Tuning means changing the car’s settings (often the computer) to make it faster or more responsive. The host is saying you can spend money on the M340i to get near the M3’s performance.
“Sweet spot” is the idea that a car hits the best balance of performance and real-world ownership. In this context, the host argues the M340i is that balance versus the M3 when you consider maintenance, fuel economy, and reliability for a daily driver.
The Honda Civic is a long-running compact car known for being practical, efficient, and relatively easy to live with. The host mentions it as their first car, framing it as part of their “civilian regular cars” background. It provides context for how they transitioned from mainstream ownership to performance BMWs.
The Honda Accord is a midsize sedan/coupe line that’s typically chosen for comfort, reliability, and everyday usability. The host lists it among their prior “civilian regular cars,” emphasizing they’ve owned mainstream vehicles before performance-focused ones. This helps listeners understand the host’s baseline for what “daily drive” means.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car built for performance and driving fun. The host is mentioning it as part of their past ownership of cars that are great on twisty roads. It’s context for their enthusiast preferences.
The Camaro ZL1 is a top-performance version of the Chevrolet Camaro. It’s meant to be fast and fun, not just a regular commuter. The host is mentioning it to show they’ve owned serious performance cars before.
Zero to 60 is how fast a car goes from stopped to 60 miles per hour. It’s a simple way to compare how quick different cars feel. The hosts are using it to show performance differences between BMW models.
The BMW M2 is a compact BMW built for fun driving, and it’s often chosen by people who want something more “driver’s car” than a big sedan. The host wanted an M2 with a manual because it’s more engaging. But they realized it wouldn’t be practical for their everyday commute.
This segment focuses on how the host chooses a car based on real daily requirements—commute time, traffic, road-trip practicality, reliability, and fuel efficiency—while still wanting occasional canyon fun. It’s a decision-making framework rather than a technical deep dive. Listeners can apply the same thinking when shopping for an enthusiast-oriented daily driver.
A “manual” transmission means the driver selects gears with a clutch pedal and gear shifter. Enthusiasts often prefer manuals for the direct control and engagement they provide. In this segment, the host contrasts that with the reality of LA traffic, where a manual can be tiring for daily commuting.
Concept
daily driver vs weekend fun car
This segment contrasts a “daily driver” (a car you rely on for commuting and errands) with a “weekend fun” car (something you enjoy more when conditions are right). The host’s decision is driven by practicality—traffic, road-trip comfort, reliability, and fuel efficiency—while still keeping a desire for canyon driving. It’s a common enthusiast trade-off: maximizing enjoyment without sacrificing everyday usability.
The host uses LA traffic as a real-world constraint that affects what kind of car makes sense. Stop-and-go driving increases fatigue, makes clutch-based driving less appealing, and can change how you value comfort and efficiency. This is a practical lens for choosing between enthusiast cars and commuter-friendly cars.
They mention Angeles Crest Highway, which is a twisty canyon road. They’re saying they still want a car that can handle that kind of driving for fun. It helps explain why they don’t want a purely boring commuter.
Term
N54
N54 is an older BMW turbo-six engine. The hosts are basically saying that older BMW engines like the N54 had more problems, which is why people worry—then they argue the newer engines are better.
Term
B58
B58 is BMW’s name for a turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The point here is that BMW has kept refining it, and because it’s used in lots of cars, major problems would show up quickly.
Term
S58
S58 is BMW’s “stronger” turbo six-cylinder engine used in sportier BMWs. The hosts mention it to say BMW’s newer engine lineup is generally dependable.
Term
N55
N55 is another older BMW turbo-six engine that came after the N54. The hosts are using it as a reference point to say the newer engines (like the B58) are where BMW’s reliability story is headed.
A mild hybrid is a car that has a small battery and electric assist, but it doesn’t usually drive like a full electric car. It helps the gas engine work more efficiently.
Port (indirect) injection sprays fuel into the intake area instead of directly into the cylinder. The hosts are saying this can help reduce carbon buildup problems that some direct-injection engines can develop.
Term
oil blow by
Oil blow-by is when small amounts of oil vapor get past the engine’s seals and end up where they shouldn’t. That can contribute to gunk and deposits over time.
Carbon buildup is gunk that forms inside the engine over time. It can hurt performance and make the engine less clean, so the hosts are saying BMW’s newer setup helps prevent it.
Direct injection means the fuel is sprayed straight into the engine’s cylinders. That can help the car use fuel more efficiently and sometimes makes more power too.
Burger Motorsports is a company that makes performance tuning for BMWs. They’re mentioned here because they showed what a basic tune can do for power.
Car
BMW M340
The BMW M340i is a quick, sporty 3 Series with a turbo engine. The point being made is that BMW’s turbo setup can respond well to tuning for more power.
A tune is a change to the car’s computer settings. It can make the engine run more aggressively (more power), but it should be done carefully by a reputable shop.
Car
BMW B58
The BMW B58 is BMW’s turbo inline-six engine. They’re saying it’s been around long enough to be proven and that it can be both reliable and fun.
An extended warranty is additional coverage beyond the factory warranty period, often covering major repairs for a set time or mileage. The host mentions buying bumper-to-bumper coverage up to 80,000 miles, which reduces financial risk from unexpected failures.
“Bumper-to-bumper” means the warranty covers a lot of the car, not only the engine and transmission. It’s meant to protect you from more types of repair bills.
The check engine light is a warning that the car’s computer noticed something it wants you to know about. Sometimes it’s serious, but sometimes it’s temporary and clears after the problem goes away.
HyperMiling means driving to squeeze the most miles out of a tank of gas. It usually involves smooth driving and avoiding aggressive acceleration, so you can get higher MPG.
Adaptive suspension is a system that can automatically change how stiff or soft the ride feels. It tries to keep the car comfortable on rough roads but more controlled when you drive harder.
Comfort mode is the setting meant to make the car ride softer and smoother. In this discussion, they say it can help the car handle bumps better even if it allows a bit more corner lean.
Adaptive dampers are shocks that can change their firmness. In a sport setting they usually feel tighter and reduce sway, but they can also make the ride harsher on bumpy roads.
Body roll is when the car leans outward in a corner. A stiffer suspension can reduce that lean, but it may make the ride feel less comfortable on rough roads.
Steel springs are the normal coil springs that support the car. If you don’t have adaptive suspension, the ride can’t be electronically softened or firmed as much, and that can also mean fewer things to break.
Concept
comfort vs sport damping gap
They’re talking about how big the difference feels between the soft ride setting and the firm ride setting. Customers apparently want comfort to feel comfortable, and sport to feel noticeably more controlled.
Some car seats feel a little stiff at first. Over time, the material and padding can soften and shape themselves to how you sit, so they get more comfortable. That’s what the host means by “breaking in.”
Leather is the material covering the seats. It usually feels nicer than cloth and can get more comfortable as it softens a bit with use. The speaker is saying their leather seats still look great after lots of driving.
Cross-country driving just means a long road trip across the country. It’s a good way to tell if the seats and driving position are comfortable for hours.
Portimão is a famous race track in Portugal. It’s tricky because the track has big elevation changes and some corners you can’t see well until you’re close.
An oil change is when you replace the engine oil so the engine stays lubricated. It’s also a good time for a shop to check other wear items, like brakes.
Brake fluid is what helps your brake pedal actually squeeze the brakes. If it’s old, it can get less effective—especially when you drive hard—so fresh fluid can help the brakes feel consistent.
Continental ExtremeContact tires are performance-oriented street tires, and the “O2s” naming refers to a specific model within that line. Tire choice strongly affects steering feel, grip level, noise, and how quickly the tread wears—so swapping tires can change the car’s character even if the car is otherwise unchanged.
Track days are harder on tires than normal driving. If you drive on a track first, you can wear down the tread quickly, so some people wait to install new tires until after they’ve done the track event.
Treadwear is a number that gives a rough idea of how long a tire might last. A 300 treadwear tire usually aims for a balance of grip and life—more grip than super-long-life tires, but not as short-lived as track-only tires.
The Michelin Pilot Sport PS4 is a performance tire. People often compare it to other tires because it can change how grippy and how noisy the car feels.
These are Bridgestone performance tires. The speaker says they had a lot of grip, but they were louder and wore out faster than the tires they’re comparing against.
A cross-country trip is a useful real-world test of a daily driver because it stresses tires, brakes, cooling, and driver comfort over long distances. It also highlights how well a car handles repeated highway cruising and changing conditions.
The Competition Package is an option BMW offered that adds extra performance or track-oriented features. The host wanted that specific setup when they were looking for the right M3.
That phrase is the car’s color combo—what the outside looks like and what the inside looks like. Enthusiasts often care a lot about matching color choices.
A “garage queen” is a car you mostly keep in the garage instead of driving every day. It’s usually maintained to stay looking great, even if it’s not used much.
Belts and pulleys help run important engine accessories. If they get worn or start slipping, the car can lose charging or other functions, so replacing them is preventative maintenance.
Part
BFG Phenom
This sounds like they put new BFGoodrich tires on the car. New tires can make the car feel safer and more responsive, and they can also improve comfort and noise.
Spark plugs help the engine start and run smoothly by igniting the fuel. If they’re old, the car can run rough or misfire, so replacing them helps restore performance.
Control arm bushings are rubber parts that help the suspension move smoothly. If they wear out, the car can feel less precise and may make clunking or vibration noises.
They’re talking about a BMW 3 Series from the E46 generation. They like it because the inline-six feels smooth and responsive, and the car’s behavior is easy to predict when you drive it.
