Who uses (specifically) their 'M' as a daily
- Thread starter Adamski
- Start date
Use it and enjoy it....
Im mildly OCD about the cars paint and keeping it clean,but an hour a week sees it nice,even in the worst of winter..
I rarely park it in public car parks.... if we "need" too then it gets parked as far away from anyone else....
I drive our other car every day too....Its the one the dog gets about in... I will use it of i have to whip to supermarket for something...
Most miles......I live rurally but commute into work....Stop/start mainly...about 21 mpg..
If you paid high for your car as it had low miles then i can see the point in trying to maintain that,and sell for a premium... But at 50k its not "that" low that its gonna command huge bucks...
Im mildly OCD about the cars paint and keeping it clean,but an hour a week sees it nice,even in the worst of winter..
I rarely park it in public car parks.... if we "need" too then it gets parked as far away from anyone else....
I drive our other car every day too....Its the one the dog gets about in... I will use it of i have to whip to supermarket for something...
Most miles......I live rurally but commute into work....Stop/start mainly...about 21 mpg..
If you paid high for your car as it had low miles then i can see the point in trying to maintain that,and sell for a premium... But at 50k its not "that" low that its gonna command huge bucks...
Make that 9.
I use mine every day, usually the 10 miles each way to/from the station and occasionally the 40 odd miles each way to/from Heathrow.
We live in rural parts, so cannot get anywhere by walking and the bus comes along twice a day! In total I do about 6-7k per year in the Zed.
I only got the Zed in April this year. Has only cost me an oil service so far, although I've proabably spent the same again on cleaning products! Plus, of course, a mere £500 car tax.
If Mrs R and I go out it's usually in the Land Rover so that large hound can come along too - large hound has not and will never be invited into the Zed.
Mrs R is increasingly finding excuses to take the Zed to work when I'm working at home. She states that it's a silly car, but I think that she is slowly being won over.
Le Mans next year will be in the Zed - that will add to the miles and blow the soot out.
I use mine every day, usually the 10 miles each way to/from the station and occasionally the 40 odd miles each way to/from Heathrow.
We live in rural parts, so cannot get anywhere by walking and the bus comes along twice a day! In total I do about 6-7k per year in the Zed.
I only got the Zed in April this year. Has only cost me an oil service so far, although I've proabably spent the same again on cleaning products! Plus, of course, a mere £500 car tax.
If Mrs R and I go out it's usually in the Land Rover so that large hound can come along too - large hound has not and will never be invited into the Zed.
Mrs R is increasingly finding excuses to take the Zed to work when I'm working at home. She states that it's a silly car, but I think that she is slowly being won over.
Le Mans next year will be in the Zed - that will add to the miles and blow the soot out.
CornishRob
Senior member
Yes, its my only car, so i use it whenever i want. I use my girlfriends car sometimes, but thats only for local shopping trips or similar as its just a bit easier.
I don't have an office job anymore, so don't commute as such, but last year i did and i used the M everyday. It was 60 miles a day round trip. Mixture of A roads and motorway, and i think its a great car for the job. I sometimes lift shared with another guy who used a Skoda Octavia. I literally don't know how people commute in souless boring shitters like that. Yes, they are efficient, but thats it!
I think its a great car to use all the time. I have read people say they tire of the suspension, gearbox, clutch etc. Frankly, i don't know what they are talking about. Yes, the controls are heavier than a 1.0l Micra, but again, thats why i like it. I had a Defender before the M and that had a heavy clutch. In fact, the clutch on my car is only slightly heavier than my girlfriends Citreon C2!
Personally, i purchased the car because i love cars, and i loved the shape and character of the MC. I personally couldn't stomach walking past my car everyday to get into a Commuter, or other unless the MC wasn't suitable (Needed space for Dogs, shopping etc). Life is too short for that. Unfortunately, a fair few people i have know have died relatively young, and i have no intention of wasting my life in something i don't like, for the sake of avoiding a stone chip, avoiding it getting dirty, or devaluing it a bit.
