Bad thoughts
 

I've been thinking about letting my beloved X5 go recently, but having trouble writing a "For Sale" ad. I need some convincing either way.

I had saved up a long time for it and was finally able to order the X5 back in January 2004 to my exact liking - not much options, and no fluffs...only got 4 options (HID, Leather, moonroof, and Steptronic). I had some regrets about the latter 2 options ;-) Then started modifying it soon after that thanks to you guys, mostly from the original "toadfly" crowds, that became X5World and now Xoutpost. Added the expensive OE aluminum running boards, type 132 OE staggered wheels, Remus exhaust, JL Audio subwoofer, and too many little things to name. You guys costed me a lot more money than I had originally anticipated.

This was my first expensive, not necessarily luxury "do everything" car. Got roof rack to stow my snowboard to get me to the mountains in the winters. Got a non-OE hitch to haul my mountain bike in the summers - so much great memories with the car. I'm starting to use the car less and less as I am "retiring" from snowboarding and the mountain bike rides becomes less frequent. The X5 had lost it's gargage spot since we purchased a new car 4 years ago. It pains me to see it sit outside degrading in the sun as the X5 has be relegated to becoming our "spare" car. It is more of a sentimental thing now more than anything else.

Sell or Keep? Comments appreciated...

OEM car cover, problem solved. ;)

Good and fair point. Although, I've read mixed reviews regarding car covers causing more damage (scratching, trapping moisture, etc) than help. Any truth to this?

The OEM Noah cover (made by covercraft I believe) is excellent and very easy on paint. I buy one for every BMW I can find one for. Wouldn't recommend it for snow (though I have no experience) but it handles rain just fine. Used to use one on my E30 everyday at work. 10 hour days in 100f+ days. They get my vote.

The solution is simple: Sell the M Coupe to me and solve the garage space problem. :dunno:

I had the most fun I've ever had in a BMW in an M Coupe on the track in Spartanburg. That's saying something when you consider that I saw the 1st set of boobies ever in the passenger seat of my '75 2002. :wow:

Thank you for the input/suggestion. Putting on/taking off a car cover on the X5 won't be that fun. I would imaging it would probably be OK for a normal size car.


Make me an offer that I can't refuse on the M Coupe and it's yours!

J/K - It would be even harder for me to part with the M Coupe. For you, the X5 is your road trip machine. For me, it is the M Coupe. Took it on so many adventures and made so many friends with the Raddrives club!
2014 - Mammoth, Devils Postpile, Yosemite Road Trip => https://raddrives.com/mammoth-devils...ite-road-trip/
2015 - Epic SouthWest Road Trip => https://raddrives.com/epic-road-trip-south-west/
2017 - Crater Lake Tour => https://raddrives.com/crater-lake-tour/
2017 - Valley of Fire Trip => https://raddrives.com/fire-tour/

I’ve been doing it for 12 years now. It’s not all that bad. My E53 has not been garaged for the entire time I’ve owned it. I’ll let the pic speak for itself.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...84d085f377.jpg

It’s worth it if, you still want to keep it in the family. However, if it’s time to let it go, then maybe that’s a better solution for your situation.

To be honest though, the wife does find it a bit annoying to constantly fuss with the car cover. And, I do highly respect her opinions. But for me, well worth it to keep Ole’Girl shining! LoL..

+1 for the OEM E53 exterior protective cover. :thumbup:

If that's the only "issue", keep it lest you regret forever. My beloved 1997 E39 528 was in the same boat. She's been mine since 2001 and I decided long ago she's mine forever, and in retrospect I think that was a genius decision because she warms my heart whenever I drive her :D.

:banghead: You are making the decision much more difficult to let go of my E39's. I don't think the 530 has 50k miles and the SC'd 540 has just over 50k. They're garaged and covered, but still. They're too pretty to stay cooped up.

Do you only put the cover on if the car is completely clean? If I use the car once in a while, it will pick up some dirt and putting the car cover on will also cause it to pick up those dirt and eventually scratch it?


