[RyanS]

I have a 2011 535xi with 53,000 miles. It has a leaking oil pan gasket and valve cover gasket. Total to fix both would be about $3,500 (independent repair shop). Trade-in value is about $11,000. We bought it new so it's been paid off for a while. It's nice not having a car payment, but the worry (gamble) is we pay for these repairs and then another expensive repair comes along in the next year or so. The current oil leaks shouldn't affect the trade-in value since they don't inspect trade-ins that thoroughly and it's not obvious in that you can't smell oil burning. There are no other issues with the car.

$3,500 would equal about 6-7 months of payments if we got a new car. I'm leaning toward Lexus CPO for the better reliability and because it's my wife's car. She likes BMW's, but doesn't drive it hard enough to justify spending more for a better driving car.

So, any advice? Is this the tip of the iceberg with regards to repairs on these? Are the current Covid deals worth getting something new?