Sorry to write so much about a Bimmer, but this has to do with my unwillingness to make my 997.2 C2 into a daily driver...
I own a 2011
911
, base model coupe and a 3335i of the same year model, and I am contemplating consolidating them into a brand new
M3
. The Porsche currently has 31k miles and the
BMW
has 65k miles. The Porsche has given me zero problems, and the
BMW
has been a nightmare. The
BMW
has been my daily driver since I bought it 16 months ago at 51k miles. As this is not a
BMW
forum, I'll spare you the litany, but for a car that cost me $18k, I'm already at close to $6000 in repairs in about 18 months.
I love the Porsche, but its heavy clutch is brutal in commuter traffic, literally giving me knee aches as a DD. I also have the sick feeling that if I commute in it, I am just piling on worthless miles to an expensive car-- miles that don't give me much joy, thanks to the thick nature of Dallas traffic. I had planned to pay it off (which I will in another year) and keep it as my dream car. As everyone knows, it steers/handles like no other car, but its size is a bit restrictive as an only vehicle.
If I sold off both cars, I could get a pretty damn good down payment on a brand new
M3
, spec it out, and I’m sure it would be the best DD I’ve ever owned, with total warranty coverage, etc. But part of me is sick at the notion of being so practical and giving up a car I’ve always dreamed of (the Porsche) just to avoid constant repairs.
I am open to any thoughts/suggestions. Perhaps this is the last major repair I will have with the 335i, and everything will be daffodils and sunshine from here on out. (Its
fuel pump
hasn’t yet failed. Can’t wait.) Perhaps if I get a custom
Cobb
tune, the CEL action will stop. But I am just not sure I can rid myself of the lingering sense of mistrust towards this car at this point. Call it PTSD.
I have had 8 bimmers, including my last one, an ‘09 E92
M3
.
I don’t know how the new M cars are in terms of reliability, but mine was trouble free. Having said that, if today’s
BMW
is not perhaps as reliable as they were, the latest JD Power VDS ranking I’ve seen puts them 8th, below Hyundai and above Toyota. Which is not bad.
Good luck on your choice, it sounds you’d be selling off both cars for good reasons, and trading for a pretty decent performer in the
M3
/M4.
Sent from my
iPad
using Tapatalk
Perhaps you sell both in exchange for 997.2 Turbo with
PDK
. You get an incredible DD, easy on the knee, very little depreciation going forward and your dream car.
Maybe think of it as a "chapter". This is the personally spec'd
M3
chapter. Maybe your next chapter is back with a
911
. Its not the end just the beginning of something new....back to my coffee.
The only thing that woudl give me pause is the financial part, will it be too big a $$$ if the next chapter starts in a year and swapping cars again you take the depreciation hit.
As an FYI, the .2 clutch is SIGNIFICANTLY lighter than the .1.
I've always liked the
M3
esp the E46, E92 and current model. The stance is really nice.
The E92 with NA 4.0 V8 is a monster and really fun. It feels a little bigger than my humble 987 though.
Perhaps you can also consider the M2 which is a little smaller if you don't need the size of the 3 (and seems to have rave reviews).
PDK
is really great for daily drivers - I DD my Cayman for 3 years.
perhaps a nice 987/981/997 with
PDK
might suit the bill for the Porsche addiction?
given the choice, I'd rather drive something I love but we all have different situations and priorities to cater for.