Agreed - If I had a 3rd garage spot or some way of storing it and still easily access it, this post wouldn't even come up. I even thought about putting in a lift, but my garage isn't tall enough for it :(


We all need help :rofl:

Fair point. I have it down to a science on the E53 and it takes only about 5 minutes. But the big caveat in my situ is that I am 6'8" tall and my X5 is lowered 2+ inches so the task is easier for me than most I'd imagine.

How long does it take you to wrap/unwrap your X Happy?

I only use the cover on a clean car. But if you wash the car and cover it, it will stay that way for a month or more. The cover blocks pretty much all normal dirt and only allows small dust in. After a week or two of sitting under the cover I take the cover off, dust the car with a "California Duster," and put the cover back on.

Understand your situ though. It's hard seeing a beautiful roadworthy vehicle sit unused out in the elements. If it's time to let go, it's time to let go. :dunno:

Dang Prop! You got it bad, in a good way! LoL.. ;)

If the X5 becomes soiled in a manner that will pollute the inside of the cover I leave it off, and then do a quick wash the next day. For example, when or if you go to the coast. If you get a layer of as I call it, “sea air film”. Wash immediately anyways. The salt is no good for any vehicle, and you certainly don’t want it on the inside your cover. The same goes for any pollutants you might pick up while out operating your X5 as well.

But if you go out clean, and come back clean, then no worries put the cover back on, and all is well. Now I have a simple solution if I feel I picked up some debris on the paint. A California Duster. The dirtier they get the better! Mine has never scratched my paint, and I’ve had it for close to 30 years. I do a quick de-dust for any debris picked up, Slap the cover on, and I am good to go. :thumbup:

Tell me about it! LoL…. :bustingup

Geez, I think I’ve got it down to about 2 minutes. I’ve got a method that works well for me. I flip the front and rear on top of the center, and then kind of make like an accordion making sure the inside is protected from contaminants. I quickly store it in the garage without losing the form I created. When I put it back on, I throw it on top of the roof in the same position that it came off, flip the front and rear back over the ends of the X5, and done deal!

There’s always those very few times though, where I am out there growling under my breath, “dang it, just go on already”! :rant: LoL… But, it’s a rarity. I think the sprits just have some fun with me sometimes. :dunno: HeHe…

If there is dusting required, then that is a different situation.

+1000000

This one of the main reasons, not the top, but main reasons owning Ole’Girl is difficult for me at times. The seasons that she has sat around rotting away. It’s like a chest pain that never goes away! LoL.. And I also agree, sometimes I feel it’s better to just let her go. !ouch:

BUUUTTT….. After the cruise I had yesterday. It seems my chest pains amazingly subsided instantly! :driver:

Got a quote from Carvana just for kicks and this is what they'd offered...lol. At that price, I would keep it until the wheels falls off. I just put in 3x what they offered into the X (new tires, battery, water pump, T-stats, expansion tank, hoses, transfer case fluids, etc...)

I had bad thoughts, feelings, for many years before swapping cars
 

I just swapped my '66 Chevelle (427 c.i.,635 rwhp) for an '01 X5 (3.0L, considerably less rwhp), after 13 years of letting the "Big Galoot" Chevelle sit unused in the dust-filled garage, sharing space with my home-built 4x8 squareback trailer, and with lots of my wife's junk (unable to fit inside three large storage sheds).

Whenever I would go to the garage, I'd be sure to pat my old car, and would 1) regret stopping racing it, 2) regret not putting it back on the street, and 3) wishing I could be sure it would get a new "life", with another like-minded owner.

I knew I'd never get a quarter of the money back that I'd put into her, and certainly didn't want her parted-out for the high-dollar components (I previously had hung on to a '65 Chevy II shell, until I found someone who wasn't going to cut it up), so she sat in the garage, only being rolled-out every few years just to start the engine.

Eventually, I quit doing even that, and she sat. Couldn't even get interest from my millennial nephews (2 of my brother's sons, and 2 by marriage), because...they are millennials. Even for free, but with the promise that the car wouldn't be parted-out. No interest. But then, I turned to my 40-something next-door neighbor, that worked on his own cars & dirt-bikes.

