Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Seeking advice on a sedan replacement...

[cmlf1 (cmlf1]

My wife drives an E39  sedan, and as far as reliability, the are not what they 
used to be... I had an e24 633csi With over 200K, and mechanically it was 
simple an reliable. A list of 4 years of the e39:
 
   Instrument cluster pixels (common, warranty replaced)
   Ignition switch (steering wheel would move up and down on its own, thought I 
had an acid   flashback) and horn would work intermittently
   Radiator (common)
   DSC control unit ($$)
   VANOS Controller ($$)
 
I have an e46 330ci that so far has not let me down.
 
I am not sure if I would buy another pre owned BMW again. They along with MB do 
not seem to be what they were in terms of reliability and quality, especially 
in the electronics department.
 
Carl

----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Warlick 
Date: Monday, December 15, 2008 3:36 pm
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Seeking advice on a sedan replacement...
To: cmlf1 [at] optonline.net
Cc: ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com

> The Audi all the way. Insert any reason here______________.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dennis Liu" 
> To: "Daniel" 
> Cc: "The FerrariList" 
> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 3:26 PM
> Subject: [Ferrari] Seeking advice on a sedan replacement...
> 
> 
> > [Howdy, all! Please include me directly on any replies, as 
> I'm not
> > receiving any list-only postings... Thanks!]
> >
> > Ok, my much beloved 1995 BMW 740iL with 198.6k miles on it 
> appears to be
> > headed for the scrap heap (due to a projected $2k estimate to 
> fix a 
> > leaking
> > hydraulic line in the self-leveling rear end system, which is 
> more than 
> > what
> > I'd take for the car right now). Too bad, as I do love the 
> car, and even 
> > at
> > its advanced age, it carries 4-5 folks with plenty of luggage 
> at 80mph+ 
> > and
> > 21 mpg. I've always vowed to drive it until it either (a) 
> burned to the
> > ground, or (b) collapsed into a big cloud of rust. Not quite 
> there, but
> > I've gotten my money's worth, I think.
> >
> > So, it may be time. Am now looking for any and all 
> > advice/ideas/collective
> > wisdom on what to do next. My ideal car is RWD, seats 4-5 adults
> > comfortable (well, the 5th can be cramped), and probably has a 
> V8. Yeah,
> > it's a big list, but this is half the fun, right??
> >
> > 1. Start driving my wife's 996 on a daily basis. Only has 
> 53k miles on 
> > it,
> > and has been utterly bulletproof to date. The girls are now 
> big/tall 
> > enough
> > to sit in the back seats with booster seats (no more car 
> seats), so 
> > there's
> > actually room for real adults up front. Will need to get some 
> snow tires
> > for it, but there is no reason why this wouldn't make a 
> wonderful daily
> > driver, EXCEPT that it's a PITA on those occasions when I do 
> need to take
> > the girls in this car (my wife drives an Armada as her daily 
> driver now),
> > and the trunk is something of a joke (even my 355 has more 
> trunk room).
> > And, of course, it's dirt cheap because we already own it, AND 
> would drop
> > one car off the monthly insurance bill. And I do love driving it,
> > particularly as it's a manual, though that means my mother 
> couldn't drive 
> > it
> > on those rare occasions when I need to borrow her minivan for 
> one reason 
> > or
> > another ("hey, mom, let me teach you how to drive a standard
> > transmission....")
> >
> > 2. Buy a replacement E38 740. I've always LOVED this car. 
> Fun to drive,
> > all the room I want, and now I know about most of the usual 
> failure points
> > (cooling system, lower control arms, pixels in the dash, final stage
> > resistor, etc.). I'd look for a 2001 740i Sport model, with 
> the lower 
