Help!!! Need Advice!

[SpecRaceM5]

I dont know what to do. I have recently had thoughts of selling my M5. Some background on me and the car. Im 19. Quit my job so that I could help my dad start up his land surveying company. Work is now finaly picking up. I make decent money for my age. $15 and hour. But am in school right now so Im not working tues and thurs. I have recently thought of starting a side business doing small cad plans for remodels and stuff. My engeneering teacher was telling me about students who would do a set of plans for $800 and they had as much work as they could handel. Now for the car. Its a 91 us spec. 3.6 s38 as most of you know. Engine is fine....well other then what i believe is a minor problem that will be fixed shortly. The engine had alot of work done on it from the last owner who was fixing it up to be a driver and then ended up giving it to me...long story. Anyways the car has been in an accident and though it has a clean title it isnt the streightest car. The tranny will need to be rebuilt. Dont know when but the sincro's are going out in second. There was a small locking problem. Im not sure exactly what the cause of it is. Other then that its a ton of little things. Like cosmetic. Stuff would deffinitely add up but none of it is a neccesity. oh it has 120k miles.

So here are some things i have been thinking about. Selling it, getting an s13 240sx and mods.

Keep it for a few more months, fix it up a little bit, sell it and get an e36 m3.

Keep it and save a little and get either a 240sx or a toyota pickup.

keep it and put all my money into it and pray all goes well.

My biggest negative towards it is that it was in an accident and for me it might not be worth puting money into because of it. But i keep going back and forth on what to do. There are times when there is not a doubt in my mind i need to sell it. And other times when i want to keep it and fix it up.

any advice? :help

[gmessori]

Take it to a good body shop and have them look at it. If the car will cost more to fix up then its worth, ditch it and get something else. From the sounds of it, your better off finding a straight body with a bad motor and just do a swap.

[93 E34]

you probably do not have the time,but you can always part it out.

darron

[SpecRaceM5]

i have thought about both options. as far as body work, it was done but a crappy job and the bumpers have cracks. i want to get new ones eventualy if i keep it. my dad has painted before and has a paint gun. i could paint it myself and as long as i take my time, considering it is white, im sure i could do a very good job. much better then that that is already on it. ive also thought about getting a doner e34 that has a fried motor or no motor or what ever. basicaly streight body and maybe good interior since mine is missing some things. then i could either swap everything out (main problem is that it wouldnt technicaly be an m5 anymore and it might not pass smog) or i can use the streight parts to replace my bent parts. cut and weld. i would probably seem weld the car at this point and do some custom fabrication. if i coud figure out a small cage that would keep the back seat open for passangers then i would do that. but yeah. i go back and forth. right now i want to keep it.

[lovemye34]

if you do end up parting it, lemme know, id deffinately be interested in a few things.

[SpecRaceM5]

what kinda things just out of curiosity

[Steve530]

Assuming you have no emotional attachment to the car, it's just an economic decision.

Find out how much and average car like that would be worth and how much it would cost to fix it up to the standard of an average car.

Alternatively, figure out how much it's going to cost you to drive it for the next year. Maintenance and any repairs that you feel need to be done. If that cost is more than the cost of one of the alternatives, then sell it for what you can get. With this alternative, the fact you already own the car weighs against the payments on a newer car which will have less maintenance and repairs needed.

[SpecRaceM5]

Thats a good idea. The thing is I am the "mod it till it gets hit by a drunk driver and is totaled" kinda guy. If I were to get the 240sx, I would put way more money into mods then the car. The e36 m3 would be the same way eventualy.