How long do your rear tires last? Cost of Ownership next 3 years?

[EIAlfonso]

I'm looking at possibly purchasing a 2018 M4 Competition in the next few months
I currently drive 600 mile round trip each week down to Houston and back,stay in Houston for 4 days and then head back. I'm looking at 20K annual highway miles.

How long should I expect the rear tires to last?

I currently own a 2013 Audi S4 and a 2018 Mazda CX5. The CX5 is usually my highway car (down to Houston and back) and the Audi is for weekends. My thoughts are to buy a 2018 M4 with 25K miles for around $50K and then sell it in 3 years with approximately 100K on the clock. Don't like the fact that right now I'm always paying depreciation and insurance on a car that I'm not driving.

What is everyones opinion? Is the M4 meant for this? Is it silly to get a car that is meant for spirited driving and twisties but most of its life will be 75MPH in a straight line.

I'm thinking the M4 will be worth low 20K in 3 years with 100K miles, does that sound right?

My other option would be a Golf R, seems more practical but always wanted an M4 (3)

I plan to rent an M3 on Turo just to get a feel for it before I decide

Thanks

[xxHRxx]

My company is 2.2 miles away from my place. I daily drive my M4, take detour, for sure. Just love the car, need to have it.

[Clark_Kent]

I wouldn't spend the money on a performance car to pile that many meaningless miles on it. Between general maintenance and wear and tear you're in for a very expensive TCO. Why not drive a mundane commuter car that gets excellent fuel economy for the 600 mile week and something fun for the weekend?

[N1rve]

For me, I've had my 2019 BMW M4 for 11 months and I have 12000 some odd miles on it. My tires are 4/32 and 3/32nd all around on the stock MPSS. I am ready for a new set of rubber. Never tracked or HPDE. However I do once in a while mash the gas for the shits and giggles. I would do say I drive spiritedly. So I would prepare to get a new set of tires every 12-15 months.

[Vegetable]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

I wouldn't spend the money on a performance car to pile that many meaningless miles on it. Between general maintenance and wear and tear you're in for a very expensive TCO. Why not drive a mundane commuter car that gets excellent fuel economy for the 600 mile week and something fun for the weekend?

Isn't the whole purpose of the M4 to makes those miles not meaningless? OP I go through rear tires about twice or three times per year at 20,000 mile ivervals on PS4's (mostly highway driving)..Approx $1600 every year (total for two sets) to replace the rears.

[Tommy L Garage]

Life is too short to drive boring cars.

My buddy went from a B8 S4 to a Golf R and regrets it a lot. He wishes he had gone with an f80

Yea you’ll rack up lots of miles - who cares! You’ll enjoy doing it. Cars are meant to be driven. If you can afford it - do it.

Speaking of affordability....getting new rear tires every 10k miles should not be an issue. If you can’t swing this financially then an M4/3 is not for you.

Rear tires can last anywhere from 10 miles (drifting all day) to 20k miles. It’s up to you.

[cwazy1]

my last set of MPSS lasted about 25k miles until it got to 3/32. My latest set of MP4S will probably last about the same at the current milage and wear rate. I reserve skidpad for wet only and keep traction mostly on.

[nicknaz]

Mpss should last 30k miles easily if you just street drive with a street alignment.

My $0.02 would be to really be honest on repair and maintenance costs

I parked my German cars and saved them for weekends and got an EV when I started driving that many miles, but maybe your tolerance for repair and maintenance bills is just higher than mine.

[brocken]

Originally Posted by Tommy L Garage

Life is too short to drive boring cars.

My buddy went from a B8 S4 to a Golf R and regrets it a lot. He wishes he had gone with an f80

Yea you’ll rack up lots of miles - who cares! You’ll enjoy doing it. Cars are meant to be driven. If you can afford it - do it.

Speaking of affordability....getting new rear tires every 10k miles should not be an issue. If you can’t swing this financially then an M4/3 is not for you.

Rear tires can last anywhere from 10 miles (drifting all day) to 20k miles. It’s up to you.

I went from a B8 S4 to a MK7 Golf R and loved it...
Different strokes.
Then I went from the MK7 Golf R to B9 S4 and don't have as much fun.
Yes, more features, nicer, etc. Just missing the fun factor.

600 miles a week droning on the freeway? Give me a quiet, comfortable car that lets the miles melt away. And maybe a fun car for the non commute times.