If i purchased a new 100K 911 GT3, i would use it in the same was as i do now. It wouldn't be locked away.
Get out there, enjoy your cars, and enjoy yourself, and don't worry too much. No one gets out alive!
I don't have an office job anymore, so don't commute as such, but last year i did and i used the M everyday. It was 60 miles a day round trip. Mixture of A roads and motorway, and i think its a great car for the job. I sometimes lift shared with another guy who used a Skoda Octavia. I literally don't know how people commute in souless boring shitters like that. Yes, they are efficient, but thats it!
I think its a great car to use all the time. I have read people say they tire of the suspension, gearbox, clutch etc. Frankly, i don't know what they are talking about. Yes, the controls are heavier than a 1.0l Micra, but again, thats why i like it. I had a Defender before the M and that had a heavy clutch. In fact, the clutch on my car is only slightly heavier than my girlfriends Citreon C2!
Personally, i purchased the car because i love cars, and i loved the shape and character of the MC. I personally couldn't stomach walking past my car everyday to get into a Commuter, or other unless the MC wasn't suitable (Needed space for Dogs, shopping etc). Life is too short for that. Unfortunately, a fair few people i have know have died relatively young, and i have no intention of wasting my life in something i don't like, for the sake of avoiding a stone chip, avoiding it getting dirty, or devaluing it a bit.
If i purchased a new 100K 911 GT3, i would use it in the same was as i do now. It wouldn't be locked away.
Get out there, enjoy your cars, and enjoy yourself, and don't worry too much. No one gets out alive!
-Tom- said:
If you're doing 8k a year not on the ///M then it may be worth leasing something for £120pcm for the boring commute ( if that's where the daily mileage happens) and then taking another view in 2 years?
Mine has been used daily for the 7 years I've owned it regardless of the weather and conditions. My journey to work has varied over the years so sometimes a decent length of commute and sometimes short journeys. It's a car at the end of the day, albeit a nice one, and my view is that there is no point in buying a vehicle with half decent performance only to keep it pristine and spend most of your time in some characterless box.
At the end of the day the car cost me about £34000 in 2007 and when you think about its current value and that you're going to lose at least £5000 a year in depreciation on a newer car in that price bracket, that's pretty good value over my ownership. That makes it a great every day driver in my opinion, they're not collectors pieces.
At the end of the day the car cost me about £34000 in 2007 and when you think about its current value and that you're going to lose at least £5000 a year in depreciation on a newer car in that price bracket, that's pretty good value over my ownership. That makes it a great every day driver in my opinion, they're not collectors pieces.
Daily driver here too, it's a nice car but not exactly a priceless 250 GTO lol!
Bought on 68K in April and now just about to tick over to 78K, my mileage is going to go up a fair bit in the new year as moving house but will see what it costs in fuel and servicing as I'm due a massive pay increase too
Neil.
Bought on 68K in April and now just about to tick over to 78K, my mileage is going to go up a fair bit in the new year as moving house but will see what it costs in fuel and servicing as I'm due a massive pay increase too
Neil.
leasing can work perfectly in that situation!Another daily driver here, mostly 30km commute but also lots of trips to the supermarket, DIY shops and the like.
Warm-up is not too bad actually and I can't think of other special down sides of this car as a daily, its a delight.
(Had an Elise S1 as daily for 7 years, this is not something I recommend to everybody
)
What suprises me is that even after more than 2 years of ownership, I still look forward to my drives every single day.
Using the ///M on a daily basis keeps being a treat, the seats, the cubby wheel, the initial roar, the acceleration, rev matching, heel-toeing, its all makes me grin, and I think thats important
Warm-up is not too bad actually and I can't think of other special down sides of this car as a daily, its a delight.
(Had an Elise S1 as daily for 7 years, this is not something I recommend to everybody
) What suprises me is that even after more than 2 years of ownership, I still look forward to my drives every single day.
