Should I sell or should I go now...

[Burrito]

Well actually, should I sell or keep the M3?

I've had my E46 M3 for two years now, which is about as long as I've kept anything. Easily the best car I've had the good fortune to own.

But... We're looking at buying a new house which will mean the disposable income for the car may disappear, and the possibility of a proper commute may arise. So the thoughts are keep the M3 as it wont release a lot of equity and enjoy it as a weekend car, whilst purchasing a daily stter. Or use the £9k-odd that I might get, plus some additional to pay for an exciting but frugal commuter; 335d m-sport?

Could I live with a daily stter? Is an M3 really any cheaper as a weekend car?

N.B. The new house WILL *stamps feet* have a double garage, therefore a toy of some description will be required at some point, to avoid it being underused!

[bennyboydurham]

If it's yours and it's paid for then you might as well keep it. If a proper commute comes up then yes you may want to look at a the fabled 335d but until then just stick with it. The snotter idea is not a bad one but personally I feel that by the time you're running two cars, two sets of insurance, tax and MOT then you're just as well consolidating on one decent one. Nothing would make me more pissed off than spending all week driving round in a st heap knowing my decent car is stuck in the garage, only to be used at weekends.

[cerb4.5lee]

bennyboydurham said:

If it's yours and it's paid for then you might as well keep it. If a proper commute comes up then yes you may want to look at a the fabled 335d but until then just stick with it. The snotter idea is not a bad one but personally I feel that by the time you're running two cars, two sets of insurance, tax and MOT then you're just as well consolidating on one decent one. Nothing would make me more pissed off than spending all week driving round in a st heap knowing my decent car is stuck in the garage, only to be used at weekends.

+1 i really agree with this, i have a underpowered daily 520d & it kills me, yes its good on fuel but you always want more.
I have always tried to have something nice in the garage & i still run a second car, but if you can afford to use the M3 everyday then just enjoy it & have fun in it daily & get the best out of it, i think thats the way to go

[darreni]

You're here for a good time, not a long time.

[R5YUP]

Keep it. I had a golden 5 years of M3's and 997 C2S, the latter of which got sold (along with a mk5 GTI) to pay for a wedding..... In their place is a 330i mSport Touring for lugging round the Labrador.

Whilst I'm exceptionally happy to be married to the wife - not a day goes by that I don't wish for my old car line up.

A 335d isn't going to be anywhere near as special as the M3. It may well have the power with a remap - but there's more to M cars than grunt and there's a chance you won't realise that until its gone!!

[Burrito]

There's a clear consensus of opinion here! Cheers chaps.

Probably will try to hang on to it, but if I get to a point where I cannot afford the the upkeep I'd rather let it go a new home than go to waste. Just depends how far we push the mortgage!

[Pig Skill]

To sell it and put additional money to a 335d is a crazy idea. Have you calculated the payback period through fuel savings?

A 335d ain't that good on fuel and they are still losing money through depreciation. If your M3 is sound, holds no large costs for the foreseeable future and you know its a good 'un then keep hold and see what happens.

M3 depreciation will also be slower as the good ones are now becoming desirable to the enthusiasts.

I've recently been through a sensible predicament and concluded as per my ramblings above.

Keep the M3 say's I.