[miser]

I daily a Prius, which I bought for $4k with 160k miles. Now sitting at 197k, oil changes cost me $27 with auto zone promotions. $20 regular gas fill up. 40-50mpg, 350 miles on a tank.
I did the breaks, rotors, pads, drums for $200. Tires were $400.

It’s absolutely boring compared to the m3 but my wallet is happy, and I don’t care if this car gets scratches or blown up, I’ll buy another beater Toyota any day of the week.

Just get yourself a Toyota beater, drive it Monday-Thursday to work.

Enjoy your m3 Friday-Sunday

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by miser

I daily a Prius, which I bought for $4k with 160k miles. Now sitting at 197k, oil changes cost me $27 with auto zone promotions. $20 regular gas fill up. 40-50mpg, 350 miles on a tank.
I did the breaks, rotors, pads, drums for $200. Tires were $400.

It’s absolutely boring compared to the m3 but my wallet is happy, and I don’t care if this car gets scratches or blown up, I’ll buy another beater Toyota any day of the week.

Just get yourself a Toyota beater, drive it Monday-Thursday to work.

Enjoy your m3 Friday-Sunday

I think for most of us here, daily driving a Prius would be ROUGH. I've rented a lot of cars for work and the Prius, Jeep Compass, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Versa were ego killing for a car guy like me. I just couldn't stand the thought of people looking at me and thinking I would actually pay money for a car like that

[RM7]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I think for most of us here, daily driving a Prius would be ROUGH. I've rented a lot of cars for work and the Prius, Jeep Compass, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Versa were ego killing for a car guy like me. I just couldn't stand the thought of people looking at me and thinking I would actually pay money for a car like that

I rent a LOT of cars, doing a lot of travel.

The Prius impressed me by how it drove just like a "regular" car, no drama. Ergonomics for driver displays definitely left something on the table, but otherwise it wasn't like "driving a hybrid" or whatever, it was just a normal car.

[miser]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I think for most of us here, daily driving a Prius would be ROUGH. I've rented a lot of cars for work and the Prius, Jeep Compass, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Versa were ego killing for a car guy like me. I just couldn't stand the thought of people looking at me and thinking I would actually pay money for a car like that

I think you have bigger issues to deal with than, if you put that much placement on what people think about you

[quiksi]

27k a year? Lexus ES or Toyota Avalon

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I think for most of us here, daily driving a Prius would be ROUGH. I've rented a lot of cars for work and the Prius, Jeep Compass, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Versa were ego killing for a car guy like me. I just couldn't stand the thought of people looking at me and thinking I would actually pay money for a car like that

I could care less what people think, and still have zero interest in driving an econobox or truck or beater most of the time. I debadge my BMWs and own no econoboxes, beaters or trucks. If I had to drive a lot more than I do l, I’d get an even nicer car for that driving.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by miser

I think you have bigger issues to deal with than, if you put that much placement on what people think about you

Probably. Just being honest here. My 16 y/o daughter's friend saw my Cayman leaving the high school parking after a game a few months back and she leaned over to my daughter and said "A guy that drives a car like that has a small d!ck". My daughter said "Sarah, that's my dad!!". I told my daughter my d!ck is freaking tiny because I own both a Cayman and an M2. She and my wife got a big laugh out of it.

I could think of a TON of different cars I'd rather own than a Prius for a dirt cheap daily commuter that is also fun to drive and cheap to maintain. The prior generations Prius' annoy me. To me, they are f-ing ugly and dumb looking, tend to be driven very slowly, and drive terrible (slow and handle like a wet pork chop). My wife, who is far from a car person, had a Prius rental too once and she hated it. The new ones aren't bad though. Much better looking, much better performing, etc.

[dizz81]

Since July of 2024 I've had a daily work drive of 150 miles 5 days a week. I bought a lexus for the reliability and comfort and this RC350 has served me well and I've zero complaints.

Recently I purchased a 24 911 and have driven it on a few mountain runs and even drove to work twice now.

As much as I enjoy the lexus as a daily. I literally felt depressed when I got in it this morning to drive to work.

