installed/set up lpg system will cause constant niggles and even a well set up system won't fix a car that runs badly on petrol. Having said that, I have been running lpg on an e46 for a year now and it has been fantastic. Even a turnkey conversion from a top rate installer will pay for itself in about a year so there is no excuse for diesel!

[Simon13]

All this drivel about LPG constantly gets boring.

The nearest LPG station to me is on the motorway (so expensive) or a good 15 mile drive out to an area I never go to. I'm sure i'm not alone on that front which makes the appeal fairly sh ! t

I'm sure if theres a station a mile from your house and no spare wheel/major boot space taken doesn't worry you much then crack on.

the fact many BMW engines make mega milege running on petrol tells me it isn't that bad. My 211,000 mile alpina e36 runs fine on petrol surprisingly

cheapest bmw to run properly at the moment is a 4 pot e36 of some sort. E30 parts prices have gone up and up the last few years

[Brianmoooore]

Two years ago my cousin bought a brand new run of the mill car from a major manufacturer. That car has cost him approximately £10 per day in depreciation since that time. That alone is more than I pay to run my car in total, including fuel costs, all of its servicing needs and all that is required to maintain it in good working order. That is my definition of running a car on a shoestring. The one major advantage that his car has over mine, with its efficiency optimised turbocharged engine, is its fuel consumption, which I have effectively trumped by running my car on LPG.
I fully agree with the points that Simon has raised. The local availability of LPG is one of the first things to be considered when deciding whether to 'convert' or not. I have two local suppliers; one about seven miles away in an area I rarely go, and another about five and a half miles away that I pass regularly, but is 16% more expensive than the first. There is, of course, no problem in running the LPG tank absolutely dry, and switching to running on petrol if necessary.
My 259,000 mile E39 also runs fine on petrol, but the fact remains that it wears less and preserves its oil better when running on LPG.

[capnmchl]

ive just had a saxo vts as a daily over the last 3 month

if you want a money pit you buy a french car, never again

The lure of cheap to buy and "nippy" yeah ?

I bought a 1.1 peugeot 106 with around 60k on it to escape the high insurance for my primera GT. I owned for 4 months, and in that time, it needed:

2 driveshafts
Cambelt kit
Rear brake pistons

Along with the fact the oil leak from the head gasket was atrocious, and the rear axle starting to look a big crooked on one side, not the best car.

I then swapped it for an E36 318i with 200k on it, and drove that for 4 months. All it cost me was a thermostat, and that was because I figured it might make the awful fuel bill better. To be fair, it was tatty as fuck, the diff had a huge leak from the main input seal and I'm pretty sure the manifold was cracked.

I honestly believe that bmw could of gone on for quite a while without any major money spent on it.

[polsta]

Someone should get a fragged to be with mot and drive it with just bare servicing and see how far it will go ! Or in the scumball rally, Pete could drive a rusty 316 Quattroporte auto to Africa next time he goes

[harry_p]

I've always found bmws pretty cheap to run, mainly because they don't go wrong often, and when they do they're well engineered enough that you can generally get to what needs replacing and swap the part quite easily.

Sure, if you go to bmw for parts, and pay others to work on them then the costs soon add up.

However, look after them, do preventative rather than reactive maintainance and they'll run and run.

[Osamam3]

Ha funny he'd break down along the way lol

[Blitz]

E36's have a huge parts supply. Go to any scrap yard you can get anything. I've found it difficult to find parts for my E34 because theres none left.

[Jim320i]

Someone should get a fragged to be with mot and drive it with just bare servicing and see how far it will go ! Or in the scumball rally, Pete could drive a rusty 316 Quattroporte auto to Africa next time he goes

As im doing with the touring I have!

I know Im sorting issues out on it but im not actually parting with any cash, but thats because I have spares at hand, the bits im sorting though are trim pieces that are broken or electrical faults which dont usually need replacement parts.


All this talk of resprays and bodywork... Thats some odd shoe string budget people are running if they think that should be included

[Brianmoooore]

Someone should get a fragged to be with mot and drive it with just bare servicing and see how far it will go ! Or in the scumball rally, Pete could drive a rusty 316 Quattroporte auto to Africa next time he goes

I've no doubt that it would make it as long as it's fuel pump wasn't on its last legs, the CPS wire is clipped well clear of the water pump pulley and the coolant hoses have been checked over.
The one thing that I have ever had happen to an E30 that would have stopped me proceeding any further was a fuel pump failure, but, having LPG available as well, I just switched permanently to that and finished my European tour without further incident.

[leeparkes]

I ran an E30 on a shoestring back in early 2000 when i was on my arse with no money.
It was an 89 320ise moordoor with 180k on the clock and it cost me £400 with tax&test.
Lasted me about 4 years with the only thing needing was a pair of bottom arms (which i got from the scrap yard)
Had the radiator pop too which was fixed with a drink of radweld, thinking back i also ran it on cheap Asda oil back then cost about a fiver for 5ltrs.



Id say nowadays you could do the same with an E36.

[leeparkes]

Oh and the starter packed up towards the end which cost me £10 off ebay.

[Brianmoooore]

i also ran it on cheap Asda oil back then cost about a fiver for 5ltrs.

Almost certainly a better oil than that which the car was designed to run on.

[DanThe]

Someone should get a fragged to be with mot and drive it with just bare servicing and see how far it will go ! Or in the scumball rally, Pete could drive a rusty 316 Quattroporte auto to Africa next time he goes

I've no doubt that it would make it as long as it's fuel pump wasn't on its last legs, the CPS wire is clipped well clear of the water pump pulley and the coolant hoses have been checked over.
The one thing that I have ever had happen to an E30 that would have stopped me proceeding any further was a fuel pump failure, but, having LPG available as well, I just switched permanently to that and finished my European tour without further incident.

Had the same problem with my 34 touring on the way home from Devon last year, fuel pump died and no shorting of wires could get it spinning so I started the engine on easy start to get it switched over to LPG

[Andyboy]

The E36 was the last BMW that was cheap to run. The E46 was a step backwards.

[SteSE]

The E36 was the last BMW that was cheap to run. The E46 was a step backwards.

E46 Haterz!

Ha! Just you wait till you're writing about E90's in car mechanics magazine!

[Jesus325iTouring]

Answer, yes, I did for 3 years. Bodgery of the highest order was perpetrated on said 325i.

It was a bag of shit when I sold it though

[alan1272]

i think the key to running one an a small budget is finding a car that has been well looked after by the previous owner.
i bought a 1994 e34 518i for an independant bmw dealer two years ago that had clearly been well looked after, it even had two brand new dunlop metrics on it, and all just for £600 quid. when the rad went pop on the drive home the dealer replaced it for nowt and apart from a clutch that i knew it needed, maintainance has been just a couple of flexi lines and oil and filter changes over the last 30k miles.
executive budget motoring

[pacerpete]

Shoestring action and the lack of proactive maintenance is why most E30s are now scrap and
beyond economic repair

[maggspower]

The key word is "maintain". Any car that does not get what it needs with service parts and fluids and maintenance, and with an e30 keeping on top of the bodywork, is on a one way trip to you know where.

Compared to a modern, and if you are prepared to get your hands dirty, yes they can be run fairly cheaply, but not a shoestring, not any more.