V8 m3: how costly to maintain as a higher mileage daily?

[Bemo]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Unfortunately there is no way to verify the condition without inspecting them. My guess is that 90% of cars are still on their original bearings. The scary part, though, is that 90% of the bearings that have been replaced look excessively worn.

I changed mine when my extended warranty expired in 2014. 60k on them at the time. They were excessively worn but I don’t think they were on the verge of failure. Many have have been posted that are worse.

No kidding!! If left unchanged, we can expect a steep curve of increased failure rates, which will leave us with a small subset of well-maintained cars.
We'll be feasting on blocks and other part outs while enjoying some price appreciation...

[drrust]

Originally Posted by Bemo

No kidding!! If left unchanged, we can expect a steep curve of increased failure rates, which will leave us with a small subset of well-maintained cars.
We'll be feasting on blocks and other part outs while enjoying some price appreciation...

From most posts, it seems that if a rod is thrown, or a main bearing goes, the block becomes compromised. My fear is that the costs of motors won't come down. On a high mileage vehicle it would be hard to justify replacing/rebuilding a motor.

My E90 has 156 K miles, it seems that when planning various maintenance items, I go through a "should I sell it" phase. Part of this is due to having to replace/upgrade long term wear items. As an example, I'm planning on replacing my struts/shocks with a low mileage ZCP set I have. While I'm doing that, should I replace portions of the front suspension? Maybe I should have the wheel bearings replaced too! If I replace the wheel bearings there's a nice update with the F series hubs, should I go for that? $$ adds up quick!

[M3MPH1S]

I bought my 2010 M3 in 2015 with 44k miles on it and I daily'd it for 3.5 years. 80 mile roundtrip commute (80% hwy), roughly 33k miles/year. 30 track days for 2.5 of those years. Current mileage 163k. I resigned it to track duty several months ago.

During my ownership so far, the only things that have ever left me stranded are the brake vacuum sensor at 103k and the starter dying at 127k. I replaced my throttle actuators at 133k. Luckily mine started failing gradually instead of all at once. I still have original rod bearings but my last oil test just showed up with high lead, so that's the end of the line for these little dudes.

avg around 18mpg
changed the oil every 8-9k
tires every ~25k
front rotors every ~60k
rear rotors (just recently) ~100k

I DIY all my stuff to save money and it's interesting to me. I tried my best to stay ahead of preventative maintenance.

Despite my best attempts to wear the car out, I didn't observe any increase in maintenance/running costs as the miles started to add up (aside from the inevitable rod bearing issue)

I totaled it up once and I think I averaged about $3k or $4k in maintenance/running costs per year (excluding gas) - $2k of that will be oil changes and tires

[akkando]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

My point is not only are you spending more money on maintenance, gas and consumables putting 20k/year on the M. You're also losing any potential the car could be worth if you only put say 4K/year. The accord and IS350 will depreciate regardless.

You don't have to sell it, savor it, enjoy it, the whole "saving it for the next guy" saying is played out, how enjoyable is putting 100 freeway miles a day on any car? I'd buy an economical car and a M if I was OP assuming he can store them both. it'll be cheaper over 5 years of ownership by far.

Dailying a E9x M 20k a year wouldn't be worth it to me personally, I think I average about 2k/miles a year on mine and I'm saving it for no one, I try pretty hard to break it every time I drive it.. if I could only have one car, it wouldn't be an e series m3..

Having to drive some boring car all day while the M is available makes me nauseous. I'd much rather be on the highway in my M than my previous Mazda. Getting into the M to go to work or go home is one of the things I look forward to every day. Yes it costs more money to do so but what good is making more money if I don't spend it on the things I enjoy? Also I don't want to have to evaluate if a particular drive is worthy of the depreciation it's going to put on the car, I just want to grab the keys and go. This isn't a Ferrari or even a Corvette, it's also not a race car. The whole point of these M cars is that they handle daily driving while also being a fun performance oriented car.

[Lowflight]

Originally Posted by M3MPH1S

I bought my 2010 M3 in 2015 with 44k miles on it and I daily'd it for 3.5 years. 80 mile roundtrip commute (80% hwy), roughly 33k miles/year. 30 track days for 2.5 of those years. Current mileage 163k. I resigned it to track duty several months ago.

