[MarkDemma]

So when I got my M240i. my commute to work was 7 miles each way. But I have a new job that is about 50 miles each way through some of the most congested traffic you can imagine in Silicone Valley. The car is less than a year old and had 5000 miles on it. Doing the maths, 100 miles a day will rack up to around a whopping 25K a year.

I worry that I'll have the car over 100K before I even have it paid for and I know from owning an E46 that once it's out of warranty it's pretty costly to keep up - and that there are parts you have to replace when it hits certain milages. I enjoy driving it, but I worry that having to drive in stop and go traffic every day will suck the joy out of driving it and put a lot of wear and tear on the car. I had wanted to keep it for a good long while because I fear that BMW will never actually make a car like this again - the next 2 being FWD only, or not offering the coupe or having that awful cluttered digital dash they put in the 3'er.

I don't have anything over the basic warranty on it, so first thing that comes to mind is purchasing an extended warranty.

The second thing that comes to mind is buying a used i3 and driving that up every day. I'm thinking an i3 so I can use the HOV lanes and the fact that my new job has chargers for electric cars set up at no cost.

The third thing that I could do is get the Vanos repair on my E46 ZHP and put the miles on it until it completely falls apart. It's ride is actually harsher than the M240i and it's milage is worse.

The forth option is the fantasy option that I get a M2C and only ride it on the weekends so I am not as worried about running the M240i into the ground.

Or maybe this car will be more reliable than most BMWs due to all the quality testing Toyota did on the B58 engine (it's my fantasy, don't spoil it) and I can put a few hundred thousand miles on the engine, no problem!

And yes, I'd looked at taking public transportation, but that would take 2 hours and 30 minutes each way because public transportation in the Bay Area is a joke and fractured.

[beamersauce]

I daily my m240 from Napa to the city, but don't drive every day into work. It's the same 100 mile round trip. I figured that I wanted to enjoy my drive and didn't care about the miles since I knew I'd have to drive anyways. I love being able to put it in comfort mode for the parts of my trip that have bad roads. As soon as I get off the Golden Gate Bridge, I've had enough of the straightforward commute and I put the car in traction or Sport+.

I know this doesn't really help your situation at all, but I just thought that I'd share my thoughts on enjoying the drive. I put 30k on the car in the first year and those miles are only going to keep climbing unfortunately. I used to think about how maybe I should have just committed to the M2, but that's a car that I really wouldn't want to put miles on and I'd hate my commute from the rougher ride. Before I purchased, I knew it was going to be a daily and I was going to put miles on it.

Enjoy the car and maybe we'll see each other on the road!

[MarkDemma]

Originally Posted by beamersauce

I daily my m240 from Napa to the city, but don't drive every day into work. It's the same 100 mile round trip. I figured that I wanted to enjoy my drive and didn't care about the miles since I knew I'd have to drive anyways. I love being able to put it in comfort mode for the parts of my trip that have bad roads. As soon as I get off the Golden Gate Bridge, I've had enough of the straightforward commute and I put the car in traction or Sport+.

I know this doesn't really help your situation at all, but I just thought that I'd share my thoughts on enjoying the drive. I put 30k on the car in the first year and those miles are only going to keep climbing unfortunately. I used to think about how maybe I should have just committed to the M2, but that's a car that I really wouldn't want to put miles on and I'd hate my commute from the rougher ride. Before I purchased, I knew it was going to be a daily and I was going to put miles on it.

Enjoy the car and maybe we'll see each other on the road!

I did have an experience this week when stuck in traffic beside a red M240i - the driver smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Made me think of (one of) the silly "M cars aren't special enough anymore" thread(s) ... thinking hey if you want a special exclusive car, get a M240i! You don't see a lot of those and M3s are a all over the place. Plus it says "I wasn't stupid enough to pay $15K more for track performance I'll never use". (The M2 guys can't see this, right? Just between us non M 2'ers?)

[beamersauce]

Originally Posted by MarkDemma

I did have an experience this week when stuck in traffic beside a red M240i - the driver smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Made me think of (one of) the silly "M cars aren't special enough anymore" thread(s) ... thinking hey if you want a special exclusive car, get a M240i! You don't see a lot of those and M3s are a all over the place. Plus it says "I wasn't stupid enough to pay $15K more for track performance I'll never use". (The M2 guys can't see this, right? Just between us non M 2'ers?)

