Help Me Plan My Car Life (new car search @post 290)
- Thread starter Danoff
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Danoff
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If I knew they had bottomed out, I'd probably just go ahead and get one - because that's a sweet sweet car. I don't really want to drop $100k and end up with a car that's worth $70k or $80k in 5 years. Optimally I'd buy a car that's coming back up off the bottom but hasn't skyrocketed yet. My concern is that the next time I consider an R8 it'll be $200k+ and I'll have missed the kickoff and will just never buy one.
McLaren
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- 45,498
- Texas
That's where they're at now. They could drop a little more but I'm not sure if they'll drop to $70-$80k; that's where the V8s are situated by now.
I think you'll be saved from dropping $200k as well. The GTs are hovering around $140-145k right now. If any are to shoot up, it'll be them, but they're already 5 years old and the V10 Plus is still in production at around $200k. As long as they're around, I think the values may settle in. If the model ever goes out of production, then there may be a large increase in price in those following years. I don't see that happening though as long as the Huracan is still around and sharing development with the R8.
Is mileage a factor at all? There is a GT at $100k exactly with 15.5k on the odometer.
Danoff
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Yea, I think that's a reasonable assessment. Right now the R8 is still being desired from the perspective of performance for the money. Before it bottoms out and starts to rise again it needs to be desired for a different reason, for what it was at the time. I think we're still 10-15 years away.
- 893
- Mill Creek, WA
- HighSeasHoMastr
- HighSeasHoMastr
What about an S2000 CR? <1k units produced (Wikipedia claims 699) keeps it rare, even non-CRs seem to be holding steady around $10k right now, so as they come off the road the limited versions should climb in value...
A little different than all this talk of a V10 R8 admittedly, but maybe an option still?
A little different than all this talk of a V10 R8 admittedly, but maybe an option still?
Danoff
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Didn't know that existed. It's interesting, but the reviews are a bit less than enthusiastic due to it being slower than the non-CR in a straight line. It's a good idea, but I'm having trouble seeing it becoming a really sought-after car.
Danoff
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Yea I read your review. I'd say yes on that one except that I want to see it rise in value first. So hopefully... fingers crossed... it slowly loses value for a bit. I haven't driven one, but my guess is that it's one of the greatest purely internal combustion engine sports cars that will ever be produced.
Danoff
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Kid #3 is imminent, so minivan happened. 2015 Sienna XLE Premium AWD (44k mi). This thing is a beast. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to actually love a minivan, but I do. It's so easy to load and unload the kids. It has power sliding doors, a power liftgate, each of which can be controlled by the remote. A PA system that echos the driver's statements to the rear speakers. A blu-ray player and screen that can play split-screen movies to multiple wireless headsets. Heated seats, blind spot warning system (which I don't need but it's there), parking sensors, unbelievable storage behind the 3rd row seat, 110V power outlets, 14 cupholders, customizable home screens on the center console depending on which phone is connected, keyless everything. The 2nd row has captain's chairs with a row between for walking to the 3rd row. The 3rd row folds completely flat and the 2nd row seats can be removed entirely leaving everything behind the driver's seat flat. It's just insane levels of cargo capacity. I'll probably add a tow hitch just in case though.
Snow tires have already arrived, and I'll be replacing the stock runflats with those. It has no spare, so it's tow truck time if I get a blowout. Although, I can fit a spare rim in the back easily enough, and I'll have a spare rim because I'll get a 2nd set of rims for summer. With snow tires and AWD this thing should be pretty competent in decent levels of snow. It'll also be our primary ski vehicle.
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Danoff
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So at the moment I have 4 parking spots. I could buy a lift and add a parking spot, but that either requires modification to a garage door, or it requires parking a very low car. Right now the NSX is out of storage (the 4th spot) for the summer and the BMW is sitting in that spot covered with the insurance turned down to a "it's in the garage" level (meaning it's not legal to drive right now).
I'm spending one of my spots on a 2004 330i automatic sedan with 80k mi. The car is super clean inside and out, and is in excellent mechanical condition. It's also not worth much. I don't want to sell it, it's such a lovely car to drive and own, and I have such a hard time deciding to keep it. I could replace it with an E36 M3 sedan for about $15k of net investment and it would hold its value better or go up in value... or I could replace it with an E46 M3.
