Hello there. It’s been nearly four years since I’ve last updated this page. A very unexpected return, even for me.
Indeed the BMW M2 Competition is still in my possession. Surprising, given my propensity to switch cars every three years or so. Fun fact: I’ve yet to own a car long enough to need to smog check it here in California. The State should be happy nonetheless: the amount of sales tax on cars I’ve bought over the years is enough to buy a brand-new Toyota Corolla.
I guess I should explain the long hiatus. The short answer is money, or the lack thereof. We’ve all had our scars and big changes coming out of the COVID pandemic. Aspects of my life that isn’t cars took precedence. In service of that, money had to be allocated differently. A leisurely blast on the mountains is not in the cards when that gas money (California gas prices remains California gas prices) is better used to cover a cash shortfall.
Because I’ve put so little mileage on the M2 - since March 2021 I’ve only done about 18,000 additional miles, there really isn’t anything to consistently write about. You folks really want to read about taking the BMW on a Costco trip? It’s a traditional three-box coupe. It swallows a single person’s grocery with ease.
And maybe the money factor coincided with a change in how I do car enthusiasm. Gone are the days of weekly car washes and stressing over every little detail. I’m at a stage in life where I want the least amount of hassles possible. So long as the car is mechanical sound, a little bit of dirt on the surface isn’t going to hurt anything. On actual maintenance, I’m more than happy to pay someone else to do the work.
Have I graduated to being a collector? Not that I can afford a collection of cars. I mean the part where you buy cars and just let it sit as static art objects. That’s kind of what the M2 Competition has become to me. Most of the time it just sits. Good news is that it remains fantastic to look at. It’s the last great BMW design before the latest fad of big grilles and weird shapes has taken over.
On limiting the amount of hassles, I got the M2’s exterior ceramic coated back in 2023. It cost a little under three thousand (much of it is for actually preparing the car for the coating), but I deem it a worthy expense. Ceramic coating allows me to wash the car way less often, because nothing sticks to the surface. Often times I take the M2 to a car wash and simply hose off the accumulation. Only once a quarter do I truly break out the bucket and microfiber towels.
If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend Andrew at Auto Salon Works.
In terms of maintenance of the oily bits, every annual service thus far has been performed at the purchasing dealership. BMW very so generously covers the first three years gratis. That’s a big deal on an M car because of the increased maintenance requirements. The book calls for brake fluid change on the M2 every two years. Every three years the (six) spark plugs need to be swapped out. A costly job - especially at dealership rates - if it isn’t covered.
This brings me to a realization: the ill reputation of German car reliability is unfounded. I’ve own two high dollar ones consecutively with nary a niggle. Cars manufactured in Deutschland are plenty reliable, so long as you follow the maintenance book to the absolute letter. Unlike a Toyota where you can simply change the oil every so often and the thing will run until the sun evaporates, changing only the oil in a German car is not going to cut it.
Think of an M car owner who decides to cheap out and only do oil service. The neglected spark plugs that were supposed to be replaced every three years are going to have negative downstream effects on what is a highly-strung turbocharged motor. And then you start to get engine problems around year five or six. Owners will blame BMW for making an unreliable product instead of looking at themselves for forgoing critical maintenance.
I get it: servicing a German car to the book is an expensive endeavor. The American method towards car ownership is to look at solely the monthly payments. License, insurance, and maintenance are out of sight, out of mind. When the bill comes due for a new set of tires costing more than a thousand dollars (thank you, inflation), one that you’ve failed to budget for, it’s not surprising to see owners either take shortcuts (used tires) or forgo it entirely (brake fluid change).
My M2 Competition has and will continue to get maintained by the service book. I owe it to my future self, should I end up keeping this car for a very long term.
After the gratis BMW servicing ran out, I purchased an addition two years of dealership maintenance at a not too princely sum of $899. It goes back to least amount of hassles as possible: paying up front means I don’t have to think about the M2’s maintenance until September of 2026. By that time I either would have found a suitable independent shop, or no longer own the car.
Since new in October 2020, my M2 has been completely reliable. Nothing has failed, zero unscheduled visits to the dealership. Nearly 21,000 miles of pain-free ownership. The only mishap during this time is of my fault: a broken windshield caused by an unsecured piece of furniture I was carrying inside during a panic stop.
Not wanting some cheap Chinese-made windshield from SafeLite, I elected to go the official route: a BMW OEM windshield at a BMW-certified collision repair shop. I’m sure it’s just fluff, but on the work order it states the specialized adhesive alone is $99. What isn’t superfluous is recalibrating the camera sensor at the top center of the windshield. The M2’s emergency braking featured literally saved my butt from an expensive rear-ender to a mere windshield replacement.
Only is a relative term, of course. Going with BMW everything meant a simple windshield job is $2,338 (in 2022 money)! I think most people would (should) have gone with the cheaper third-party route. I am seeing a quoted $350 at Safelite in 2025 money.
In reviving this M2 diaries, I am hoping to return to what I enjoy doing: driving, and writing about it. Perhaps if I am accountable to deliverables on this page, I would actually get off my butt and take the car out to places. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with having a largely static museum piece. It’s a curse upon car enthusiasm for there to be a stigma towards owners who don’t put many miles on their cars.
Let’s see how it goes. The M2 Competition will be with me for quite a while longer yet.
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Date acquired: October 2020
Total mileage: 20,930
Mileage this month: 190
Costs this month: $1,454.67 (tires)
MPG this month: 19.19