After several years, I finally got his interest piqued in the Chevelle (which he had seen/heard running years before, in my driveway, and brought his kids over to see). At the time, I told him my wishes to keep it intact (mostly), and for it to return to racing or the street (I never entirely stripped out the necessary parts for that). He agreed, but with a modified plan to make it a pro-touring type street car, with less compression (from un-domed new pistons), Holley fuel injection instead of a honking big Holley carb (1053 cfm), and swapping in a 4L80E tranny for the trans-braked Powerglide (of course, the 5000 stall torque convertor and full-spool 4.88-geared 12-bolt rear would be changed out,too). Ladder bars would come off, as would the 5-gallon fuel cell (too small for streetability), but practically every non-critical racing part would be kept, and integrated into his plan. At least, it would be given a new life.

In exchange, for the Chevelle plus extra stock & racing parts I had stockpiled since '94, he would find me a 4WD Jeep, or similar from '96 (start of OBD2 on everything)-'04 (when I thought the hated TPMS was on everything), and make it as reliable as he could (he is an Electrical Engineer, rebuilds his cars engines, transmissions, etc. in his garage, and has the knowledge - and drive- that I used to have in my earlier days). He found what he thought might be two good prospects...an '01 BMW X5 (hi-mileage, but well-maintained), and a '91 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (rough shape, and not OBD2, but OBD1, and a Fuel Injection conversion possible? he thought).

While I always liked the Jeep Grand Wagoneers, it wasn't quite what I had in mind, but then, I really, really liked the first generation Bmw X5 (at least from minimal contact with one 15 years before), and had nearly bought a 2002 in the '70s, and wished I had for years thereafter. Maybe this was my (last) chance to have a BMW!

3+ years later, he hasn't started work on that Grand Wagoneer (he bought it anyway), but he deemed the BMW restored/repaired enough to meet my needs, i.e. "a back-up vehicle, with AWD or 4WD, able to transport 4 people (at times) in all weather, and on gravel/dirt roads if needed to pull my 2222 lb home-built trailer". I already have two 2WD trucks (not really good on ice/snow/mud), and two FWD vehicles (better in foul weather, but not on dirt), and only two (GMC truck and Cobalt coupe) can transport four people. Since most major systems on the X5 have been addressed, leaving minor fixes and personal touches for me to do (at 70, with bad back & knees, I don't like "major" projects much, anymore), the BMW X5 is just what I wanted/needed. I hope my old Chevelle will enjoy a new life.

Hi K,
I have read your OP a few times and the several posts in this thread.

I find myself in that 'Bad Thoughts' category to some degree:
Our 2001 E53 5 MT, Sport is nagging at me a bit, though my hurdles are similar but slightly different.

-Overcoming inertia, to go through the process of listing it for sale/dealing with that arm wrestle/saying goodbye to the 2nd best car I have owned in 57+ yrs of lots of different cars.

-As an 'occasional use car', but very trustworthy, varying from a few times a week daily driver, (mostly short trips), and 3 times a summer road trip car to see our adult Kidz in NJ, it is mostly a place holder in our 3 car garage, but very 'sentimental to me/us'.

-It is 20 yrs old in September, in very good shape and condition but a couple of niggling issues have arisen: gas gauge is stuck on empty, (v fixable at my sort of local Indie), and the bound to occur squeaky HVAC blower fan, which still works, but has been squeaking for a few years and is bound to fail.

That blower motor R&R, which looks like an autopsy on the pics and vids I have watched, is not something even my local Indie wants/'likes' to do and they won't guarantee no squeak/rattles upon the reinstall of all of the front dash components. Plus, it's a 6 hr+ job; pricey, though I am not on any kind of budget.

-If I offed the E53, I would pursue another car, as 'we like having 3 cars', but what the hell is out there in SUV land that will/would take the place of our old E53? New X5s leave me unsatisfied, (my CEO's '17 X1 is OK, but she likes it, so 'we like it'), and most of the 'medium sized' SUVs are so similar, all pricey and the fun looking models don't hold much, back trunk-wise.

I have the toy, '02 VetteVert, and chasing another sports car makes little sense, especially at 74 yrs old.

