DRCraig
Well-known member
Good day, Fanatics.
I find myself in a fortunate — but honestly quite difficult — position, and I’d really appreciate some perspective from fellow BMW enthusiasts who understand the emotional side of these decisions just as much as the practical side.
At the moment, I own three cars:
1. 2012 Suzuki Swift 1.4
2. 2011 BMW 320d E90
3. 2013 BMW 320d F30
About a year ago, my wife and I bought our primary residence, and since then we’ve been throwing everything we can at the bond with a clear goal: to have it fully paid off by the end of 2027 and be completely debt-free.
The Swift was originally meant to be a backup in case anything went wrong with one of the diesels because both of us commute in different directions. But funny enough, it’s become a car we’ve really grown to love — light on fuel, cheap as dirt to maintain, and perfect for short trips. My wife also recently joined a lift club, so she only drives every third week, which makes having three cars even harder to justify.
For context, my wife’s commute is about 50 km return 4 days a week, while mine is 130 km return daily for 5 days a week. I do sometimes use the Swift for my commute, and while it’s impressively economical, it does start to wear on you ergonomically over longer distances — especially in terms of comfort and driving dynamics. That said, the Swift absolutely shines for what it is. It’s the perfect car for a quick trip to the mall, a run to the beach, or even just going out to grab an ice cream with the little one.
So realistically, keeping all three is overkill. Selling one would free up cash for the bond and simplify things a bit.
Here’s the current state of the cars:
-The F30 has just over 230,000 km and is in excellent condition. It’ll need tyres in the near future, but otherwise it’s been solid and reliable.
-The Swift has just over 200,000 km and will need a suspension refresh sometime this year.
-The E90 is approaching 260,000 km and needs rear tyres and a bumper repair that I haven’t gotten around to yet.
Now here’s where things get properly difficult…
Driving the E90 lately has been a genuinely emotional experience. It reminds me why I became a BMW fan in the first place — it’s raw, engaging, and has a character that the F30, while objectively better in many ways, just doesn’t quite match.
And that’s the part I never expected:
I never imagined I’d reach a point where I’d seriously consider selling the E90. Life has a way of putting you in situations where your heart pulls you in one direction, but the smarter move requires you to think with your head. That said, this isn’t a decision I’ve made yet — far from it. I’m still weighing things up and trying to look at it from every angle before making a call. Logically, it makes the most sense to keep the F30 (newer, more refined, likely cheaper to maintain going forward) and the Swift (cheap, efficient, easy daily), and let the E90 go. But emotionally… it’s a very tough one to let go of.
The alternative would be to sell the Swift and keep both diesels — enjoying the best of both worlds in terms of driving feel and comfort — but at the cost of losing that ultra-affordable, stress-free runabout. And then there’s the final option… to simply keep all three cars for now, accept the overkill, and delay the decision until things become clearer.
Long-term, the plan is that once the bond is settled, we’ll likely move on from the F30 and replace it with something like a G01 X3/G20 20d.
For now though, I’m just trying to make the smartest decision for where we are in life.
So I’m turning to you guys:
I'd Appreciate any thoughts
I find myself in a fortunate — but honestly quite difficult — position, and I’d really appreciate some perspective from fellow BMW enthusiasts who understand the emotional side of these decisions just as much as the practical side.
At the moment, I own three cars:
1. 2012 Suzuki Swift 1.4
2. 2011 BMW 320d E90
3. 2013 BMW 320d F30
About a year ago, my wife and I bought our primary residence, and since then we’ve been throwing everything we can at the bond with a clear goal: to have it fully paid off by the end of 2027 and be completely debt-free.
The Swift was originally meant to be a backup in case anything went wrong with one of the diesels because both of us commute in different directions. But funny enough, it’s become a car we’ve really grown to love — light on fuel, cheap as dirt to maintain, and perfect for short trips. My wife also recently joined a lift club, so she only drives every third week, which makes having three cars even harder to justify.
For context, my wife’s commute is about 50 km return 4 days a week, while mine is 130 km return daily for 5 days a week. I do sometimes use the Swift for my commute, and while it’s impressively economical, it does start to wear on you ergonomically over longer distances — especially in terms of comfort and driving dynamics. That said, the Swift absolutely shines for what it is. It’s the perfect car for a quick trip to the mall, a run to the beach, or even just going out to grab an ice cream with the little one.
So realistically, keeping all three is overkill. Selling one would free up cash for the bond and simplify things a bit.
Here’s the current state of the cars:
-The F30 has just over 230,000 km and is in excellent condition. It’ll need tyres in the near future, but otherwise it’s been solid and reliable.
-The Swift has just over 200,000 km and will need a suspension refresh sometime this year.
-The E90 is approaching 260,000 km and needs rear tyres and a bumper repair that I haven’t gotten around to yet.
Now here’s where things get properly difficult…
Driving the E90 lately has been a genuinely emotional experience. It reminds me why I became a BMW fan in the first place — it’s raw, engaging, and has a character that the F30, while objectively better in many ways, just doesn’t quite match.
And that’s the part I never expected:
I never imagined I’d reach a point where I’d seriously consider selling the E90. Life has a way of putting you in situations where your heart pulls you in one direction, but the smarter move requires you to think with your head. That said, this isn’t a decision I’ve made yet — far from it. I’m still weighing things up and trying to look at it from every angle before making a call. Logically, it makes the most sense to keep the F30 (newer, more refined, likely cheaper to maintain going forward) and the Swift (cheap, efficient, easy daily), and let the E90 go. But emotionally… it’s a very tough one to let go of.
The alternative would be to sell the Swift and keep both diesels — enjoying the best of both worlds in terms of driving feel and comfort — but at the cost of losing that ultra-affordable, stress-free runabout. And then there’s the final option… to simply keep all three cars for now, accept the overkill, and delay the decision until things become clearer.
Long-term, the plan is that once the bond is settled, we’ll likely move on from the F30 and replace it with something like a G01 X3/G20 20d.
For now though, I’m just trying to make the smartest decision for where we are in life.
So I’m turning to you guys:
- Do I follow logic and let the E90 go?
- Do I follow my heart and keep it, letting the Swift go instead?
- Or do I hold onto all three a bit longer and reassess later?
I'd Appreciate any thoughts
