Worth saving?

[nathanncz]

Hello, MyE28 community,
I am in a predicament with my e28. I bought it just before COVID and enjoyed it for two years. I went to replace the rusty gas tank when the support corner behind the passenger wheel arch snapped off due to rust, which left it in undrivable condition. I am posting today to ask whether bodywork is worth it on my car. As you may have guessed, there is a lot more rust on the body than in the gas tank area. Most notably, both rockers and the driver's side floor pan are rotted out amongst other small things such as the rear right windshield corner and 2/4 doors. I linked the photos I took the other weekend below. At this point, I do not need another old BMW and I would like to sell it or part it out depending on the cost of the bodywork. I have time to do some work myself if it's worth it, but not everything. My question to the community: given that I want to sell this car, what would you do in this situation?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zBzcrBv1cti7dWFw6

[nathanncz]

Mods, please feel free to move, was not sure whether to post in the tech talk or here.

[1st 5er]

Bottom line is emotion and/or money.
Are you attached to it and/or can you afford the repair or replacement with a non-rusty model?
If no to both, dump it as a parts car or part it out if you have the time and energy.
If yes, I'd choose the replacement option unless you have the skill or know and trust a body guy, to do the repairs properly.

[Mike W.]

No, unless you're a skilled bodyman yourself, it's not worth it. Rust repair is expensive and few will even do it. Buy a rust free, or nearly rust free one and transfer the best parts if needed. If it's an M5 it might be worth it, but for a non ///M it's not.

[Shawn D.]

Mods, please feel free to move...

No "mods" here at MyE28, just Beamters. But thanks for the permission.

[stuartinmn]

I'd say patch up the gas tank support as needed to make it drivable, but trying to repair all the rust everywhere isn't going to make financial sense. It sounds like you already have a good replacement gas tank? If not there are places that can repair them: https://www.gastankrenu.com They have franchises all over, you can locate one near you on their website.

[Mdreamer]

Bottom line is emotion and/or money.
Are you attached to it and/or can you afford the repair or replacement with a non-rusty model?
If no to both, dump it as a parts car or part it out if you have the time and energy.
If yes, I'd choose the replacement option unless you have the skill or know and trust a body guy, to do the repairs properly.

What he said.

[jyl]

You said you want to sell the car and don’t want an old BMW. Fixing it to sell makes no sense, so that means you will either sell it as a complete car or part it out.

The former is easier and faster, don’t expect to get much given the rust, you may be selling it as a parts car.

I’ve never parted out a car, if you have the time and space and the car has desirable parts in good condition, maybe it’s worth it - but you’ll probably still be dealing with the carcass six months from now.

[Panici]

My E28 is much worse then that, and I plan to save it.

That said, the time required has been a huge mental obstacle to the build.
It's not difficult work once you're used to sheet metal fab and welding, but you have to enjoy the process because it takes forever.

Coming up on two years now of E28 ownership and I still haven't even dug into it. (beyond stripping the interior and replacing door seals so rust doesn't get worse).

With a clean car, I would have been into the mechanical repairs by now and on the way towards driving the car.

If you're not planning on keeping it, absolutely do not invest the time or money into repairs.
That is unless you enjoy the repair process itself and it's not just the means to an end.