An “inline six” is an engine with six cylinders lined up in a row. People like it because it usually runs smoothly and can feel strong across a wide range of engine speeds.
“Torque band” means the part of the rev range where the engine feels strong. If it’s wide, the car pulls well without needing to constantly keep the engine at one exact RPM.
“VF superchargers” refers to a supercharger system sold by VF Engineering, a common aftermarket forced-induction brand. The speaker claims that when people added VF superchargers to these cars, reliability and drivability issues increased, making the setup “temperamental.”
“Temperamental” means the car can be unpredictable—sometimes it feels great, other times it doesn’t. The speaker is saying the modded setup didn’t work together as a smooth package.
The hosts are talking about collectible-car appreciation—how certain BMWs can increase in market value over time. This is a common reason owners hesitate to sell, especially when they believe demand will keep rising as the cars become rarer or more desirable.
Concept
depreciation vs appreciation (market values)
They’re weighing whether to keep an older car because it might be worth more later, or sell it and buy something newer. The car’s price in the market affects what makes sense to do.
Amelia Island is a big classic-car event where people show off cars and collectors bring special vehicles. Seeing a car there can make it feel even more impressive.
Term
$23,000
They mention they paid about $23,000, which is meant to show the car’s cost and how that compares to what it might be worth now. It’s part of the “is it worth keeping?” conversation.
The BMW E46 M3 is the 3 Series-based M3 generation from the early-to-mid 2000s, known for its analog driving feel and enthusiast reputation. Here, the host says they would only replace an E46 M3 with a specific newer M car, making it the baseline “what I own/daily drove” reference. It’s also a useful anchor for comparing generations and what people value.
Concept
Daily driver vs weekend/track use
They’re talking about how a car feels different when you drive it every day versus only sometimes. They also mention weather and road conditions—like not driving it in the rain—to keep the experience enjoyable. It’s basically about using the car in a way that fits your lifestyle.
Brake rotors are the discs the brake pads clamp onto to slow the car. The hosts mention the rotors have rusted from sitting and that they plan to resurface them, which is a common maintenance step after long storage. This is relevant to ownership because it affects braking feel and can indicate how the car was stored.
This is a detailing company/brand. They make car-care products and also do services, and the idea here is to get the car cleaned and finished so it looks “like new.”
“Mirror like shine” refers to a high-gloss paint finish achieved through proper washing, decontamination, polishing, and protection. It’s a common detailing goal because it makes the paint reflect light sharply and hides minor surface imperfections.
Dry ice blasting uses frozen pellets to knock off dirt. It’s a way to clean the underside and other grimy spots without using a lot of harsh chemicals or heavy scrubbing.
A full exhaust is the whole system that controls how the car sounds and flows. They removed the louder setup and went back toward the quieter factory configuration.
A slip-on is a smaller exhaust upgrade, usually just the muffler/tail section. It’s meant to give a nicer sound without changing everything or getting too loud.
Enclosed transport protects vehicles from weather and road debris, which is especially valuable for high-end or enthusiast cars. It reduces the risk of cosmetic damage during shipping and can be part of a “careful ownership” approach. The host credits the transport company with doing a good job delivering the car safely.
On turbo cars, the engine uses a compressor to push air in under pressure. The charge pipe is one of the tubes that carries that pressurized air—if it cracks or bursts, the car can lose boost and run poorly (or stop).
Sometimes the original part is made from a material that doesn’t hold up well. An aftermarket metal version can be stronger, so people swap to it to prevent the same failure again. In this case, they ended up choosing to return to the factory setup instead.
“Go stock” means reverting the car back to factory-original parts and specifications rather than keeping aftermarket upgrades. Owners often do this for reliability, fitment, resale value, or to match how the car was engineered. The host explicitly says they decided to replace the issue and then return everything to stock.
The differential is what lets the two driven wheels turn at different speeds—like when you’re cornering. If it starts making noise or leaking fluid, it usually means something inside or a seal isn’t right and should be repaired.
The host describes a restoration-style approach: not just fixing a specific failure, but returning the car’s details to original condition (fitment, trim alignment, and visual details). This is especially relevant for enthusiast cars where presentation and originality matter. They contrast this with typical shops that only address the immediate problem.
Term
underbody engine gaps
“Underbody engine gaps” refers to the spacing and alignment between undertray/underbody panels and nearby bodywork around the engine bay area. Proper gaps can affect airflow, protection from debris, and overall fit-and-finish. The host uses it as an example of the shop’s meticulous, restoration-level attention to detail.
Term
window trims
Window trim is the exterior molding around the side windows. It’s often sensitive to fitment during repairs, and poor alignment can indicate rushed work or incomplete reassembly. The host cites it as part of the restoration-level detail the shop performed.
This segment is part of a broader discussion about what it means to daily drive BMWs and how owners balance enjoyment with protecting special cars. The hosts talk about their own ownership choices, including whether they’d sell certain models and how they manage wear and appearance. It functions as a “real-world ownership” topic within the episode.
The BMW 1M is a rare BMW made for driving enthusiasts. The host is saying it’s the kind of car people will want more over time, so they’re hesitant to sell it. They also talk about how it’s fun to drive even if it’s not a typical daily commuter.
“Future classic” is a collector-market idea: a car that may appreciate in value and become highly sought after due to rarity, reputation, and condition. The host relays advice from BMW Classic leadership that the BMW 1M will be especially desirable because there aren’t many of them. This segment connects usage decisions (daily driving vs preserving) to long-term collectability.
PPF (paint protection film) is a clear protective layer applied to a car’s paint to reduce damage from road debris, rock chips, and minor scratches. The host contrasts not having PPF with another person’s approach, implying PPF can help preserve a car’s appearance—especially important for cars that people want to keep long-term. This ties directly into their fear of daily-driving damage.
Ceramic coating is a liquid-applied protective layer that bonds to paint to improve chemical resistance and make the surface easier to clean. In the segment, the host says they’ve used ceramic coating instead of PPF, suggesting they’re relying on it for protection but aren’t sure it’s equivalent for rock-chip and abrasion resistance. It’s a common enthusiast debate: coating vs film.
The BMW iX is BMW’s fully electric SUV. The speaker is saying they might swap it for a short time to try something very different, so it’s a real-life comparison between an EV SUV and a fast gas wagon.
The BMW M5 Touring is the high-performance M5 sedan in wagon form, typically paired with BMW’s performance-focused powertrain and chassis tuning. Here it’s framed as a temporary swap from an SUV to see what daily life is like with a different body style and driving character.
Going from an SUV to a wagon changes how the car fits your life—how easy it is to load things, how you sit, and how it feels day to day. The host is basically asking: will the wagon still feel big enough like an SUV does?
The BMW iX3 is an electric SUV. It’s designed to work like an SUV you can drive every day, but instead of using gas, it runs on electricity. The podcast is mentioning it because it’s a car the speaker’s wife wants to own.
The BMW iX3 is an electric BMW SUV. The speaker says his wife wants it as the long-term family car because it’s a great all-around choice for everyday life.
Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear wheels. A “short wheelbase” car often feels quicker to turn and more nimble. A “coupe” is a two-door body style, usually aimed at a sportier feel.
The BMW i3 is BMW’s compact electric hatchback, known for its lightweight construction and distinctive design. The host mentions it alongside the iX3 as another EV they’ve been watching and wants to experience firsthand. This frames BMW’s EV lineup as something they’re actively evaluating for daily use.
The BMW M5 is BMW’s fast, performance-focused version of the 5 Series. It’s meant to be quick and fun, not just comfortable. The hosts are talking about how it drives and how it compares to other cars they own.
“BMW USA” refers to BMW’s U.S. organization, which is involved in marketing, press, and event coordination. The host says they discussed the story with BMW USA, tying the anecdote to official PR decisions. This is useful context for how enthusiast media and corporate teams interact.
The hosts reference Pebble Beach at Monterey as a high-profile automotive event where BMW’s PR team arranged drives and publicity. This is relevant because it explains why a specific car/color got attention and why someone was made to drive it publicly. It’s a behind-the-scenes ownership/enthusiast context segment.
The 545e is a BMW 5 Series that you can plug in to charge, and it also uses an electric motor to help the gas engine. The hosts like it because it keeps the feel of BMW’s inline-six while still getting the benefits of electrification.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that uses gas and electricity, and you can charge it by plugging it in. That usually means you can drive on electric for short trips, and then the gas engine takes over when you need more range or power.
This just means the engine has six cylinders in a single line. People like it because it tends to run smoothly and feel more “BMW-like” than smaller engines.
They’re saying the smaller engine (a four-cylinder) doesn’t feel as exciting as they’d like. In other words, the hybrid system is there, but the gas part of the car doesn’t deliver the same wow factor.
The BMW 550e is a BMW 5 Series that you can plug in. It uses electricity for part of your driving, but it also has gas power for longer trips, so it’s easier to live with than a pure electric car.
This is about how the car fits your everyday life. With a plug-in hybrid, you can use electricity for normal days, then rely on gas when you need to go farther—without the same stress as a fully electric car.
Electric range is the distance you can drive using only the battery. If it’s long enough for your normal commute, you can use electricity most days and save fuel.
Charging network just means how easy it is to find working public chargers when you’re on a trip. The hosts are saying a plug-in hybrid is less stressful because you’re not fully dependent on chargers.
Regular gas mode means the car is mainly using its gas engine instead of the battery. It’s how you drive when you don’t have enough charge for electric-only driving.
