Sorely miss my M3, but I have a long work commute now

[CHE///MIST3]

Looking for encouragement here!...but also maybe a voice of reason...

Last year I sold my beloved E92 with 6 spd to save up for a house and baby. Now, by God's good graces, we have achieved those goals, but our new house is yet further from my work. Each way is 65 miles of pure country highway ( I10 West to be exact) I'm currently doing that drive 5 days a week in my 328i and getting a true 27.5 mpg and will be racking up about 31,000 miles a year.

Should I buy a mid-higher mileage M3 and just drive the heck out of it for the next several years? I know the car very well, can maintain it easily at home or at my father's shop. I still have some of special tools for specific jobs on the E9X M3 model.

Does anyone else do such a long drive daily in their ///M, but feel bad about putting so many miles on the car? I mean we only live once, we have to go to work anyways, why not drive something that we enjoy every single minute of? ...however, does gas eventually become a burden, will I get tired of filling up 2-3 times in 5 days?...etc... I will probably be in this work position for the next 2-3 years. Ahhhhh what to do

GM

[Shiza]

When I first bought my M3 it was my DD but after putting 30k miles on it in 1 year and the gas was getting a bit ridiculous I decided to buy a second car to drive everyday. If you have the means keep the 328 for a daily and buy the M3 for a weekend car. It's a no brainer

[SYT_Shadow]

Hello

I am not the voice of reason you were perhaps waiting for

I put 100k miles on my E46M3 back in the day over 4 years. I absolutely loved every one of those miles. Since then I've added two E9X M3s and an X5 (and a Mini) to the family and sincerely feel that driving anything else is a waste of time.

The X5 (35i) gets the same mileage as the E9Xs, although has a bigger gas tank so more range which is nice. It is also more expensive to maintain than the E9Xs, although you don't see anyone saying that daily driving an X5 that many miles is heresy.

If you know the car well and have access to a shop I say do it. Buy a 80k mile car and do rod bearings, then put 100k miles on it and I think you will not regret it one bit!

[Scrippy]

2nd owner who got the car at 25,000. Since picking up the car I have put on 150,000 miles as a daily driver. I have zero regrets and smile every time I start this car. Congratulations on the baby and house. If you can pick up a nice used one and not break the bank, I'd say do it. Like you said you only live once. These cars will disappear soon to make way for the more efficient transportation. Enjoy them now so you have something to smile about later.

[pbonsalb]

If you can afford it, drive a fun car. Seems like you have a nice drive as well.

[JDM_CL9]

^ Mirroring above - if you have the means to put that type of mileage on a E9X M3 and can stomach the depreciation, go enjoy!!!

[jqsmooth]

put 40k miles in one year. after i hit 100k mark, idgaf anymore. my goal is to hit 200k before i find something else to abuse. you take care of the car, it'll take care of you.

[CHE///MIST3]

I bought my 328i in 2014 at 66K miles, and have driven it almost relentlessly and it's "only" up to 161K miles. It does not feel nor look "old", it is silky smooth on the highway, and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. I too, believe if we take care of these cars they will do the same for us....and IF something major did break, i'd consider it a "toll fee" for passing a certain number of miles. There is no way I could buy anything new, today, that would make me as happy as an E92 M3 for less than 30K, no way. I'm glad to see so many folks on this forum enjoying theirs just as much as when they got it. That is truly reassuring.

Once we get an SUV for the wife, i'm shopping again for another M3 as my daily ...and the 328i can stick around for shorter drives in town.

Thanks for the input everyone.

GM

[SYT_Shadow]

Taking good care of cars really extends their lifetime.

That E46M I put 100k on? I sold it with 180k to a track buddy who turned it into a dedicated track car... two years later he sold it to another guy for the track as well.
The current owner got in touch with me the other day to say the car was still going strong!

[Ab28]

Originally Posted by CHE///MIST3

...however, does gas eventually become a burden, will I get tired of filling up 2-3 times in 5 days?...etc... I will probably be in this work position for the next 2-3 years. Ahhhhh what to do

Just sold my second E9x two days ago...mainly because of the gas mileage.

Now I know that sounds crazy, but it really started to bother me. I was filling up every 2-3 days. And I was driving it like a senior citizen to and from work.

It wasn't the cost, but the frequency. Between the small tank, low mpg, and high revving nature of the S65 it just pours out the back. The E9x cars are fine to DD if you don't mind filling up all the time, but they may be better suited for weekend cars in this regard.

If your commute is 65 miles each way, you're going to be filling up A LOT. Rough math...
130 miles roundtrip, ~20mpg because of the highways is 6.5 gallons a day. Every 2 days is 13 gallons which is basically a full fuel up. I think this will add up to more than you'd think. Every 2-3 days would be $500-700 a month in gas. Not far off from where I was. I think my worst month was actually $450 on the nose.

$450 divided by $3 per gallon is 150 gallons and at ~15 MPG mixed it would be about 10 stops.

I love the platform and the cars, but it became a hassle. If the tank had been 20 gallons instead of 16 it might have made the difference in perception of frequency.

As a car guy I understand that life is short and you should drive what you want, but this was a case of life is too short to be getting gas all the time.

Simply giving my opinion as we were driving similar distances.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[bkfastwagon]

If I was spending that much time in a car per day, I would like to have something I will look forward to get into every single time. That's got to mean something.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by lat77

If your commute is 65 miles each way, you're going to be filling up A LOT. Rough math...
130 miles roundtrip, ~20mpg because of the highways is 6.5 gallons a day. Every 2 days is 13 gallons which is basically a full fuel up. I think this will add up to more than you'd think. Every 2-3 days would be $500-700 a month in gas. Not far off from where I was. I think my worst month was actually $450 on the nose.