Haha my car is red, but it wasn't me!

Our car is special and that's all we need to care about

I park all over the city in different neighborhoods and if I had a more expensive car, I'd rethink driving it into SF. My old car was already broken into off 2nd and I'm paranoid leaving my car every time now.

[MarkDemma]

Originally Posted by beamersauce

Haha my car is red, but it wasn't me!

Our car is special and that's all we need to care about

I park all over the city in different neighborhoods and if I had a more expensive car, I'd rethink driving it into SF. My old car was already broken into off 2nd and I'm paranoid leaving my car every time now.

I keep the E46 just in case I need to park in Oakland. It has some damage on the passenger side and probably isn't worth much with that and needing a Vanos repair.

When I first got the M240i I was getting into the car and the young shop clerk at the store I had just gotten something ran OUT of the store to tell me I had his dream car.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by MarkDemma

I have a new job that is about 50 miles each way through some of the most congested traffic you can imagine in Silicone Valley.

Is 101 in the HOV lane faster than taking 280 to your destination - I'm assuming that's why the i3 is a possibility?

I like 280 because it's a great drive in the M240. It also has quite a bit less traffic, although I never drove it during weekday commuting hours. Of course, I'm not sure which takes you closer to your destination once in the Valley.

No matter how you end up traveling, I don't envy you that commute. Traffic in the Valley was intense when I lived there in the early 70s, and by the mid-80s 101 was being referred to as The Parking Lot, which it pretty much was during the evening commute. Sorry to be so depressing about it.

[stein_325i]

Here's my opinion on the scenario. If your main concern is reliability, I wouldn't say buy another BMW, it would just mean that your other BMW would get high milage instead of your M235i and that would still keep you up at night. The extended warranty could be good, but you will still have to take it to the dealer when needing to be fixed and then drive a loaner to work which could become an inconvenience. The i3 is meh car in my opinion and during cold weather/over time it could become inconvenient (depending on range), but it could be good for gas savings, but again if concerned for reliability you would just be adding another german car to your garage.

Here's two options that I think work best. I don't know your budget, but I would say buy a comfortable (and possibly fun) and reliable daily driver (i.e. beater) like a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda, etc. you could maybe even get a hybrid, but again, i don't know your budget, although it must be good if an option is the M2! I hear that the new Mazda 3 or 6 (or even used) could be a fun option while still being decently reliable, plus they used the E46 as their benchmark for driving dynamics. The other option I would say is try driving your M235i to work for a while at first, and if it becomes annoying or worry-some, then maybe look for a second vehicle. Just my 2 cents.

[Lynx_Rufus]

Here's my write-in vote. Buy a used Civic SI. DD it to work 75% of the time. Treat yourself on Fridays or whenever you feel like it to the M240i.

[bimmerfile]

Having a son who lives and works in the area, I know what rush hour (form 6am -> 7pm) in the SJC/SFO area looks like and I'd be inclined to go with the cheapest, most reliable HOV eligible EV (assuming HOV cuts travel time by a significant amount).

[leetzemeng]

I'm kinda of in a similar situation. Have a 70 mile commute(35 each way). Have a family CRV that's our utility and I mix use that with my M240 on my daily. The CRV is bullet proof but it's a doozy car after day in and day out and I felt I was missing some excitement. The M240 is my fun car, for those days where traffic is presumably lighter. Fridays, Mondays, etc.. and I WFH on Wed. Weekends etc...

I have friends that swear by 101 with a HOV as there are two lanes now near the heart of the valley Mountain View/PA. And it cuts their commute in half on some days. HOV would be best so if you can add an electric version of any type that's the way to go. DD on the M240 would probably result in a lot of sitting.

[DaleHeinz]

I had this dilemma before buying my '17 M240Xi. I have always had long commutes. Previously, I had a 144 mile round trip commute for 6 years. I owned a 2009 Honda Accord and put about 240,000 miles on it. A very reliable car, and couldn't say a bad word about it. She did her job and I got more than my money's worth out of her. When she got up in age, and I started to have concerns about reliability, I knew it was time to upgrade and get something that I would enjoy both on the drive to work and on the weekends.