They’re talking about a wagon (station wagon) version of a BMW. Their point is that wagons are great for road trips because they’re comfortable and usually have more space for luggage and gear.
Sport mode is a button that makes the car respond more sharply. Here, they’re saying it can also help the car use its systems to put energy back into the battery while you drive.
The BMW 540i is a 5 Series version that’s meant to be a strong, well-rounded daily driver. They’re saying people seem to hear more about the 540i than the plug-in 550e.
“BMW 550” usually means a BMW 5 Series 550i. It’s the kind of BMW you’d pick if you want a smoother, more comfortable daily driver rather than something super stiff and track-focused.
The BMW i4 M50 is an electric BMW that’s tuned for stronger performance than the standard i4. They’re talking about it as a practical daily choice, especially for commuting.
They like the hatchback-style design because it makes the car easier to load. More usable space in the back can make a daily car feel much more practical.
They’re starting with the BMW 2 Series and asking which version would be the best everyday car. They’re focusing on how the different 2 Series models drive, not just specs.
Term
B48
B48 is BMW’s name for a specific turbo engine used in some models. They’re saying that with the B48, the car feels more balanced and fun to drive, even if it’s not the most powerful option.
“Lighter nose” is how the car feels when you turn—like the front doesn’t feel too heavy. They’re saying that helps the car turn in more easily and feel more fun.
When they say the car is “willing to rotate,” they mean it turns in a way that feels more eager and playful. It’s about how the car’s front and rear work together as you steer through a corner.
They’re recommending the BMW 230i as a daily driver. Even though it’s not super fast, they say it’s enjoyable because you can drive it harder and still have fun.
BMW Performance Center is BMW’s place where people can drive cars in a more controlled setting, often including track time. They mention it to explain where their driving experience came from.
A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. The hosts are basically saying you can potentially make even more power from a turbo engine if you modify it.
The BMW X1 is BMW’s smaller SUV. The hosts aren’t focusing on it here because they think it’s more for people who are new to BMW and want something affordable, not for enthusiasts.
The BMW X2 is a smaller BMW SUV with a more stylish, sporty shape. The hosts say it’s fine, but they’re skipping it because they don’t think it’s the best pick if you’re an enthusiast.
Interior quality is how nice and solid the cabin feels—materials, fit, and overall “premium” impression. The hosts are saying that part of the X3 conversation has been debated, and they expect it to improve later.
The BMW X3 is BMW’s compact SUV. In this conversation, the hosts treat it as the first one they’d recommend for people who actually care about driving, not just getting into a BMW.
“Off the line torque” just means how strong the car feels right when you pull away from a stop. Electric motors usually give that power instantly, so the car feels quicker off the line.
The BMW X5 is the bigger, more expensive SUV in BMW’s lineup. They’re basically saying the X3 can be the smarter choice if you don’t want to pay X5 money.
Power-to-weight is how strong the car feels compared to how heavy it is. If the car has a good balance, it accelerates more easily and feels more fun to drive.
They’re talking about what makes a car a good everyday choice: reliability. The point is that many buyers want something that won’t constantly need repairs, even after lots of miles.
Fuel economy is how far the car can go on a tank of gas. They’re saying it matters for daily driving costs, but if you’re already spending a lot on the car, gas savings may matter less.
The BMW X7 is a big luxury SUV with room for a family. They’re talking about which engine is best for normal everyday use—whether a smaller turbo engine is enough or if the bigger V8 is worth it.
The BMW X6 is a luxury SUV with a sportier, coupe-like shape. They’re not focusing on it because it’s basically in the middle compared to the other two SUVs they’re discussing.
Car
Alpina
Alpina is a BMW-affiliated tuner that builds performance and luxury variants with a distinct focus on refinement and drivability. In this segment, the hosts describe an Alpina model as the “pinnacle,” implying it’s the top choice if you’re willing to spend more.
The BMW X6 M Competition is the high-performance, M-badged version of the X6. The host is saying they’ve driven one and it was great, which supports their opinion about choosing a stronger engine in a big BMW SUV.
Term
S68
The S68 is BMW’s V8 engine used in higher-performance applications (including M-badged SUVs in this context). The hosts mention it to emphasize the character and appeal of a V8 in a large BMW SUV, arguing it’s a better match than smaller engines when you want effortless power.
The Dodge Charger is a popular American car, often with a powerful engine. The hosts mention it to talk about how people think about gas costs when they drive something that can be thirsty.
Debadging means taking off the stickers/emblems that tell people what exact model or engine you have. The host is saying some places prefer not to “show off” that they’re driving a big V8.
LIVE
everyone welcome back to the BMW block podcast season two episode 17 has been a while since with
Matt today we're gonna talk about what we drive in our own private lives because you know all three
of us have had this privilege and the opportunity to drive some really cool cars from BMW but we
never really talk about what we actually drive and I'm sure some people might be interested in that
yeah thanks for having me it's cool to finally be on again I know I've been contributing now for a
while probably what like two two and a half almost three years now and then finally getting on
actually talking about podcasts it's fun so awesome we're gonna try to make this more of a regular
thing so I promise we're gonna work on that so without being said let's hop right into it basically
so let's start with you Sean what do you daily drive um yeah so it's still the one again I know
last year some of the people watching this might remember but I did a video with a blue m340i
and that's that's my personal car so it's a 2025 I picked it up end of January last year so I've
now had it for like a little over a year not even a year and a half yet and I just hit over 46 000
miles uh that's crazy so yeah it's my daily and for work I've got to drive a lot so it's um
I've probably got I would say for at least a 2025 model year with those updates probably one of the
highest mileage uh m340s out there I mean there's definitely plenty that have a lot more but for
2025 uh yeah I've done I think I was at about 40 within the first year and then I've slowed down a
little bit the last couple months but yeah I've got some miles on my car so let me ask you this why
the m340i and not a an m3 for example aside from the price point um yeah it's funny people ask me that
and they're like why not why not get the m3 and like I'll try and not be like oh well I couldn't afford
but um no it's yeah and that's isn't that the reality I think but but okay so less than you
could afford it would you still get the m340i over the m3 considering it's a daily driver probably
not and I again I think the reason being is like I said if if I really wanted to I could probably
have spent quite a bit of money tuning up my m340 and get a pretty close to m3 performance if I wanted
to but for me the m340 is like such a good sweet spot um and when it comes to just like ownership
maintenance fuel economy all that stuff reliability it's been such a good car I again I've owned some
pretty good fun drivers cars in the past um and I've owned some very like just civilian regular
cars before my first car was a Civic I've owned a Honda Accord before I've also owned like a
Camaro ZL1 I've owned a Corvette I've owned a Civic Type R so like I've owned some really good
driver's cars that are fun on mountain roads um but I've also owned cars that are just like
good to just daily drive um for work in my last company I had an EV so I've kind of had this
huge mix of cars that I like owned for a while and I think when I was looking around I mean
an m3 would be fun I'm telling you wrong we've all driven a g80 here or g82 and like they are
they're a riot they're crazy stupid quick um but I think people kind of forget I mean the m340 when
you look at this current generation just how powerful and capable the car is you're looking at
horsepower numbers that were m5 territory 10 15 years ago uh I mean you're looking at zero to 60
times that pretty much match the f80 m3 of the last generation and I mean that's numbers again
that's like spreadsheet kind of stuff but what's crazy is again we're comparing this to cars that
you know have a full on m badge and this is just like the mid-level three series now um so again
when it came to like me when I was like looking for a car honest truth I was actually saving up
to buy an m2 I was gonna get an m2 manual that was gonna be my thing and then I switched jobs in
my career because this is not my full-time job and I needed a daily uh because I had to get my company
car back I had to give the eb back and I'm like okay well a manual m2 is not going to be a car
good car to road trip in and commute on a daily basis in LA traffic um you know I'm in the car
two to five hours a day usually like pretty typical for me to go visit all my customers
so I was like I need something that's going to be practical reliable decently fuel efficient
but again I'm a car enthusiast I have it on my shirt I love going up in the canyon so this is
angels crossed highway for those of you that don't know I still wanted to go I have a car that I
could have some fun with if I wanted to and um I was like I kind of need one car that was a sweet
spot and again you probably remember but I drove the 2024 and did a video review on the m340 uh
that was like two years ago and I fell in love with it because I think it's when it it's not a full
m car you don't kind of expect it to be quite as as fun and uh quick obviously it's like a full
m car but then you drive it you're like four basically 400 horsepower in a car that's like
37 3800 pounds that's plenty and again it's like the transmission's amazing so it puts the power down
so I'm sitting there and I'm like this kind of does this checks like all the boxes and it
wasn't really having too many downsides and then again I was going on like owner's forums and looking
stuff up and I was like well you know is this going to be reliable pretty much everyone was saying
like that engine that transmission's pretty bulletproof and it's weird that that engine's so good
yeah and it's weird that BMWs now become like as reliable a brand as it is I'm not saying every
car in their model line is like that but when you look at um a lot of the data that comes out from
like you know JD power and like all these different ownership surveys can never just become really
reliable which is weird because again any like n54 right now is probably like screaming at me as I'm
saying this um but yeah yeah but you gotta look at the new lineup right because I mean they're
they're using the the b40 b58 s58 and now the new s68 across the entire lineup and all these four
models are great right I mean if we ignore the n54 and 55 was before that these are great models
and of course they're always going to be someone that has a problem with them but honestly that b58
is used in so many models that if there were major issues you would you would hear yeah and basically
you know and it's and it's been around for a while people say oh yeah but it's a new engine I'm like
not really no it's been around for a long time it just improved it over time I mean yours has a
mild hybrid I think yeah yeah because it was the the second generation b58 was the one and I think
