Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

A touch of curbing

One of the worst feelings as a car enthusiast is doing damage to your own car. One day you’re driving along, having a good time, and then boom. Apparently you took a turn too sharply, and the back wheel had a brief kiss with the concrete curb. And now your wheel has a rather nasty rash on it. And by you, I mean me. It seems there is no car in my ownership history that I’ve not hit the wheel on the curbs at least once.

Perhaps I should take up the finance manager on the extra wheel and tire insurance next time…

Speaking of driving: now that my dad is proper retirement age, it slightly worries me whenever he gets behind the wheel. It’s plain fact that as we age, our attention and reflexes deteriorates. It only takes one scant moment of inattention for something negative to happen. If I can carelessly misjudge a corner, then my father at twice my age is just that much more accident-prone. It’s not a value judgement, simply math.

Whenever I get in my friends’ vehicles, I never have to stress about their driving. I can afford to pay zero attention to the road, and have pleasant conversations. Not so when riding in my dad’s Toyota RAV-4. I am compelled to pay attention to the road for him, on the off chance that his total bandwidth isn’t enough to spy that rogue truck that is running a red light. Who knew that getting driven around can be so un-relaxing.

So I solved the problem completely: whenever I am on the road with my dad (my mother doesn’t drive), I will always be the one driving. This gives me peace of mind, and also puts my destiny in my own hands. If the BMW M2 gets damaged - a wheel curbing, for example - I want it to be me who did it. Then I get to stew in my own stupidity for at least the rest of the day.

The math is not math-ing

The most dangerous time for a car enthusiast, is when they are about to pay off their car. No more car loan debt means that money is freed up for something else: another car, naturally. The mind wanders at the possibilities. Perhaps it’s time to buy a car with a drivetrain layout you’ve never had before. Or perhaps it’s to re-purchase a car you shouldn’t have ever sold (thank goodness I cannot comfortably afford to buy another Porsche 911 GT3).

If there’s money in the bank account, you have to spend it. Isn’t that the American way? This entire economic house of cards is dependent on people’s continuous, often times reckless, spending.

My 2021 BMW M2 Competition will be paid of in a few months. And boy is the itch to buy another car itching intensely as that date draws nearer. I’m not being irresponsible! It will be the same money that would have gone to the M2 each month! It’s very easy to rationalize to yourself any purchase. The only reason I don’t have a mortgage is because the banks wouldn’t lend me the money.

But, as I like to say since last year: “Not in this economy!” Some people think that because they can afford the monthly car payment, they can afford the car. Don’t be like those people. We have to take in account the total operating cost. That means insurance, gas, and maintenance. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, all three of those things have gone up a lot in recent years thanks to inflation.

Never mind the fact that new cars have gotten rightly expensive. (Average transaction price in America is $47,338 as of this January.) High interest rates also means that monthly payment will be up as well. It’s really not a good time to be buying a second car, taking on tens of thousands of debt for another five years. I am going to keep telling myself that this entire 2024.

Control what you can

My parents recently purchased a brand-new 2024 Toyota RAV-4 (XLE hybrid trim). This is to be their forever car, one to use for the majority of their retirement period. Being a Toyota product, I have no reasons to suspect it won’t (at least) mechanically last for two plus decades. The key is to keep it meticulously serviced, by the book, at the dealership. I suspect a lot of reliability issues people experience with cars is due to not following the correct service schedule. A mere oil change at the local Jiffy Lube every six months isn’t going to cut it.

This is why I am leery about buying the typical used car. You can never be sure if scheduled maintenance is done by the book. It’s likely safe to bet that it hasn’t. Owners aren’t wont to pay for what they think is needless extras, such as brake inspection, or lubing the jams. Soon as that two-year free maintenance plan is over, that Toyota Corolla is back to oil changes on the driveway. The only used car I’ve ever bought was a Porsche 911 GT3, a six-figure specialty sports car that I can count on owners to be meticulous. That car came with a full dealer service history with all the print-outs.

So in support of it lasting more 20 years, my parents’ RAV-4 will be serviced by the book.

That is something we can control. What we cannot control is other drivers on the road. I too have every intention of keeping my own BMW M2 for a very long time. However, all it takes is one errant driver crashing into me to destroy that long-term plan. I can defensively drive as much as possible, but sometimes an accident truly is an accident. Heck, I might do something careless on the road. It only takes one scant moment of inattention.

As with most things in life, the best we can do is take care of what we can control, and don’t stress about what we cannot. That Toyota RAV-4 will last a long time if the car gods deem it to be so fortunate.

You done messed up!

And this is why you don’t trade a perfectly reliable, recent model-year Japanese car, for a 15 year old high-strung German sedan. My brother, the genius that he is, swapped his ND2 Mazda Miata for a B7 Audi RS4. The latter of which is currently in the repair shop, because the high-pressure fuel pump failed, and there’s leaks in the engine oil cooling circuit. If you think that during this time my brother is without transportation to work, you would be correct. Counting on a German car made in 2008 for daily-driving duties is kind of taunting the gods.

I completely understand the want for a naturally-aspirated German machine that revs to the heavens. Once upon a time, I too traded in a Mazda Miata (ND1) for a 991.1 Porsche 911 GT3. Like brother, like brother. The big difference in my case is: I didn’t need the 911 to commute. The GT3 also had a certified preowned warranty, so anything that can go wrong is fixed for free at the dealership. (The circulation fan of the HVAC system failed during my ownership of the car.)

