When to pull the plug on a project ?

How do you know when to pull the plug on a project?  You know, cut bait and run.  Is it a matter of finances? Base it on lack of motivation?  Or how do you summon more motivation when you just want to quit on it?  I'm getting sick and tired of one thing after another on the Einhorn.  I've owned it nearly a year and have yet to put 1500 miles on it.  It was supposed to be my new daily. NOT a project car.

Thoughts? Advice?

In reply to Indy-Guy :

I think it really depends on the car and your plans for it. If it's your only form of transportation then you move on when regular maintenance is too much and you can't trust it to reliably get you where you need to go. When it's a project it's more about whether or not you are okay with delays and the cost associated with what needs fixing. In the case of the Einhorn, as much as I like to see E34'S on GRM, if it's not doing it's intended job and causing you unnecessary headaches then I think it's time to move on.

I only wish I could provide a good home for the best.

Mines emotional. When i no longer lime/love it enough to want to continue, it pissez me off more than brings me joy, or travelling in it brings fear instead of peace, its ti.e to go.

There is also the financial balance: is it worth mor to me OR the next guy fixed/finished, enough so to prpperly compesate me for tbe time and expense of fixing it? Usually, if im having that discussion with myself, i gut check the emotional side. Money and emotions temd to meet up when the project is at that spot.

As a very unskilled car person. I just went through all the build thread, and the thread for the road trip to go and buy it my vote is you keep it. 

1. Great looking car

2. Wagon, RWD, V8, MANUAL!

3. If you sell it  I am close enough that I will want to buy it, my barn is full, my wife doesn’t want me to get any more project cars that I never work on.  (Now have 6 cars!) 

4.  Manual, RWD, V8, WAGON!

An old car is always a project car, but I refuse to  own anything newer than 1990, so I am resigned to it. The Einhorn is special enough to keep. It will be reliable eventually. There is absolutely nothing that equals it made recent enough to not be a project. Take a break from it for a few weeks, but think about how much better it would be to drive every time you drive something else. The only time to give up is if it is your only car, which all of us here know it is not. Work on the TR4 for a few days to take your mind off, but realize how much more reliable the Einhorn will be while doing so.

this is exactly how BMW gets you.  The cars of that era are so beautiful, and they drive so well, that normal people go to abnormal lengths to keep them together. And the car rewards you for that effort, but for how long?  Is that long enough?  Only you can answer for you, Indy-Barely-Functional-Guy.  I applaud you either way.

I think the fact you posted this is a sign that you're over the project.

We're suppose to enjoy this as a hobby. As soon as it's not fun - it makes no sense.

Money will always be an issue but for that RIGHT car, we'll always find more than enough excuses to hold on to it as we save up.
 

When you ask the question, it’s time.

I’m there with a couple that i was absolutely head over heels for.  I feel you.  No I don’t want your bmw.  

Is it a project or daily transport? If it was supposed to be a daily and turned out to be a project...time to go.

If it IS a project then it's all about emotion and motivation.  Everybody loses motivation sometimes, and I've found the best way to get it back is to walk away for a bit. If it's been six months and you still dont feel like touching it - time to sell. We all do plenty of E36 M3 that we have to force down, your hobby car shouldn't be one of them.

Patrick said:

When you ask the question, it’s time.

This.

I've never regretted selling one I've grown tired of dealing with. The world is full of cars; you'll find another.

ddavidv said:

Patrick said:

When you ask the question, it’s time.

This.

I've never regretted selling one I've grown tired of dealing with. The world is full of cars; you'll find another.

This. 

And in my case, the DCT in my 135i started acting up on Friday and now I have an appointment with my indy guy tomorrow and hope it's not going to be in the THOUSANDS to fix. It's my only car, but we don't need a 2nd car that I drive 40 miles per week and the dogs aren't allowed in. The car has 34k miles. 

Guess who is never going to own another modern BMW turbo?

z31maniac said:

ddavidv said:

Patrick said:

When you ask the question, it’s time.

This.

I've never regretted selling one I've grown tired of dealing with. The world is full of cars; you'll find another.

This. 

And in my case, the DCT in my 135i started acting up on Friday and now I have an appointment with my indy guy tomorrow and hope it's not going to be in the THOUSANDS to fix. It's my only car, but we don't need a 2nd car that I drive 40 miles per week and the dogs aren't allowed in. The car has 34k miles. 

 

Guess who is never going to own another modern BMW turbo?

Just get an old E34 touring. I hear that they are way more reliable than the new fangled turbo BMW's.

I'm always on the fence with projects. Cut bait and run is always suggested by Mrs. Zero, LOL!

If I'm tired of looking at it or questioning what the berk when fails for the upteenth time . . . It's time for it to go. I'm at a point where I don't want to DIY daily drivers anymore. It has been a time suck that takes away from wrenching on projects.

Since Einhorn is supposed to be you new daily, you may need to look at as the effort you put in to get right (correct an deferred maintenace) will pay off later.

Guys,

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses, perspectives and insights.  What's probably bothering me the most is the gap between what this car was supposed to be (a quirky cool daily driver) and what it actually is: a project car.  I think it has crossed into the red zone on the Vicky Mendoza diagonal.

Indy-Guy said:

 I've owned it nearly a year and have yet to put 1500 miles on it.  It was supposed to be my new daily. NOT a project car.

I think that's your answer. The car has proven unsuitable for its intended use. It sounds like it's time to put it to another use or put it up for sale. A daily driver that doesn't give you a decent amount of up-time is like a project car that inspires no passion or excitement.

definitely do not put it up for sale when you have already moved it halfway across the country closer to me. 

Robbie said:

definitely do not put it up for sale when you have already moved it halfway across the country closer to me. 

Trade for Jag?

In reply to Indy-Guy :

Wait ... you want a reliable daily and you're talking about trading for a Jag?  WelI guess it is a magical Jag after running with that belt. 

Stampie said:

In reply to Indy-Guy :

Wait ... you want a reliable daily and you're talking about trading for a Jag?  WelI guess it is a magical Jag after running with that belt. 

I'm not a smart man.  Plus it's a Supercharged Jag, so what could possibly go wrong?

I don’t like selling unfinished project cars because it feels like a failure but I’ve learned that sometimes it’s the right thing to do.

How much do you like driving the car when you do get the chance to use it?

In reply to Indy-Guy :

As a fellow E34 touring owner, these cars are pretty excellent to drive, for what they are, when they work correctly. The reality is that they are all 24 plus years old at this point. It's likely that if you push through the deferred maintenance you'll get the car to a baseline and you'll see some trouble free miles. But with a car of this age there will more often than not be something for you to fix. The 530's suffer all the usual E34 issues (front control arm wear, blower motor failure, cooling system, door rot), touring issues (hard on rear strut mounts, SLS failure, rear hatch wiring), and M60 issues (timing chain guides, OIL LEAKS). You probably won't have to deal with all of those issues, but it's stuff to keep track of if it's your everyday transportation.

Personally, I love mine. I don't ever intend on selling it, but that doesn't mean that we don't have a little bit of an abusive relationship.

I struggle with this.  Generally,  if I really get frustrated with a project,  I set it to the side until I get over it and the excitement for it comes back.  That could be 6 months or longer,  but if I become completely indifferent to it,  or the frustration never goes away,  I sell or trade it.

Yeah, I've had a string of 100k+ mile german wagons as my DD, some were better than others.  I've gotten to the point that on my DD, I just want to do normal maintenance, that's it.

My GX470 has tested my patience this last year as all the typical wear items all wore out in short order.  Now that I've pushed thru that, I'm hoping it'll be ok for several more years.

My next DD will be something new, or almost new and covered by a factory warranty for some years and I'll relish the opportunity to just do oil changes and pump gas in it.

I always wanted a 635CSi. One day I found one on Craigslist, cheap, local, and presented as a running 'barn find'. So excited, I barely drove it before I was pushing money into the seller's hand and driving it home.

On the way home, the recline on the driver's seat broke, so the seat back stayed flopped down. Stitching started coming out of the leather. No problem... easy fix. The sunroof leaked and the leather interior got soaked. Cleaned it all up and fixed the drains. All the rubber in the suspension was worn out and cracking. One fix led to finding two other things that needed attention. It took me almost a year to realize that the work it needed to be the car I wanted was not the work that I wanted to do. Once I made the decision, the dark clouds lifted. I opted for a quick sale at a loss rather than dragging it out. I still love the initial *Idea* of that car, but have never regretted moving on.

AAZCD said:

....... I still love the initial *Idea* of that car, but have never regretted moving on.

This hits it exactly.  I'm in love with the idea of the Einhorn, not the reality that it is.  I want to spend my energy, time, money and garage space on the project I've already chosen:  The TR4 that's been neglected for the last 11 months.

Plug is officially getting pulled.  Look for the "for sale or trade post" coming soon.