Using the ///M on a daily basis keeps being a treat, the seats, the cubby wheel, the initial roar, the acceleration, rev matching, heel-toeing, its all makes me grin, and I think thats important
Another DD ///M here, it's my only car so it goes to the shops, work and on holiday - I had a case, a holdall, an inflatable dinghy, a backpack inside and two bikes on the back.
I don't really understand buying a car like this and then never driving it - though if your using public transport it's slightly different. Use the money that you save on not having a second car to repair any damage caused using it as a DD IMO.
I don't really understand buying a car like this and then never driving it - though if your using public transport it's slightly different. Use the money that you save on not having a second car to repair any damage caused using it as a DD IMO.
Adamski said:
Right then, I use mine daily, just like I used my last Z. Since I collected it on the 27th April - a day burned into my memory - I have put almost exactly 10,000 miles on it, just over half of which have been 'business' miles, and in turn the vast majority of those have been a 73 mile round trip into London. Mostly motorway, with about 20 odd miles of urban travel. I'll drive it to customers round the M25 but not any further afield - partly because I don't want to put stupid miles on it, but mostly because it's just more time and cost efficient to go into London then train it anywhere else. Though I've a bunch of customers around Manchester and South Yorkshire so I'm intending to take it up at least once so I can go via Sheffield and take in Snake pass, drop by and see Taz and be creative about my routes between customers
The almost 5,000 personal / fun miles I've had have been awesome, and in no way diminished by using it daily. In fact I really love being able to let loose on the weekends when I can and have driven all the way to Rye and backs few times just for the hell of it.
Answering your questions...
Short runs don't bother me too much at all - dropping WB at school and picking him up from town when I'm working at home is only a few miles, and Mrs B is often off doing her own stuff at weekends whilst I get other things done, so I've no choice. I'm not sure why the car needs to get 'up to temperature' every time I drive it - but I just take it easy, 2/3k revs max, no giving in to temptation. Probably disappoints a few boy racers and isn't terribly exciting, but I still love driving it. Mostly the noise actually, even going slow. On the commute it's at 50 degrees by the motorway, 3k revs max which is about 75 in 6th for another few miles, then it gets the beans up the hill after the M26 up out of Kent. I love that bit, worth waiting for :evil:
Of course it gets dirty. It's filthy right now, but will get washed and no-touch dried tomorrow and will look beautiful again. It's seen more rain, dirt and salt recently than it has its whole life, but it's not going to instantly fall apart, and if it's cleaned properly and with care it'll be just fine. I do have to figure out a way of cleaning the underside without a pressure washer... Or buy a pressure washer of course. But making it clean again is deeply pleasurable. It will not be mint forever, but when it needs it the car will get restorative TLC and will always look good.
Fortunately the parking at the end of my commute is outside a private house owned by a friend. Been parking there more than 13 years and none of my cars have ever been damaged. I do park mine in public car parks - got favoured spots in the local ones, and as far away as possible anywhere else. I picked up a couple of light scratches on my last Z that could actually have come from anywhere, and one parking ding that I saw happen. Nothing on my current Z, so in all very little in over 3 years. I've seen a fair few people being very, very careful next to it though.
Our second car is Mrs Bs and gets used for family duties like trips, shopping and carting rugby kit around. It needs to, there's three of us. But if it's just 2 of us needing to go somewhere then I take the Z.
Split of mileage above - but every trip is an event, just sometimes more of a rush than others. Forum / road trips aside, the thing I love most is this - I can have the worst day ever, but I know that at the end of it my Z is waiting to take me home. My work phone is not paired with my car and everyone I work for and with knows that - I just don't like having complicated phone conversations when driving, it's dangerous. So in the summer the roof goes down, and once onto the A2 there are plenty scenic routes home ; in the winter the roof can be down too, but if it's cold and wet I am still tucked up in my little surround sound bubble of fun enjoying myself more than anyone else is.