I would 1000% rather be driving my 911 every day as a daily instead of the lexus. I couldn't even imagine a Prius. I would never do it. Hell I'm looking at getting rid of the lexus now as well and just driving the 911. I didn't get pull PPF on it to have it collect dust in the garage....

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Here’s the easy answer. You have an E90 M3 with only 73,000 miles. Don’t screw that up!!!!! Get another car to put the miles on!!!!! I hate EVs, so I would probably get some kind of “beater”. But, if an be EV works for you that might be okay. I would have a hard time giving up an M3 to drive a non-BMW. Maybe consider an F30 330i?


This guy is in NY and has had his car for sale forever. He hasn’t had it overpriced and from what I can tell it’s in good condition, so I have no idea why it hasn’t sold. It’s very well equipped. You might want to check it out.
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2018366

These Prius posts influenced me and I’m gonna repost my earlier recommendation. I honestly don’t think there is anything wrong with this car, but I admit I can’t figure out why it hasn’t sold. He’s down to $15,200 and I’ll bet if you offered $14,750 he’d take it. To me this strikes a happy medium. You get to continue driving a BMW, but not spend too much money and have what is proving to be one of the most reliable powertrains BMW has produced. I have no doubt you could drive this 27k per year for four years, probably more, without having any mechanical problems.

edit: I forgot to mention, you mentioned your wife is thinking she might want a car. If y’all planned a little she could drive this car on days she needs to go somewhere and you could take the M3 on those days.

I’ll throw one more idea out there. A 2016 - 2018 F30 320i!! Lots of people rag on the 320i, but I’m a big fan of it!! It has all the grunt you really need and it’s a lot of fun, because you can wind it up and really use all the motor has to offer. I will give this caveat, you need to drive it in sport mode to have the most fun.

[tturedraider]

This car is overpriced by at least $2,500, but it’s in Florida. Something to keep in mind regarding Florida dealers. Charging a $1,000 documentation fee on top of the sale price is pretty much the norm in Florida. Almost all dealers across the country charge a documentation fee, but Florida does not limit the fee and it is out of control there.

Anyway, a 2018 320i with the sport pkg (very rare) and only 16,000 miles. It has the 704 sport suspension and staggered 18” wheels and tires. It had two very low mileage driving owners. Not super surprising in Florida, because there are a lot of retirees. I know it’s probably way over what you have in mind, but I’m sharing it just because it’s such low mileage and it’s a sport pkg 320i.
https://www.championautofl.com/used/...2d7fa6f11b.htm

[zachdog]

I wouldn't put over 15k per year on an M car. I understand the question, as that's the car I'd prefer to drive. Find something comfortable that you can afford to put in the shop for repairs and drive it into the ground as your daily.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by zachdog

I wouldn't put over 15k per year on an M car. I understand the question, as that's the car I'd prefer to drive. Find something comfortable that you can afford to put in the shop for repairs and drive it into the ground as your daily.

+1
To me it's not even price I need to pay for gas and repairs / maintenance, it's just the fact than M cars require more frequent and more thorough maintenance (like changing spark plugs every 30k, valve adjustment every 60k, rod bearings every 80k?). And considering I'm doing all these myself (don't trust any mechanic ) it all leads to long downtime and necessity to find a substitution to commute on anyway

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by vt100

+1
To me it's not even price I need to pay for gas and repairs / maintenance, it's just the fact than M cars require more frequent and more thorough maintenance (like changing spark plugs every 30k, valve adjustment every 60k, rod bearings every 80k?). And considering I'm doing all these myself (don't trust any mechanic ) it all leads to long downtime and necessity to find a substitution to commute on anyway

Which M cars, aside from those with the S54, require valve adjustments every 60k? Which M cars, aside from those with the S54, S65 and S85 require rod bearings every 80k?

I DIYed the rod bearings on my 08 E90 M3 at 60k as preventative maintenance. Took me a bit over a day. The high revving motors do seem to require extra maintenance and the OP does have on E9x M3. He did not respond to my question of whether the rod bearings have been done.

I like nice cars and understand they require more maintenance. I DIY pretty much everything as well. There are owners of nice cars who don’t like to drive them much and there are owners who like to drive them as much as possible.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Which M cars, aside from those with the S54, require valve adjustments every 60k? Which M cars, aside from those with the S54, S65 and S85 require rod bearings every 80k?