So, blathering on, I am trying to keep those 'bad thoughts' sublimated and just rolling along with a 20 yr old E53, that overall is good to very good for my needs, but will require that fix or those 'fixes' I mentioned.

Add in this ain't the time to buy a new car, inventory wise, and I just may sit out the conundrum for another year, or so...

Hope you have resolved your wonderment and I hope you and your Fam are all well!
Best Regards,
Ol'UncleMotor

For fun, I filled in the Carvana crystal ball/low ball site...
Really?! Lmao...

I would bury it in my 3+ acre wooded 'yard' before I would sell it to Carvana for their 'offer'.

I realize Carvana's buy/sell mkt is not 20 year old 'odd cars'. ;)

$1,161

Expires Monday, August 16

2001 BMW X5
3.0i Sport Utility 4D
120,000 miles
VIN:WBAFA

Good to hear from you mD! Great to hear you're doing well and enjoying retirement life.

Carvana low balling is right! The quote is at least $1.5K lower than KBB's trade in value!

If I have a 3rd spot in the garage, the thought of selling would not even come across my mind. Definitely agreed with you that the X5 is up there with one of my favorite car as I've owned it the longest of any cars. Like you, there's nothing in the market that piqued my interest at the moment...so the X5 won't get replace should I decide to sell it.

I had a similar stuck gas gauge a couple of years ago - someone on here suggested trying out Techron cleaner. I took that advice and did a couple of Techron Fuel System cleaner treatments with a couple of tank of Chevron Supreme gas and the problem hadn't come back.

I also have the blower fan chirp for a while, but it went away and haven't heard any noises in the past couple of years...so who knows how long the blower will continues to run.

Gave the ol' gal some TLC today and she still cleaned up nicely!

K,
^ Looking fine!

I run Techron through all three cars/m'cycles a few times a year, and did the 'extra Techron + Chevron' try when the X5 gauge went to zero: no luck.

Had the same situ on my '02 VetteVert, (very common problem there), and all the Techron on the planet was not going to get that Vette gauge off empty. Sucked it up and had a Vette Indie near our EscapeWinterHouse in SW FL do the jet siphon tube and saddle tank crossover R&R. Has worked well for several years...

Thus, I will have my sort of local Asheville BMW Indie do the X tank fix.

As for the blower motor: mine may last another year or it may go kaboom next time I get in/turn on blower. WTFK?!

I drove a friend's Macan the other day: fun car, handles v well, but the ~ 18 cu ft rear trunk area is literally WTF? in terms of hauling a couple sets of clubs/soft luggage.

I like the X4, (same midgey trunk), but most of the current SUVs seem as Peggy Lee sang, "Is that all there is"...

I suspect we just keep on keeping on, and I am v emotionally attached to our E53, esp as it approaches 20 yrs old next month.

Nice house, nice stable, good to read you again!
BR, mD

K,
^ Looking fine!

I run Techron through all three cars/m'cycles a few times a year, and did the 'extra Techron + Chevron' try when the X5 gauge went to zero: no luck.

Had the same situ on my '02 VetteVert, (very common problem there), and all the Techron on the planet was not going to get that Vette gauge off empty. Sucked it up and had a Vette Indie near our EscapeWinterHouse in SW FL do the jet siphon tube and saddle tank crossover R&R. Has worked well for several years...

Thus, I will have my sort of local Asheville BMW Indie do the X tank fix.

As for the blower motor: mine may last another year or it may go kaboom next time I get in/turn on blower. WTFK?!

I drove a friend's Macan the other day: fun car, handles v well, but the ~ 18 cu ft rear trunk area is literally WTF? in terms of hauling a couple sets of clubs/soft luggage.

I like the X4, (same midgey trunk), but most of the current SUVs seem as Peggy Lee sang, "Is that all there is"...

I suspect we just keep on keeping on, and I am v emotionally attached to our E53, esp as it approaches 20 yrs old next month.

Nice house, nice stable, good to read you again!
BR, mD

PS: Woikin' on sublimating those occasional non-loving thoughts...;):D

Clean, older, bimmers are a dime a dozen. And yours is looking pretty good. We are maybe beginning to approach the apex where the value may start to appreciate. I think a truck is necessary in every garage. No iDrive or reverse cam, but its a joy to drive and does everything it needs to well. I would never sell my one owner X for what are frankly egregious offers.

