AH yes.  I respect the BMW Wagon...Respect it enough I own a 92 E34 525 tds
(yes turbo-diesel) imported from Germany.  It is a computer controlled IDI
with a rotory Bosch VE pump.  It can get a respectable 6.9L/100k with mixed
city/highway driving.   City only it will average about 8.5L/100k.  Not bad
for a tank.

It is primarily a winter vehcile and sports Hakkapeliitta snows and works
very well.  Very controllable drifting nature when a heavy foot is applied
and the turbo spools.  :)

My other summer toy is an 82 320is.

Jason

On Fri, Oct 19, 2012 at 10:07 PM, Marc Perdue <mcperdue@gmail.com> wrote:

> Regarding Dennis's comments about a BMW wagon being a money pit . . .
> Probably true, but let me help clarify some things about me and why I would
> make that choice:
>
> 1) I have a VW Vanagon camper for one reason, to go to and camp out at
> old-time music festivals. It was never really intended to be my daily
> driver, but it serves that purpose pretty well, barring deferred
> maintenance. After I put the correct Michelin tires and KYB shocks on it,
> the van handled pretty well considering what it is. One of my daughter's
> friends commented that she loved the fact that I drive the van like a
> sports car. Contrary to what others have said, the Vanagon can hold its own
> pretty well in the handling department given the right setup and
> understanding that the limits of adhesion and rollover are in very
> different places than other vehicles.
>
> 2) Outside of my camping and music-playing life, I LOVE to drive. I don't
> drive competitively, but I love to throw a rear-wheel drive car into a
> curve and blast out the other side. I do, however, respect the limits of
> adhesion, and of my cars. My preferred vehicle use to be a Honda Civic, up
> to the point where my chiropractor declared that they are too small for me
> and that they were hurting my back. Now, it's an E28 BMW, specifically
> either an '85 BMW 528e or an '88 535is. Note that it's another mid- to
> late-80s German vehicle with a Bosch fuel injection system. I also LOVE
> working on them, though once you sort them out, they don't need much and
> aren't expensive to maintain. I sold my 535is not too long ago to thin the
> fleet and because my wife and I were commuting together. My 2 older girls
> each drive an '85 528e, one with 260K miles and the other with 73K. Yes,
> you read that right. The rubber and plastic are still just as old though.
>
> 3) My wife currently drives a 2002 Volvo wagon. The BMW wagon would be very
> much like it in that it's not that easy for a weekend warrior like myself
> to do the maintenance on it, but it would be way more fun to drive. It does
> come with many creature comforts and safety features. So I'm thinking I'll
> keep my Vanagon and do something close to a restoration on it, doing a lot
> of work myself, because I enjoy it, and get the wagon so I can haul my
> family around safely and comfortably, and I'll pay the cool older BMW guys
> down the road to keep it properly maintained. It's money out-of-pocket, but
> my job pays well, I just sold my house, and I'd prefer to be spending the
> time with my new wife and son. Choices.
>
> Regarding the purchase price being a down-payment, I couldn't agree more. I
> can get a decent BMW for $1-2K, but it will cost about $2-3K to get it
> sorted out properly. I know that up front and willingly accept that cost.
> My Vanagon has been similar. I bought it cheap knowing that it needed a new
> transmission. I have since replaced most of the drivetrain, including the
> engine, but that's what you do with these vehicles. The BMW engine is
> bullet-proof; not the Vanagon's. The BMW has electrical gremlins, usually
> ground issues, and leaky sunroofs, and faulty heater valves, and cracked
> dashes. The Vanagon exhaust is a leaking nightmare, as is the cooling
> system. However, I am as much to blame there as anything . . . getting
> divorced, paying the mortgage on my old house, which I didn't live in,
> meant serious deferred maintenance. Now it's time to fix that, I think.
>
> I appreciate the collective wisdom of this list and your patience with
> people like me who, being pressed for time in our busy lives, tend to come
> asking foolish questions before checking out the Bentley. Getting my
> questions answered here allows me to fix the van more efficiently and have
> more time to spend with my family and I am very grateful for that.
>
> Take care, have a great weekend, and remember not to spend ALL of it
> working on your vans!
> Marc
>