I have a 2013 BMW 328i, F30, RWD, manual transmission with 130,000 miles. I brought it to an independent BMW mechanic and was told I need a new turbo and quoted $5,500 along with a number of other less serious issues and would be like at $8-9,000 to fix it all. I looked up the blue book value on my car and it looks like it is worth roughly $6,500 if in good working order. The mechanic, who will obviously benefit from me doing the work, was trying to talk me into the repairs when I said that the cost of the repairs was likely more than the value of the car. The car does hold a sentimental value to me as it was the first car that I chose and bought for myself, had custom ordered and have owned and enjoyed for the last 10+ years. Financially I can afford a new car but the timing is not very good as I’m about to start on building a new home within the next few months. I need objective opinions, do I get the car fixed or do I just suck it up and buy a new car?
I appreciate the feedback. Future reliability is a major concern. If I knew I could get 3 more years out of the car without an other major issues, I think I would pay the $5,500 and take care of the other items myself. Obviously it’s impossible to say. The N20 engines have a notorious timing chain issue, most have to be replaced before 100,000 miles. I’ve not had issues yet but that could be a bomb waiting to go off and another costly maintenence item waiting.