Is Driving My BMW M3 Once a Month Enough for Its Health?

People sell up because they "don't use it much". Then regret it years later when values go to the Moon :D
 
Last edited:
sovietspybob said:
I'd say as long as you get it hot enough for long enough to burn off any water vapour in the oil and stuff you should be good.

Probably the ideal amount to use a car if you're planning on keeping it very long term.
Click to expand...

Yup get the engine hot enough for the thermostat to come on but I find my car is best after a good 200-300 mile run at 50-70mph each way. However it’s 25K miles in 7 years (~3.5k/year).

As long as the servicing keeps the brake fluid free from water, gets servicing, oil prime after a long storage and the battery is kept topped up, should be fine.
 
sovietspybob said:
That almost never happens when you actually do the maths of what it costs to keep a performance car MOT'd, insured etc on the road for a number of years.
Click to expand...

I bet people who sold their F40s for under 100k during the 00s don't think so :D

Or Skylines. Vintage 911s, etc.
 
Last edited:
Yeah there's obviously outliers but unless you happened to own one of a handful of niche cars 10-15 years ago the ship has mostly sailed on that.

It's certainty not something you should bet on. I did a post in another thread about how my old Subaru i sold 9 years ago has over doubled in value, but if i'd have kept it i'd have still been several grand down on the deal with maintenance/insurance/tax over the years.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I haven't driven the car in about 5 weeks as funnily enough it's developed a slight oil leak. 1 to 2 drops a week are appearing on my porcelain tiles. It's getting taken on a transporter tommorow for diagnostics. Hopefully it's an easy to access gasket or something....

Regarding all the comments talking about future values etc... I'm not concerned about future values at all. I only drive the M3 when I'm in the mood, which is every now and then. For everything else I prefer the tesla.
 
My C63 sits on the drive most of the time and I have to consciously choose to drive it over my EV just to keep it running. In my experience cars do not do well sitting around for weeks.
I would try and drive it at least once a week, enough to warm the engine and gearbox oil to the right temp.
 
My E92 sat for 4 months and the front spring snapped. Same issue EV cheap miles and wasn’t being used as I dumped it in work car park. Rear handbrake needed freeing up too. Once a week is good practice now avoiding salty roads of course.
 
Last edited:
Personally I think once a week or min every 10 days would be better, every two weeks feels slightly too long. If you left it to every two weeks, I doubt there would be a major difference, but the car will be happier at once a week IMO.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom