Selling up my M5 - Moving to an EV and a toy
Discussion
Makes perfect sense to me. If your circumstances support it (home charging, infrequent trips of longer than the absolute range) an EV is a far better companion for the kind of daily duties the vast majority of of drivers find themselves doing IME. With used values having nose dived, electricity prices still being cheap at home on the right tariff etc. it also makes a lot of financial sense.
At the end of the day the kind of practicality that many of us look for in a daily (5 seats, decent size boot, decent ride quality, gadgets etc.) immediately compromise any performance car, so if funds and space allow having 2 vehicles that compliment each other rather than one that is compromised for both tasks should be the perfect PH solution.
We're thinking on much the same way s the OP, a lightly used etron/Polestar 2/iPace for £20-25k to do the daily grind, and then something daft like an F-Type R/V8 Vantage/Maserati GT for high days and holidays. Don't track cars these days as just another compromise.
Best of both worlds I'd suggest, and surely something any enthusiast can get behind?
At the end of the day the kind of practicality that many of us look for in a daily (5 seats, decent size boot, decent ride quality, gadgets etc.) immediately compromise any performance car, so if funds and space allow having 2 vehicles that compliment each other rather than one that is compromised for both tasks should be the perfect PH solution.
We're thinking on much the same way s the OP, a lightly used etron/Polestar 2/iPace for £20-25k to do the daily grind, and then something daft like an F-Type R/V8 Vantage/Maserati GT for high days and holidays. Don't track cars these days as just another compromise.
Best of both worlds I'd suggest, and surely something any enthusiast can get behind?
cerb4.5lee said:
I do that with one of mine as well, although it is only a V6, and it has just cost me £404 for 6 months tax.
I'm not ready to join the "green numberplate stripe brigade" yet. However because I keep reading about you lot on here with EVs though...it is getting more and more difficult for me to ignore them in fairness.
As above Lee, as an only car they leave a lot to be desired for an enthusiast, but purely as a daily for the grind they are a brilliant solution if your circumstances fit.I'm not ready to join the "green numberplate stripe brigade" yet. However because I keep reading about you lot on here with EVs though...it is getting more and more difficult for me to ignore them in fairness.
Edited by SWoll on Thursday 9th May 08:20
I run a Model 3 as my daily and a supercharged Atom as my fun car, which is a great combination.
I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They cost buttons to run if you charge at home and the supercharger network is cheaper than anyone else (I paid 34p/kWh yesterday for example) and makes long distances a doddle. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They cost buttons to run if you charge at home and the supercharger network is cheaper than anyone else (I paid 34p/kWh yesterday for example) and makes long distances a doddle. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
Edited by Fastlane on Thursday 9th May 08:26
Fastlane said:
I run a Model 3 as my daily and a supercharged Atom as my fun car, which is a great combination.
I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
We had a Model 3 P for 2 years and whilst fun, for me they are too compromised for practical daily use. The boot is a decent size but awkward shape, the ride quality is not good at all, the wheels are made of chocolate and the seats are horribly unsupportive when pressing on. Funnily enough the new one apparently resolves all these issues (other than the boot of course)I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
SWoll said:
We had a Model 3 P for 2 years and whilst fun, for me they are too compromised for practical daily use. The boot is a decent size but awkward shape, the ride quality is not good at all, the wheels are made of chocolate and the seats are horribly unsupportive when pressing on. Funnily enough the new one apparently resolves all these issues (other than the boot of course)
Fair enough. I had 2019 Performance for 3 years and 36k miles and found it a great practical family car (including several taking-daughter-to-uni trips of 500 miles each way), and transporting a large dog on the back seat and so none of those things bothered me. It wasn't perfect, but what car is. I now have a 2022 M3 LR and it is better in every way than the 2019 car, so as you say, I am sure the 2024 cars are better still but above the OP's budget.Hammy98 said:
Bit of a strange post I know, I think I just need a sanity check!