Great advice!


All the bimmers (at least around my neck of the woods) are actually fairly new. I haven't seen too many older bimmers, especially clean ones running around. Most bimmers are leased and are pretty much thrashed by the time it gets to the 2nd and 3rd owners because none of them want to spend the money or able to afford to maintain it.

I meant they are not** dime a dozen, sorry, for the confusion :) that’s why I say keep if you can!

Ahhhhh...that makes more sense.

After seeing those egregious offers, that's what I'm leaning towards. I'm probably going back to making the X5 my daily and "save" some mileage on the M Coupe as those prices are starting to appreciates.

I got $1200 for my 02 with 389,000 miles on it and no reverse in the GM 5L40-E transmission. The selling points were no rust, no accident damage, five match chrome style 130 wheels, and factory hitch. It never saw a garage in the 16 years I owned it. Picture is from September of 2020.

Good opins above from BigBody and DKL...
I am not 'shopping' my ol'X5 here, as if/when I wanted to off it I know a few people that want 1st, 2nd, 3rd dibs.

Agree that the 'selling price value' or even a last resort trad in would not bring much dough; money simply isn't our concern as we are v fortunate/v comfortable in our 20+ yrs of RetiredBumDom.

There are few cars out there in NewCarLand that turn my head/catch my interest or seem like 'good replacements' for what our X5 'does' and what we use it for.

But, it is 20 yrs old and will need some R&R attention either this year or next...as for the HVAC blower motor R&R, I will pass on putting it under that kind of surgery and hope my occasionally chirping motor keeps motoring.

Wish I was ~10 yrs younger, car buying wise/& other things, but don't we all wish that? ;)
GL, Ol'UncleMotor

Seeing your car do give me hopes that I can hang onto mine for a good while! BMW does use some great quality paint - I haven't gave it a good "waxed" in the last 4 years and it's still cleaned up brilliantly sitting in the scorching California sun!



I'm starting to think about the RetireBum thing...so not too willing to spend on any big ticket items at the moment. It also helped that everything that's currently on the market is a snoozefest (overloaded with tech and not much fun to drive). The only thing that I have my eyes on is a Cayman GT4...who knows, that may be my last hurrah sports car. But I don't know if I can justify that 4x price over my M Coupe.

Everything on the X5 is in tip top shape with the exception of a minor oil pan gasket seepage, but no drip on the ground yet. And probably overdue for an engine mount replacement. If all goes well, just like you, I may very well be able to celebrate the X5's 20th birthday with me.


BTW - love seeing your stable in that serene driveway :thumbup:

Late to the party. Nice to see some old-timers recommend keeping our warhorses.

Mine's coming up on 18 in October. Some minor issues, including the passenger seat got stained with disinfectant during the lockdown. I plan on changing the seat cover, maybe in the fall.

https://i.imgur.com/DfDADbf.png

^Your ride still seem to be in excellent shape - Great to see some old-timers still hanging around!

Thanks and likewise. Mine's garaged 98% of the time. A few bumps and scratches, as you'd expect after 17 years. It still puts a smile on my face.

Best recent upgrade: front and rear wireless license plate cameras.

^ haigha,
Good to read you again, and your E53 still looks fine!
Not techie enough for car cars, here...

Actually, not techie/flexible enough to crawl around on the garage floor to do much of anything to vehicles anymore!

Hope you and your Fam are all safe & doing well, ol'Xoutpost member!
GL, mD

Thanks, mD! Things are well for us. Pretty much retired ten years ago. Hope the same for you, V and your family.

How's your granddaughter doing?

Your stable still looks great!

Are you & V still enjoying chasing the little ball? I've pretty much retired from that. Got to a 5 hcp briefly and couldn't get past that. Wasn't enjoying it after plateauing as a mid-single digit player for a few years. Very much a home course hcp, btw. My local club is flat and relatively short, with tough greens.

