I imagine this is how it feels to own an older BMW
Actually, if you have a '94-2000 bmw that's in good shape, now is probably a pretty good time, if you are smart. I used to run a vehicle scrap yard. Scrap yards live about 20yrs behind the rest of the world. At least they do in the Northeast. Anyway, I'm sure about half of the ones still on the road are dying. But, most people go to a mechanic just say, "how much?" He looks a few parts up online, prices are pretty high. A lot of the repairs take a bit longer because of German over-engineering. A bunch of parts are 20 years old and could probably last another year. But, maybe not. So, the mechanic gives the person a high quote for the repairs, adds on a few things that "could" be replaced and, all of a sudden, they get a quote of $5000.
What happens is that person decides that they can get a used car for a couple grand and doesn't want to sink any more into that vehicle. So, they scrap it for $500. Or heaven forbid, they use it as a trade on a new car.
So I, as the scrap yard, get the Bimmer for $500. I realize it has a blown head gasket, which is a nightmare and the reason it was quoted as a high repair($3000) and scrapped. I realize that there are BMWs in junkyards all over the place because of that 20year delay. I buy an engine with 100k miles on it for $400 and pay a buddy $100 to help me swap the engine, and just replace it, instead of dealing with the head gasket headache. Now I've got a '95 bmw with only 100k on it for $1000. I sell it for $2000. Rinse. Repeat.
The car I've been driving for the past 4 years is a Mitsubishi Outlander. I got it for $300 because the woman was told by a mechanic that it would never get another inspection sticker without thousands of dollars worth of work. All I've done is an oil change and a new radiator. There is a check engine light on and it's got normal wear and tear but, I don't even know what the lady said it needed, because it didn't really need whatever it was, obviously.
It really depends on what you are willing to put up with. My car has a broken stabilizer so, it makes a noise on large bumps. But, I'd rather have a car that used parts are available. It's so much cheaper than new. When I ran that yard, I always felt bad for people when they needed repairs when their car was so new. I could never find scrapped cars with used parts so they'd pay $600 for a door. If I could find one used in perfect condition, it would have been $60.
I only piped up because I'm looking at a couple of 90's beemers right now.