Repair vs. Replace? Replace with WHAT though?

[roadrash]

Greetings!

I've been lucky enough to have a trustworthy mechanic as long as I've owned my 318ti. He has owned several 318ti's and loves them so I just followed his suggestions regarding maintenance and everything has gone pretty well.

But now we're battling oil leaks. He's dealt with most of the easy/typical leaks, but it looks like it's going to be one of the big/expensive ones now. It's one of those situations where if you fix "this," it's cheaper in the long run to go ahead and replace "that" while you've done all the work to access "this" and it would only be a little more work to access "that." So, a rough guesstimate of $2500-3000 to replace the 3 major seals and the car isn't worth that.

He suggested that I start shopping for another car due to the cost of repairs vs. the value of the car. There are a variety of factors to weigh, but one of the major factor that makes me lean towards repairing the car is that I just don't know of another car that I'd like.

So... any suggestions on a replacement for the 318ti?

Also... I just saw the notice that this site is closing. Maybe that's a sign that it's time for me to sell the 318ti?

Sad times. *sigh*