I get that it's about enjoying the ride, but how much more fun at 70 in cruise control is a M4 vs an MX-5?
Switch that over to back roads and scenic byways and I'd give a different answer.

The only 'performance' tires I've had last more than 20k miles on any German car(328i,335i,3 S4's, Golf R) I've owned are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. The other Max performance tires needed replacement closer to 15k miles. Including Michelin Pilot Super Sport and the Conti Max(can't remember the model).
Could be my driving, could be zee beefy German cars.

My vote would be to keep the Mazda as your commuter. They make pretty decent cars that last a lot of miles. And plan on trading out your S4 towards an M4 or M2 at some point.
Or get the Golf R or GTI. Surprisingly comfortable for longer distances and plenty of fun when you want it.
Depends on your priorities - having one car vs having the best of both worlds.

[Tommy L Garage]

Originally Posted by brocken

I went from a B8 S4 to a MK7 Golf R and loved it...
Different strokes.
Then I went from the MK7 Golf R to B9 S4 and don't have as much fun.
Yes, more features, nicer, etc. Just missing the fun factor.

600 miles a week droning on the freeway? Give me a quiet, comfortable car that lets the miles melt away. And maybe a fun car for the non commute times.

I get that it's about enjoying the ride, but how much more fun at 70 in cruise control is a M4 vs an MX-5?
Switch that over to back roads and scenic byways and I'd give a different answer.

The only 'performance' tires I've had last more than 20k miles on any German car(328i,335i,3 S4's, Golf R) I've owned are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. The other Max performance tires needed replacement closer to 15k miles. Including Michelin Pilot Super Sport and the Conti Max(can't remember the model).
Could be my driving, could be zee beefy German cars.

My vote would be to keep the Mazda as your commuter. They make pretty decent cars that last a lot of miles. And plan on trading out your S4 towards an M4 or M2 at some point.
Or get the Golf R or GTI. Surprisingly comfortable for longer distances and plenty of fun when you want it.
Depends on your priorities - having one car vs having the best of both worlds.

Or maybe Tesla model 3 Performance?

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by EIAlfonso

What is everyones opinion? Is the M4 meant for this? Is it silly to get a car that is meant for spirited driving and twisties but most of its life will be 75MPH in a straight line.

You realize that a BMW is a car built in Germany and designed for the German Autobahn, right? The only difference is that instead of driving 75 MPH, you'd be driving at 190 - 240 km/h (~120-~150+ MPH).

[HyeM3]

Originally Posted by EIAlfonso

What is everyones opinion? Is the M4 meant for this? Is it silly to get a car that is meant for spirited driving and twisties but most of its life will be 75MPH in a straight line.

My $0.02 is you'd be getting the wrong experience with an M4. While the M4 is a great car and a ton of fun to drive, I don't feel it would make a great highway car with how stiff these cars are and the vast amounts of rattles inside the cabin. You'd get pretty annoyed having to deal with that for 600 miles each week. It would be a great weekend car that you can take on your commute every now and then, but it wouldn't be pleasurable to designate as your commuter car. I'd look for something that is still special and quick but just more comfortable. If you want an M car then an M5/M6 might suit you better if you like those cars (haven't driven one but I'm sure they're more comfortable).

[MNhv]

Originally Posted by Tommy L Garage

Speaking of affordability....getting new rear tires every 10k miles should not be an issue. If you can’t swing this financially then an M4/3 is not for you.

This.

[Faceplant]

Originally Posted by MNhv

This.

Yup. I’m used to running re71r or bfg rivals on my Sti. If you drive the car like how it should be driven 10k-15k miles tops is what I would expect.

[gatorfast]

How on earth are some of you seeing close to 30k miles on rear tires??? I am getting half that with street alignment and mostly highway miles.

I put about 16k miles per year on my M3 and wouldn't have it any other way. I don't understand those that want a boring commuter car. Even cruising on the highway there are still plenty of opportunities for fun ever drive. Would rather be cruising in my M3 than some econobox.

Also, if max grip is not important to you then certainly all season tires will be less expensive and last longer than summer tires. The F8x is not an expensive car to maintain.

[d1stance]

Honestly, I've gone down the route of two cars before because you feel like you're saving the valuation on your special car. But I'd HIGHLY recommend running the hypothetical numbers yourself. I did my own calculations and when it came to driving my F80 M3 as my daily and adding ~12-15k miles year vs running a 2015 VW Golf / BMW M3 combo with ~80% of miles on the Golf, the $ came out ahead to just run the BMW into the ground on its own.