Not strange at all, it's a perfectly good idea if you have the space for 2 cars and a driveway for a charger. Horses for courses and all that.I would go for a 2 seater as the second car though, something along the lines of a Boxster/Alpine/Lotus/Atom/Caterham depending on how hardcore you want to go.
blueacid said:
...Useful stuff...
Food for thought, I hadn't considered the iPace but I will have a look at those too. There's a lovely blue one near me which I always think looks good when I see it. I'll have a look round one and will keep an eye out for the windscreen issue mentioned - thanks!Polestar 2 is still a contender also, however I felt the interior looked a little low rent compared to the Audi.
I hear you on running just the EV for a few months, this is a sound plan and would allow me to take my time finding the fun car also...
I hadn't considered TVRs as I'm not handy with spanners :grin: . I should really have mentioned in the OP that I live in Scotland, my nearest (and only) track is some 150 miles round trip hence thinking something like an E92 would be ideal. I do like the f types however it seems more GT I think.
Cheers!
samoht said:
I swapped my daily to an EV in November and definitely am glad of it. As you say it's cheaper, it's also wonderfully relaxing and in local use you never have to stand around at a petrol station filling it up.
For a fun / track car I'd be looking for something smaller and lighter than a saloon car, perhaps Elise/Caterham or Boxster/MX-5?
It does sound appealing for my day-today miles for sure.For a fun / track car I'd be looking for something smaller and lighter than a saloon car, perhaps Elise/Caterham or Boxster/MX-5?
I understand your point on the fun car, and I've always liked Elises. The problem with those for me is that I'm not very close to any tracks, knockhill is about a 150 mile round trip for me and any other tracks are a fair bit further than that. I'm not sure I'd want to be in something as small for that long.
There's also a potential for Euro trips etc. So I'm really looking for something that can do a couple of trackdays a year, feel special on the sunday drive, and also handle the odd road trip. This was leading me to a sports coupe.
I appreciate a boxster would probably fit the brief, so will have a look at those.
Cheers!
covmutley said:
Sort of what I've done, although a couple of rungs down from where you are, and in my case it was mainly due to the high mileage I do.
I had a jag xe s, and even with that at 320bhp, it was often wasted 90% of the time. Good car though!
Anyway, with a couple of other cars in between I now find myself with a dual motor polestar 2 and an austin healey sprite. The polestar is a fantastic car, with a couple of niggles. The ride can be a bit crashy on potholed roads (so most then!) The central console is big, which I don't mind, but it's wasteful and the screen demister buttons are rubbish. Aside from that though, it's great. With 400bhp it's quick,but not fun. Although because the power is instant and comes so easily, it's very useful for overtakes and I use the power a fair bit I find.
Obviously I went classic route rather than v8, but a 2 car setup works for me. I like tinkering with it, it's fun to drive (1275 engine, weber carb, lots of mods), free road tax, cheap parts, cheap insurance etc. If I had more money and a bigger garage, I'd probably have gone caterham, elise or tvr though.
Useful info on the Polestar, thank you. Is yours the model with the adjustable Bilstein/Ohlins? Someone had mentioned to me these can be set up to ride better, but I wasn't sure on the longevity of them as the car gets older. I had a jag xe s, and even with that at 320bhp, it was often wasted 90% of the time. Good car though!
Anyway, with a couple of other cars in between I now find myself with a dual motor polestar 2 and an austin healey sprite. The polestar is a fantastic car, with a couple of niggles. The ride can be a bit crashy on potholed roads (so most then!) The central console is big, which I don't mind, but it's wasteful and the screen demister buttons are rubbish. Aside from that though, it's great. With 400bhp it's quick,but not fun. Although because the power is instant and comes so easily, it's very useful for overtakes and I use the power a fair bit I find.
Obviously I went classic route rather than v8, but a 2 car setup works for me. I like tinkering with it, it's fun to drive (1275 engine, weber carb, lots of mods), free road tax, cheap parts, cheap insurance etc. If I had more money and a bigger garage, I'd probably have gone caterham, elise or tvr though.
Edited by covmutley on Thursday 9th May 07:37
Sprites are lovely. I suspect I'll have a classic at some point in the future. Lack of garage for me at the moment limits what I can get as it needs to sit on the drive all year round.
