As I headed up 22nd Ave to my house, I couldn’t help notice this rather scruffy BMW 528e. Especially since its rear tire was flat, and the front wheel was sporting a temporary spare. A breakdown? I’m always willing to help.
I stepped along side it to get a profile shot, when I noticed something inside. Whoa!
I’m pretty tactless, but I didn’t really feel right about getting a close up of the person sleeping across the front seats. But his ffet are clearly visible in this crop of the picture above. Ok…
There was a not on the windshield, but I didn’t read it. Was it to him, or from him? A neighbor said he called the police, who told him there’s no crime in sleeping in one’s car. It was gone the next day. I wonder if he just drove off on the flat rear tire?
A sad thing to see , the once mighty gone to seed .
-Nate
The car or its resident?
Seems like someone who’s fallen on hard times. And I’m surprised the police didn’t arrive to roust the guy. Where I’m from, sleeping in your car (that is, if you fit the “transient” profile) is frowned upon if it’s done in somewhat plain view.
Cops in the NW cities have so much bullshit to deal with now that stuff like that is a low priority. Homelessness is out of control, and it’s becoming pretty obvious to even the casual observer. I blame the Urban Growth Boundaries of Oregon for artificially driving housing prices up, under the guise of enenvironmental protection.
And California and Washington don’t have homeless as a result,right 🙂
No Paul ;
Those are just _Hippies_ ~ they like living outside and being dirty……=8-)
My sarcasm Font is broken)
Yeah , right .
Homelessness sucks and is an embarrassment to America .
-Nate
A cautionary tale of what happens when someone of modest means tries to own a BMW. I suspect this fellow had a tidy little house somewhere until the transmission went, and then after $2000 here and $3000 there to keep his ultimate driving machine driving, well here we are.
So the dude is completely homeless because his shit box needed a transmission?
Have you ever wrenched on an e28?
Eric,
My Volvo specialist is also a BMW-certified technician – and he despises working on E28s any time they come into his shop. He says they aren’t that much fun to work on, especially if a 528e needs a transmission or timing belt.
Nice to hear the cops left him alone. Although, if it’s not illegal to sleep in that car, I wonder if it is illegal to actually drive it, given its condition.
In a slightly related incident, I once took a tour group to a viewpoint looking across a bay towards a castle. There was a woman sleeping in a rental car with the windows open and a female tourist in my group actually leaned into the car to take photos of her!
Even though the car looks in a bad shape, there isn’t something technically preventing him from driving it by laws ( usually emission is extempt by this age. There is no clear rust hole and as long as the windshield is intact, lights are working he is alright ) even though by law it’s illegal to drive with a cracked windshield, it takes a close spot to see a small crack, and for most of the time the cops just don’t see that closely.
I also wonder about the legality of driving around on that donut/temp spare for a long time. Most of them have a maximum speed stamped into the sidewall, and in my experience, it’s usually between 45 and 55 mph. So one would think that, if nothing else, if he tried to get on the highway with that, he could be ticketed.
Oregon has no safety inspection and the police are relatively chill when it comes to beaters
Sounds like my kind of place.
I hate yearly inspections. I worry that it’s going to cost me to get that goddamn TPMS sensor reset on my Civic and that will definitely be an issue in an inspection.
As the owner of an old (1998) BMW, I can easily attest that maintenance costs can ‘drive’ you to homelessness. The little green pieces below are (were) a gear in the passenger seat tilt/recline mechanism. It’s about as big as the end of a finger. $406 to replace -at an independent BMW shop yesterday. $55 for the gear itself. Naturally, the seat failed in full recline, so it couldn’t just be ignored. Perhaps also worthy of note is that it’s my wife’s car, has 67,000 miles on it, and has probably only had 40 people even sit in the passenger in all those years. Low miles are no guarantee of low maintenance costs
BMW = Bring My Wallet
BMW = Bavarian Money Waster .
-Nate
BMW = Boerenkool Met Worst.
That’s the reason why people are still buying Lincoln despite the Ford roots ( as long as it doesn’t start with Granada or some way too humble cars ) because coming to the repairs and parts, it’s usually not more complex or expensive than a corresponding Ford ( as long as the mechanics don’t charge higher for the badge only ) but air ride system is always a big hassle though.
Seems like Lexus figured out this trick and they are pushing so many ES just like the old V6 Continental decades ago.
Old age, not just mechanical stress, kills plastic, at least in dry climates. Petrochemicals degrade. I was just talking with a coworker yesterday about how bad plastic is for long-term durability: he told me he had to have 4 window mechanisms repaired on his F-150 within a couple weeks, only one of which got much usage.
My otherwise durable 88 Accord’s outer-vent levers broke after 120Kmi or so, and they never got much use either.
The plastic grill falls into pieces probably even in the ’90s, and the second owner used a lot of super glue to hold it up. By 2013 I’m using more super glue and iron wire to hold it up. Probably by 2030 the current intact part will fail also.