So yes, tires and oil is higher on the BMW. But even if you keep the miles off, short of having a concourse quality car (which these are definitely not good enough for - plus there are much better investments out there), it's going to depreciate anyway. You then have to take into account that the Golf/Prius/whatever will add insurance cost, will have it's own depreciation, will take up a parking space (a real cost if you're in a major metro area), will require its own annual services, etc.

My math came out to $0.695/driven mile for M3 only vs $0.76/driven mile for Golf & M3 over a 5 year period. So in that case, why not just drive the car I want to drive?

FYI, if I ran my calcs with your numbers of 33k miles/year for just 3 years, I found it would be ~$0.52/mile for just the M3 and ~$0.545/mile for a Golf/M3 combo.

Bottom line, drive it! It likely does not make financial sense to actually drive a beater unless you're driving a real beater... In that case, is it even worth it?

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

How on earth are some of you seeing close to 30k miles on rear tires??? I am getting half that with street alignment and mostly highway miles.

I put about 16k miles per year on my M3 and wouldn't have it any other way. I don't understand those that want a boring commuter car. Even cruising on the highway there are still plenty of opportunities for fun ever drive. Would rather be cruising in my M3 than some econobox.

Also, if max grip is not important to you then certainly all season tires will be less expensive and last longer than summer tires. The F8x is not an expensive car to maintain.

Tell me about it. I think the most plausible mileage is 15K.

[EIAlfonso]

Thanks everyone for the replies

As d1stance mentioned owning 1 car will be less expensive in almost all circumstances. In my case I'm trying to figure out just how much the savings will be (not if I can afford an extra set or two of tires per year) and how bearable/enjoyable a long commute is in these cars (Stiff ride, Tire noise, etc)

Another factor is when I'm in Houston I end up driving my commuter car for most of the week, more time than the Audi. I see this as an opportunity to step up in class/performance (s4=M340) for less coins, just can't do any performance mods this time

From what I've read these seem to be one of the most reliable M cars ever so its really a win on all fronts. What I'm really trying o avoid is keeping the CX5 as my only car, that would make the most financial sense

[Humdizzle]

Originally Posted by EIAlfonso

Thanks everyone for the replies

As d1stance mentioned owning 1 car will be less expensive in almost all circumstances. In my case I'm trying to figure out just how much the savings will be (not if I can afford an extra set or two of tires per year) and how bearable/enjoyable a long commute is in these cars (Stiff ride, Tire noise, etc)

Another factor is when I'm in Houston I end up driving my commuter car for most of the week, more time than the Audi. I see this as an opportunity to step up in class/performance (s4=M340) for less coins, just can't do any performance mods this time

From what I've read these seem to be one of the most reliable M cars ever so its really a win on all fronts. What I'm really trying o avoid is keeping the CX5 as my only car, that would make the most financial sense

its not cheaper. maybe over a short term.. but if you keep that beater car for 5-6 years its going to pay for itself with the mileage, gas costs, insurance differences. Its the same with leasing.. if you constantly lease an M3 every 3 years for a decade... your're 100k in without even a car to show for it.

my 10 year old civic is quieter and handles potholes/bumps way better than my F80. The engine isn't as noisy either. i dont care about the paint or parking next another car.

FYI my commute is 40 miles each way M through F. takes about 30 minutes. I used to take a F30 335i to work.

[Gredm3]

If you go Golf R, I'd say get the DSG. If you go stick, the clutch starts to slip pretty easy when you stage 1 (why VW put an underpowered GTI clutch in the R is beyond me). Then you'll have to get an upgraded sports clutch ~$2-3k.

The R was great fun but I eventually needed to go automatic for family reasons but honestly I'd get it back if i could...just in DSG

Hope this helps!

[cotmfk]

Clearly from the thread, it's all personal preference...

Some of my favorite time as a car owner was when I was driving 36k+ miles per year (a lot of work travel). The way I did it was to have a RWD car and an AWD car at the same time. Take the RWD car most of the time in the summer and the AWD car most of the time in the winter. This setup allowed me to switch cars whenever bored of one and also helped keep the mileage a bit more normal for the two cars.

Was fun, but I drive about 4k miles a year now... so can't justify it. :sad:

[spuntyb]

Wrong car for the situation, unless you absolutely have to have it.

S6 or M550i.