My mechanic friend is about your age and is slowly disengaging from working. Mostly works with me and a couple other of his friends when he has time and the strength. Covid-19 almost killed him, not from the disease, but when his double hernia operation was delayed for six months. It went from a standard laser procedure to a full operation, with one surgeon giving him a 20% chance of survival. Fortunately, he made it!

Not sure how long I'll keep the X5 when he's no longer able to help me and something major comes up. He's looked after my cars since forever and still makes the occasional house call.

Stay safe!

haigha,
Thank you for the kind words...
V & I are both doing well, and both chasing the ball ~3 times a week, (separately on alt days, for time apart!).

I was down to 12 GHIN a year ago, but have stumbled a bit this Spring/Summer and am currently a 16 GHIN. Oh well, love the game and it is a RetiredBum 1st world problem, so no beefing. I like the camaraderie, being outside, and some good walking exercise, esp here on our Spring/Summer/Autumn western NC mtn club course...

The TM situ I contracted 3 1/2 yrs ago still kicks my azz a bit, and these mid 70s are not one's 60s, or earlier. But never give up/never give in.

Still v tight with our only G Daughter, even as she turned 18 in June. She got into every college she applied to, but has convinced our Son and DIL she is 'leaving NJ' and going to the U in FL. So, she will be 'near us' when we do our ~5 months at our Escape Winter House, which makes us happy.

World and media are crazier by the day, but we are v comfortable, just trying to stay below the radar, and waiting semi-patiently to get back to some overseas travel and more normalcy, as we head into the 7th inning of life.

Best to you and your Fam, haigha!
Ol'UncleMotor & VZ

Thanks for the update, mD.

Great that your granddaughter will be near enough to visit while she's in college. And wonderful that being near you and V is a big reason for that.

Good to have some time apart. A round is a good amount, in my experience. Glad you're both still enjoying it!

I'm happy to hear that you're not giving in to the obstacles TM has created. Lots of medical breakthroughs coming. I hope one helps you put it behind you.

Agree with you on the game. I met so many great people through it and even made some money in the industry for about ten years (not playing, obviously, with my hcp).

You've described our view on the world too. Crazy and getting crazier. Just listened to a 32 minute interview from the Taliban spokesman about what's going to happen in Afghanistan. I feel terrible for those who will lose their freedoms there and for those who made so much effort to try bringing democracy and human rights to all of its people.

Closer to home, a lesson from the lock down for me is to enjoy the local state parks and hiking trails more. Also exploring lots of things and still working on my Spanish to keep my brain active.

Samanté para ti y tus seres queridos,

Apparently, I must really love this car because I just dropped some major coins on it (more than 4x of what the car is worth according to Carvana)!

It all started with my wife coming home from a Costco run telling me the driver's window is stuck quarter way open. Normally, I would say...no biggie. I'll just order a windows regulator and replace it myself. But wouldn't you know it, it's raining the next morning and the following day and this is with California in a drought! My lazy a$$ told me to just bring it to my indie and pay him the $500 in labor/part to replace the regulator so I don't have to deal with all that mangled wires in there. Boy...did things snowball after that...lol :rofl:

While it was up on the lift, I looked and saw the oil pan gasket leak was worst than I thought and decided to just bite the bullet to have it replaced. While in there, I told him to replace the engine mounts as well as a bad oil level sensor and a few other little knick knacks. Before you know it, I was presented with this bill :wow:

Ouch! I hope that's all the major stuff you need to do for a long time :thumbup:

I hope so too...I just did all the cooling system last year (water pump, t-stat, expansion tank, hoses, etc)...so I'm hoping that I should be good for a while.

dkl,
Good job tossing a few bucks at your E53!

Nothing like unrequited love, and one having a Jones for our old Xs!

In the scheme of things you won't 'miss' the dough and you get to keep on rolling down the road in your E53 when you are in the mood for it!
GL, mD

mD,
It wasn't that difficult of a decision, actually. At least I tried to rationalize it this way:

Let say that I can sell it for $3k and not put much more money into it, what else can I get to replace it with that's in good a shape as the ol' gal? If I add the repair bill to that, anything else decent that I can get for $6.5k or $7k without needing immediate work to bring it back to decent shape? Is there anything else in that price range that I would rather drive? My answer came back with a big resounding NO.