$450 divided by $3 per gallon is 150 gallons and at ~15 MPG mixed it would be about 10 stops.
.

I'm with you on the frequency of fillups. But in terms of cost, it would cost the same to put those miles on my 35i X5 and everyone would nod and think 'that's a reasonable car to drive'.

I'm in Canada today and drove the Mini, which has the same range as an M3. It's not pleasant to stop every 3h but I also think in my mind that I'm feeding the car, so it helps these things not get on my nerves. 'Oh the car is hungry, time to feed'

[tooloud10]

If the costs involved aren't an issue to you, go for it. It's just a car and they're made to be driven.

I wouldn't feel bad at all about putting miles on an E9x M3. These aren't exotics that can't be replaced.

[Helmsman]

Happy to daily my M3 but would not do 130 miles a day or even half. If I hadn't current short commute and garage waiting in both ends I'd be driving another car. Thats how special this car is in my eyes.

Keep running that nice 328 and get an M3 for the weekends if you have the funds and space.

[CHE///MIST3]

Originally Posted by lat77

Just sold my second E9x two days ago...mainly because of the gas mileage.

Now I know that sounds crazy, but it really started to bother me. I was filling up every 2-3 days. And I was driving it like a senior citizen to and from work.

...I understand what you mean about filling up so frequently, I get a little annoyed having to fill up twice with the 328....the M3 would require 3 fill-ups with one of those lasting through Monday morning, then having to fill up that same afternoon after work. Its less time than stopping to get a coffee or slice of pizza every couple of days, though....so it will either bother me, or it won't because it's the car I want. Definitely something to consider.

GM

[M43S7RO]

How about getting an M for weekend drives and an efficient commuter? The savings in gas can pay for the commuter and then some.

I don't know what your commutes are like but commuting isn't fun to me as its normally a lot of traffic and straight line highways. Additionally, I'm normally hauling my son around so no spirited driving. So I have a hybrid commuter that gets me from a to b at > 40mpg. The M I save for having fun and that way I don't have to worry about possibly getting hit by a bad driver in rush hour traffic, door dings, etc etc.

Just a thought.

[CHE///MIST3]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I also think in my mind that I'm feeding the car, so it helps these things not get on my nerves. 'Oh the car is hungry, time to feed'

LOL, yeah I did the same thing when I had mine, somehow it was ok to fuel up with Shell 93 every few days because I felt it was good for her. I could visualize the carbon deposits just disappearing and all the internal wear points staying happy with hot fresh oil as I ran that motor up to 7-8K. The things we do/think... to justify

GM

[randrews15]

Originally Posted by Shiza

When I first bought my M3 it was my DD but after putting 30k miles on it in 1 year and the gas was getting a bit ridiculous I decided to buy a second car to drive everyday. If you have the means keep the 328 for a daily and buy the M3 for a weekend car. It's a no brainer

Boom!! Enough said in my book on this suggestion.

[GRUESOM3]

Keep 328 i can see you hitting 400k with a n52 easily with a m3 and s65 I'm not convinced yet.

[KevinGS]

The notion of "feeling bad about putting so many miles on my car" is hilarious to me, Che. It's an object, an appliance, for which we pour our emotions into based on how it looks and "feels". This comment would make more sense to me if we were talking about riding around on horses in the 1800s, because horses are actually living things...so we should then care how much we "use" them from day to day. A car? Come on, man....

Just drive the damn car, every day if you'd like, just take care of it. These ain't cars we bought at an auction for $2.5 million, these are cars that costs less than today's best Civics and Altimas, easily replaced with another E9X with so many in the market.

I drive my E93 all the time, though it's not my only car. I drive it the most though, only driving others when I need to haul 2+ people or if the weather isn't dry....including trips to the grocery store, to visit friends, to run local errands...even when it's cold out, because it's a decent enough "coupe" as well with the top up. And I take trips all the time, as long as possible.

Thus, I'll average about 28,000 to 30,000 miles per year, smiles upon smiles......in my 2013 E93 bought with 36,000 miles back in November 2017. It now has 73,000 miles, so 37,000 miles in about 18 months....which is about my normal average for all of the fun cars I've ever owned.

It's a car, and we only live once.....and I damn sure didn't buy it to preserve it with lower miles for any possible next owner. And if and when it goes KAPUT!, I'll decide then whether to jump to a 911 (which I'll drive the exact same way, averaging about 30,000 miles per year, taking as many trips as possible), or get another E9X, all while keenly watching how much I'm drawn to the next M3 generation, the G80....though I haven't warmed to the style of the latest 3 series, yet.

I think buying a higher-mileage E9X is fine, just get all the maintenance records and have a mechanic thoroughly check it out. E9Xs were well-built. So find a good deal on one, and then simply drive it and enjoy it, daily. If you don't, you'll most likely regret it later in life as a car enthusiast....realizing that you don't get to relive it. I promise you that experiencing the joy of driving right now at whatever age you are, it won't be the same when you're 60 or 70, if we're all lucky enough to live that long. If you love driving, then enjoy it now, while you can....as none of us are promised the means or ability (or the desire) to drive such great machines later.

[CHE///MIST3]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

If you don't, you'll most likely regret it later in life as a car enthusiast....realizing that you don't get to relive it. I promise you that experiencing the joy of driving right now at whatever age you are, it won't be the same when you're 60 or 70, if we're all lucky enough to live that long. If you love driving, then enjoy it now, while you can....as none of us are promised the means or ability to drive later.

^ I'm 35 and in still good health thankfully...….so I guess I should just buy it and drive it ASAP. It couldn't be simpler.

GM

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by CHE///MIST3

^ I'm 35 and in still good health thankfully...….so I guess I should just buy it and drive it ASAP. It couldn't be simpler.

GM