I went M2 -> Yeti TDI and bike engined kit car.
But the bike engined car was too extreme and the Yeti was too boring.
So now have a Model 3 LR and an Elise 111R.
The Model 3 LR was £19k at 65k miles and 4 yrs old. It has 55k and 4 yrs left on the battery/motor(s) warranty.
So far it's peanuts to run. Like silly cheap. 160 miles yesterday cost £3.10 over night to "refill" it.
Including tax, insurance, servicing + "fuel" it's looking like 15k miles is going to cost about £1k. Depreciation is a factor, but for the price i paid vs what Model S are selling for with high miles, i don't expect it to be too bad. Will see in a few years when i move on (probably to a newer Model 3).
Tyres seem to last well. Fronts (michelins) have done 26k miles and starting to wear on the inside edges a bit. £200 each for the 18" wheels.
V happy with the Model 3 as a daily. It's as fast (faster 0-50) as the M2. More practical. Smoother. It's not a bad drive either. Pointy steering. Low seating position.
But the bike engined car was too extreme and the Yeti was too boring.
So now have a Model 3 LR and an Elise 111R.
The Model 3 LR was £19k at 65k miles and 4 yrs old. It has 55k and 4 yrs left on the battery/motor(s) warranty.
So far it's peanuts to run. Like silly cheap. 160 miles yesterday cost £3.10 over night to "refill" it.
Including tax, insurance, servicing + "fuel" it's looking like 15k miles is going to cost about £1k. Depreciation is a factor, but for the price i paid vs what Model S are selling for with high miles, i don't expect it to be too bad. Will see in a few years when i move on (probably to a newer Model 3).
Tyres seem to last well. Fronts (michelins) have done 26k miles and starting to wear on the inside edges a bit. £200 each for the 18" wheels.
V happy with the Model 3 as a daily. It's as fast (faster 0-50) as the M2. More practical. Smoother. It's not a bad drive either. Pointy steering. Low seating position.
Fastlane said:
I run a Model 3 as my daily and a supercharged Atom as my fun car, which is a great combination.
I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They cost buttons to run if you charge at home and the supercharger network is cheaper than anyone else (I paid 34p/kWh yesterday for example) and makes long distances a doddle. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
I hadn't looked at leases as I can't get business deals, however I'll check personal ones and see!I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They cost buttons to run if you charge at home and the supercharger network is cheaper than anyone else (I paid 34p/kWh yesterday for example) and makes long distances a doddle. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
Edited by Fastlane on Thursday 9th May 08:26
I don't know why, but I hadn't really considered a Tesla. I see you can get a 2020 M3P for about 25k now which is very tempting - off to run finance figures...
The addition of the supercharger network is definitely a draw.
Hammy98 said:
Fastlane said:
I run a Model 3 as my daily and a supercharged Atom as my fun car, which is a great combination.
I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They cost buttons to run if you charge at home and the supercharger network is cheaper than anyone else (I paid 34p/kWh yesterday for example) and makes long distances a doddle. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
I hadn't looked at leases as I can't get business deals, however I'll check personal ones and see!I would look out for a lease in your situation. I am awaiting a Nissan Aryia to replace my wife's Kona electric. I am leasing a £50k Aryia 87kWh Advance with Sky Pack for £392 per month on a 24 month lease with a 1 month advance rental.
Keep on eye on leasing.com and lease leaseloco.
If you are looking at buying, then a Model 3 performance is as fast as your M5 up to 100 and can be had for £25k. They cost buttons to run if you charge at home and the supercharger network is cheaper than anyone else (I paid 34p/kWh yesterday for example) and makes long distances a doddle. They have a lot of space inside too, with a very large boot. Just a thought.
Edited by Fastlane on Thursday 9th May 08:26
I don't know why, but I hadn't really considered a Tesla. I see you can get a 2020 M3P for about 25k now which is very tempting - off to run finance figures...
The addition of the supercharger network is definitely a draw.
a) the wheels are 20" which makes the ride harsh and the wheels are prone to damage/kerbing
b) the LR isn't far off it in terms of pace.
I'd suggest trying the LR first and seeing if that's quick enough. Hard to imagine anyone wanting more acceleration!
And if you do the "performance boost" is £1500 which puts the LR somewhere in the middle.
I think the LR is 420bhp, the LR + performance boost is 470bhp and the performance model is 520bhp
My LR is fast enough TBH
Hammy98 said:
It does sound appealing for my day-today miles for sure.
I understand your point on the fun car, and I've always liked Elises. The problem with those for me is that I'm not very close to any tracks, knockhill is about a 150 mile round trip for me and any other tracks are a fair bit further than that. I'm not sure I'd want to be in something as small for that long.
There's also a potential for Euro trips etc. So I'm really looking for something that can do a couple of trackdays a year, feel special on the sunday drive, and also handle the odd road trip. This was leading me to a sports coupe.
I appreciate a boxster would probably fit the brief, so will have a look at those.
Cheers!
I wonder whether the e92's appeal would be muted after the instant torque of the ev? it's big comfortable car after allI understand your point on the fun car, and I've always liked Elises. The problem with those for me is that I'm not very close to any tracks, knockhill is about a 150 mile round trip for me and any other tracks are a fair bit further than that. I'm not sure I'd want to be in something as small for that long.
There's also a potential for Euro trips etc. So I'm really looking for something that can do a couple of trackdays a year, feel special on the sunday drive, and also handle the odd road trip. This was leading me to a sports coupe.
I appreciate a boxster would probably fit the brief, so will have a look at those.
Cheers!
the Elise would feel so much different on the road even when setting off. And of course Scotland has some lovely open twisty roads...
A TVR has a V8 you can hear and feel, again a proper celebration of ICE.
As for reliability, neither of those would be less reliable than an e92 for the same price at this stage.
Hammy98 said:
Useful info on the Polestar, thank you. Is yours the model with the adjustable Bilstein/Ohlins? Someone had mentioned to me these can be set up to ride better, but I wasn't sure on the longevity of them as the car gets older.
No, it's the standard one, not the top performance one with better brakes and yellow seat belts etcOP, I've not read all the replies so apologies if this has been said. Your thoughts make complete sense.
I swapped my 2019 F90 M5 late last year for the same reasons you state - mighty machine, mighty performance, but not what I'd call involving or fun.
Changed it for a FL5 Type R and am loving it. Slower of course, less refined, but still quick enough, the handling is outrageously good and way more enjoyable to drive. Oh and it's cheap as chips to run.
I swapped my 2019 F90 M5 late last year for the same reasons you state - mighty machine, mighty performance, but not what I'd call involving or fun.
Changed it for a FL5 Type R and am loving it. Slower of course, less refined, but still quick enough, the handling is outrageously good and way more enjoyable to drive. Oh and it's cheap as chips to run.
covmutley said:
Hammy98 said:
Useful info on the Polestar, thank you. Is yours the model with the adjustable Bilstein/Ohlins? Someone had mentioned to me these can be set up to ride better, but I wasn't sure on the longevity of them as the car gets older.
No, it's the standard one, not the top performance one with better brakes and yellow seat belts etcThe performance pack doesn't seem to make a difference in used prices considering it was a £5k option so I think it is definitely worth going for. You get an extra 74bhp too...
In terms of your reservations on the interior, did the car you looked at have the plus pack? It is a definite step up in materials and glass roof etc which makes it a much nicer place to be. Nappa leather is also available although only in either "barley" or light grey depending on the year.
Overall I would definitely recommend the Polestar and I haven't had to visit the dealer yet in just under a year of ownership but experiences do vary on this
Hammy98 said:
Food for thought, I hadn't considered the iPace but I will have a look at those too. There's a lovely blue one near me which I always think looks good when I see it. I'll have a look round one and will keep an eye out for the windscreen issue mentioned - thanks!
Polestar 2 is still a contender also, however I felt the interior looked a little low rent compared to the Audi.