I DIYed the rod bearings on my 08 E90 M3 at 60k as preventative maintenance. Took me a bit over a day. The high revving motors do seem to require extra maintenance and the OP does have on E9x M3. He did not respond to my question of whether the rod bearings have been done.

I like nice cars and understand they require more maintenance. I DIY pretty much everything as well. There are owners of nice cars who don’t like to drive them much and there are owners who like to drive them as much as possible.

Sorry if I missed your question. Rod bearings were done ar 52,000 miles with BPC shells and the throtle actuators were replaced with Euro Power rebuilt units. Thermostat was also done recently as well.

I’m not too worried about these cars as the known stuff is known so to speak, and outside of that they’re pretty reliable. Probably will have to deal with valve covers and gaskets for leaking at some point

[pbonsalb]

With replaced rod bearings, I personally would not hesitate to drive it 27k miles per year. I sold mine after 10 years at 110k miles (with replace rod bearings and great maintenance) because it was no longer as comfortable to me, I wanted a little more space to haul stuff when I needed to, I wanted AWD to put the power down under more conditions and for winter, and I wanted an automatic. Depreciation, maintenance costs, fuel cost and wear and tear are just indications to me of how much enjoyment I have gotten out of the car.

You find the car comfortable and it has the space you need. You like driving it, you have other cars to drive if it goes in the shop, you can afford to maintain and repair it, and you are OK with getting half the MPG of an econobox.

But my views seem to be in the minority here. Most people here are not happy driving a nice car many miles. They like to own one, but are afraid of maintenance and repair costs, wear and tear that makes it cosmetically less attractive, and lower resale value from the added miles. They are happier driving beaters, econoboxes or trucks. I agree that people should do what they are comfortable with — no point in letting a car stress you out.

Give us a 1 year update. Maybe you will have bought an EV with fancy cruise control for commuting. That would interest me more than the used Prius or Ford F150.

[Efthreeoh]

A BMW beater (even with 400,000 miles) beats every other beater, or even new Econoboxs. My 2-cents.

[vt100]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

A BMW beater (even with 400,000 miles) beats every other beater, or even new Econoboxs. My 2-cents.

I doubt it would beat a Porsche beater

PS: I know someone who has a beater Ferrari…

[vt100]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Which M cars, aside from those with the S54, require valve adjustments every 60k? Which M cars, aside from those with the S54, S65 and S85 require rod bearings every 80k?

I DIYed the rod bearings on my 08 E90 M3 at 60k as preventative maintenance. Took me a bit over a day. The high revving motors do seem to require extra maintenance and the OP does have on E9x M3. He did not respond to my question of whether the rod bearings have been done.

I like nice cars and understand they require more maintenance. I DIY pretty much everything as well. There are owners of nice cars who don’t like to drive them much and there are owners who like to drive them as much as possible.

Which cars? We all can speak of those cars we have or owned in the past in my case it’s a Z4M now and 335iS in the past. Both are not ideal beaters but for different reasons.

Speaking of DIYing, I’ve never been able to do any relatively complex work within a day simply cos I don’t even have all the parts available right away - you go there and realize that other things need to be addressed too since you’re already in this area, so order them, wait another week or two, and so on. Or accidentally break something when getting there (especially plastic parts, over time German plastic becomes very brittle).

[pbonsalb]

You made the statement about M cars needing valve adjustments and rod bearings statement, only one M engine made in the last 30 years, the S54, needs valve adjustments and only three, the S54, S65 and S85 are known for rod bearing issues. I was pointing out that your statement is misleading. Most M cars don’t need much extra maintenance.

When DIYing complex jobs, you should research the parts needed and read about what others have experienced doing the job. It is exceptionally rare I end up waiting a week or two for parts, and I have done a lot of DIY on BMWs and other cars. Maybe once or twice in the past 20 years, though 2-3 days occasionally. But as a general proposition, DIYers should have another car to drive while they are DIYing. This reduces the stress of rushing to put the car back together and allows you to do much more involved DIY work.