2007 328 w 50K miles. Worth fixing or sell the car?

[heh630]

Hi All,

As the title states I have a 2007 328xi at almost 50,000 miles and although I've always taken excellent care of the car, am wondering if it's worth keeping. It's at the age where a lot of parts continue to break down and am at a cross roads if I should keep dumping money into it.

The newest issues after taking it to BMW are broken front sway bar link bearings cracked, oil pan gasket leak, valve cover gasket leak, front rotors, and rear break pads. BMW quoted around $3,400 to do all the repairs and although I'm not the savviest car person, I know how to change the breaks and rotors myself at the very least. Even if I pay to have these issues fixed, do you think it's at the age where it's a complete money pit and breaks/repairs will be a common occurrence?

More importantly I'm wondering how safe it is to be driving the car right now as it is. I don't want to fix the car if it's not worth keeping so I want to make a move as soon as possible. In case anyone's interested here's a link with video of the car and current problems: https://api.mykaarma.com/inspection/v1/walkaround.html?fileType=image_and_video&inspection_uuid=5cef0e001ffb060001b48ea7

Would love to get some opinions on this if possible. I really appreciate any replies in advance!

Thanks,

Andrew

[WIN3Srz]

Worth keeping if you DIY brakes and linkage. Oil leaks at 50k is more nuisance than mechanical issue. Even if you fix the current leaks, this car (and most other bmw) will have other common oil leaks but not as difficult to DIY as your current leaks. GL

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Codes2]

Don't drive if not safe.
That's low mileage.
If the body is clean (no rust) and the window gaskets are OK, etc...
I'd be repairing.

All the E9x motors are going to leak oil. Just have to change the VCG and (if present) the OFHG.
Oil pan... that is harder to replace (dropped sub frame). Still, once it's done, you're good for another 10 years.
Brakes... whatever, all cars need them.
My 2008 needs some front control arms... at 195,000km. That happens, particularly since most of that mileage was on Run Flats (kills the suspension).

Your call. If it were mine, and it had a clean history, I'd be investing in it.
If it's getting sketchy all-round, and you are tired of it, use this time to migrate to something else.

[doclees]

If you are not a DYI person then it will be a headache. The Ultimate Driving Machine does not Run Like A Deere. If you are fine with paying someone else for unexpected repairs then keep it. I don't think a week goes by that one of my 2 BMW's of Range Rover (BMW years) doesn't need something done. Higher maintenance. If it wasn't for DYI and lifetime warranty parts I'd buy a new car with an extended warranty or lease one every 2 years.

[Pilgrim]

50k is just broken in! I’m at 126k miles. You can buy rotor and pad kits from Bavauto for about $200. Do it yourself. You can’t but another car for the cost of repairs.

Any good Indy mechanic.can do the other work for half the cost of a dealer.

[marvinstockman]

First off, has this dealer been maintaining the car, and when was it last in for inspection.

Regarding the oil leaks, my guess is, and especially if you're not flooding the ground with oil, are weeps and not leaks. They can be ignored!

Regarding the sway bar end link bearing cracked, my guess is that the rubber cover on the end links are cracked. Not something you need to worry about.

Brakes are brakes.

The dealer is just trying to scare you and enrich himself with work that may, or may not, need to be done.

Don't go back to dealer, and keep your car as it didn't just fall apart since your last service. Also, ask around for a good BMW shop to take it to.

Remember, if it drives OK, it probably is OK.