Its a fine line .
That thing was nickel and dimeing us to death.
And who was the Idiot that come up with the idea of putting a starter Under the intake manifold?

Given that most motors use crossflow heads, on the other side it would be under the headers. Seriously, I owned a '95 Isuzu Rodeo that had a special removable piece of exhaust pipe engineered that way for the removal of the starter from underneath. Maybe the BMW starter also exits below.

__________________
Release the Kraken

We just went thru this. We had a 2018 BMW X3 and a 2018 Cadillac XT5. The BMW was a good car, but not comfortable for ling drives and a bit small. Also the annoying beeps every time you get near something. it only had 37,000 miles on it.

The XT5 we bought used a few years ago. I loved that car, wonderfully comfortable, just big enough. It had about 68,000 miles on it.

Mrs Raljr1 decides that we don't really need two cars anymore. I said ok, let's get another XT5. She says we NEED a third row seat for when we go with, son, daughter and grands...So we ended up in a Cadillac XT6.

Got a got price for the BMW, a decent trade for the XT5, and with 3.9% for 48 months, I didn't take any other funds from savings.

Oh, and Mrs loves the new one. Hasn't named it yet, but that's coming.

__________________
Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Another reason we decided to keep our 10 y/o Avalon a couple of more years. I feel like there’s a gun in my back walking into a dealership. I have a few medical problems and am no longer up to an hours long back-and-forth dealership experience.

__________________
Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

We have a ride yet?

__________________
Sure you did

Keep her going, my mother (94) has a 2000 avalon, we just fixed the ignition key / lock it was being finicky after 24 years (in Florida). I told her we will keep it going FOREVER, after just buying a 2023 (forester), i was concerned with all the computer driven eveything on these new cars. The Avalon has 24 less years of "computerization". Just for that its worth keeping.

Well, you could do what my step dad did for my mom.
Dad had been into town and made a big sale at the co-op
Mom’s tired old Datsun 4x4 needed to be replaced . Mom didn’t want another pickup truck , but instead was looking for a car that was comfortable and fuel efficient for the 40 mile trip into town for groceries or what have you .
My dad came home and proudly showed her the new car he had bought for her , without consulting her . It was an AMC PACER !!! lol
My mom hated that car and I hated being seen in that fishbowl
The straight 6 was actually not too bad power wise but it was not particularly fuel efficient nor was the car very comfortable-it was a rolling greenhouse without AC
Yeah, on second thought let your wife pick her own car :-)

__________________
the rules? there are no rules

Wouldn't touch Hyundai or KIA for the unforgivable vulnerability to theft they engineered into their products.
Perhaps after some exhaustive research, you could just foist a car on her.
Sit in a greasy spoon with a view of an intersection, and take note of the older vehicles you see.
Not the 65 mustangs and vettes... But the run hard road warrior junkyard refugees that refuse to go quiet into that goodnight.
That's where you should plunk your money down

__________________
it just needs more voltage

Bingo! You have that right! Never buy a car OR a gun for your wife. Odds are you'll get it wrong. Men and women are not wired the same. . . .

Or, as you drive down the highway, note the models that are stopped on the shoulder for non-flat reasons, especially if they’re abandoned.

Old news about old products. None of the new vehicles have the issue.

__________________
Release the Kraken