Made it 2 years before crawling back to BMW

[BMWCurves]

Welcome (again)!

[az3579]

they don't have to be moneypits... you just have to buy the right one with the right history and maintenance.

These cars are always money pits. lol
I can't tell you much money I've dumped into my car just to keep it going (so it needs nothing), even now that everything is (or is supposed to be) sorted. Here I am, all caught up, and new crap to fix keeps popping up every other week!

Even someone who spends almost nothing to maintain their E46 still spends much more than a Japanese equivalent.

[slater]

These cars are always money pits. lol
I can't tell you much money I've dumped into my car just to keep it going (so it needs nothing), even now that everything is (or is supposed to be) sorted. Here I am, all caught up, and new crap to fix keeps popping up every other week!

Even someone who spends almost nothing to maintain their E46 still spends much more than a Japanese equivalent.

dude, i am gonna disagree with you 100% on this one.

you have one of the highest-mileage cars on here. you also upgrade stuff. both of those factors cost money. if i decided to keep my Touring stock, i would take The Pepsi Challenge with you on annual maintenance costs - why? because i bought a 1-owner car that had been well-maintained. i am confident in the way this car runs and has been kept that i could keep maintenance costs super low on this thing, while maintaining 100% functionality.

about the japanese thing - one of those of similar age and mileage will indeed require upkeep. my 2003 montero has roughly 116K miles on it, and i've put about $2000 into it in the last year - no upgrades - just maintenance and repair. conversely, since december of last year with the imola sedan, i've basically done nothing but oil changes as far as maintenance is concerned.

[ZHPizza]

Welcome, sir ! Sorry about the M3. How many miles on the IR ?

150k, but it looks like <100k on the replacement engine....this car is...interesting...


To the money pit discussion: I learned from owning the Mazda that anything that I drive is going to be a money pit. I'm talking $5k+ in two years of ownership spent on a brand new Japanese car just trying to do some little things here and there to personalize/upgrade/etc.

A car doesn't have to be a money pit. An enthusiast's car will inevitably become one.

[NoVAphotog]

dude, i am gonna disagree with you 100% on this one.

you have one of the highest-mileage cars on here. you also upgrade stuff. both of those factors cost money. if i decided to keep my Touring stock, i would take The Pepsi Challenge with you on annual maintenance costs - why? because i bought a 1-owner car that had been well-maintained. i am confident in the way this car runs and has been kept that i could keep maintenance costs super low on this thing, while maintaining 100% functionality.

+1

[NoVAphotog]

A car doesn't have to be a money pit. An enthusiast's car will inevitably become one.

Amen to that...why can't I just drive my Toyota into the ground like everyone else without applying the Old School maintenance program to it too!!

[az3579]

dude, i am gonna disagree with you 100% on this one.

At the end of the day, you're still spending considerable amounts to maintain the car. Buy a beater econobox and see how much you spend maintaining that versus a BMW.

[slater]

At the end of the day, you're still spending considerable amounts to maintain the car. Buy a beater econobox and see how much you spend maintaining that versus a BMW.

well, with that scenario you're implying level of CARE for the vehicle too. with a beater econobox you likely won't care that the exhaust system is dragging on the ground, that you have bald tires, no brakes, and are leaking fluids everywhere.

cars cost money. if you ain't got it or don't want to spend it... get a bicycle. (but even THOSE need maintenance - ha!!)

[John in VA]

To the money pit discussion: I learned from owning the Mazda that anything that I drive is going to be a money pit. I'm talking $5k+ in two years of ownership spent on a brand new Japanese car just trying to do some little things here and there to personalize/upgrade/etc.

I must be doing something wrong. I have 8 BMWs & haven't spent $5K on them in 10 years (outside of purchase price). You have to buy the right car right.