35,000 miles a year...

[imported_Dave]

I am in sales and I am dropping over 35,000 miles a year on cars. I just bought a 135i...am I going to regret this decision (Fuel economy, replacing tires, highway ride feel, depreciation....etc)? Any thoughts would be helpful!

[gargoyal]

Yes, you will regret it !!

I would try to get a 128 quick. performance turbo engines are famous for having shorter life spans. I have always treated 60,000 miles like 100,000 miles when it comes to forced induction(FI) engines. FI adds more stress on your engine. More stress cause things to break sooner.

After you have 70,000 on your car, the resale will decrease drastically. again 60,000 miles is the magic number for turbo cars.

[emm3tt]

I have 2 cars, but my annual driving is about that much. I would have preferred the 128i ideally, but to add the sporty items I wanted would have put it at the same price as an equally-equipped 135i.

[crex]

just buy two of them! or 1 135 and a toyota prius hybrid/honda fit

[imported_Dave]

Originally Posted by emm3tt

I have 2 cars, but my annual driving is about that much. I would have preferred the 128i ideally, but to add the sporty items I wanted would have put it at the same price as an equally-equipped 135i.

This is my problem exactly. When I price out a 128i the way I would like it, it just makes more sense to add a couple more grand and get the 135i. I am driving a Honda Civic right now and I was looking to step it up. But I would prefer to not step it up into a money sink if the car isn't going to be smart to drive thousands and thousands of miles.

[instantexpert]

A quote to me from last weekend...

"A poor man drives a new BMW, a rich man drives a used one"

An out of warranty BMW is an expensive vehicle to maintain. If you stick with the dealer, you'll be spending thousands on oil changes and inspections on top of any extra costs due to warranty issues.

I have owned two BMW E46 3series. If you take a look at E46fanatics you will find a number of items on the E46 cars that wear out way too fast. My first E46 had problem after problem. Sunroof, remote access controller, control arms, trunk lock, shock mounts. My current E46 (5K out of warranty) just had the transmission, clutch, flywheel, brakes, rear differential seal, and front control arms replaced. This week I get to replace the rear shocks.

To sum up:
-Inspection I - $600 last time I paid for one at a dealer. I think these are close to $1000 now
-Inspection II - I never paid for one at a dealer but look at >>$1K
-Oil Change - Last time I paid a dealer $200

Your car goes through this cycle, incrementing at each service (scheduled at 15K miles each): oil change, Inspection I, Oil Change, Inspection II, Oil Change, Inspection I, Oi...

-Brakes - If you do it yourself $200 (for an E46) in aftermarket parts for the front alone. Expect to replace these once a year or more at your rate.
-Tires - 18" performance tires run around $200 a piece. I think run flats are more. You're going to go through at least a set of these a year. Also remember to buy winter tires if you drive anywhere it snows and be careful of the potholes. It doesn't take much to bend a wheel.


So, after a year and a half or so, it's going to cost you >2K/year to just keep operating the car.

If they sell an extended full maintenance/warranty plan, buy it. Alternatively, buy a Corolla/Civic/Fit/Yaris whatever as your daily driver.

If you can pay for the car in a year and a half, then never mind. Cost isn't an issue to you and you can just buy the replacement.

[Dr_Jones]

this is a crazy thread. im going to go hang myself now

[Mic]

Originally Posted by Dr_Jones

this is a crazy thread. im going to go hang myself now

at least I'm not the oly one

[Brandon26pdx]

Originally Posted by Dave

I am in sales and I am dropping over 35,000 miles a year on cars. I just bought a 135i...am I going to regret this decision (Fuel economy, replacing tires, highway ride feel, depreciation....etc)? Any thoughts would be helpful!

I'd say you'll regret putting 35,000 miles/yr on any car newer and more expensive than say, an 8-10 year old Honda Civic worth $4-5 grand.