...but I don't want to sell it! It's effectively costing me money to keep and preventing me from owning a far superior car in terms of value and sport driving experience... but I just can't imaging parting with my 330. To me it's almost the perfect car. Plenty of power, great handling, small, functional, automatic, easy to park, good ride quality, good fuel economy, I don't have to worry about it, looks great... it's just... easy. It's like an old sneaker - comfortable, easy, fun.
I feel stupid keeping it. But I'd feel stupid selling it too. I could just park it outside and let the interior bake and let it get hailed on and the paint get ruined by the sun... I don't want to do that either!
What should I do with this car?
I'm spending one of my spots on a 2004 330i automatic sedan with 80k mi. The car is super clean inside and out, and is in excellent mechanical condition. It's also not worth much. I don't want to sell it, it's such a lovely car to drive and own, and I have such a hard time deciding to keep it. I could replace it with an E36 M3 sedan for about $15k of net investment and it would hold its value better or go up in value... or I could replace it with an E46 M3.
...but I don't want to sell it! It's effectively costing me money to keep and preventing me from owning a far superior car in terms of value and sport driving experience... but I just can't imaging parting with my 330. To me it's almost the perfect car. Plenty of power, great handling, small, functional, automatic, easy to park, good ride quality, good fuel economy, I don't have to worry about it, looks great... it's just... easy. It's like an old sneaker - comfortable, easy, fun.
I feel stupid keeping it. But I'd feel stupid selling it too. I could just park it outside and let the interior bake and let it get hailed on and the paint get ruined by the sun... I don't want to do that either!
What should I do with this car?
Joey D
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- 47,426
- Lakes of the North, MI
- GTP_Joey
- GTP Joey
Could you get one of those pop-up carport tent things? I think Costco has them for a reasonable price. That way you could keep it outside and keep the elements off of it for the most part.
Or, the M3 is probably not a bad way to go. A superior car with most of the same perks, just with more power and better handling.
I totally get not wanting to sell a car though. I never wanted to sell my Volvo C30, but it really didn't make sense for me to have it. I still miss that car.
Or, the M3 is probably not a bad way to go. A superior car with most of the same perks, just with more power and better handling.
I totally get not wanting to sell a car though. I never wanted to sell my Volvo C30, but it really didn't make sense for me to have it. I still miss that car.
- 35,340
- Downtown North Dakota
- Cy-Fi
Remove the emotional factor.
The 330i continues to depreciate while its replacement might increase. It's done its duty. Time to let someone else enjoy it. Set up monthly visits as part of the deal.
The 330i continues to depreciate while its replacement might increase. It's done its duty. Time to let someone else enjoy it. Set up monthly visits as part of the deal.
In slightly related, but in no way helpful to you, news, when my son finally decides to work on getting his license, I'll have a fourth car to park in a three stall garage. I seem to recall that the development I'm in has a covenant regarding vehicles parked outside. Something's going to have to give.
- 27,213
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Danoff
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Remove the emotional factor.
The 330i continues to depreciate while its replacement might increase. It's done its duty. Time to let someone else enjoy it. Set up monthly visits as part of the deal.
I know but... I don't know! I can't do it.
Ok, what if I put clear bra on the roof, trunk lid, and hood and put up sunshades in the windows. Then it would only be exposed to snow and hail right? Sun damage is mitigated?
You're joking but... I've looked into how to make that work. I don't think I can make it work though.
- 27,213
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- 87,105
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
It's true. And now I have a garden full of ornaments.
- 6,041
- Puget Sound
- Crash852
The thing that is unclear to me are how many miles do you and your wife plan on putting on your cars total and how do you split those miles amongst the (if I remember correctly) 4 cars?
I'm only seeing great condition, no paintwork, low mileage and owners E46 and E36 M3s really go up in value in the near future. There are still just too many of them around that ones that aren't investment grade or close to that are staying flat. If you need your 330i or the replacement to be a daily commuter or otherwise a car that you can add a lot of miles to, I don't think you'll really be able to ride that appreciation train up, barring the unlikely situation of a market-wide price run up similar to air-cooled 911s in the past few years.
A few more things to think about:
- E36 interiors are pretty dated, and the E46 interior is a serious step up. The E36 interior is a big knock against the car, at least personally for me. I don't know if you like or care about that at all.
- How important is the automatic transmission for you? It seems the E36 M3s that go up in value are manuals. The E46 M3 SMGs can be clunky and troublesome.
- As with any used car, you'll likely have to put in a little bit of money soon after acquisition to completely sort out.
- I expect the M3 maintenance costs to be higher than the 330i, especially the case with the E46 M3.
- It looks like in Colorado, when you purchase a used car, you owe sales tax on purchase price. That's additional cost that you'll incur changing to a M3.
- The 330i has depreciated quite a bit already, and should be at the point where marginal depreciation should be getting less and less. Even in the extreme case of driving it into the ground (only scrap metal value left), how much money will you lose? That is the max potential downside of keeping the 330i to trade against the added costs and, as well, potential appreciation of the M3s.
- We've had a good run of economic growth for the past few years. There's already talk that indicators of a slowing economy are cropping up. Add in trade wars and other global uncertainty, how much longer will this economic growth continue? When will the next recession hit? I don't see E36 and E46 M3s being enough of a blue chip yet to be recession-proof.
I would only switch to a M3 if you are itching for something different to drive or play around with, or if the 330i doesn't already meet your needs and the M3s will. I'm not seeing the business case with the costs of finding, buying, getting up to snuff and maintaining a M3 over your 330i. I only see the M3 appreciation offsetting that if you buy at least a close-to investment grade vehicle to start and put very little miles on it over time, and hold the asset for a few years.
I'm only seeing great condition, no paintwork, low mileage and owners E46 and E36 M3s really go up in value in the near future. There are still just too many of them around that ones that aren't investment grade or close to that are staying flat. If you need your 330i or the replacement to be a daily commuter or otherwise a car that you can add a lot of miles to, I don't think you'll really be able to ride that appreciation train up, barring the unlikely situation of a market-wide price run up similar to air-cooled 911s in the past few years.
A few more things to think about:
- E36 interiors are pretty dated, and the E46 interior is a serious step up. The E36 interior is a big knock against the car, at least personally for me. I don't know if you like or care about that at all.
- How important is the automatic transmission for you? It seems the E36 M3s that go up in value are manuals. The E46 M3 SMGs can be clunky and troublesome.
- As with any used car, you'll likely have to put in a little bit of money soon after acquisition to completely sort out.
- I expect the M3 maintenance costs to be higher than the 330i, especially the case with the E46 M3.
- It looks like in Colorado, when you purchase a used car, you owe sales tax on purchase price. That's additional cost that you'll incur changing to a M3.
- The 330i has depreciated quite a bit already, and should be at the point where marginal depreciation should be getting less and less. Even in the extreme case of driving it into the ground (only scrap metal value left), how much money will you lose? That is the max potential downside of keeping the 330i to trade against the added costs and, as well, potential appreciation of the M3s.
- We've had a good run of economic growth for the past few years. There's already talk that indicators of a slowing economy are cropping up. Add in trade wars and other global uncertainty, how much longer will this economic growth continue? When will the next recession hit? I don't see E36 and E46 M3s being enough of a blue chip yet to be recession-proof.
I would only switch to a M3 if you are itching for something different to drive or play around with, or if the 330i doesn't already meet your needs and the M3s will. I'm not seeing the business case with the costs of finding, buying, getting up to snuff and maintaining a M3 over your 330i. I only see the M3 appreciation offsetting that if you buy at least a close-to investment grade vehicle to start and put very little miles on it over time, and hold the asset for a few years.
ROAD_DOGG33J
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- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
+1
The 330i has hit the bottom of the depreciation curve. Well kept(ish) examples have some slight upside potential. The knock on the E46 M3 is the subframe (rear axle carrier panel) issue, which can also affect the non-Ms but not as quickly due to the lower power. It just seems like a major engineering oversight.
Danoff
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The only commute car is the FX. The van pretty much handles the rest of the miles (because kids). So right now I'm probably putting like 250-500 miles on the NSX per year during the summer, and the BMW is in storage over the summer (0 miles). I'll get it out this fall and drive it around while the NSX is in storage, but it'll be like another 250-500 miles. That's not the right use-case for a car that has no long-term upside.
I don't even really care about the interior anymore. I agree that the E46 has a much nicer interior, but I'm not really in the car long enough for it to make a difference. I drive it infrequently enough that the interior is just kinda interesting and different.
I think I just like the 330 too much to part with it. But it's not worth enough money to merit a garage spot. So I think I have to keep it outside and let it get somewhat trashed by the elements. That's sad, I'm sad about saying that... but I think I'd be sadder to sell it.
So here's the question. When I do eventually kick the 330i out of its home in the garage, how do I protect it? I have one of those custom-fit BMW car covers for it. I get a ton of wind, hail in the summer, snow and ice in the winter, and lots of sun. I'm a little concerned about the car cover holding in moisture after rain and snow, leading to rust. I'm concerned about hail damage in the summer. I'm concerned about wind causing etching on the paint.
Would clear bra be better?
ROAD_DOGG33J
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- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
That's not a whole lot of mileage. What's the price that would make it garage-worthy?
Clearbra or similar doesn't sound too bad of an idea. I think even applying a good wax or synthetic sealant should prevent sun damage. It would just need to be maintained, but they can last a while. Sun damage to the interior could be minimized with tints and a sunshade. I don't know how the hail is over there. Maybe use the car cover when there is a warning?
There seem to be car cover solutions for different conditions, but I don't know how well they work.
boiltheocean
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- 7,756
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The best option would be a tight fitting all-weather car cover, they're multi layered and pretty good and keep rain out and wicking away any moisture that does build up too. You could also put some thick case lining foam between the car and the cover during the hail season to protect it from dings.
- 27,213
- United Kingdom
Some company must do a cover that has a thicker lining for that kind of thing.
Danoff
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- Mile High City
It's not necessarily the price of the car but the expected difference in price over say... 10 years. A car that I might expect to be worth $10k extra in 10 years is more garage-worthy than a car I expect to be worth $2k less in 10 years, for example.
This is my current car cover:
https://www.bavauto.com/bmw-car-cov...WLeByoV5cbB99YRvP0PcnZh6W5PhTCD0aAnXjEALw_wcB
Looks like there are padded covers:
https://www.carid.com/car-covers.html?filter=1&field[371019][1]=Best
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ROAD_DOGG33J
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- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
It seems like there are covers that keep the car dry. You could probably try the one you have and monitor for moisture. I see that there are places selling wind straps, but they only mention keep the cover secure and not the paint.
Danoff
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My SW21 MR2!
Details: '93, NA, Manual, Cloth, 50kmi.
My to-do list:
- Get plates
- Figure out what to do about the rims because... stock is ugly (I have them) and those aftermarkets aren't great either
- PDR (about 12 tiny dings I counted a moment ago, none of which are visible in this shot)
- figure out why the shift boot isn't connected to the shift knob
- get the AC leak found and fixed
- install a battery disconnect
- install convex mirrors
- figure out why the trunk is just a little loose when it's closed
- buy a parking lift
That's about it! Not much of a list because this car is crazy clean. Interior is amazing, and stock. The paint is in wonderful shape. Car drives great.
Joey D
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- 47,426
- Lakes of the North, MI
- GTP_Joey
- GTP Joey
I like how you own two mid-engine cars. Also, only 50k on that MR2 is super low miles.
Those rims are pretty horrid. They look like MB Wheels that Discount Tire sells, so they're probably bent pretty bad since they're made out of something slightly softer than butter.
Not sure if you want to go aftermarket, but something like Enkei RPF1 would look good and be super lightweight. Or you could try to find a set of period correct aftermarket wheels on eBay but they'd probably be a tad pricey. Something from Volks, Speedline, etc. would all look pretty good.
Those rims are pretty horrid. They look like MB Wheels that Discount Tire sells, so they're probably bent pretty bad since they're made out of something slightly softer than butter.
Not sure if you want to go aftermarket, but something like Enkei RPF1 would look good and be super lightweight. Or you could try to find a set of period correct aftermarket wheels on eBay but they'd probably be a tad pricey. Something from Volks, Speedline, etc. would all look pretty good.
Danoff
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Two red/black, japanese, manual, 5-speed, mid-engine, two-seater, naturally aspirated, 1993 cars with mileage in the 50s.
Yea I was eyeing the volks. I think white looks really good on this car. I just don't want to waste my money on something. I'd need something that will hold its own value. I did that with the NSX by going with the 2002 rims. For the MR2 I was thinking maybe integra type r rims?? Seemed like fitment might be possible.
Edit:
Yea seems like 16" white type r rims would fit with a center bore adapter ring. Those would probably hold value decently. I'd just not run it with the center cap "H"s installed .
Can't find a photo of an MR2 actually running that. Maybe nobody likes going Toyota/Honda.
Edit:
Nope, it's because they're not staggered.
Edit:
Whaaaelll... I could run my stock NSX rims:
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- 11,832
- Marin County
Not bad. Found one on R32 GTR wheels, which works surprisingly well:
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