Maybe, I'm just too attached to my cars as I've only owned 5 cars throughout my 35 years of driving...3 of which are still currently with me! The X5 is the longest I've owned of any cars (18 years coming up)!

Sounds like I'm beginning to talk myself back into keeping the car since the Original Post :bustingup:rofl:

That's 9-10 month's worth of new car payments, so the repairs pay for themselves in less than a year.

Maybe, I'm just too attached to my cars....(aren't we all?)
 

I've been too attached to many of my 25-26 vehicles I've owned (either outright, or shared with my spouse) in the 55 years since my first (1956 Chevy 210 4-dr sedan) in 1965. It was given to me by my Grandmother after my Aunt suddenly died at 38; she had planned to give it to me on my next birthday (16), in two months. I grew attached to it (probably due to sentimentality), though a younger brother stole it and totalled it two years later.

I seem to keep all my vehicles too long, thru some sort of attachment: sentimental, having nebulous dreams of fixing them up again, or what?? I 'm not sure why. My record attachment was 27+ years, to the '66 Chevelle I bought to restore, but ended up racing instead, then traded at long last for my current obsession: my '01 X5.

Long-lived vehicles that I've owned and cared for:

'66 Chevelle Malibu 2-dr hardtop, Onyx black 1994-2021 27+ years, a once a week "daily driver" (weekend racer), converted to a dedicated drag racer (full cage, spool, 4.88 gears, etc.), with various engine/equipment variations, from 327c.i. (L-79 clone) street, to 427c.i.(431)/646 rwhp dragracing.

'86 Chevy S-10 Tahoe extended cab, Charcoal Gray Metallic, 1986-2004 18+ years, 2.8l v-6 (three rebuilds), daily driver

'04 Chevy Silverado WT 2500HD reg. cab, Summit White, 2004-2021> 17+ years ongoing, 6.0l v-8, daily driver to dedicated #1 trailer hauler (beefed trans, springs & shocks)

'98 GMC Sierra 1500 ext. cab, Fire Red, 2007-2021> 14+ years ongoing, 5.7l v-8, family transport, #2 trailer hauler (beefed trans, tuned engine, springs & shocks)

'08 Cobalt LS (SE) 2-dr coupe, Slate Metallic Gray 2008-2021> 14+ years ongoing, 2.2l 4cyl, wife's car

'09 HHR Panel, 2-seat utility van, Summit White, 2009-2021> 13+ years ongoing , 2.2l 4cyl, daily driver + utility usage

Other long-lived/kept vehicles were:
1)'88 Fiero 1998-2017 19+ years (engine died in 2005, given away in 2017)
2)'92 Olds Achieva SC (Quad 4) 2005-2017 12+ years (parked in 2009, needed timing chain + CV axles)
3)'69 Chevy C-10 1997-2004 7+ years (restored in 1999, traded for '65 ChevyII -never restored- + trans-braked Powerglide racing transmission, 2 spare engines, various other parts)
4)'75 Chevy C-10 2002-2007 5+ years (rebuilt engine, trans, rear end; partial trade for '98 GMC + DIXON ZTR mower)

all others (of 25 total) were kept for 5 years or less

'01 BMW X5 3.0i (acquired in May 2021) will be my last (planned) vehicle; I hope to have it as long as the Chevelle (27+ years)

Or, if I downgrade...That's exactly 2 years worth of payments for a new Toyota Corolla SE! At least that was the going rate before this crazy pandemic shortage thing.



Wow :wow: I would imagined that you have a warehouse of some sort to store all those cars? Truth be told, I would be in deep trouble if I had more room to store cars. But I would be ecstatic to be able to store one or two more cars :(

Wooohooo...the "collector" status has begun :nanana: My car has gone up in value...a whopping $29 in 2 years :wow:

^ I guess my 2001 E53 is 'worth less' than your 2004...
Maybe my 2001 is actually worthless?!

Doesn't matter; I am keeping it for another year(s). When I go off to Valhalla my CEO can sell it to one of you/the Xoutpost gang.

$800...what does Carvana know?! :)

Hell it's worth more if you parted it out than $800.