that was in 2022 or 2023 was when they introduced that in the three series and then they kind of
spread on the on the model lineup but now for 2025 and after this is that third generation b58
which BMW does a good job at like sneaking in pretty substantial updates and then like not
really like fully explaining like how much of a big deal this is because now it's it's port
indirect injected which is great because for anyone who especially like any Volkswagen owners out there
uh that knows about oil blow by that you can get in your engines and like carbon build up
from direct injection motors when you do port direct injection you kind of get rid of that issue
so like long-term reliability is great and then when you're getting that type of fuel injection
you can also you can make more power um so again I was seeing like burger motors sports they did
kind of their video showing the 2025 m340 and like just a simple tune and they're getting up to like
450 I think it was like 470 horsepower pretty easily um yeah so I mean it's it's that nice thing of
like getting good fuel economy and I'm still having fun in the car um but yeah now I love
I mean the b58 what was it they introduced that that was actually the last generation I think it
was the f30 the the 340 yeah no I think uh was what was that maybe the first one was the x3 m40
yeah with it um might be actually uh might be actually yeah it's been out for at least since
oh geez uh 20 it's gotta be 10 years now yeah almost 10 years yeah it's gotta be closer
now so definitely a reliable engine but let me ask you this about your your car um what surprised
you the most on the car like aside from power and all of that like as a daily driver what what
surprised you the most maybe something that you didn't expect I think it was should look on me in
because again I just I expected I was like okay some things are gonna go wrong I did buy an
extended warranty with the car until like 80 000 miles bumper to bumper so I'm I'm still fine I'm
covered but I I think what surprised me is again BMWs have that reputation for being unreliable
I'm now at 46 000 miles and I have had practically no issues with the car um I think one out of
every hundred times getting in car plate doesn't connect right away I haven't I had a check engine
light for about 10 minutes once and then it fixed itself and I haven't seen it since um and then
again the fuel economy is still shocking on a car that makes that much power and it's still that quick
when I did my cross-country road trip starting out when I was on all-season tires and they're
they're pretty skinny they're like 225s all around which is actually skinnier than a Civic
which is crazy when you look at the modern Civic they're 235s um so it's a skinny tire and I think
that contributed but I got 38mpg average crossing the country and I'm most of the country if like
middle of the country if you're not doing like 85 90 not saying that that's what I was doing but if
you're not keeping up a traffic you're gonna get passed by everyone so I wasn't trying to hypermile
like that's just 37 or 38mpg on all-season tires it's easy um and then I've averaged now again I've
got enough data now owning the car including days up in the canyons city commuting and everything
like that I'm averaging 29.9mpg since I've had the car for 46 000 miles so when gas is six dollars
right now that's really nice knowing that I'm not throwing it all the way on gas it's actually been
fairly cheap to own in terms of gas at least so yeah it's been great how is the comfort on the
suspension which which suspension do you have so yeah I do wish I had the adaptive suspension
that was one thing my car that's what's going to ask me if you have the adaptive so you have this
Porsche suspension yeah yeah because for 2025 that's a rough one I know it is a little bit yeah
this is just their standard you know steel spring it's not adaptive but I think what's nice about
it is the way they they have it set up is it's slightly stiffer than comfort mode is on the
adaptive dampers but it's not also overly stiff because I think what I've talked about this in
my videos one of my criticisms of BMW is in their adaptive dampers anytime like sport mode or sport
plus it's I always feel like they they make it too stiff so the problem is is like on smooth pavement
it's great for helping reduce body roll but like honestly most of the times I've gone up in the
canyons with any BMW I keep it in comfort mode when I can on the damper settings because on like
rough terrain or like rough pavement the comfort setting actually I find upsets the car less
so even though there's a little bit more body roll it just it kind of helps handle a lot of
those smaller bumps a little bit better I feel like but but that's just me but yeah I'm on the
steel springs unfortunately but that also means it's one last thing that potentially break on me
so it's reliability is pretty good so the so that gap that you mentioned they they always talk about
this when I go and drive like a new car especially on an performance car they their feedback from
customers is that they really want this gap to be wider and wider so the gap between comfort and
sport has gotten wider over the years and the reason why is because initially it was too close
and customers they wanted to be in comfort it was like okay this is not comfortable enough
and they'll go to sport and it was good but it was so they said this whole they wanted the car to
feel super soft in comfort but then when you go to sport to be like okay this is the mode that you
know that's gonna upset the car because it's meant to be that way so essentially they're giving you
that option hey like you said if you want to go to the cannon I don't need to use sport now I can
still use the comfort and I'm okay with it but if you if you want to stiffen up the car quite a bit
then you go to sport and I think that's not gonna change I think that's potentially might get even
wider and you can't really talk about it much today but but but basically like I like I think
you know that's that's kind of the philosophy there so how are the because I know you've talked
about this in the video which was a really good video and I mean it's getting so many comments
so many views because you know you can tell that you're passionate about that car right you you're
you're not one of those guys that necessarily said okay I don't have the money for an m3 I'm
gonna buy this one you truly love the car but how are the seats and all of that because I know you've
talked about the seats comfort and all of that because like in the end it's a daily drive and
honestly you drive probably more than an Uber driver yeah so you definitely have a lot of
butt in the seats or yeah what is he butting the seats pretty well yeah I mean it's yeah come to
think of it because I average about anywhere between about 80 to like 150 miles a day for work
um because I've so maybe not not as much as a club I'm getting there um no it's I will say the
good news is that the seats do kind of break in over time so they do start to get a little bit
comfort but that was I think one of they have leather or leather or leather so yeah no not not
really I love how they put that name because they make it anyone who wouldn't know the difference
they'd be like that sounds fancy and then it's like yeah it's it's not but um no but it's I'm
surprised at how durable it is the seats still look as good as the day I got it like I'm not noticing
an increasing it doesn't look old like despite how much time I've spent the car like I said it
it looks brand new so which is cool but um they do break in a little bit which is nice I've gotten
a little bit more comfortable over time but yeah when I took that cross-country road trip I the car
was basically brand new and yeah after like six hours in those seats I was like that's so comfortable
and I've I've done a lot of cross-country driving um actually when I had my Civic Type R those seats
are notorious for being like incredibly comfortable um and I I did a cannibal run in that so I drove
from New York to LA non-stop 39 hours and I was comfortable in those seats like no problem
and then after like six seven hours and in the entry 40 I was like man this is like this is not
comfortable um but they do they do kind of start breaking in a little bit which is good but that's
one thing I hope on the next generation the Neue Glacier they kind of get right is that the the
seat design is a little bit more comfortable uh because like I said some of the other Neuribin
members I've sat in are incredibly comfortable like that 550E one of the most comfortable the
IAC seats I know you're real big I'm talking about how they redesign those um does I the Neue
IAC seats are so comfortable I love that car yeah it's funny like it's still not the best looking
but like when you drive on you're like oh I get it yeah this thing is sick yeah but yeah a lot of
the new BMW seats are great the Neue X3 was fantastic it's super comfy so like if they
can fix the seat issue and then even just mildly improve everything else like yeah that car should
be homerun man I wish I could tell you more about it I know I guess we'll find out soon enough
I was I was rewinding everything in my mind in the whole video that I shot on the on a car
you know which I really can't talk about it for a long time I was like oh man I wish I could but
maybe offline you know it's uh all I gotta say drive uh drive this car this year because I'm
because we're probably gonna talk about a different car that you have next year
but but honestly um yeah the MDN340 it's a great car I haven't driven one in a while but I was going
to ask you actually I did drive it on the track and funny enough I came across a video that the
other day is in my archive from Portimao there was a launch it's a it's an F1 track they they
use it for F1 testing in southern Portugal amazing with elevations and blind corner it's crazy
and and I was also younger a little bit more courageous I was going quite quite fast
and I was looking at that at that video with the M340 oh man it was fantastic on the track
honestly I gotta put it out because it's such a good car on the track and so my question to you
was did you have a chance to track the car? Not yet I want to um what's crazy is again I I just had
an oil changer recently and I'll swap between a local shop which can do it for cheaper I love my
BMW dealerships but like it can get expensive so but I I did get a full inspection everything
my last oil change at the dealership and when they they looked over everything
what I'm amazed at despite the miles and the fact that I've probably done 20 days on Angelus
Crest a couple days and some of the other canyons around here my brake pads are still good um so
the brakes are more stout than I thought but again I can always upgrade you can throw the M3 brakes
on there if you want to um that's pretty much it's a slightly different part number but if you
look at it it's the exact same brakes as the steel ones from the M3 if you want to upgrade to
their performance brakes but um so I'm probably gonna upgrade brake pads and brake fluid but
then once I do that and then I get some new tires I'm looking at those new continental um
stream contact O2s then I yeah we could talk about yeah I think we can make it happen and
honestly before you swap the tires maybe you find one of those local track days and take your car
on it and just you know completely shave the tires on your car and then we can put the new
Contis on it and we'll do the continental test after that and I think that that is one cool
thing about this car is again depending on how you want to set up you can set it a little bit
better for daily driving through on all seasons and it's still a great practical daily which
which Conti tire you were thinking about like a performance tire or an all season yeah the
extreme contact O2s um and why and why just because I think that's like the 300 treadwear
category tire they have it's kind of comparable to the last few sets of tires that I've had because
right now I'm on mission pilot uh what is it PS4 and then prior to that I was on those bridge
