Is This Practical? (Car Advice)

LondonBridge

I'm looking at buying a fancy car (BMW Z4) but I don't want to use it as a everyday vehicle, especially if I want to go to Home Depot. So I'm thinking of buy an additional car of low value for use when it snows, run errands, work and such. Any advice on this being practical or not? I live alone so no one else will drive these.

Faricazy

That would be a "beater". Practicality goes as far as your needs. If you can afford to run both, why not.

Snowcone

As long as it doesn't strap you financially I don't see why not. Plenty of people drive nice cars to work and have a "utility" vehicle for other things. Just remember to factor in the cost of insurance, repairs, gas, etc....

Faricazy

If you are really going to beat it, buy used obviously. Will you be making Home Depot runs a lot? A Ranger might be a pretty decent choice.

Nitsuj82

Yeah, I made the mistake of buying a sports car as a daily driver, and regretted it after the euphoria wore off. So I guess I would say that if you can afford to do it, go right on ahead.

amateurhour

You're definately thinking the right way. That's actually really practical, because the insurance won't be too much more, you'll save on gas by driving the cheaper car as opposed to the Z4 (which doesn't get horrible mileage for a sports car), and you don't have to risk some idiot at wal mart smashing a cart into you on a daily basis.

casper_27d

I did the same thing, I have my "nice" car that I use for recreational activities and my beat the hell up Bronco that cost me $500 for most other things.

Doc

amateurhour wrote: »

You're definately thinking the right way. That's actually really practical, because the insurance won't be too much more, you'll save on gas by driving the cheaper car as opposed to the Z4 (which doesn't get horrible mileage for a sports car), and you don't have to risk some idiot at wal mart smashing a cart into you on a daily basis.

Sometimes your insurance will actually go down, since you aren't out with the Z4 every day.

amateurhour

true, just rare.

If you register the Z4 as a weekend driver only and agree to so many miles a year it would be cheaper.

LondonBridge

amateurhour wrote: »

true, just rare.

If you register the Z4 as a weekend driver only and agree to so many miles a year it would be cheaper.

Awesome, I may go for it soon then. I'm actually thinking buy a 3rd vehicle just to save on gas during the warmer months, a motor scooter as my office is moving just a few miles down from my place.

Doc

You could also consider getting a nice bicycle. Keeping fit while getting to work is actually pretty great.

amateurhour

I'd love to do that, but I live in a pretty metropolitan area and I would die.

LondonBridge

Doc wrote: »

You could also consider getting a nice bicycle. Keeping fit while getting to work is actually pretty great.

Yeah, thought about it but there are some steep hills plus my office doesn't have any showers.

Doc

LondonBridge wrote: »

Yeah, thought about it but there are some steep hills plus my office doesn't have any showers.

The first one only makes it better, but the second one is a dealbraker. Too bad.

powerss

Hey, I completely agree with what you're doing.

As far as the Z4, get the 3.0 PLEASE. So much better than the 2.5.

Or get an M Coupe. I've driven one, so hot.

RNEMESiS42

Nitsuj82 wrote: »

Yeah, I made the mistake of buying a sports car as a daily driver, and regretted it after the euphoria wore off. So I guess I would say that if you can afford to do it, go right on ahead.

Yeah, my Supra doesn't exactly like the eight inches of snow we got a few days ago...

I've been wanting to get a beater, also, but a $500 car is a $500 car. Would it be worth it to pay for a little more reliable albeit more expensive car? I'd mainly be using this car for winter, so reliability is key.

an_alt

Yes, it would be worth spending a little more money for a reliable car. If you could find a situation where someone else has kept a beater in good condition with a few known flaws, that would be ideal. The problem with picking up a $500 car out of the paper is that a few minor issues could have you spending $1000 to keep in running within a few months. Unless you don't mind ordering parts and flipping through a haynes manual to keep things in shape, an extra grand or two buys a lot. Heck, a good set of snow tires is worth almost $500 and that's key for a winter beater.

