Practical replacement for my e92 M3?

[hermanmiller12]

For context, I am in the UK

I hate that I am writing this, But I think it's time to sell my e92 M3. It is a particularly lovely example and I had a good offer in the ballpark of £30k GBP. I've loved every minute of driving and owning it. But looking forward I think it's an opportunity to also be a little more sensible. I'm 26 and looking to buy my first house soon, so saving as much as I can. This will save me a good £8000 a year in fuel, insurance, tax, secure underground parking etc...

I do live in London but regularly commute a few hours out to the countryside to see family. So I will still need a car, and something more practical and a bit cheaper will allow me to invest the savings.

Currently, I am looking at a BMW 330e (2019), In the ballpark of £15,000 you can get one with around 70k miles on the clock.


My reasons are as follows

• Very Good efficiency (provided you have access to a charger)

• Good performance (Enough horsepower to still have a bit of fun)

• Reported good reliability

• 2019 specifically exempts me of the "premium" tax, saving ~£3-400 a year

• 2019 is also the G20 model, which from what I understand is a significant upgrade from the f30.

My concerns

• Considering my goal here is to save money, not only in running costs but having cash to invest I have set a budget at £16k

• This price point can get a used example with ~70-80k miles on the clock (As a hybrid, some if not most of these miles will be on the motor not the ICE)

• Unsure how well the electric motor will hold up over time? I can void much of this risk with a warrant (provided it covers the electric motor)

Alternatives?

Obviously I am a little biased to BMW, But I am also open to alternative suggestions. My criteria are

• Under £15k GBP with a sensibly low insurance / tax band

• Over 250hp

• Decent efficiency (40mpg+)

• Good reliability & reasonably cheap parts

• (bonus) if examples can be found for under 50-60k miles

Ultimately, keen to hear what suggestion for cars you guys might have, or any criticisms of my choice with the 330e.

[ZX10R NIN]

330e with less than 60k on the clock:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404108...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409093...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405049...

IS300h:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410014...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408042...

[omniflow]

Reading your concerns it looks to me like you have extremely unrealisitic expecations regarding the hybrid part of the drivetrain. The range on battery of these things is woeful - maximum 40 miles. Anything that's done 70 or 80K miles will have done 90+ % of those miles using the ICE.

They're also not that fast and not really fun to drive. The petrol tank is small so the range is very poor.

Buy something cheaper

[Quhet]

Octavia VRS would be an obvious choice here. Okay, so 242bhp (iirc) not 250 but it hits the rest of your brief

[ZX10R NIN]

508e:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409214...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408112...

[stub101]

I’m in the same position OP and starting to consider changing my e92 M3 that I’ve owned for 10 years.

Mine is very occasional second car so don’t need full practicality but nothing has interested me enough to change.

I’m probably going to go Alfa Guilia Quadrifoglio - it’s just a shame the lovely green ones are money than I want to spend currently.

Have you considered Giulia Veloce - my brother had one for 3 yrs and with 280bhp was a good mix of brisk and economical plus a bit different from the normal German offerings (and that’s coming from a 10x BMW owner…)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024101752...

[mike9009]

My fear would be going for the 330e is you will always be comparing against the M3. And it won't match your expectations. The 'modern' 3 series is massively competent but quite boring to drive.

So, I would recommend a JCW Mini or similar. Far more smiles and just as cheap.

[RichFN2]

Quhet said:

Octavia VRS would be an obvious choice here. Okay, so 242bhp (iirc) not 250 but it hits the rest of your brief

This is a good shout, I would open the search to anything VAG with the EA888 engine in. The power range is 230-300ish depending if it's something like a Golf R/S3/Cupra or GTi/VRS etc. tax is much lower than my old Type R, economy is slightly better but I'm only doing about 22 miles a day and there is a decent specialist in most towns meaning running costs are reasonable.

I went for a 2019 Cupra which fits your brief except on budget, can get 36mpg on my commute and 38 on longer journeys. 40+ is not uncommon in a GTi.

[MarkJS]

stub101 said:

Have you considered Giulia Veloce - my brother had one for 3 yrs and with 280bhp was a good mix of brisk and economical plus a bit different from the normal German offerings (and that’s coming from a 10x BMW owner…)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024101752...

Terrible MPG (for a 2.0 4 pot) and 9k mile service intervals won’t do much for the OP’s requirements to save money and have 40mpg+ efficiency.

I wouldn’t touch one out of manufacturers warranty either.

[raspy]

Don't get a German hybrid once the manufacturer's 6 year/60k warranty has expired on the hybrid system.

German hybrid tech is neither as durable or as efficient as the stuff that Toyota fits to their cars.

[andy43]

raspy said:

Don't get a German hybrid once the manufacturer's 6 year/60k warranty has expired on the hybrid system.

German hybrid tech is neither as durable or as efficient as the stuff that Toyota fits to their cars.

Toyota and Lexus ten year warranty. Kia seven years. Hyundai five years. That can really help with costs if there is a problem. I’m not convinced an early hybrid is a good idea apart from the Prius or Lexus drivetrains which seem to be unbreakable.

[fflump]

hermanmiller12 said:

For context, I am in the UK

I hate that I am writing this, But I think it's time to sell my e92 M3. It is a particularly lovely example and I had a good offer in the ballpark of £30k GBP. I've loved every minute of driving and owning it. But looking forward I think it's an opportunity to also be a little more sensible. I'm 26 and looking to buy my first house soon, so saving as much as I can. This will save me a good £8000 a year in fuel, insurance, tax, secure underground parking etc...

I'm genuinely interested in where the £8000 saving will come from. Do you do a lot of miles or is insurance sky high?

[Billy_Rosewood]

fflump said:

I'm genuinely interested in where the £8000 saving will come from. Do you do a lot of miles or is insurance sky high?

Me too.. That's insane!

Tax has gone up vs when I owned mine, but tax, insurance and warranty came to around £2000 on mine.. I thought that was steep!

My M3 was a second car, so it's not the same but our daily is currently an f30 330e..range isn't as good as G models (in fact is mostly non-existent), but it's a familiar place compared to the E92 and remote climate control is great for defrosting the windows. The M3 was more practical in that the boot was way larger, and it had EDC so it was in fact the most comfortable car I've ever owned (better than any of the dailies). It just lacked the additional doors.

Performance-wise, there's no comparison but the instant torque from the electric motors make the 330e feel pretty lively. I've never felt the need for more power in a daily drive. It can still outrun most things when you need it.

[stub101]

MarkJS said:

Terrible MPG (for a 2.0 4 pot) and 9k mile service intervals won’t do much for the OP’s requirements to save money and have 40mpg+ efficiency.

I wouldn’t touch one out of manufacturers warranty either.

We both have e92 M3’s so the Alfa mpg will be a huge improvement and we pay ‘M’ tax on servicing so likely 25-30% saving there.

Not sure about the OP, but given the age of our cars I haven’t had warranty on the M3 for 8 years. We have some big-ish common problems on ours including throttle actuators and rod bearings so likely familiar with keeping cars in good running order via preventative maintenance and not just running them waiting for problems to arise.

Alfa warranty sounds good in theory until you realise you have to deal with rubbish dealer network. Good specialist all the way

[andy43]

Honestly mpg is an irrelevance compared to depreciation, insurance, servicing, repairs etc.
Friend of mine was convinced she’d cracked economical motoring by buying a Megane diesel that was only ten quid a year to tax. I’d suggested a Corolla petrol. Steep learning curve there when the windows started opening randomly every time she parked it.
I’m convinced overall economy involves class leading build quality and proven drivetrains.