BMW and M Power Owners

mrk said:
These are stone chips on my rear passenger side one, the other side has no chips at all, they already have started to grow in size as water ingress takes place :(..
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Not sure how old yours are, but the diamond cut alloys on my 3 year old 3 series are wrecked now due to this. Passed that car onto the wife so I'm loathed to buy a new set for her as she will probably kerb them at some point, but boy they sure do let that awesome looking car down.
 
The whole set were refurbed by FA Wheels last year, so they're pretty much brand new. It's such a shame. Mint wheels that get ruined by such a trivial thing. I can see why people just end up painting them silver.

I'm actually wondering if it's possible to have them painted two tone, so the anthracite sides and inside walls remain, just paint silver the face? Would be a much more cost effective option vs getting all new wheels.
 
crinkleshoes said:
The company prefer buying second hand cars a year or two old with a low mileage outright and then selling them in a few years - rather than going the new/lease route.
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This makes having one as a company car a very bad deal IMO.

The reason is you'll pay BIK company car tax on it as if it were a new car which makes it a VERY expenwsive way to not own a 2nd hand M4.

Assume whatever you're looking at with the options you're after is going to list at around £65-70k new. Your BIK value on an M4 is 35% this year (37% next year), so as a 40% taxpayer you'll be paying £750-800 per month in tax...for a second hand M4! You could buy a brand new one for around that much on a PCP, or AUC for even less.

You're looking at probably £40-50k for a 12-18 month old car with your desired spec. Why pay the government so much money to not own one?!

Edit: just another thought. If you're still in the position to put down £30k cash then just do this and finance the balance of £15-20k with a personal loan for ~£400-500 per month (term dependent). WAY cheaper than a company car!!!
 
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Also ref the carbon ceramic brakes, I thought one of the benefits was that they DID last longer than the standard ones?

And yes, they are hilariously expensive to replace. I checked recently out of interest when looking at the cost of brakes on my M135i and the list price is £3k per front disc. I think the back discs are a little cheaper as they are smaller and thinner, but not a lot!
 
After test driving a few different cars, I'm pretty set on the Z4 being my next car.

The couple I've driven both didn't meet up to the spec I want, but I'm viewing another one in a week with M sport seats, wheel and suspension, xenons, MFSW etc, pretty much every option except Sat Nav it seems, for which I'd just use my phone and Waze anyway.
 
Invertigo said:
After test driving a few different cars, I'm pretty set on the Z4 being my next car.

The couple I've driven both didn't meet up to the spec I want, but I'm viewing another one in a week with M sport seats, wheel and suspension, xenons, MFSW etc, pretty much every option except Sat Nav it seems, for which I'd just use my phone and Waze anyway.
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Yeah I wouldn't stress about the sat nav. Sport seats, upgraded sound system and xenons are must haves imo. Unless you don't mind ok sound system which comes as standard
 
mrk said:
I shall have to look into this thanks!
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It's a shame because diamond cut looks awesome. Whilst my diamond cut alloys have some marks I am fortunate that they have not really corroded at all, I've been expecting them to. 11 years old and still look in good nick. Wonder if it's the fact our roads rarely, if ever, get salted.
 
New front tyres needed. Time to try some PS4S.

I have accepted the mpg now and loving the car. With the windows down it's a lot louder than you realise too.

Last tank was 16mpg
 
Havana_UK said:
This makes having one as a company car a very bad deal IMO.

The reason is you'll pay BIK company car tax on it as if it were a new car which makes it a VERY expenwsive way to not own a 2nd hand M4.

Assume whatever you're looking at with the options you're after is going to list at around £65-70k new. Your BIK value on an M4 is 35% this year (37% next year), so as a 40% taxpayer you'll be paying £750-800 per month in tax...for a second hand M4! You could buy a brand new one for around that much on a PCP, or AUC for even less.

You're looking at probably £40-50k for a 12-18 month old car with your desired spec. Why pay the government so much money to not own one?!

Edit: just another thought. If you're still in the position to put down £30k cash then just do this and finance the balance of £15-20k with a personal loan for ~£400-500 per month (term dependent). WAY cheaper than a company car!!!
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Thanks - I am aware - but it will be "business only" so I won't get hit with that nightmare :) I also get fuel card...

Havana_UK said:
Also ref the carbon ceramic brakes, I thought one of the benefits was that they DID last longer than the standard ones?

And yes, they are hilariously expensive to replace. I checked recently out of interest when looking at the cost of brakes on my M135i and the list price is £3k per front disc. I think the back discs are a little cheaper as they are smaller and thinner, but not a lot!
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Yeah - I'm not sure who to believe.

The guy in Borehamwood I was talking to when I went to see the M2 was the one who told me that.
I also spoke to the guy in Milton Keynes about it and he said it all depends on how you treat them - they like to be treated as if they are on track all the time to get the most life out of them - hard on, soft off... it's the slow, gentle braking that kills them quickly.

I know the early iterations had issues with de-lamination, but thought the current ones where much better as long as you treat them right.

There are some cracking end of year deals around at the moment, but these ones don't have ceramics - so that might push the decision towards steel anyway. £45k ex vat (vat qualifying) for a Jan 2017 '66 plate competition pack with harmon kardon and a few other extras in some nice colour combinations. Looks like a dealership trying to get a few more through their books before the end of the tax year.
 
crinkleshoes said:
Thanks - I am aware - but it will be "business only" so I won't get hit with that nightmare :) I also get fuel card...
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What is the point in that then? The fuel card is irrelevant as if it's business only it's not your journey so not your fuel - but having to use it only when at work seems incredibly odd. It means it isn't really yours at all any more than your monitor on your desk at work is.
 
Fitted my new wheels at the weekend :)

IMG_20170325_134555062_HDR.jpg
 
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