M Running Costs

[mmm-five]

I come from a background of M5s which needed their valve clearances done about every 10,000 miles, so am used to getting them done. Was surprised how infrequent they were on the Z4 when I got it, but just assumed it was because the S38b38 in the M5 was more 'racy' (i.e. lumpy tickover vs the S54's smooth tickover).

Still followed the same warming up process, and a 1000, 2000, 5000 mile running in process on the new engine I had at 23,000 miles.

It get used as it was meant to be used, but the only issue it's had since was with a MAF sensor during the Lakes meet a while back. So I can't complain as it's given me 120,000 more or less worry-free miles since.

I'm guessing that my easy warm up, and then 200 mile steady runs keeps it in good condition for the odd hoon, track day and ring trip - that plus the frequent (i.e. every 3 months) oil services.

Even my clutch/flywheel lasted until 140,000 miles

 

[Z4M-2006]

That's a perfect illustration that there is no rhyme or reason to the S54 wear issues..

Some break, some don't..

Good oil and frequent changes will help but IMHO is no guarantee of longevity..

 

[Ewazix]

My total running costs (including mods) over the last 7 years and about 140,000 miles are available in my PistonHeads Garage.

It also covers depreciation and the extra wear of track days & ring trips, so I don't think most people will get anywhere near that sort of annual cost.

The only time the costs reduce are when I'm not working in the UK (as I tend to drive everywhere). That's what happened in the first year or two that I owned it, and why the average is a slightly lower 20k a year when I've done 25k/year for the last 4 years.

It's still about 50% less than the M5 was costing to run, due to more servicing, higher costs of getting rare parts for an older vehicle from BMW, and worse fuel economy (90L tank but only did about 24mpg on a motorway run).

Impressive workings there, numbers like £900 per month running cost really ram home the reality of running and using performance cars properly, Vs the rose tinted 'man maths' most of us apply. Top work

 

[Beedub]

That's a perfect illustration that there is no rhyme or reason to the S54 wear issues..

Some break, some don't..

Good oil and frequent changes will help but IMHO is no guarantee of longevity..

massive this..... +200000

 

[Geresey]

Dont forget to allow for some monkey tips. And air scoop. And fancy wheels......

Mines cost me nothing in 7 months to date, except some non essentials as above. Oil service soon i guess though. As someone said early on timing is everything.....

Although you said youre not interested in buying as n investment, how can it not make sense to get a car like this, enjoy it for a couple of years, and get your money back , or at least no depreciation, in 2 years

No brainer

 

[Ed Doe]

Dont forget to allow for some monkey tips. And air scoop. And fancy wheels......

Mines cost me nothing in 7 months to date, except some non essentials as above. Oil service soon i guess though. As someone said early on timing is everything.....

Although you said youre not interested in buying as n investment, how can it not make sense to get a car like this, enjoy it for a couple of years, and get your money back , or at least no depreciation, in 2 years

No brainer

Mostly because I'm terrible at leaving things alone. I tinker, and tailor stuff to my tastes, which is expensive both in intial outlay, and then in depreciation when in a couple of years I try to sell...

for the timebeing, M purchases are on hold due to the impending wedding... Since I mapped the coupe though I'm pretty chuffed with it to be honest - might stick an lsd in it and just enjoy that for a few more years - it's not appreciating like the Ms, so I'm not doing much harm putting more miles on it etc....

Thanks so much to everyone for their input to this - It's been a very interesting thread for sure

 

[Beedub]

Dont forget to allow for some monkey tips. And air scoop. And fancy wheels......

Mines cost me nothing in 7 months to date, except some non essentials as above. Oil service soon i guess though. As someone said early on timing is everything.....

Although you said youre not interested in buying as n investment, how can it not make sense to get a car like this, enjoy it for a couple of years, and get your money back , or at least no depreciation, in 2 years

No brainer

Mostly because I'm terrible at leaving things alone. I tinker, and tailor stuff to my tastes, which is expensive both in intial outlay, and then in depreciation when in a couple of years I try to sell...

for the timebeing, M purchases are on hold due to the impending wedding... Since I mapped the coupe though I'm pretty chuffed with it to be honest - might stick an lsd in it and just enjoy that for a few more years - it's not appreciating like the Ms, so I'm not doing much harm putting more miles on it etc....

Thanks so much to everyone for their input to this - It's been a very interesting thread for sure

I've just got engaged and wow..... it is an expensive game isn't, these ladies make sports car ownership look cheap!! lol

 

[Ed Doe]

I've just got engaged and wow..... it is an expensive game isn't, these ladies make sports car ownership look cheap!! lol

God yeah, it's nice to know I'm not on my own. Genuinely a charged M and a few year's of track days would be cheaper!!