stones uh the Potenza sports the new ones and they're great uh like I said it's kind of fun
comparing tires and kind of seeing how it changes the character of the car a little bit
those bridge stones were a little bit noisy um they didn't last as long but there was so much grip
like I think you saw some of the videos of me on Andrews Crust with that car and obviously I
drive it through the speed limit but when you're up there that car was keeping up with cars that
are dedicated sports cars which is kind of crazy and it's just the sedan up there
um it's a very capable tire I've really liked it but again it does have those downsides when it
comes to comfort PS4s are just still kind of one of the best all-around tires but they are old
there are better options out there and like I said I'm yeah let's try the Conti man because
Continental has been very generous to us now honestly we we should test more more of their
tires and I'm curious to see if you can do like a like a comparison after that yeah I've heard
really you know so we'll definitely things gotcha okay we'll definitely make it happen
all right anything you want to you want to ask me before we talk about you and
you know we uh we get a dog barking a bit yeah sorry I had to mute there the yeah I think
Amazon delivery just arrived um so at least the doggy it's your doorbell right exactly um
okay I want to know more about the cross-country trip Sean like uh uh you put so many miles on
on that car and I know you've uh you know you've you've had EVs in the past um did you
had did you do long trips with EVs and like uh you've talked about IX if I guess we'll actually
we'll save this for later because we're going to talk about what we'll add to the garage afterwards
so uh we'll save this one for later then let me save that question for later sounds good
all right so then let's let's still switch to you Ney so now tell me um tell me what you daily drive
yeah uh well you know you've probably seen it a bunch in uh in my social news but uh
I've had an e46 m3 now for 16 years wow um I bought it in 2010 pre-owned um I got it for
a ridiculous price of 23,000 at the time which which look out before all the craziness uh yeah
I stole it basically it had like 30,000 miles on it it was in amazing shape um I was looking to
purchase one and they're all about you know mid to low 30s um I wanted like the competition
package blue like I was looking for the certain one and this came up at 23 and I'm like it looks
brand new and it's 23 I can't pass that deal up so uh it's steel gray over cinnamon um which
you know I personally love a colored car versus a gray or silver car but I had to go with it because
obviously great deal but I don't see that combo hardly ever so like every time people come up and
see it they're like wow this looks great with the cinnamon interior it's like that baseball
glove looking in color uh looks great absolutely love it um it was a uh it was a long time uh thing
for me uh I didn't have uh any scholarships or parent uh help to get through college so I paid
my own way and I made a little deal with myself saying if I get through college this minimal
debt is possible be as frugal as I can uh after a few years after school once I have a garage
I can get the car I want so uh you know on uh on my birthday went out and found this and got it and
yeah like I said I got 16 years now um and unfortunately for the last oh my gosh almost
almost 10 now it's been a garage queen uh unfortunately it's turned into a garage queen
you know as values skyrocket on it I'm like I should stop driving this so much uh I've taken
it up it's at about 80,000 miles now but it's still in amazing shape um and this past year though I was
like okay you know what time to get back into it so we started uh started doing a starting to bring
it back to where it should be so in the last year I've uh I went through and replaced all the belts
and pulleys on it um I've put brand new uh bfg phenoms on there so there's got new tires uh going
through it uh pretty much completely as much as possible spark plugs ignition wires uh just trying
to make it as fresh and as new as possible um I did find out that uh most of the uh the bushings
unfortunately but the diff bushings and the control arm bushings are all shot and uh kind of uh
flaking away so uh got that that's the last thing to replace um and then uh I'll take it down probably
down and get it uh fully detailed and it should be uh nice and new looking almost um but what would
you like about the car because I just had a chance to film all the all the generations b&w m3 and I
was talking to tom plasinski from b&w classic usa and then we're talking about you know picking the
his favorite car he picked the e92 m3 eventually but I guess he was leading at some point towards the
the e46 m3 as well but tell me what's what's special about that car let's say that somebody
hasn't driven the car they've only seen it how would you describe it um the way uh well first off
everyone who thinks like nowadays when they go into it's I always like to point out that it's not as
fast compared modern cars like Sean's car will blow it away on track or anything now it's just it
doesn't feel like and I think that's why a lot of people now lean towards that e92 with the v8 it's
got that that grunt and power and feel the e46 though when I first got it and even now today
whenever you get into it and whenever you drive it it's just such a great feedback car like it
does exactly what you want and tells you everything it's doing um I've never had an experience that
like I've been shocked or it's like surprised me in any way it's just it's really predictable
and everything just felt right to me from day one I got in it everything is just communicates in
the way that I expect it to and the the inline six of that that car is just amazing too it just
sounds great has great torque torque band throughout um especially when you get into the higher
ups it's fantastic uh it just yeah it's just everything feels right about it um I've never
there's never really anything where I've been like oh this needs a you know we need to throw some
new suspension on there we need to do this you know you don't really have that feeling um yeah I did
upgrade the suspension to like the competition package uh suspension um and but the only real
thing I've done is changed to a short shifter because the throws were really long um but other
than that like if uh you just don't need to do anything to the car and I think when people
you know before this the prices started skyrocketing that was the car to modify right people are
taking and putting vf superchargers on them and stuff and everyone just started having problems
and it was just like it became temperamental and it's like you just took like the one of the best
naturally aspirated inline six vehicles and just made it temperamental it's like it just
and then it was peaky and like it just it never seemed to come together as a package and I think
that was always the the perfect thing about that e46 and like I said to this day I still get into it
obviously doesn't feel as fast after driving like g80s and things like that there's just
ballistic fast but it's just it's so balanced and so communicative and just yeah it just feels right
are you thinking about keeping it or selling it yeah I mentioned that uh uh in our our pre chat um
I feel really bad at being a garage queen like I don't drive as much anymore um you know I work
remote so like it's I don't get out and drive that much I'm in Seattle so like as Shaw knows in the
LA like traffic just sucks and that's the same reason like you know you went with the m340 and
7m too like taking my e46 out and driving any to get anywhere I got to go through Seattle and just
sitting there rowing the gears and on a heavy clutch it's just it's not fun so it's like a lot
effort to get out to enjoy it you know um and uh so I feel bad at being a garage queen uh
but there's a you know you just watch those values go up and up and up and I've had it for so long
that it's just like it would be awesome to have for so for you know being an old man and be like
yep that's my 50 year old e46 that is the pinnacle of m3 to me you know um but then I then again
there's that that alternate side it's just like yeah I could sell it for 40 or 50 grand right now
get in f87 m2 still enjoy a fun m car you know and not have to worry about so much of like
keeping it maintained as much as I have a newer car you know there's it always crosses my mind but
that's been going on for seven years now and it's still in my garage so yeah but I mean counter
argument to that honestly like unless you really truly need the money that's not a car they usually
want no because honestly let's you know you have you you have a kid you know that maybe it's gonna
under 10 years till it gets a driver license or eight years and then essentially think about it you
know you you can leave this you know to your child and enjoy a car that you know that we look right
now with e30s probably the same way they will look at e46 and you know eight ten years from now and
it's such a nice car to have and especially in a world where maybe it's gonna become even more
eV than now today I I think like this cars I mean the f87 it's a good car but I don't
need e46 m3 it's got a really really cool design is that at all school I saw the one in
Amelia Island and I absolutely loved it you know I turned it on and of course it's not as exciting
as all the new exhaust and all of that but doesn't matter like honestly I don't know man like it's
it's it's it was $23,000 you know I know yeah I looked out with it and you took care of it too right
I mean just imagine you took care of it you know it's not you know it's it's it's been babysitter
you know and I don't know I would absolutely think about this yeah no it's what would you
replace it with yes I don't even know if you can find an f80 okay so you can find an f80m to
the competition or the regular one the n55 because that's that's a big difference right
it'd have to be a comp yeah so that's probably gonna be more than yeah more than 50 or no I don't
even know any more Sean I think they're dipping right around 40 now oh is it really yeah I mean
I would I would only I would only replace the e46 m3 you know selfishly with like an m2cs like
yeah I mean ideally like if I was going to do it that'd be the way to do it would be and the f87cs
for me yeah f87cs yeah not not the gs I mean I love the gs because I drove by the f87m2cs it's
fantastic I think I think that is definitely if I was if I was going to change and I guess
this once again we're gonna talk about this later but most likely that would be the one
but no it's just you know you just get it's for me it's like that was my daily for so long when
I lived in San Diego and now to not need to drive hardly ever and just see it sitting there you
know it just kind of hurts you in the heart a little bit right you know and it's like someone
could be enjoying this you know and had that same feeling I had with it but then again like you
pointed out yeah maybe maybe my daughter could eventually will roll up into high school and
all the guys would be like oh hell yeah yeah exactly and you're in an area where yes you might have to
go through traffic but you can get to some really nice driving roads I mean yeah I'm like I am you
know and honestly you know I can't find any no it's all but being there it's really just a
matter of you know getting through traffic and you'll definitely enjoy that car on the roads
there so maybe you just need to get out you know and stop doing the same racing stuff yeah yeah
well we're finally starting to get out of the rain I don't drive it in the rain hasn't been
driven in the rain in probably a dozen years so it's only a summertime car now for me but like
no no it's definitely it's going through all of its maintenance right now so like I said
we're already gone through all the uh uh external engine pieces uh I'm gonna go I need to do uh
the rotors since they've been sitting are a little rusted so I need to go get them resurfaced