I’m glad plastic wasn’t widely used on this car though. Metal linkage gets worn out in door handles and latches, but it keeps squeaking and working.
$400 for that! Wow!? I would have just cut a 2×6 to length and wedged it behind the seat. Good as new… plus you can’t offer rides! 😉
There’s a guy on the “other” site who goes by the handle of Crabspirits. He writes great fictional accounts of the last days of decrepit vehicles. This one doesn’t quite qualify because it isn’t one of Murilee’s junkyard finds. Still, I’d love to read whatever he could come up on this.
CS is good, as in “can we have him start writing here right now?” good.
In 1975 I saw someone like that, lying in his car in a municipal parking lot in Santa Rosa, CA.
He didn’t look right; his skin was pale.
And he was cold.
He sure didn’t drive HIS car away!
Looks like what would have happened to Michael Keaton if he never got sober in Clean and Sober. He drove a 528e too.
Could be motorhomeless or just a vagabond. Back in August 2013 as my folks and I were driving up I-5 from Cali to the Emerald City every rest stop we stopped at had 1-3+ cars that people were living in; usually they were asking for money. I slept in my vehicle for three weeks going across the country with no problems, but I was not sleeping in residential areas. I have always figured the Land Use & Conservation Act of 1973 to be a good thing with greatly outweighed benefits.
I am surprised that someone called the police on this fellow since I thought Eugene was more laid back. I remember last Summer this young couple with a kid from Nevada parked their 30 foot motor home next to 5712 NE Glisan St. for about a week and the only complaint was left on a note, no cops involved. Since 57th Avenue is narrow no one could park across the street from the RV which ate up parking. There are a bunch of RVs around here that are long term housing and I do feel even more sorry for people that only have a car.
How do people that down & out keep their tags & insurance legal?
$150 a year for registration and $80 a month for insurance is doable for a lot of low-wage workers, while the few thousand bucks you need for first and last month’s rent and security deposit is not. And you can always choose to drop the insurance and take your chances on getting caught. It’s long been observed how expensive being poor is; all kinds of businesses in this country directly profit through the exploitation of people who have jobs but don’t make enough to break out of a hand-to-mouth existence.
(Thanking my lucky stars.)
Oregon is pretty cheap to register vehicles in and depending on where you register there is also no DEQ test which makes things easier.
Depends on the neighborhood. In some, there’s scads of parked vans, buses and old motorhomes. Here, not.
Gotcha.
OrangeChallenger:
I lived in Tn. the last 22 years. 4 areas in that state have “sniffer tests” to get a license plate or to renew. In 1991 I (foolishly) thought my new to me 73 Capri was going to be exempt from the test….it WASN’T. I was told at the local DMV that age was not an exemption. I believe Pa. has a very similar “set-up” in that folks living in a few major cities MUST get emissions tests on vehicles while those in rural counties do not.
Here in Florida it appears “anything goes”. There used to be an annual inspection but apparently it was ended due to it’s not being effective. My DD has a VERY visible pair of cracks in the windshield and the front bumper has been “smacked” hard twice. 1 or 2 times I have seen police officers look at it pretty close….but nothing was said.
I doubt car repairs cause most people to become homeless, but that once they are homeless repair costs keep them homeless.
BTW it’s an unwritten/natural universe law: when a seat fails IT’S ALWAYS IN RECLINE POSITION.
That’s harsh. Wasn’t it pretty common for cars in the early 70s to fail emissions tests even when new? Or did states not even conduct those regularly back then?
I live/grew up in Florida and yes, anything goes. My weekend home repair project truck, a ’93 Ford Ranger has a broken muffler, no turn signals, and a cracked windshield. Not to mention the piece of duct tape covering the CEL.
Since I try to hide the crack from Jethro and Cleetus with the sun visor, I’ve never had a problem with it, although I did get a ticket once in high school for driving my old Cougar with a very noticeable spider web crack across the passenger side windshield. Bald tires are also grounds for a citation, but I’ve seen plenty of sketchy ones on people’s cars nonetheless.
I guess the cops have too many spring breakers and face eating vagrants to deal with to care much about my beater pickup.
It’s really harsh. Or it’s just an excuse to get rid of older cars ( as in China or Singapore they always blame air pollution on cars and they require every car to meet current emission standard. There is no way a ’50s car can meet emission standard ) I don’t know if in TN they require by current standard or the year of manufacture though, and if they require by manufacture year the car has better chance to live on.
The trend has been for states to drop annual inspections, probably because it’s popular with voters, who don’t want to pay for them, and who don’t want Big Government telling them they can’t drive their clapped-out rolling junkpile with four bald mismatched tires, bad brakes, rotted frame, and fart-can muffler despite the threat it poses to everyone else. I know New Jersey has dropped its inspection requirements within the past few years. New York (where I live) is one of the few states to still require annual emissions and safety inspections statewide (I think Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are the others). I believe there are exemptions in New York for cars over 25 years old that are registered as “historic vehicles,” so collectors’ cars shouldn’t be affected. I’m fine with our inspection laws, since I can only imagine the kinds of insane vehicles that would be on the road here if New York lifted these requirements.
In NY 1995 model year and earlier vehicles do not have to pass emissions testing and (random fact) vehicles built before the 1990 model year do not need a rear bumper. Compared to PA, NY is pretty free spirited when it comes to rusty vehicles
I remember many states just don’t want to deal with OBD I cars.
It’s not that I’m bothered by “big government”. I’m bothered by the idea that you could keep up maintenance on your car and still fail an inspection, even if it’s a sensor.
It’s rare to see cars beaten up to shit on VT roads. I think that’s one positive that comes out of “big government”.
That’s the benefit from driving a carburetor car, because check engine light is gone for good and it reduces a lot of stress.
It has effects on both sides.
I don’t like how cars suddenly get the suspension towels poked through on a random bump in Michigan, and it takes a lot of skill to properly avoid hitting them. I saw quite a handful of cars having the wheel spinning off on road or even on Interstate, it’s quite awful. It’s safety inspection. For emission inspection, I am not a big fan of that but it’s stretching too far when you can smell the abnormal exhaust from the car in front of you, or getting engine oil spitted all over the car.
But on the other hand, without inspection there is always some beaten up cars or running down odd models getting salvaged later to be a show car, as a part of preserving the history. On top of that, I think for the amount of salt they put on road in Michigan, they would feel guilty themselves if they impose safety inspection. And with annual inspection, probably half McDonald will go out of business in Michigan too ( where 16yo kid drives a cheese like ’90s Monte Carlo to work )
Poor guy. I bet he wishes he had that ’69 Ford XL down the street.
He needs a Nash!
I now want an old Nash. For one or two people who travel lightly, I could see how that could be pretty handy!
Dried out plastic is probably killing more cars than lots of miles. 2000 Buick and all 4 window regulators failed; 2 on the same day! The back seat ones! Dealer cost is $1600 to fix all of them…
I’m just astonished at the cost of simple repairs at the dealer. My 2002 Durango had its driver window suddenly fall into the door.
The window regulator was mostly very heavy metal, but attachments at various points had plastic connections, and those failed at 13 years of age in very cold weather.
The dealer wanted about $250.00 for the regulator / motor combo part, and about the same for installation.
I went online and found a regulator / motor combo for just under $80.00 including shipping. It had several very good reviews. There were a couple of good You Tube videos on how to change my particular unit. It was actually sort of an enjoyable weekend project. An experienced person would have needed under an hour to do the work.
A $420.00 price spread for do it yourself vs. dealer service is ridiculous. The little plastic bits on the otherwise very heavy duty regulator were also a disappointment – they are on both the original unit and the replacement.
Consider yourself fortunate that you can do your own work. I do a lot of my own maintenance and consider my self blessed because so many simply can’t. Much like intelligence or talent, this is a gift.
You would be amazed at how many don’t know which end of a screwdriver to use and couldn’t care less.
Always amazed me BMW’s had a tool kit on the trunk lid. Most BMW owners I knew only knew how to use a cell phone.
Bob
Same thing on the Buick; they anchored the cables into nylon that eventually developed the strength of a potato chip, and that failed.
This has to be completely intentional; anchoring the cable in metal was just as easy/cheap as the plastic. But the OEM’s need you to junk that 13 year old car and buy a new one. And if you won’t, the dealer (whom the OEM’s really think is their customer, not us that actually drive them) needs the work in the service and parts departments; that’s what keeps the dealers solvent…
My 99 Outback doesn’t have AC at the moment: a plastic threaded widget in the AC belt tensioner crumbled last fall when I went to swap the accessory belts…PITA and a hard-to-track-down-save-for-a-junk-yard-visit part.
Weighs on the old car vs. value of time equation.
Not that it matters (or would matter), but I decided to run a Carfax on the BMW using the Oregon tag number – it’s a 1986, the same year as the subject car in a past CC article about BMW.
Is the headliner falling down?
How sad that someone has to sleep rough.I used to make sandwiches and hot drinks for the homeless at the Methodist church.
Could be he got a flat late at night, his spare is already on the front so since he is struck for now he decided to get some sleep and is a heavy sleeper. Obviously not rich, maybe not homeless.
My Mom’s 1998 5 series has been an excellent car, granted it only has 77,000 miles on it. Yet when it does need something it can be costly. Still, the cost of a new one highly exceeds fixing the old one, and it has for the most part been very dependable, so she has chosen to hold on to it.
My nephew’s 2007 X5, on the other hand, has been an absolute nightmare. Thousands of dollars have been spent to keep that thing on the road, and it just never seems to stop breaking. A BMW is a nice ride, but watch out when you’re out of warranty.