I'm working on getting the coupe in for the diff to be fitted whilst we're on honeymoon. "Essential maintenance darling - most convenient time to do it" :lol:

 

[Beedub]

I've just got engaged and wow..... it is an expensive game isn't, these ladies make sports car ownership look cheap!! lol

God yeah, it's nice to know I'm not on my own. Genuinely a charged M and a few year's of track days would be cheaper!!

I'm working on getting the coupe in for the diff to be fitted whilst we're on honeymoon. "Essential maintenance darling - most convenient time to do it" :lol:

mine would happily see my ///M gone and sold for the wedding... er..... No... she's learning the hardware. Z goes no-where unless we can eat.

 

[stevo///m3]

Just did a quick calculation to scare myself! And also to be honest and for the benefit of others considering ownership. This is my real-life experience:

Owned since Jan 2014. Total running costs are roughly £13,500 or £480 per month Break down below.

These are not in date or expense order - or any kind of order save the order in which I remembered them - date order etc supplied to next owner if/when I sell:

Replacement Catalytic converter + fitting + a few little bits 1650
Inspection 2 (including VT engine mounts and preventative VANOS maintenance/rebuild) 2200
Road tax (x 3 years) 1530
Oil change 130
Four new tyres - 2 sets of different sizes - 1100
fitting and alignment - 2x hunter plus fitting tyres, 1 cheapo short term alignment to get me home - 375
eventuri filter 600
new wheels 580
tie rods and track rods (fitted) 150
insurance (3 years) 1350
polishing machine and cleaning products 500 (I suspect this is on the low side...)
jack and axle stands 100
AA cover 150
Petrol - 14k miles at guestimate average price of £1.35 per litre (I know it's cheaper now but it wasn't back in 2014!), always used Tesco 99 without fail, 28 mpg long term average - 3100
pressure washer 90

Garages used: Insp 2 at Redish, Bristol; all the rest at Atlas in York (tyre shop was NE Tyres in York).

I'd consider that I've front-loaded the expenditure a bit - i.e. servicing should be oil next year, Inspection 1 in 2018, oil, Inspection 2 in 2020 and I should need the engine mounts/VANOS doing again. I'm pretty easy on tyres so shouldn't need more (touch wood) for 2 or 3 years. Cat should be fine for years. Sadly, tax, insurance and fuel will be a constant, although the insurance might creep down potentially. Cleaning stuff- I reckon I've got the set now so that budget should decrease from now on. I'll probably do brake discs and pads in 2018 at Inspection 1. I could have bought a car that had just gone through an Inspection 2 which would have most likely knocked a lump of the amounts spent. In other words, these figures - the averages - should decrease somewhat over the next few years

This obviously does not include the price of purchasing the car.

The statisticians will spot that this equates, roughly, to £1 per mile overall - albeit 22p per mile on fuel costs only. I do hope I've got most of the maths right!

Hope that helps,

Stevo

 

[mattwaltersz4m]

Just did a quick calculation to scare myself! And also to be honest and for the benefit of others considering ownership. This is my real-life experience:

Owned since Jan 2014. Total running costs are roughly £13,500 or £480 per month Break down below.

These are not in date or expense order - or any kind of order save the order in which I remembered them - date order etc supplied to next owner if/when I sell:

Replacement Catalytic converter + fitting + a few little bits 1650
Inspection 2 (including VT engine mounts and preventative VANOS maintenance/rebuild) 2200
Road tax (x 3 years) 1530
Oil change 130
Four new tyres - 2 sets of different sizes - 1100
fitting and alignment - 2x hunter plus fitting tyres, 1 cheapo short term alignment to get me home - 375
eventuri filter 600
new wheels 580
tie rods and track rods (fitted) 150
insurance (3 years) 1350
polishing machine and cleaning products 500 (I suspect this is on the low side...)
jack and axle stands 100
AA cover 150
Petrol - 14k miles at guestimate average price of £1.35 per litre (I know it's cheaper now but it wasn't back in 2014!), always used Tesco 99 without fail, 28 mpg long term average - 3100
pressure washer 90

Garages used: Insp 2 at Redish, Bristol; all the rest at Atlas in York (tyre shop was NE Tyres in York).