I hear you on running just the EV for a few months, this is a sound plan and would allow me to take my time finding the fun car also...
I hadn't considered TVRs as I'm not handy with spanners :grin: . I should really have mentioned in the OP that I live in Scotland, my nearest (and only) track is some 150 miles round trip hence thinking something like an E92 would be ideal. I do like the f types however it seems more GT I think.
Cheers!
Post 21/22 is better bet for iPace - screen and improved tech wise (Pivi Pro). I would avoid earlier modelsPolestar 2 is still a contender also, however I felt the interior looked a little low rent compared to the Audi.
I hear you on running just the EV for a few months, this is a sound plan and would allow me to take my time finding the fun car also...
I hadn't considered TVRs as I'm not handy with spanners :grin: . I should really have mentioned in the OP that I live in Scotland, my nearest (and only) track is some 150 miles round trip hence thinking something like an E92 would be ideal. I do like the f types however it seems more GT I think.
Cheers!
I never got to the point of owning something like an M5 or M6 but I have always run a 6cyl manual BMW of somesort alongside a comfy auto daily.
Currently I have a Z4M for the special drives, like you say, it's a smaller size so you can shoot it down country lanes and just far more involving than the superbly capable but more sterile newer M's. Espeically with it being NA and Manual, it feels a very different experience to driving something "normal".
I've run a string of diesel Merc estates over the same time, they're supremely comfy, cheap to run and honestly more than nice enough to smoke about on a daily basis. I'm moving to an EV this year as the sums make it quite cost efficient and I'm quite excited about it even despite the perceived shortfalls of range and charging.
I think the 2 car set up is the way to go, you don't have to comprimise on sportiness for the toy and you don't have to comprimise on fuel efficiency or comfort for the daily.
Currently I have a Z4M for the special drives, like you say, it's a smaller size so you can shoot it down country lanes and just far more involving than the superbly capable but more sterile newer M's. Espeically with it being NA and Manual, it feels a very different experience to driving something "normal".
I've run a string of diesel Merc estates over the same time, they're supremely comfy, cheap to run and honestly more than nice enough to smoke about on a daily basis. I'm moving to an EV this year as the sums make it quite cost efficient and I'm quite excited about it even despite the perceived shortfalls of range and charging.
I think the 2 car set up is the way to go, you don't have to comprimise on sportiness for the toy and you don't have to comprimise on fuel efficiency or comfort for the daily.
Discombobulate said:
Post 21/22 is better bet for iPace - screen and improved tech wise (Pivi Pro). I would avoid earlier models
Yeah exactly - I think the changeover was around mid-2020; so there are some late '20 plate vehicles with Pivi Pro, but a 70 plate onward is almost certain to have it.The other benefit of the infotainment being newer is that with Pivi Pro, Jag can deliver over-the-air updates to the car. The system has enough storage and power to handle this; its predecessor did not. So that's a handy bonus too!
Looks like to this thread, though, the answer is correct: EVs are very cheap per mile, so use them for the boring miles, and then you can get something much more fun for the rest of the mileage. A Z4M is an excellent shout too!
BlueJ said:
OP, I've not read all the replies so apologies if this has been said. Your thoughts make complete sense.
I swapped my 2019 F90 M5 late last year for the same reasons you state - mighty machine, mighty performance, but not what I'd call involving or fun.
Changed it for a FL5 Type R and am loving it. Slower of course, less refined, but still quick enough, the handling is outrageously good and way more enjoyable to drive. Oh and it's cheap as chips to run.
That's exactly it mate, it just feels like a very quick every day car. It doesn't make me want to take it out just for the sake of it.I swapped my 2019 F90 M5 late last year for the same reasons you state - mighty machine, mighty performance, but not what I'd call involving or fun.
Changed it for a FL5 Type R and am loving it. Slower of course, less refined, but still quick enough, the handling is outrageously good and way more enjoyable to drive. Oh and it's cheap as chips to run.
Can understand the move to the Honda as I'd imagine it's hard not to want to drive it! Those FL5s are the first gen I've really liked the look of.
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