[syenisch]

Talk about some negative Nancy's in this thread.... let me get my checkbook out - I'm stoked!

[Brandon26pdx]

He can buy a $40k BMW and have it be worth $18k in 24 months if he wants to. He's just asking for opinions I think.

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Dave

This is my problem exactly. When I price out a 128i the way I would like it, it just makes more sense to add a couple more grand and get the 135i. I am driving a Honda Civic right now and I was looking to step it up. But I would prefer to not step it up into a money sink if the car isn't going to be smart to drive thousands and thousands of miles.

Sounds like keeping your civic is a great idea. It gets great milage and maintenance costs are much much lower than a 135i. If you really want the 135i then I say go for it, but as a pleasure car, not a work car.

By driving 35,000 miles a year thats about 3 times the average person (assuming the average person drives 12,000 miles per year). That means you will need 3 times more fuel, oil, tires, etc which are all expensive for a BMW (compared to the civic).

Its up to you but having a separate work and fun car sounds like a much better plan. If you were planning on using the civic trade-in as a down payment on the BMW think of it this way: the money you save by using the civic as your daily driver will more than cover the price you would get for the trade-in.

[PA135i]

Originally Posted by Dr_Jones

this is a crazy thread. im going to go hang myself now

Tie 2 knots please. I wanna join ...

[imported_mega]

I would go for a 128 for sure, that engine platform is bulletproof

[WhiteOne]

If I had to drive 35,000 miles a year, I can't think of a car I would rather do it in. You could cover the same ground cheaper (VW tdi) but your smile will not be as big.

[balaroue]

OK folks, lets just forget keeping the civic. It wouldn't be a real world solution. Who, seriously... is going to walk past a 1 every morning to get in a civic?

[NickmanBMW]

c'mon bmw... listen to your loyal customers/fans bring over the 123d and get the best of both worlds

[ptack]

So long as you are willing to replace the car after about 4 years, don't worry about it. Now if you think you're going to be able to get 200,000 or more miles out of it, think again. With a lot of TLC it could be done, but there will be no avoiding some major expenses the longer you go. Heck, I could easily get my 318i past 200,000 miles, but I would have to sink a good $2500 bucks into it immediately and that's basically a minimal annual cost at this point.
Look at it this way - if you're financing the car, you will eventually reach the end of the payments, however, by that point the warranty will have expired and your maintenance costs will begin to increase. You'll probably pay less, but you'll never not be paying for the car. If you're ok with that, drive on.

[M3A4135i]

everything said on here is true. I would probably get the 128i or you can keep the honda and enjoy the 135i on your off time. I put 45,000 miles on my first ever purchased scion TC and I could tell that the car wasnt gonna last another year like that. what gargoyal said sounds conviencing enough to me to not get the 135i if I was in your position... good luck

[emm3tt]

Originally Posted by balaroue

OK folks, lets just forget keeping the civic. It wouldn't be a real world solution. Who, seriously... is going to walk past a 1 every morning to get in a civic?

Lots of people have an economic car that they drive to keep miles off the "nice" car. I have a pristine '93 Miata LE that gets 36mpg that I have been driving for a year to keep miles off whatever my other car at the time is. I'll keep driving the Miata once I take delivery of my 1.

[imported_Dave]

Originally Posted by WhiteOne

If I had to drive 35,000 miles a year, I can't think of a car I would rather do it in. You could cover the same ground cheaper (VW tdi) but your smile will not be as big.

Wow first of all this forum is awesome! Everyone has so much to say!

Now just to add to this, I have to say I drive 35,000 miles a year but I get about 7000 dollars a year fixed reimbursement and 18-20 cents a mile on top of that...plus i absolutely love to drive! Add that into the equation of should I drive this or drive my Civic!

Thanks!

[gatorfast]

^well if thats the case then a 135i doesnt seem like a terrible deal. The milage reimbursement should just about cover gas and $7,000 a year can handle the majority of maintenance costs and car payments.