Ferrari Mailing List: Decisions, decisions

[Dennis Liu (BigHeadDennis]

So...  Sigh.  Need some input from the boys (and girls) on this one.

My "daily driver" for the last, oh, 6 years or so has been an E38 BMW 740iL,
1995.  I've gotten it up to 163k miles, mostly reliable.  The usual E38
problems, all addressed.  Runs great, but its time is drawing near,
especially as someone (not moi) managed to rear end a truck yesterday with
it.  Cosmetic damage, but probably $1500 worth.  Dang, too bad, as I
loooooooove(d) this car.  So, what do I do?

1.  Fix it and keep driving it until it blows up.

2.  Dump it for whatever it'll fetch (any ideas?), and buy one of the
following.  For a "daily driver", I would like a "biggish" sedan, as I'd
much prefer to go on trips in it with my two young daughters and all their
stuff in a sedan (or wagon) than the big SUV or the minivan.



2A.  1999-2001 E38 BMW 740i SPORT.  Asking prices seem to range between
$10k-$24k, with mileage between 75k-133k miles.  Upside - I love the 740i
sport.  I'd make sure that all of the known problem areas are addressed, or
else take a reserve for it.  Downside is that these are getting a bit old,
and miles are getting higher.

2B.  E39 M5.  Between $23k-$40k, mileage all over.  Upside - hey, it's an
M5!  Downside - wow, potential maintenance and repair costs are scary.  I've
already spent way too much on those friggin' Eyetaliano beasts, so really
not interested in adding another delicate beast to the fleet.

2C.  Brand new Dodge Magnum R/T.  $28k-ish.  Upside - hey, 340 hp Hemi!
Possibly the Charger instead, but why not get the added utility of a wagon
too?  (no, not the 350 hp Charger Daytona package, a little too garish for
my taste, methinks).  Decent fuel economy.  Fair bit of interior room (not
quite 740iL, but close to 740i I think), lots of room in the back, great
performance, new car warranty.  Downside - not much, aside from the cost
and, well, it's a Dodge.  How dependable is it?  Depreciation is gonna hurt?

2D.  Brand new Dodge Magnum SRT-8.  $35k-ish.  Upside - hey, 425 hp Hemi!
REAL performance.  Warranty, room, looks pretty cool too.  Downside - fairly
horrendous fuel economy (no variable displacement in SRT version, so big
mileage hit, grrr).  And what will probably be a deal killer for me:  the
$2100 gas guzzler tax.  YOWWWWWWWWWWWZA!!!!!!!

2E.  Brand new Toyota Avalon.  $27k-ish.  Upside - relatively fast, fairly
luxurious, and will run 200k miles with nothing but oil changes.  Bullet
proof.  Downside - FWD, and, well, it's a Toyota sedan.  If only they (or
Honda) made a RWD equivalent, like a competitor to the Charger/300C/Magnum,
and I'd be the first in line.



3.  Get rid of the Bimmer, and just use the wife's 996 as a daily driver.
No room for kids, but way cool ride.  Could put snow tires on the spare set
of rims (currently running slicks for track outings), and take out PFC-97
race pads and install OEM pads.  Kinda shame to put the mileage on it (only
43k miles right now), but the thing has been BULLETPROOF to date, and also a
shame to just let it sit in the garage.  Upside - no money outta pocket,
baby!



4.  Anyone have another good suggestion?  I've never been attracted to
Mercedes-Benz.  The Bangle-ized 745/750 is wwwwaaayyy ugly.  Blech.  The
Audi A8 is pretty sweet, but I like RWD, and it's too pricey for my needs.
The Infiniti M45 sounds about right, but too expensive for my purposes right
now too (why oh why doesn't Nissan have a version of the M45?  Or make the
Maxima in RWD??).  Had an E39 BMW 528iT wagon, and loooooved it, but just
too small for this purpose (hence another strike against the M5, and why the
Infiniti G35 isn't on the list).  The older I get, the less I care about
"prestige", and the more I like "no hassle".  Though I still like to drive
vehicles I enjoy (hence, no Lexus LS on the list).

Anyway, that's where I stand.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Vty,

--Dennis