Again, if you need something dependable for commuting, an old, out-of-warranty German car is not it!

A lot of the issues with my brother’s RS4 is caused by the car having largely sat for a whole year by the previous owner. High performance cars (of any nationality) are meant to be driven. Hard. Getting the mechanical bits up to proper temperature, and the various fluids circulating freely throughout, is really good for longevity. Sort of like exercising for humans. The only downside is the fuel bill. I (still) don’t commute with my current BMW M2, but you can bet it gets driven spiritedly on the weekends.

Just hose it off!

Word on the street is Tesla will begin offering vehicle wraps from its service locations. The stock Tesla color palette isn’t to your exquisite tastes? Then fork over $8,000 for the privilege of having a (presumably) factory-backed vinyl wrap. (Customers can also opt for clear protection film at a more affordable $5,000.) My poor maths says that’s over 20% of the purchase price of a Tesla Model 3. I suspect there won’t be much takers in that price category. A Tesla Model S Plaid optioned out into the six-figures? That’s far more reasonable.

I once had paint protection film done to the entire front half of my Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The not-even-the-whole-car wrap cost $2,300 in 2013 money (That’s $3,000 in today’s money). I kind of immediately regret getting that done. My WRX STI was white, and that color really shows a subtle yet noticeable difference between the wrapped surface and virgin paint. The car never looked cohesive front to rear. For a light-colored car, the ideal way to do paint protection film is to wrap the entire car. I didn’t - and still do not - have that kind of money.

What truly is worth the money - in the world of paint preserving products - is ceramic coating. For those unfamiliar: think of it as paint wax that lasts for many years. Road grime and droppings from the sky (be they avian or industrial) have a difficult time sticking to ceramic-coated paint surfaces. Therefore it drastically reduces car washing labor. My BMW M2 has ceramic coating done, and after a 900 mile road trip, I simply hosed off the grime at a local self-serve car wash. Afterwards the car looked as if it never left on a lengthy journey.

Obviously, the money be damned thing to do is to wrap the entire car in protective film, then ceramic coat on top of that. If I had that done to the M2, I would never hand-wash it again. Taking it to the spray wash periodically will be more than enough to keep it clean and shiny. But, if you’re like me and can only afford one of those options, I highly suggest going with ceramic coating. Time is money, friends.

Third birthday

It’s official: I’ve owned my 2021 BMW M2 Competition for three years now. It’s the longest I’ve ever kept a car purchased with my own money. The previous three cars, my wandering interests led me to switch out of them before the three-year ownership mark. The difference this time? Interest rates. Borrowing cost is too high right now to take out a loan (or take money out of interest-bearing savings account). Especially for what is really a pleasure vehicle. I’m fortunate to not need a car for my lifestyle.

Not to say I don’t have any wandering interests currently. I am a car enthusiast, after all. The Honda Civic Type R is still calling my name. But I can be patient. Presumably, Honda will be making its flagship hot-hatch for at least a few more years. The plan is to buy a Civic Type R towards the end of its production run. That should give me a bit of time to save up further, earn some of that sweet compounding interest.

Because the goal is to keep the M2 in addition to whatever car I’m buying next. Three years in, I remain smitten with the little pugnacious coupe from Germany. It’s got just enough power, just enough utility, to fit my single car-guy life. The front-engine, rear-wheel drive dynamics is as classic sports car as it gets. The only complaint? The atrocious fuel economy. But that’s the price to pay for all the fun.

BMW offers three years free maintenance on all its new cars. That means for my M2, it has just expired. In a vote of confidence (for myself) in keeping the car for longer, I purchased a two-year extension of the maintenance contract. (Less inclined to sell a car that’s still got money on it, right?) For a relatively cheap sum of $899 (not subject to sales tax), the next two annual visits to dealership service is now paid for. The rear differential fluid change that’s due next year will more than make up for the initial outlay.

Here’s to many more years of happy M2 ownership!

But I would drive 500 miles

Well, haven’t done that in a while!

This past weekend, I drove over 900 miles in less than two days. Most would say that’s insanity, I would call it bliss. Tiring for sure, especially towards the end, but long drives are my kind of jam. Man, machine, and the open road for hours on end. If sitting down silently is not the type of meditation you can get into, I highly suggest going on a road trip. The stuff that comes to mind when the going seem interminable can be fascinating.

The occasion for the near thousand mile jaunt is a car meet down in Southern California. I mean, what else could it be? The love of cars have made many an enthusiast drive ungodly hours just to hang out with fellow like-minded pals. Granted, I would do such a thing for a friend’s birthday, but then I would simply fly (way less time consuming). The only reason to take the car would be show off said car once you’ve arrived.

It was the first time I’ve taken my BMW M2 Competition on a long road trip. I didn’t realize that after about two and half hours of continuous driving, the infotainment actually alerts the driver, asking if you would like to take a break. Obviously, I’ve never driven the car for that long until last Friday. I am happy to report the M2 driver seat passes the butt pain test. The only reason to stop, then, is to refuel, or relieve.

The road trip reminded me what a godsend cruise control is. Even the basic ones where the car will only keep the speed for you (not the fancy types where the the car will slow down or speed up with the car in front) is such a luxury to have on an endless stretch of highway. The freedom to move and stretch the right leg makes longer stints possible. Speaking of possible, it’s impossible these days to to buy a new car without cruise control, right?