So would I have a 3rd car ? Sure, but it would have to be a nice one with all the toys because I do still drive a lot for work and would possibly do a bit more - so I'm not driving a beater for that. But we can't have one - not just money but space too - so if I had a company car Mrs Bs would get chopped and she would drive it.
The only real disadvantage for me is that the insurance is higher and the running costs are compressed, both because of mileage. So my car is a couple of hundred miles away from an oil service booked for 5th Jan, 4 months before the due date. And servicing will happen pretty much annually from now on, along with more regular spend on brakes, tyres etc., unless at some point I can get a third car. I'd still find it hard not to drive the Z though...
I know you're further away from decent roads than I, but drive it more anyway - make more excuses to go further afield with SWMBO and use it when you wouldn't normally, just because you can. Don't resist and put the keys back down, you're a young lad with an awesome and expensive car, you've done really well to get there so why deny yourself the pleasure you've earned. That's just nuts. Seriously, don't take the decision to sell lightly or without really good reason. And "I'm not driving it enough" is a shite reason to sell that I see way too often on here. Having a child is completely different, and you have that in your future - sell it then, if you have to. At least you'll have enjoyed it and you can look forward to the next ZM or a Porker or something else when the kids get older. Maybe you'll be fortunate/successful enough by then that you'll not need to sell it. Maybe not. But if you sell it now, what are you going to do on the weekends when you would normally have taken the Z off for a few days ? Go for a run instead ? You do enough of that anyway. Drive a Polo round the glens in a loud and aggressive manner ? Please, kill me now :wink:
Of course if you're really that concerned about resale value and are just looking to lose as little as possible then sell it. But then why did you buy it ? I think that's the question you need to answer - and I am 93% confident the answer is not "as an investment" or "as an ornament".
All just my opinion of course, feel free to totally ignore it
pvr said:Bing - it had the full underneath wash and wax earlier in the year 8)
Hmm, that sounds wrong.
Awesome, I have some time to get hold of a pressure washer
Somehow I knew you'd post immediately after me, though the lack of any
is a pleasant surprise. Must have been on the mulled wine My situation, I only have one car and thats the Z4M but I don't think it qualifies as a daily. I work in central London so getting the train makes sense for commuting. The car gets used at the weekends for the usual weekend activities and occasionally visiting friends ~100 miles away. I do quite a lot of short journeys although if it's less than a mile I will walk it. I used to treat the car as a garage queen but I'm becoming more laid back about it, I don't work the hours I do just to have a pristine car to stare at so it *has* to be used.
Anyway, in conclusion - life is too short - use the car as much as you can ...
// edit - and yes, I still park defensively in car parks!
Anyway, in conclusion - life is too short - use the car as much as you can ...
// edit - and yes, I still park defensively in car parks!
I've been using the ///M as a daily for the past 2 months and hate it. Not because it's difficult to drive but because it is so damned frustrating.
Getting stuck behind muppets on NSL roads and not allowing the Z to stretch her legs at all, it feels like a waste. Like caging a wild animal. I'm out to procure a sensible car this weekend, which will make me happy, I'll be able to enjoy driving the Z again, rather than becoming far too acquainted to 6th gear :|
Getting stuck behind muppets on NSL roads and not allowing the Z to stretch her legs at all, it feels like a waste. Like caging a wild animal. I'm out to procure a sensible car this weekend, which will make me happy, I'll be able to enjoy driving the Z again, rather than becoming far too acquainted to 6th gear :|
Paulwirral
Active member
A good mate of mine bought a brand new 997 when they first came out , did almost 40,000 miles in 18 months and blew a small fortune when he sold it . The salesman pointed this out and said mate replied " I drove a new porsche everywhere for the past 18 months , what did you drive ? "
There's a lot more to life than money , it's no good to be laid on your death bed remembering that time you polished your car rather than driving it
There's a lot more to life than money , it's no good to be laid on your death bed remembering that time you polished your car rather than driving it