So I'm just thinking out loud here because I'm pretty disgusted with my car lately. I spent $600 on the tires in Jan plus a few little things to get it ready for this year's commuting (26k per year). Then I had to replace the driveshaft a few weeks ago for $550 but the rebuilt driveshaft's making a really buzzy ride above 60mph. A new driveshaft is $1k which is the next option. It already has the never ending steering wheel shimmy which has annoyed me every single day since day one. Looking ahead it will need another $500 worth of work (parts only) this summer which includes belts, hoses, waterpump. It's alo starting to leak oil now. So I'm trying to decide what to do, should I dump it while it's running or keep fixing things and up to what point? It's got 154k on it - in a way I'd love to see it go up to 300k just to brag about it but it doesn't seem practical :)
If I do sell it, what will I replace it with? I would need something that's a good freeway car i.e. large enough to be comfortable and safe yet still good on gas. This would be an Accord, Altima, Camry sort of a boring car - no older than 7 years. Or should I get a new small car like the Yaris, Sentra, Fit etc which will cost more money but should be pretty much maintenance free until 100k miles other than the oil changes - still a boring car, maybe not the Fit. I think a used car would make better financial sense and I could always drive my wife's '04 Accord and she can drive the Ridgeline which sits in the driveway mostly. Of course, she loves her Accord so it might not be as easy as it sounds.
So what would you guys do if you had a long (mostly highway) commute to put up with? The great thing about my 328i is it's just the right size, has plenty of fwy passing power, decent comfort and really good gas mileage for a 6cyl (28MPG) but it requires much more maintenance than a Honda/Mazda/Toyota etc and parts are expensive.
