Well, my self-restraint was short lived.... Triggered by the rising prices, I pulled the trigger on the cooling system refresh on the BMW and ordered the parts last week. Got them installed yesterday - water pump, thermostat, hoses. A bit of a setback with the radiator because it was damaged out of the box so ended up sending it back for replacement. Got lucky (at least I hope) because it was the last one in stock, which now is zero, and I hope it's mine since they say "at warehouse" to be delivered on Wed. I will have confirmation on Monday I guess when will ship out. I hope this one is not damaged, but will see.
On a side note, my good friend got an almost identical one today for his son (which I taught how to drive manual and he got hooked on this car). He absolutely lucked out finding a two-owner (brothers), beautiful unit with only 94K km on the clock, same color combo as mine (Black with Chestnut Brown interior), just with navi and few more goodies. The car is in absolute mint condition and he got it for only $11.500 which to me it's a very good deal in this market. The seller spent $2000+ to certify it and he did not raise the price by one cent....
The car doesn't need anything other than fresh fluids, engine filter and new ground cables. A grand total of one (1) paint chip on the body and a bit of wear on the driver's door handle....
Drove the car back home from Woodstock (my buddy doesn't drive manual yet) and it drives beautifully. Needless to say, I was more excited than them for this find.