My wife and I make a fairly decent living, but I'm not to the point where I can or want to own a few different cars for different purposes. I wanted to find the "Swiss Army Knife" of cars. I wanted to be comfortable on the commute, have a bit of luxury compared to the Honda, have something that was already fast and nimble, had the ability to be easily modified and tuned, and would also be reliable in the long term.

I have around 54,000 miles on her since I bought her new in Feb of 2017. I've had a few warranty issues, and a few issues with the Dinan tune, but both companies have stepped up to the plate and made it right.

Not a day goes by that I don't look forward to driving it to work and back on my 100 mile round trip commute to D.C. And, on the weekends, she's just what I need for driving like a hooligan and pissing off the left lane grannies.

Don't sweat putting miles on it. Just drive it and enjoy it. If you spend as much time in the car driving to work like I do, why not spend the time in a car you love?

[leetzemeng]

Saw a comment about 280, it's almost mostly free flowing when I am on it, rush hour or not. And I try to avoid 101 when ever I can. But it also depends where your exit is as it might be a high cut over from 280 over

[amw896]

get a beater dude. I bought a Mazda3 for 5k for daily driving and winters.

[MarkDemma]

See, I'm not sure about getting a Japanese beater car. I did that already back in the day. The idea of getting the i3 was with the free chargers at work whatever I'd be paying for a car payment on a $22k car would be about what I'd spend in fuel. Plus carpool lane

[Unicorn123]

Mark,

Good question.

Essentially, I am in the same boat here in CT with a commute of similar length. The only difference is the weather. Surprisingly, the traffic is not much different in both locations.

I bought my car to drive as a DD first and knew my commute prior to purchase. Most of the BMW owners I know use their cars as DD's and do not worry about the miles. I am expecting to get at least 200K out of my M235 and my target is 300K. At my driving rate (I typically put at least 30K per year on my vehicles), this is about 10 years. I do not have a good answer here but my suggestion is to drive it and enjoy it when you are not in stop and go traffic. If I was rich beyond the dreams of avarice, I would have a helicopter..., which I find much more exciting to fly than driving my BMW to work...

[RvR]

How much less painful would being able to use the HOV lanes be in this situation? If it would save you 10-20% on average daily commute time, that would multiply out quickly, plus being able to charge at work helps on cost. I suspect the biggest adjustment will be how much time the overall new commute eats into your lifetime and adds to your cumulative stress.

I don't know if the i3 would be the best car for the DD job, you'd need to test drive the various used candidates that could use the plug-in station at work. Something that could use the HOV and plug-in would offer a substantial advantage over a DD that could not.

I would make the time factor the top priority. You can always make money adjustments, you can't get time "back." Adding even 15 minutes one way to a commute makes a huge difference, being 30 minutes a day, 150 minutes a week, 600 month, or 6000 for ~10 months (figure holidays, vacation, etc.) Maybe you can telework one day a week? That would help, too.

I'd get the E46 VANOS fixed, no matter what, it won't get better, and you're right, I think both cars are keepers.

Somewhat OT, could you please expand a bit more on the F22's driving experience as compared to the E46 330Ci ZHP? What I really wanted in buying my F22 -- a modern version of the former. I'd test driven two E46s back in the day and always regretted not buying one a little bit.

Thanks and good luck.

[RoundelM3]

A totally different approach: see if your employer will allow you to telecommute. That worked for me for several years until I retired.

[Zwei]

Screw logic. Buy a used 911. Drive it and the 240i everywhere you can.

[CE750Jockey]

I'm with some of the others. Buy a good used Corolla, Civic or Mazda3, and drive your 2er to work occasionally.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by CE750Jockey

I'm with some of the others. Buy a good used Corolla, Civic or Mazda3, and drive your 2er to work occasionally.

Good general idea, but what you really meant to recommend was a Crosstrek, preferably in Orange!

[CE750Jockey]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Good general idea, but what you really meant to recommend was a Crosstrek, preferably in Orange!

That GrossTrek you owned was not "Orange". It was "Metamucil".

[BallHog5873]

You can get amazing deals on used Prius. I would go that route.