we got obviously the new tires on there but as I go through all this we'll post some stories up
as we get updated on on it I want to take it down to like I have griots griots however you
say that I never really fully know who's local I'd love to go down there and have them completely
detail it because it's just been like I said sitting it'd be really cool to have uh to see
how they go through and do their full detail process I think that'd be really cool to bring that back
to it's it's you know mirror like shine um we should talk to them for sure yeah and uh I just
kind of bring it back to how it should be I want to go get the underside dry iced clean off all
that because like I said I only drive it in nice weather now so let's let's clean off all that
gunk let's make it shine you brought up Tom um from BMW USA and he's kind of been going through
his E92 and doing that same thing and as I watch him kind of go through everything and bring it back
to kind of like that showroom it just yeah I'm like yep I got I got to do that to mine now too so
you know definitely going to step through those processes and and then most likely I'll just
be like yep not getting rid of it now so so that's a good segue into my car because you know even
though I've been you know preaching you know to uh to get out and drive your car I definitely don't
drive my one and one you know that's and that's a shame but um but I finally got it back from uh
from precision sport industries in Orlando shown as his team they've done a fantastic job on the car
and and I was just thinking about this you know that I that I kind of went back the same way
where I you know my car was modified a little bit you know nothing crazy but now I'm actually
going back to stock so I even you know took out the ampere from a steering wheel and now I have
the stock one you know even though it's got a little scratch your butt I took out the uh the
full exhaust that I had for my Zen one which is like a racing exhaust and it sounded crazy and my
wife hated it because she could hear me from like a mile down the road when I would come home
and and and I put in a crop of it just slip on which sounds nice just slightly better than the
stock I mean not slightly better better than than than the stopper not as loud as the other one and
I like it quite a bit so I yeah I kind of rolled back you know on some of the upgrades that I had
to just bring it back to like you know stock um so I got a question really I guess did you yeah
did you drive it down to Florida or did you truck it no no no no I mean I wish I I wish I had the
time to do that that would be uh that like the day that I got the time to take a few days to drive
down the Florida that's what they are gonna be so happy honestly because that means that I that
my life is less complicated I was gonna say I don't I don't know if you had time to do that how did
you do that no no I actually worked locally with a with a with a big car company I don't remember
the name right now a transport car company they do a fantastic job they're like enclosed and they're
they're very good about transporting like high-end cars so they took it down there they dropped it
off and then I I gave Sean quite a few months to work on it with no pressure or anything else so
basically what he did funny enough you know I sent the car down the first thing that happened the
charge pipe blew up like literally he drove the car you know for like took it off the truck parked
it the next day drove the car and then he just the charge pipe blew up so I was like okay this was
right on time uh it's it's pretty common on the one end for the charge pipe to uh to blow up it's a
it's a plastic piece and apparently happens a few times if you own the car um so initially we're
supposed to replace it with an aftermarket one that's uh that's made out of metal but then we
decided to just go stock again I guess let's put it all just all back to stock so that was one thing
um I had an issue with the uh with the differential so for some reason it was noisy and
leaking a little bit so we we fixed that as well we uh replaced that and then he's done a fantastic
maintenance job on it where basically he looked at every little detail you know like we're talking
like underbody engine gaps you know window trims and all of it and he literally did like a restoration
on it you know and honestly I was I was impressed with that and I told him because a lot of the
shops you know they just go fix the car whatever problem is but they don't really look at the
kind of restoring this type of cars to to their original condition kind of thing so the car came
back you know a few months ago and unfortunately came back right before winter hits and I was that was
not very cool but I had a chance to drive it in the last few days and it's um it's it's it's
such a great car it actually drives better not because of the the charge pipe you know I'm clear
there wasn't an issue before and uh it's not a daily driver so even though I talk about this
but to me daily driving means I don't drive too much so when I want to drive something that's
exciting I definitely go for that basically and it's it's a very polarizing car I've talked about
this everybody loves it when you take it out and once again I I'm just like you I always think
about selling it and then when I look back at how much I pay for it I pay like 40,000 for it
you know that I'm like brand new you know and I'm like I paid 40 grand brand new it's been only mine
like why would I sell it now and that's a car you know I asked um uh in Amelia Island I also talked
to the to the CEO president head of BMW Classic for the world basically you know and Helmut told me
that you know he said do not sell that car that's gonna be absolutely future classic it's gonna be
even better than the e30 m3 because basically there are just not that many out there compared to the
30 m3 and he said imagine this concord in 20 30 years from now the 1ms will be the one car to
basically to basically have so that kind of you know steer me away from even thinking about selling
it you know but unfortunately I don't drive in a lot just because of timing and all of it
but but every time that I do I absolutely absolutely love that car and and I got over the fear of
daily driving it a little bit because before I was always concerned it's you know maybe it's
gonna get scratched up and they're gonna be picked up and they're gonna be you know rock chips
and all of it and I haven't ppf the car like an ocean that you did yours but I haven't ppf mine
it's it's only uh ceramic coating so I don't know if it's worth doing it now but yeah it's it's a car
meant to be driven I was talking to Samantha 10 and then last week in in LA she she drives her all
the time I mean she has crazy cars she has a really nice collection and she still goes for the 1m
as much as possible and she said she will never sell it you know so um that says a lot basically
so yeah that's my that's my you know daily driver in a way the fun car but then of course I I
enjoy driving the is because I'm older now and it's such a nice car to drive and daily drive and it's
easy uh and I'm gonna you know uh swap that out like let me let me just finish with me so then
you guys can can have the floor but basically the next car that I think that I will get you know working
with BMW USA I'm probably gonna swap the IX for an m5 touring for a few months to kind of see you
you know what's the transition from like an SUV to an m5 touring will I miss the SUV size you know
and all of that of course very different cars not even comparable but I'm kind of curious and I got
a crazy spec too they they they they let me pick this whole nice the car the car yellow oh okay yeah
it's like a banana and I even told him I said hey let's let's talk to your to your aftermarket you
know or after sales people let's see if you can find a roof box that we can paint it in the car
yellow also and really look like a banana you know that would be such a fun car honestly so
hopefully you know what they they would be able to do because that would be exciting and I'm thinking
about doing like a like a video series where basically I put like a large detail on the side
of the car and kind of call it like the fastest taxi in the world or the most powerful taxi in
the world something like that you know to make a little bit more more fun but um but yeah that's
gonna be the daily drive for just you know short period of time basically gonna see what it what it
means to uh to live with that so that's that's my next one that's not on my personal car basically
but yeah I don't know I'm fortunate that I drive a lot of BMW's cars so I don't really have time to
think about my own cars but I do know that my my wife wants the new ix3 so I think that's going to
become the the permanent family car when it comes to market and all of it she absolutely loves it
and I love it too honestly it's it's a it's a fantastic car and I do see myself keeping that car
for less you know for at least few years because it does a lot of great things so we'll see but
yeah with that being said enough about me so Sean tell me what would be your your next car if you
if you're if you can get a second let's let's say not replace the m340i but maybe get a second car
what would be the one because you had a chance to drive some BMW cars yeah no I've had a chance to
drive a couple which is um it's a good question because the the funny thing is originally like I
said I was not planning on getting the m340 even though I love it and it's become my favorite car
I've owned like I said originally I was gonna get an m2 manual and I was gonna have a two car garage
so kind of a that's a good question again ideally a two car garage I would still love to have a new
g87 manual in my garage because that's probably gonna be the last manual m2 that they make out
there so it's kind of that that e46 formula you know like short wheelbase coupe two-door inline six
like classic kind of BMW again but it's just making a ton of power and it's a lot of capability
modern many's I love that car but as far as the daily that's a good one uh if it's current lineup
again I really want to drive the new ix3 I've been seeing all your content or the new i3 I've been
watching all that and I now that I've lived with an EV and driven an EV before I do like EVs a lot
of the EV BMWs I've driven I really like um but if it's in their current lineup like right now
I actually that 550e that I just drove back in December I love that car um even though it wasn't
I haven't driven it yet so and honestly I I have to leave through you but I mean I really haven't
driven the car so you know do do tell me more about that because I'm kind of curious as well
how would it feel even to like a m5? yeah well I think so I'm gonna have a little bit of a controversial
opinion here I know some people are gonna roast me for this I think all three of us we we all
driven the m5 tour now because Nate you had that really what color was yours that was a
really cool sepia brown sepia brown yeah it's like oh man there's a crazy story behind that one
so so let me just make a side note because I literally just talked about this uh with BMW USA
so the the the head of car in uh in Pebble Beach last year Monterey then they also had it recently
somewhere else and and you know the the PR team it's played like some absolutely love it the
guys absolutely hate it so one of the guys that absolutely doesn't you know like not hate it but
he's not a huge fan they actually made him drive that car to Pebble Beach last year like in the car
from those guys they were signing cars on how to move cars and then and then you know one of them
just you know say let's assign the car to him you know because he really doesn't like the color so
we actually have a we have been like on the on video driving off like a color but honestly it was
industry because that color made a lot of people it was like kind of like the show car for for for
the m5 but the uh of the legends of the auto yeah and I was listening to people coming through
and funny enough it was almost 50 50 where some people absolutely loved it some people absolutely
