Is it junk? Need advice on getting rid of my old car

[EvilTofu]

I'm trying to get rid of my 97 BMW 328i. I've been the sole owner for 17 years, took great care. It is still running like a dream except the a/c isn't working 80% of the time. Makes it dangerous to drive in winter due to condensation.

My mechanic had offered to buy my car last year when I sell it in the future but he changed his mind. My plate expires by end of December, don't want to bother with renewal. I've already bought my used Prius, so trading-in is no longer an option.

The problem with this car other than the a/c is its terrible fuel economy. I get about 17-19 mpg. So I suppose people in the market for cheap car probably can't afford to use it. In fact, many insurance companies don't even insure cars older than 15 years.

My question is that, is it worth it to put it up on Auto Trader? Or should I just junk it? If so, any suggestion for a place that would offer me a good price in the GTA?

(Please don't joke about me being rich for having a BMW new. It was a graduation gift from grandpa when he had money, lost everything in Florida real estate. He died with lots of debt, my parents are still bankrupt. Family was torned due to money. Hence my irrational emotional attachment.)

[Tweets77]

If I was in your situation I would put the car on Auto Trader for a bit and see what happens ( if you don't mind dealing with the crazies). Auto Trader is relatively cheap. I understand the emotional attachment but we only have so much room for stuff. I am sure you have lots of pictures of "her/him". I just traded in my '02 Taurus to the dealer she was purchased from (209,000 kms but otherwise in decent shape) got only $300 for it and was told it was to be crushed. I purchased a new 2014 Fusion and when I returned to the dealer a week later, guess what was in the back lot with brand new plates on it! I probably would have got more money if I had sold it privately. So....just my thoughts..

[MrsSunshine]

OMG Tweets thats horrible. wow.


Evil I too would recommend Auto trader first.. just be ready to make a decision if someone wants to test drive, if your going to send them on their own. or???

if you can't sell, maybe consider donating to a worthy charity.

man i would love an old BMW.

[Natalka]

Definitely try AutoTrader and Kijiji.
Is it a convertible? How many KMs?

Just an idea of what one is selling for about a 1/2 hour from where I live

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/s...ationFlag=true

[tjthemanto]

Be Careful with all the nuts who show up from Kijiji and Auto Trader to buy your car. Some can be dangerous, try to have a couple of male members present, when they come to see your car.

Lot of time wasters and low ballers. Make sure they are serious buyer's even before they show up.

Plus make sure they have a proper drivers license , or even insurance ( in some cases ) before they take it for a test drive.

I guess you lend your insurance, when you lend your car to someone for a drive..even if its a test drive. so your insurance might be on the hook if they cause any accidents etc.

Try to sell it AS IS , if you can..but it has to be safe and certified before you can sell it. make sure you tell them that they are liable and responsible for any issues with the car after you sell it, and you won't do anything.

let their mechanic inspect it at their own cost if they want, before buying.

[Shwa Girl]

if you don't put it on Auto Trader or kijiji, you can get a tax receipt for it
kidneycar.ca

[Brad]

If it's in great condition other than the a/c, why not just get the a/c fixed?

As for the fuel ecnomy, has it always been bad or did it get worse recently? If it's the latter then maybe it just needs a good seafoaming.

[lecale]

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[Ciel]

List the car online, as is, and mention if there are any extra rims/tires/car mats that come with it. etc. See if you can post it on BMW fan forum to get any potential drivers. Existing BMW drivers might know of someone who needs a fixer upper/parts car that is a Bimmer. My sibling used to have a 92 BMW 325 used ride and due to body rust issues, scrapped the car in 2011. It was his daily driver unless he had repair issues with it. He maintained the car mostly on his own except if something was going to be harder to do on own than in a repair shop.

If you put in an aftermarket stereo, it is worth selling with the car or separately (in which case the original radio might need to be restored in the car).

Since you mention the money matters that impacted the family, I'd suggest giving parents the car money. Otherwise I was going to say call Kidney car to arrange the towaway and get an income tax receipt if you can.

[secheltsaver]

For a ballpark idea of what it is worth,have a look at this page:http://www.vmrcanada.com/value_menus.../97bm3-es.html Values are variable of course,depending on options and overall condition,yours sounds like "clean". I bet there is a fellow BMW fan out there who knows how to fix it's issues,and would be delighted to buy it.To me this sounds like a good high quality car needing some minor work,and it would be a terrible shame to junk it.Sell it on Craigslist, being honest in your ad (list all options,mileage,maintenance record etc.) and post a pic.Price it a little above the value for "clean" and put reasonable offers considered.It'll sell fairly quickly,and you'll be able to let it go knowing it won't end up crushed.

[Ciel]

Highway driving improves the mileage situation but city driving does not. If heater or a/c are on from the starting of the car, yes, that will drag the mileage on gas down too. In cold weather, my sibling will not put heat on for first 5-7 minutes because until the engine heats up to the mid-point of the temp gauge, it's too cold to take on the load. He mostly drove on highway for work/some random distant shopping; I did some of the local driving (short trips) and a few longer drives to London, ON.

Find the BMW bunch online and post your car there. See if your library's Red Book or the Blue Book give you an idea of prices as well (might have to find the older copies).

As for the dealers that give you a low price on trade-in and story then turnaround to price your former car well above what you were given-ouch on two levels, financial and ethical. Not good for return business or referrals!

[sweet sparrow]

We thought about selling our old car. The repairs were more than it was worth and it always needed something. I called my insurance company to ask how much our annual bill was if we took the second car off. I was shocked. The difference was four figures. I asked him if he was serious. He said to remove all the coverage from the vehicle except for vandalism, theft, and fire damage.

It sounds crazy, but keeping the car ended up saving us three times the amount in insurance than we would have got had we sold it each and every year. I would call your insurance company first and check how much your bill would rise by if you got rid of it.

[EvilTofu]

If it's in great condition other than the a/c, why not just get the a/c fixed?

As for the fuel ecnomy, has it always been bad or did it get worse recently? If it's the latter then maybe it just needs a good seafoaming.

The a/c problem is actually the computer problem, which would cost $4000 + labour. I've asked my mechanics to look out for a used one, but apparently, the computer is always first to go. My dad has been mad about me not fixing it for the past 5 years. My friend gave me a Snuggie for a Christmas to be worn in the car.

[EvilTofu]

Thank you so much for all your kind suggestion. I have posted it on Kijiji and AutoTrader, the crazies is an understatement. The worse one was when I drove more than an hour to the boondocks for a guy to test drive it for half an hour, then he said his wife wouldn't allow him to buy a second car. i.e. He just wanted to drive my car for free. And it was Christmas Eve!

The bad news is that it started to get overheating. It might just need an oil change. We'll see. I'll spread it further by posting it on BMW forum. If everything fails, I'll donate it I guess.

Thank you so much for all your support!

[mandolinatou]

We were in a similar situation recently and wanted to get rid of a functional car that needed roughly 800 dollars worth of work. The car was worth more if we did the repairs, I would say it was worth around 1300-1500 following the repairs versus the junk price if we didn't. We didn't want to deal with craigslist. So we called charities who offered us tax credits of 150 for it without looking at it. We figured that would be roughly 20 dollars back on taxes which felt too painful for a functional and attractive car without much milage on it, so we sold it to a junk yard who gave us cash. They did not junk it but they will repair for less than we could and they will probably sell it for 1500 when all is said and done. It feels a little unfair but I think everyone won in this situation especially once we get our car insurance money back and registration. If you get ridiculous quotes from charities consider junking it too. Sorry about the jerk who wanted the free test drive.