> > final
> > drive and sport suspension. Downside - these car are getting 
> older, don't
> > kid ourselves. And, really, down on power and amenities 
> compared to more
> > modern machinery, though I'm not an "options" kinda guy.
> >
> > 3. Buy that E39 M5 I've always wanted. Yum, yum. Beautiful. 
> And cheap
> > now (in the mid-to-high teens for a good example, low $20k 
> range for truly
> > excellent). While 400hp ain't what it used to be, it's still 
> plenty for 
> > my
> > needs. Downsides: even more expensive to repair; smallish 
> back seat and
> > trunk is only adequate; will need $$$ for new wheels and snow 
> tires; 
> > again,
> > standard tranny would rule out mom.
> >
> > 4. Buy an E65/E66 7-series. Ugh. I've hated the looks of 
> this thing 
> > since
> > day 1, and have not wanted iDrive either. The look improved 
> tremendously> with the 2006 update to the 4.8 liter V8 (750), 
> but still not what I'd 
> > call
> > attractive. It would satisfy my BMW craving, and fairly 
> reasonably priced
> > at $25k-$27k for a good one with decent miles. Prices will 
> probably only
> > continue to drop, especially as the new 7 rolls out and the 
> 2006 models
> > start to come off-lease. UNKNOWNS - reliability, cost to repair??
> >
> > 5. 2006-2007 Infiniti M45. Just stumbled across this model 
> today, while
> > pondering. 325hp, RWD, stealthy, all the needed toys without 
> the iDrive
> > cr*p, great handling/performance (won the last Car & Driver 
> shootout 
> > against
> > 550i, E550, Lexus something or another), slightly more room 
> than the
> > equivalent 5-series or E-class, great quality (Japanese, and I 
> *love* our
> > Armada), and CHEAP - low $20k range for 40k-50k miles, still 
> under 
> > warranty
> > to 60k miles, for a $58k MSRP vehicle.
> >
> > 6. 2005+ Audi A8 or A8L 4.2. Now this has a lot of what BMW 
> should have
> > done with the E65 - light aluminum body, easy-to-use driver 
> interface, and
> > no Bangle butt! Not a big fan of AWD, but it couldn't hurt up 
> here in the
> > snow belt. Mid to high $20k range. Anyone have thoughts on 
> reliability 
> > and
> > cost to repair? (too bad the Lambo-powered S8/S6 is too 
> expensive!!!)>
> > 7. 2004-2005 Cadillac CTS-V. 400hp, manual transmission, woo-
> hoo. Not 
> > as
> > sophisticated as an E39 M5, but cheap ($20k or less, for less 
> than 40k
> > miles) and dare I say it, could be more reliable and almost 
> certainly> cheaper to fix. Small back seat, though, so the only 
> real advantage over
> > the 911 would be the somewhat larger trunk and the additional 
> two doors.
> > Caddy isn't really up my alley, but thought I'd include it anyway...
> >
> > That's about it. Had fantasized for some time about a Dodge 
> Charger Hemi
> > with the POLICE PACKAGE, all the better to encourage idiots 
> doing 61 mph 
> > in
> > the fast lane on the Mass Pike to get out of my way, but the 
> interior is
> > just too brutally cr*ppy, even by my low standards. Dodge 
> Magnum R/T 
> > wagon
> > ain't much better. Briefly entertained the idea of a Pontiac 
> G8, since
> > we're looking at V8 powered RWD cars, but, please, a Pontiac?
> >
> > Not at all interested in a Lexus, nor Mercedes-Benz. One 
> exception might 
> > be
> > a CLS500/CLS550, but the four-seats only sorta rules it out, 
> and I have
> > little faith in MB quality/reliability (the CLS63 would make 
> me change my
> > mind about the need to seat a 5th person, but still way too $$$).
> >
> > The wife would love an E61 530i Touring wagon, but it's pretty 
> not-fast.
> > Though the Bangle styling on this make me want to claw my eyes 
> out the
> > least, especially as compared to the sedan.
> >
> > So... Thoughts? Advice?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > --Dennis
> > E38less, apparently
> > Metro Boston
> >
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