During my ownership so far, the only things that have ever left me stranded are the brake vacuum sensor at 103k and the starter dying at 127k. I replaced my throttle actuators at 133k. Luckily mine started failing gradually instead of all at once. I still have original rod bearings but my last oil test just showed up with high lead, so that's the end of the line for these little dudes.

avg around 18mpg
changed the oil every 8-9k
tires every ~25k
front rotors every ~60k
rear rotors (just recently) ~100k

I DIY all my stuff to save money and it's interesting to me. I tried my best to stay ahead of preventative maintenance.

Despite my best attempts to wear the car out, I didn't observe any increase in maintenance/running costs as the miles started to add up (aside from the inevitable rod bearing issue)

I totaled it up once and I think I averaged about $3k or $4k in maintenance/running costs per year (excluding gas) - $2k of that will be oil changes and tires

Great post. I just bought a 67k mile E93 2012. The previous owner kept up the maintenance. New brakes all around. I have put 6k trouble free miles on it in a few months. I drove a lot for my job. Mostly highway with cruise set. My gas is free.

I started doing my own oil changes to save money. Michelins are about done. The fronts 40% Rears 20%.

Runs smooth. No noise. With the top down you can hear every little thing.

My BMW mechanic did a thourough check on the car before I bought it.

If anything goes wrong at this point, it won't be inherited from previous owner imho.

[STooK]

I love my car but no way can I use it as a daily. Like everyone said, operating costs are very high compared to a normal car and only you and your wallet can decide if it’s worth dailying.

[New2Roundel]

I don't think these make bad commuters from the perspective of the car making it through the daily grind to and from work. The are based on a fairly basic platform and most of the equipment isn't terribly exotic. However, it's the cost of the upkeep which becomes a problem. Nothing is cheap to replace on these cars, and the more M-specific the part, the more expensive it will be. This is not a car for someone who just wants to blow out miles and not worry much. I am a firm believer that these cars prefer to be driven than to sit, but there is a cost. These cars aren't fuel efficient either.

If it was me, I think I'd look into the smallest Lexus V8 (F series) or older AMG x63 car I could afford. A later version (14+?) of the previous generation of the C63 is also something I'd look into.

[pbonsalb]

AMG C63 or E63 will probably eat tires, guzzle gas and be expensive to repair and maintain. Might be more comfortable, though.

[pbonsalb]

I can’t afford to buy a reliable economy car I would consider driving instead. A Civic Type R is $35k. If I bought one of those so I could drive my M3 1/4 as much, it might take 20 years to pay for itself. Same goes for an Audi RS3. I would even consider a Model 3 Performance, but those cost $60k so it would still take a very long time to pay for itself in saved operating costs.

I am not going to drive a 10 year old Prius 6 days a week if I own an M3. I would not have bought an M3 if I could not afford to drive it. I would have bought a less expensive car that I could afford to drive.

[WingZeroX5]

Before I sold mine, I had 178K miles. The biggest cost for me was gas lol

I replaced rotors from Rock Auto, about $40/rotor

I bought parts from FCPEuro, so everything was lifetime warranty. I could replace my suspension, engine electronics (spark plugs), belts/filters, etc... 10x over and it would've still been the ~$1.5k initial cost. You could even do lifetime free oil changes using LiquiMoly with FCP if you want. But I did not want to deal with the hassle of shipping messy oil so I stayed with Rotella T6.

Never changed the RB or TA's

I went through a set of Michelin PSS the fastest, rear's lasted about 20K
I tried Toyo proxes 4 plus - GARBAGE
Then went with Michelin AS3+

If you're DD, you don't need to put $$$ tires
DIY everything will save you a ton of money. Plus, it's not even that hard. Most of the stuff I did can be done with ramps and the rear jacked. Not to mention, Youtube and the resources here is what makes DIY-ing everything possible.

Oh, and Newtis.info is your friend. It's not a complete step by step like building Lego's, but it does give you the 80% solution

Check out my threads, I've documented them and referenced other DIY's in this forum.

[shimmy23]

Since OP isn't a diyer type I wouldn't recommend any high mileage car. The m3 is no exception. I do all the maintenance/mods myself.

[BeaterM3]

The most common expendatures for this car seem to be oil changes, gas, brakes and tires...which wear and replacement comes with how much you drive. For me, my commute isnt much, so with that, I replace my oil every 3-4k. It takes me just over a year to do that...so $180 a year for an oil change isn't bad. Tires and brakes last me a long time as well. And you can also find budget minded rotors for M3 for cheap if you are only dailying it and not tracking.