Also, as an MR2 owner, I know what you mean about snow.

japan

I don't know if this works in the US, but in the UK it's generally possible to pick up a beater in decent shape from dealerships. They tend to have at least a couple of cars people have traded in that they've repaired enough that they run and have passed their MoT (annual vehicle inspection), with the intention of sending them to auction. Obviously, if this is the case you can't be too choosy about what you get.

A friend of mine used to do exactly what the OP described, he ran a pretty hot Audi Quattro as his "fun" car, and bought trade-ins from dealerships every year as daily drivers, then scrapped them when MoT time rolled around.

Obviously make sure you can afford the insurance, tax, fuel, etc.

KMFurDM

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Buy a used M3. 330+ bhp, four seats, a real boot, snow tires for the winter.

Faricazy

KMFurDM wrote: »

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Buy a used M3. 330+ bhp, four seats, a real boot, snow tires for the winter.

An M3 is a pretty far cry from a beater.

If in your eyes it's not, give me some of your money.

BRAINS!

Piratical, hmm.

There are times for practicality. My wife has a G35 coupe and I have a VW Eos, both small - most would say non piratical, but good for this time in our lives since we have dogs and no children yet.

You are single. If you can swing two cars, insure them, and be happy - then "piratical" is irrelevant.

let us know what you decide.

japan

Faricazy wrote: »

KMFurDM wrote: »

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Buy a used M3. 330+ bhp, four seats, a real boot, snow tires for the winter.

An M3 is a pretty far cry from a beater.

If in your eyes it's not, give me some of your money.

I think he meant buy one car that is both fun and has a boot, rather than buying a fun car and a beater.

King Kong

I do this exact thing, I have a mustang I use for summer/street/strip racing and my daily driver or "beater".

Mykonos

I use my Z3 as an everyday car with little trouble other than it getting dirty very quickly. I will admit I've becoming increasingly paranoid driving it, as every time something doesn't sound or feel right I freak out and think I screwed something up.

I'd say if your single and live in a decent area (I drive in Waco Tx cuz of school...yeah I get nervous alot) I'd say just stick with the z4 and take the rest of that money saved and invest it. Your call though, I think it just comes down to a matter of preference.

KMFurDM

japan wrote: »

Faricazy wrote: »

KMFurDM wrote: »

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Buy a used M3. 330+ bhp, four seats, a real boot, snow tires for the winter.

An M3 is a pretty far cry from a beater.

If in your eyes it's not, give me some of your money.

I think he meant buy one car that is both fun and has a boot, rather than buying a fun car and a beater.

Bingo.

E46 model M3's can be had in very good shape for easily under 35,000 dollars. Under 40 grand, if you look hard enough, you might get one BMW certified. They are reliable if well maintained, a true "everyday" sports car, and the first time you make the rev counter swing past 7,000, well, you'll soon forget about a Z4 (assuming you are looking at new Z4's). Just buy a manual. Ignore the SMG equipped ones.

JaysonFour

Simple solution: Buy a used "nice car" from a couple years ago, like an '05 or '06. New cars lose 30% of thier value the second you drive them off the lot. Pick up a nice car from a year or two ago and you'll have enough money for a solid beater- plus insurance rates are usually lower on used cars, not to mention you won't be as hyper about spills/stains/scratches like you would with a new car.

jthm

Just want to chime in with a quick piece of advice. The idea of owning a beater is great, and can really open up your options - just keep quality in mind when you go to purchase something. Personally I use an old VW for situations in which i dont feel comfortable leaving my BMW sitting out. I paid 2k for it, and have had to do very little to keep her going - and shes still going strong while creeping up on 300k km.

I would avoid American made cars for this purpose, as I've had nothing but bad luck trying to keep them going with high milage.

Also, if you do purchase the Z4, or any BMW, do a lot of shopping around on the insurance until you find a company willing to cut you a deal. BMW's are quite difficult to steal, if nigh impossible short of a flatbed truck depending on the model. It costs me 7$ more per month to insure my 04 BMW than it does to insure a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville thats worth about 3 grand. I was pleasantly surprised (shocked actually) when I found out how cheap it was to insure my car.