I'd consider that I've front-loaded the expenditure a bit - i.e. servicing should be oil next year, Inspection 1 in 2018, oil, Inspection 2 in 2020 and I should need the engine mounts/VANOS doing again. I'm pretty easy on tyres so shouldn't need more (touch wood) for 2 or 3 years. Cat should be fine for years. Sadly, tax, insurance and fuel will be a constant, although the insurance might creep down potentially. Cleaning stuff- I reckon I've got the set now so that budget should decrease from now on. I'll probably do brake discs and pads in 2018 at Inspection 1. I could have bought a car that had just gone through an Inspection 2 which would have most likely knocked a lump of the amounts spent. In other words, these figures - the averages - should decrease somewhat over the next few years

This obviously does not include the price of purchasing the car.

The statisticians will spot that this equates, roughly, to £1 per mile overall - albeit 22p per mile on fuel costs only. I do hope I've got most of the maths right!

Hope that helps,

Stevo

Quite a few variables in there which can be cheaper if you shopped around. Not sure how axle stands, a pressure washer, a amount of washing up liquid and a terry special air filter fit into 'running' costs.

 

[stevo///m3]

Well Matt, it's what I've spent. That's how it fits in. It's not about what I could have done, it's about what I did. And it's honest.
Stevo

 

[srhutch]

Well Matt, it's what I've spent. That's how it fits in. It's not about what I could have done, it's about what I did. And it's honest.
Stevo

Washing stuff and mods aren't true running a costs from a 3rd party point of view if you were looking to buy one. These would apply to any car you owned.

Same can be said for insurance as that's so variable. I'm only paying £204 for example where as your paying £450

 

[Angelus666]

I think it's a fair assessment of costs, it's real money spent on trying to keep the car as you would want it to stay. I think far too many people exclude stuff when doing the real world calculations to somehow justify the running costs!

 

[stevo///m3]

I think it's a fair assessment of costs, it's real money spent on trying to keep the car as you would want it to stay. I think far too many people exclude stuff when doing the real world calculations to somehow justify the running costs!

Ta lad. It's a completely honest assessment of costs. No-one has to like/unlike this, it's just my experience. Cars cost.
Stevo

 

[DPG]

I've just got engaged and wow..... it is an expensive game isn't, these ladies make sports car ownership look cheap!! lol

God yeah, it's nice to know I'm not on my own. Genuinely a charged M and a few year's of track days would be cheaper!!

I'm working on getting the coupe in for the diff to be fitted whilst we're on honeymoon. "Essential maintenance darling - most convenient time to do it" :lol:

mine would happily see my ///M gone and sold for the wedding... er..... No... she's learning the hardware. Z goes no-where unless we can eat.

Good on you. She'll be measuring your shims in no time.

 

[stevo///m3]

Well Matt, it's what I've spent. That's how it fits in. It's not about what I could have done, it's about what I did. And it's honest.
Stevo

Washing stuff and mods aren't true running a costs from a 3rd party point of view if you were looking to buy one. These would apply to any car you owned.

Same can be said for insurance as that's so variable. I'm only paying £204 for example where as your paying £450

I completely agree, these sort of things would also benefit my next car... But I've spent it on this car, you may amortise this over several cars. I'm just giving an honest assessment on this particular car.

Clarification: it's just an honest assessment of what I've done. No issues with disagreement on prices or what YOU might do to your car. Just my experience. I said I'd scare myself and I did!
Stevo

 

[punxsutawney]

how much

You've forgotten to mention the smiles per mile Stevo

 

[stevo///m3]

how much

You've forgotten to mention the smiles per mile Stevo

Of course! I love this motor and it's a real pleasure to drive, difficult to put a price on that. A lot of the cost is recoupable when it comes to sell. And average cost will reduce over time, of course, and some of this stuff I won't have to buy again. Some people will spend more, some less - it kinda depends on what costs you bring into your calculation. I've counted next year's road tax, for instance, which is not due until the end of this month. Some will also SORN over winter, too, which saves a few £s.
Stevo

 

[abar121]

Mine has been pretty cheap to run overall for the past five years, although I've only covered about 15k in that time.

1 x oil change service ~£150 , 1 x inspection 1 ~300, 1 x Inspection 2 ~750. All Sytner BMW, ~ £1200
1 x set of Goodyear F1s £550
Relocate roof motor to the boot £225
~2.5k Road tax.

Total: ~4.5k excluding fuel, MOTs, insurance etc etc.

Absolutely nothing else has gone wrong. That'll jinx it!

Add near zero depreciation and the total cost of ownership is pretty good per year, if not maybe per mile. Certainly cheaper than just about any new car and most used cars of similar age.

The E90 330i I had from two years old, kept three years before the zed cost about 10k in depreciation alone. Sure it was a few hundred less to service, fuel and tax, but still at least twice as much to run over a shorter period of time. Zero problems with that either.

I had a 993C2 before that, again zero depreciation, but at least 2k a year to service and keep up with age related expense. Values of those are now heading skywards. At least until the next crash