hated and you know that they call it a poop car yeah you know whatever poop brown yeah people that
loved it they said this is cool this is different you know I got so many people stopping me and
wanting to talk about that car like I was yeah I had it for a week and literally every time I stopped
people were stopping me and asking me as I walked into the store anything like like that's awesome
like everyone thought it was awesome first off and then you don't see it right you don't see the car
many times yeah I mean they all thought it was custom and they're like is it wrapped I'm like no
this this is this is and so like I was impressed because you know all of us uh people who in the
media are like oh yeah it's kind of ugly it's a little big you know you got yeah it's a lot of 50
50th enthusiast but everyday people everyone thought it was awesome so I kind of the same mine
was in Isle of Angerine so Sean tell me because you because we actually stopped you Sean so
tell me about the 550 with the uh yeah I'll talk about that but real quick even when I had my it was
the same thing when I had the Isle of Angerine M5 Touring last year literally everywhere I went I
would come back to the car there would be people around it looking at it they'd be like is this
yours like talk to me about it if I was anywhere yeah that's mine everyone loved that car so much
it was it was crazy but but the 550 E so again we've all driven the M5 Touring the reason I bring
this up is it is a crazy capable car I know it's heavy I don't care like it is so fast but I think
one common complaint a lot of people have is it is very stiff and it is it's an M car again I think
it's like you buy an M car you know it's probably gonna be pretty stiff that's just how they're made
the 550 E what I loved about it is again I'm a B58 fan obviously what I really liked is in
Germany last year again or the last generation what was it the F or no the G30 generation
five series the G30 so they got the 545 E so they got the B58 you know hybrid system and I was
always like man I wish they'd bring that to the US that seemed like it would be such the like a
perfect combo of getting like inline straight six power with you know a plug-in hybrid system
because the the four-cylinder attached to that is a little bit underwhelming I think
but I think what was great is since they did get rid of that like you know the M550 they
previously had with the VA the S63 this does a really good job at being extremely fast and
capable still like so shockingly so again there's no M badge on the car so you're not really expecting
it but when you look at the 550 E and you actually look at the stats it pretty much matches the E60M5
with the V10 which is pretty crazy again I mean it's right up around there it has way more torque
actually and it's about there with horsepower too so but double though double the weight it is it
is heavy you do feel it but I will say one thing that I really like about the 550 E that I actually
liked more than the M5 and again I know this is going to be the controversial opinion I would
actually rather buy the 550 E over an M5 if if I couldn't get the M5 touring if I couldn't get the
wagon sedan for sedan the 550 E actually like better because on a daily basis it is so much
softer and it is so much more comfortable whilst it wasn't slow so I think what I like about it is
and you get a little bit more electric range too like shockingly so I think the one day I got about
like 54 or 55 miles of electric range which is amazing I mean that's most yeah it's like what 30
to 35 rated yeah so I blew past that and I think the average American only drives like 37 38 miles
a day so you can do all your daily driving in electric but when you want a road trip there's
it's not like an EV where you have to worry a little bit about like what's the charging
network light or the charger is going to be working when I get there it's going to be a line like
anything like that you can just go and cruise and I mean the fuel tank is pretty big on this
and I was still getting mid 30s on the highway so you can cruise probably 500 550 miles easily on a
road trip on a tank of gas just running in just regular gas mode but the week that I had it even
with a couple days where I did quite a bit of driving not on electric but I would just plug it
in when I had the chance I'd plug it in overnight I got a thousand miles on that tank of gas like
that's awesome like the fact that I especially today that's I mean imagine the savings yeah so
again it's great because you get all that flexibility of a plug-in hybrid you get really
good fuel efficiency still so it's very efficient does everything you want from plug-in hybrid
but it still has a b58 it's still fast like in conjunction with the electric motors like that
thing is it's all the fun things you want about a BMW but it's just more comfortable more luxurious
like if I want to do a road trip if I could get the wagon version now which I know they get in
Europe we don't get it I wish BMW please please bring wagons to the US but yeah in wagon form that
is probably one of the best road trip cars on the market period like it's it's great yeah I guess
it's worth mentioning to people the people watching us listening to us that might not be familiar with
the plug-in hybrids it's the fact that you don't really have to plug it in you could simply just
go into the sport mode and you will recharge that battery or if you do you know stop and go traffic
you know you will recharge the battery as you go so essentially it's not about really stopping
and having to plug in a charger car if you don't want to you could actually use that so in combination
with that basically yes you are running on the gasoline but at the same time you're putting
electrons back in the battery pack and then you could you know activate just the oil electric mode
so I guess for daily driving I mean if I had your job I would absolutely go more for the 550
without a doubt I mean honestly I don't know how how it handles as far as like softness and
comfort and all of that but I can assume that it's a five series so it's it's it's meant to be you
know more of a daily driver than an m340i which is you know more of the five so I'm kind of curious
how many they will sell in the us because I don't see a lot of promotion around that car that's why
I wanted you to kind of drive the car because you don't even see a lot of reviews and other people
are just going straight for the 540i or m5s and all of that but they're not even consume this one
but Nathan I drove the x550e you know a few years ago in in South Carolina and we raved about that
car because we thought that was like the best x5 you know better than the the hands down yeah
hands down I think that's the best combo for the x5 yeah so the 550 I mean it absolutely makes
sense but um but yeah I mean it's it's definitely controversial people will will be like yeah but
the m5 and they're different cars you can't really compare it so it depends on your use case I had an
m5 also for a few months and it's and it's actually not bad as a daily driver but uh
clearly the 550 it's the more comfortable car you know so yeah I love that thing it's it
flies under the radar it's weird yeah people just don't know what it is like it's they don't
advertise it very well it's not like no one talks about it I'm like this is actually probably one
of the better cars in their lineup and they shoot today because now with the guest price
being so high I mean it makes like today makes sense you know it's like today you're like okay now
this really makes sense I get pretty good like I said I got pretty good feel economy in my car but
yeah there's definitely days when I'm like I almost bought a 330 I'm kind of like man I kind of wish I
wish I had that 330 you know exactly what's okay so what about you Nate oh man uh I really enjoyed
that car um I'm a huge dragon fan like Sean I guess you know all enthusiast fans are um
you know I yeah I really enjoyed it um I agree with Sean as I said in my uh I guess we haven't
put it out yet but it's a little over sprung for for a daily it's it's it's a little stiff um
but it would be perfect for for kind of what I do being here in the northwest you know I put
out that fun video of everything I can shove in the back of it and uh literally that's what I do I
we go out and do a lot of stuff so it's incredibly handy um and you know we talked about when we're
talking about my e46 about you know maybe an f87 m2cs would be a good good one just to to have
there but uh I think I'm gonna you know if I were to pick one of the newer ones let's say um yes the
m5 touring is on that list but it's it's way out of my price range um but I'm kind of like on Sean's
but I think with the i4 m50 maybe it was at m60 now whatever they call it I I think I would get
one of those uh I had the the the 40 just the regular old 40 uh e1 and that car is so much fun
I love the grand coupé with the hatchback um the versatility of it I think it looks great
um and I haven't even even driven the dm version but I I have a feeling that would be so much fun
as a daily um and I think that's what I put in the garage right now would be the i4 uh you know
thankfully you know we we have an scv for more of our daily kid stuff so wouldn't quite need the wagon
but I've looked you know as I look for new new careers here and there and my having to commute
I was like yeah I might go with the m that the i4 m50 like I said is it an m60 now I think they
changed the name it's an m60 now yeah the m60 just came out actually I haven't driven the m60 either
I only drove the m50 but yeah but it it's yeah I I think that'd be the way to go right now
so I know we don't have a lot of time which we're gonna try to keep it up to like an hour but let's
let's do a fun exercise because I was just thinking right now for people that may be
they're new to the brand or people they might want to get like a new BMW let's go series by series
and kind of pick the best daily driver out of all of them we don't need to get to give a lot of
arguments but let's start with a two series lineup uh not the grand coupe let's just focus on the
coops you know that's the other one it's something else uh so like so uh out of the two series
Sean which one would you would you get as a daily see you had to say daily because I that m2
is like I'm obsessed with that car but oh you know I yeah I guess the m2 fall genre so you could
go with me I I have a friend that has the just the regular 230 um actually I have two friends and
one is like fully specced out and then one is like kind of like the base version both of them love
that car I mean again I know yeah you can get the m2 40 the b58 of course but I will say like even
just the b48 in that car like it's it's got a lighter nose so it's a little bit more willing
to rotate it's a little bit more playful even if it's down on power but it's they love them I'm
gonna I'm actually gonna say 230 I'm not gonna say I'm 240 gotcha all right what about you Nate
I'm actually with him I drove uh at the previous generation in the 230 and it just feels more
classic BMW you know it yeah it's a little underpowered but it feels like you can have more
fun with it because you can push it a little harder and enjoy it um so yeah I'm gonna show him the 230
I can't believe we're gonna agree on that on this one because I was I was I was hoping that you
guys are gonna see the m2 40i and I and I'm gonna be like the big brother like yeah no guys you guys
are wrong I'm gonna go the 230i uh no actually a few years ago I drove the 230i uh the performance
center there was a launch event there and I had a chance to drive it on the track and also on the
road and I drove the m2 40i and actually in my review I did say that the 230i it's the slightly
the more fun car like you said Sean you know like like lighter nose you know that b48 felt enough
you know it was you it was just a very very good product honestly and he never felt like
underpowered and I had you know slightly more fun driving that car than the m2 40i which was