[ncnmra]

Originally Posted by WingZeroX5

I replaced rotors from Rock Auto, about $40/rotor

Do you mean $400/rotor?

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by ncnmra

Do you mean $400/rotor?

No, $40

[Kamen]

I don't even consider the regular maintenance as a factor for or against owning this car. Personally, I DIY almost everything, but even if I didn't, I'm not sure if it makes a difference whether you pay $50 or $150 once a year for an oil change. Same with spark plugs, all the fluids, air filters, etc.
If someone is thinking about regular maintenance as deciding factor for buying an M3, then clearly he shouldn't be buying it.
The common and not so common problems with this particular model are a completely different story: clinking driveshaft, RB, TA, AC evaporator, various electronics problems.... These are more serious expenses, I'd be worried about

[RLM3]

Update:

I traded my 2011 335i for a new Accord Sport 2.0 turbo. This Accord will satisfy my daily driver needs for many years and should be superior in reliability.

The good news! Wife gave me the green light for a fun weekend car, but with a lower budget of $20k.

Can I still find a reasonably nice m3 for under $20k?

[wfdeacon88]

Originally Posted by RLopez63

Update:

I traded my 2011 335i for a new Accord Sport 2.0 turbo. This Accord will satisfy my daily driver needs for many years and should be superior in reliability.

The good news! Wife gave me the green light for a fun weekend car, but with a lower budget of $20k.

Can I still find a reasonably nice m3 for under $20k?

Of course you can. Try to buy a higher mileage one from an enthusiast (probably best bet is someone on here) and you'll love it. Don't rush it and buy the first one that fits the bill from a used car lot... take your time, maintenance records and a trusting seller.

[GotV8?]

welcome to the M family, I highly recommend making friends with a local mechanic or start becoming a diy guy if you plan to keep your M3 for a while, in reference to parts. I highly recommend you check out FCP Euro website when in need of maintenance. I use them over my years of ownership and trust me. After the second go around on oil change, spark plugs, filters, etc. it pays itself and is totally worth it. saved over $3,500.00 easily on parts over the last 5 years.

[BeaterM3]

Originally Posted by drrust

From most posts, it seems that if a rod is thrown, or a main bearing goes, the block becomes compromised. My fear is that the costs of motors won't come down. On a high mileage vehicle it would be hard to justify replacing/rebuilding a motor.

My E90 has 156 K miles, it seems that when planning various maintenance items, I go through a "should I sell it" phase. Part of this is due to having to replace/upgrade long term wear items. As an example, I'm planning on replacing my struts/shocks with a low mileage ZCP set I have. While I'm doing that, should I replace portions of the front suspension? Maybe I should have the wheel bearings replaced too! If I replace the wheel bearings there's a nice update with the F series hubs, should I go for that? $$ adds up quick!

I was shocked with how affordable used low mileage OEM EDC shocks and struts are. You can pick up all 4 for under $500-$600.

[BeaterM3]

Originally Posted by ncnmra

Do you mean $400/rotor?

He definitely means $40...under $200 for a whole set.

[Sean91]

I probable spend about 1k a year but that's with oil changes etc nothing major my car has been very reliable. I have a 2011 with 132k miles I have had the car since brand new so I have always been on top of the maintenance. I pulled out rod bearings at 120-125k they. were actually just fine had it done at auto couture. I drive the car every day even in winters. I am actually going to supercharge it soon. I have had two 4-5k services before but that was. me replacing a lot of stuff for peace of mind.

[cjm41]

I kinda feel like if you've got to ask if you should buy an e9x M3, you shouldn't.

This isn't really a car you throw into a decision pool with Japanese cars. This is a "throw caution to the wind and follow your heart" kind of car.

This car is a chore. It's extremely rewarding to own but there is a level of tedium that comes with ownership. Tedium akin to collecting and listening to vintage vinyl (which I also do because I'm an idiot and need to have multiple expensive obsessions).

Honestly, I'm pretty cheap and don't take spending my money lightly. I'm like $8,600 into maintenance at 11 months of ownership, but I'm neurotic and insist that my 10 year old 86k mile car look and drive like it just pulled off a new car lot.