Randoms: The Pre-Loved Car

Or in my case, not so loved.

My Car

I've never really driven a pre-owned car before, let alone bought one. I've always believed that the security you get from knowing your car will last hassle free for the first 3-5 years justifies the premium of buying a new car.

Well since moving to Auckland, I have been convinced that buying 2nd hand may not be a bad idea since NOBODY buys brand new and that I'd be silly to do so. So buy pre-loved I did.

I got myself a 1999 BMW 318i that tested well and drove well when I first got it but had, a month back, overheated and left me stranded in the middle of the road waiting for a tow truck. That was the first time anything like that has ever happened to me and it was simply traumatic. I still rant of the incident every now and then and to this day it still haunts me.

Not just because my prissy side was left permanently scarred but also because the whole cooling system is showing leaks everywhere and is slowly asking to be replaced. 

First I had to replace the radiator & thermostat when it broke down and that cost me about $900. Then I had to go back to the same mechanic as I kept getting a low coolant warning every few 3-4 weeks after refilling. Turns out there's a leak somewhere in the system. Now, this guy, who should have spotted this leak the first time they checked my cooling system, quoted $870 to replace one BL**DING hose! That's $60 for the hose, and $800+ for labor.

I miss my old Mini :(

Not finding the sanity in that, I asked a friend for a proper recommendation and took the car to Burger Motor Works, who checked and found 2 other hoses leaking and quoted to replace all three plus the rusty and belabored side tank for a total of $550. I'll be bringing the car in for repairs this Friday and should get it back the same day.

Now, on top of all this, my car was due for a Warrant of Fitness (WOF) check today which happens every 6mos. The cumbersome thing failed! Can you believe that?!?!? It failed because its front left shock thingy was leaking too and I was advised to replace both sides for the wonderful cost of $990 parts only. Having learned my lesson, I politely said I'll think about it and rang my new favorite mechanic, Burger who told me it'll only be $300 to replace, labor included (I forgot to ask if the price is for one or both sides, either way he's still cheaper). So I said yes on the spot and asked them to add this to the list of repairs scheduled for Friday.

I am hoping this is the end of my car saga and that all will be well after Friday. If this drama continues, I really don't care what PIC says, I'm definitely chucking the beast and getting a new car. I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again -- I wish I hadn't sold my Mini and had it shipped over instead.