no very capable so I'm gonna agree with you on that one now let's go to the three series
Sean I'm gonna skip the m3 40i so you know I'm gonna I'm gonna go there so we're gonna go straight
to Nate oh that's a tough one yeah I think the 340i is the call I think it's got to just the best
combination of everything gotcha I mean I'm torn here I think to me it would be a plug-in hybrid
three series would be a good daily driver just for people new to the brand right it's it's such a
good car if you're new to the brand you know and if you care about fuel efficiency a little bit
about the environment all about like the 330 it's the right proposition in that segment so that
will be that will be my choice basically in that of course you know performance wise we're always
gonna go with Sean's daily yeah no actually I do like the 330 you know I'm sad they got rid of it
here in the u.s. the like I said the only thing that I have against that car I know I had the
heaviest they still have it in a year that I was talking about because I had a chance to drive and
I will say like the one thing I had against that car because again I did a review on it I loved it
I think I got like 80 plus mpg the week I had it because I just kept plugging it in
the trunk space is pretty small because again where they fit the battery in but again if
BMW brings back more wagons to the u.s. and that car in wagon form would be like one of the best
daily cars ever hopefully hopefully all right so five series so Sean once again five
550 so I'm gonna skip you again whatever you Nate oh man five series we actually drove together
some of these cars remember yeah trying to recall back it's been a while since I've driven a normal
five series I think I think I can tell you what we said in our review that the 530i was
underpowered for the size of the car yeah I remember that being a little yeah it's definitely
a little underpowered I think that's the one to definitely go with the plug-in hybrid on
because I have driven you know the like I said the m5 wagon and stuff like that and I think for
a daily yeah definitely the five series is the best plug-in hybrid that I would recommend
in that size just because that extra little the torque from the from the hybrid just kind of
rounds that vehicle out I think I remember from our conversations in that previous one
that that's where we came up with so so uh what's that is that 530i now 540i what which
one's that in the in the five series now I'm drawing the 550i yeah so I guess we're on the same
same as Sean is that hybrid in five series it just gives gives that bigger vehicle more rounded
feel and yeah you if you know how to drive those hybrids you can really stretch out that fuel economy
yeah I'm gonna go with the 540i because you know I have to pick that b58 somewhere
and I feel like that would be the right range to pick it in I I love that engine honestly in a 540i
if you train the car as a business sedan and all of that I feel like you you will get a good daily
drive but also you will get the sound and and the power of a b58 and if you want to you know just
up the turbo's a little bit you will get even more power so I feel like to me that would be the
perfect you know five series there is no six series unfortunately so we're gonna skip that
a series it's on its way out so we're gonna skip that so let's go straight to uh SUVs then
I mean X1 and X2 honestly we're gonna skip that like I feel like we can generalize that
they're they're good cars but they're not cars for enthusiasts like once again it's for somebody
new to the brand they want to get in they want to get like a affordable BMW you know the X1 and
the X2 are okay but like I would say a true enthusiast we're probably gonna get started the X3
up so maybe we do kind of the same thing so let's let's start with the X3 let's not talk
about design and all of that because that's still being controversial especially the interior quality
and all of it and that's going to change anyway probably like in like in the future but you know
motorwise and Nate did we do we drive the X3 in South Carolina no we did not actually no we didn't
know it was just the just the fast yeah okay so all right Sean yeah I mean I I have you
drove both no no I've only driven that the 30 just the the regular two that would be 48 so then
you have no choice you got to go with the 30 actually I'm gonna I'm gonna I was gonna say it
it felt a little underpowered I would I if I could I would probably just spend the extra and get the
58 in there but I I am still sad I talked about this in the video and you're up again they get
the plug in hybrid X3 we don't and I really wish we did because I think that would be the
one to go for in the X3 I totally agree I've been preaching to the choir and I've been telling them
you know behind the scenes that they definitely need that X3 plug in hybrid here and hopefully
they're they're I mean not listening to me but there are so many people here in California
that would buy that car like I guarantee with California they'd be everywhere it's the same
thing it's like what I say with the five series all right like the X3 is that that it's at that
weight level to where like the hybrid gives that that off the line torque but you still get the fuel
economy it's just the the all roundness of it is good I totally agree I mean honestly I feel
like the plug hobby would be the way to go but since we don't get it here I tell people they
want to buy the new X3 just get the M15 you know it's it's it's a very capable car I had a chance
to drive it and the engine feels great in that car it's once again it's a very good daily drive
if you don't spend the money like on an X5 that X3 M50 it's it's a very capable car let's just
put it that way so yep it'll be my choice I agree I think the power I was just gonna say the power
to weight of the M50 and the X3 is just just right I think that car always always a blast to drive
yeah we're gonna skip the X4 because that's done so no more X4 like ice ones like at least I'm
probably gonna have an X4 at some point X5 I already said the X550 so I'm out of this game
whatever you I think I would just go with the regular the regular B58 no hybrid system and
they're yeah the 40 just because again I most people that are getting those cars they're either
they've got a family they're just looking for a good reliable daily and I think there are some
X7s and X5s showing up with that engine that power train with like 300,000 miles now like 200,000
miles and they're fine so it's it's crazy just how reliable it is I mean it's yeah the hybrid
system is great for fuel efficiency but I figure if you're already getting an SUV you're probably
not cared about fuel economy too much that's true yeah it's a good point Sean I mean the the the
average person especially in the US doesn't want to mess with the hybrid system right like they
just want to just get in and go and have a family car that's so like that's that's what they usually
go with but like we said in our review Horatio like the 50e is I think the best combination of
everything it I feel like it just has has exactly what you want from an SUV right now and with fuel
economy and the cost of gas right now like it's it's just the slam dunk for me in the 50e
so since none of you picked the the v8 let's see if you're going to pick the v8 in the x7 we're
going to skip the x6 because it's essentially it's somewhere in between these two so on the x7
I mean there are only a couple of options right yeah I think it's the 40 and the 40
so the b58 the b58 or the s16 I guess yeah yeah I mean you actually can I mean you just have to
spend a lot more money but yeah the Alpina will be the pinnacle I guess so Sean again the closest
thing I've driven I haven't driven the x7 but I did drive the x6 m competition so again I've had an
s68 powered BMW SUV it's pretty awesome so yeah I'm gonna go with that it's you know you're already
I guess we could throw in the m cars too I guess we we didn't consider but we can
absolutely throw in the m cars in all these yeah I mean it's I mean realistically okay if I'm
saying daily I'm gonna go just b48 or b58 but um oh man I don't know I'm just gonna say for fun if
I'm already spending that kind of money if I've if I've got the disposable income get next seven
yeah I'm gonna go v8 why not have some fun like yeah yeah right Nate I mean that car's so big that
yeah might as well yeah I'm on the same boat honestly the the v8 is perfect for the x7
sounds good you know it's a good engine once again it's a big car I would absolutely put a v8
in that car I mean we feel just right maybe the b58 will be capable enough to keep up with the car's
weight and size but yeah the the v8 will be absolutely the better choice plus I just think of
that price point all right gas is probably not going to be as important to you if you're already
spending basically six figures on a car so but I mean you are if there's no price point worry that
I mean Alpina I mean you can't you can never go wrong with Alpina like a question for you Sean
are you sure you're not European man because the the only the only the only people that I hear
talking about mpg and feel economy are Europeans like they don't care I mean like like last night
I was I was I was playing soccer with some guys and then this guy had a dodge charger
and I'm like man you got to be from going from guest station to guest stage like like I don't
care like I just won this car so like yeah so are you are you sure I think it's because it's my
daily in gas here is so expensive I am more conscious about it but I used to not be that way
again when I was a Camaro Z01 owner I was putting $50 in gas every two days in that car in 2016 in
Texas so like yeah I was blowing that that car drank gas like beer it was crazy um but yeah no
I'm just I don't know I care about fuel economy a little bit and it's uh I gotta I gotta pay for my
gas yeah yeah that's the real shit but it's it's funny how different the cultures are because when
you go to Europe if you have a v8 uh they usually they debatch the car the customers they don't want
people to know they're driving like a v8 because everybody's gonna you know give them the middle
finger so like in the US we take pride you know like the more gasoline we burn the bed
but uh but hey you know cars are supposed to be fun honestly and you know if you can't afford it
you know get the car that you want I mean of course we all want to save the planet but like in the end
get the car that you like and life short we all try to yeah and we all try to compass it in other
ways maybe you know to save the planet but but I I agree there is something always about a good
sounding car yeah gentlemen all right yeah anything else to add to that if not I guess we
can we can plan the next one maybe the next one we'll do a little bit different one where we talk
maybe some of the um you know news rumors coming up maybe we can we can like debate a little bit
on that try to dance around some topic that I know that I can't really talk about but there
there is plenty out there that's on the web that we can talk about so we can pick from that because
then I'm not bound to any embargo or anything like that so we can maybe debate and some of the stuff
coming up and what would be exciting for BMW I think a lot of people are interested in about
hearing about that so we'll try to plan it as soon as possible but thank you for joining us
you know joining me I guess it was great having you Sean and I guess we'll see you in the next
one and thanks to everyone for listening or watching us I need to see you next time
About this episode
Three BMWBLOG hosts compare what they actually own and daily drive, starting with Sean’s high-mileage 2025 BMW M340i (46k+ miles) and why it’s the “sweet spot” versus an M3—highlighting real-world reliability, comfort, and surprising fuel economy. They also cover Ney’s long-term 2010 E46 M3 (now a garage queen) and the car’s unmatched feedback and predictability. The discussion expands to fun daily-driver picks across BMW model lines, plus a debate over plug-in hybrids like the 550e and what makes a practical enthusiast choice.
