[overcoil]

Now own a 2015 235 frm new. 43K miles.

Playing with the idea of trading in 235 and purchasing new 2-door base wrangler (A/C, hardtop, 4cyl automatic)

May be moving into a condo with only outdoor parking. ) where I live with fall & spring rains, winter road salt, poor quality road ways - maybe a Jeep as my one vehicle would simplify things.


My 235 is always fun to drive, hand detail so it’s always spotless.
I use dealer for service - like getting a loaner - my maintenance fees are increasing; oil filter housing gasket, trunk latch malfunction, occasional nail in tire, brakes.


235 is my favorite car but I’m thinking at a condo it will start to get ratty.
And I feel my days of brake rotor change out, fluid change and other diy maintenance are in the past.
Another thing is I’m NOT finding myself getting up at 4:30 on Sunday mornings and going out in the hills and valleys to play.

Any comments would be appreciated. Will used m235 pricing stabilize? Should I just drive the 235 till it needs to be replaced ? Should I just keep the 235 and whatever happens happens ?

[chassis]

Which do you want to do? Sounds like outdoor parking will degrade the appearance?

[wdb]

Sounds like you need to rent a garage and get yourself a toy.

I know a couple who bought a Jeep for negotiating the city. The wife hated it, bought herself an SL500.

[KennyFSU]

In your situation sounds like a Wrangler makes more sense; always wanted one myself as a weekend toy.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Now own a 2015 235 frm new. 43K miles.

Playing with the idea of trading in 235 and purchasing new 2-door base wrangler (A/C, hardtop, 4cyl automatic)

May be moving into a condo with only outdoor parking. ) where I live with fall & spring rains, winter road salt, poor quality road ways - maybe a Jeep as my one vehicle would simplify things.


My 235 is always fun to drive, hand detail so it’s always spotless.
I use dealer for service - like getting a loaner - my maintenance fees are increasing; oil filter housing gasket, trunk latch malfunction, occasional nail in tire, brakes.


235 is my favorite car but I’m thinking at a condo it will start to get ratty.
And I feel my days of brake rotor change out, fluid change and other diy maintenance are in the past.
Another thing is I’m NOT finding myself getting up at 4:30 on Sunday mornings and going out in the hills and valleys to play.

Any comments would be appreciated. Will used m235 pricing stabilize? Should I just drive the 235 till it needs to be replaced ? Should I just keep the 235 and whatever happens happens ?

You describe your parking but not your driving. The Wrangler is a great off road vehicle but a crappy road car. So the question is what are you going to use the car for?

Also, what are your interior requirements? Seating for four or more? How much storage and what size storage (bikes vs. attache cases, etc.).

You are used to a BMW. Will a regular vehicle meet your needs or will you miss the luxury features that come with the BMW?

Steve

[Alfisti]

I'll never understand the Wrangler.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I'll never understand the Wrangler.

Same. I had one as a rental last year and it drove and felt like garbage. I guess if you are just using it for offroading it could be cool, but as a daily driver? Meh.

[Alfisti]

It's an absolute shithouse drive, just rubbish. I am sure it is great offroad but jesus it's rubbish on road.

[David70]

I could see it as a weekend car if I actually used it for what it was designed for or if I didn't drive very far during the week and it just didn't matter. Some communities/towns now let you drive golf carts so similar thoughts? Everything the Wrangler was designed to be good at is the opposite of what most people use them for.

At the same time I would like to get an old 911/Alfa/240Z/260Z as another "fun" car and many of the same arguments could be made against buying one of them. They would also make really bad daily drivers if you had to spend a lot of time in them.

[New2Roundel]

Maybe I'm weird, but I've always considered my cars when I looked for places to rent or buy. No way that the only option available has no form of garage space. Secondly, I rented a JL last year for a business trip. It was a really neat to drive for about 3-4 hours. So different than the performance cars I'm used to to driving. But it's REALLY clunky. FCA did a great job with the Wrangler IMO, but I'm not an offroader. I couldn't spend Wrangler money and not love the Wrangler. If I was you, I'd be looking into a Grand Cherokee--you can get them in a bunch of different drivetrains. Or perhaps I'd go for a used GTI. Or if I wanted something kind of cool but mostly not, I'd buy a previous generation GLI.

What I'd actually do is buy/rent a place with a garage and keep the 235. And that in fact is exactly what I have done (minus the 235 part).

[spazzyfry123]

I’d steer away from a 4 cylinder Wrangler.

[86Zed]

Rent a Wrangler for a weekend, great at many things but certainly not for everybody. We had one for a week in Hawaii where I enjoyed it tremendously and also laughed at how terrible of a value proposition the car is.

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Any comments would be appreciated. Will used m235 pricing stabilize? Should I just drive the 235 till it needs to be replaced ? Should I just keep the 235 and whatever happens happens ?

Is there a reason you are concerned about the value of your 235i or keeping it pristine for the next owner? Enjoy it, drive it and clean it bi-weekly in the winter months at a DIY wash. Why spend more money to settle for a platform that brings you less joy?

[freakystyly]

I'd say the BMW will last longer in the rain / snow / salt than the jeep by higher quality materials alone. (I can't speak of that "F" generation) but the Germans don't cheap out like some companies do.

I get that it's a special car to you, unfortunately your neighbor or whoever parks beside you may not see it the same way. Door dings and little scratches are life, and in the end a 235 isn't a special car that will appreciate in value (unless you keep it in bubble wrap somewhere and never touch it).

[David70]

If talking about long term costs I would bet on the Wrangler being cheaper than the BMW. Only matters if you keep it long enough to matter. No part of the Wrangler seems very complex or expensive. Some of this is the problem with it to me.

[BEM-S4]

I'd sit tight if you can, there's a bunch of cool stuff either just out or coming out. Defender, Bronco, etc. Otherwise I'd get something used, when I got an X5 for beater duty I purposely got one mechanically sound, perfect interior, but a few door dings and scratches so that I wouldn't OCD on the exterior.

[..Rush..]

I'd get a Jeep as a 2nd vehicle

[Mintsopoulos]

I think youll miss the 235 regardless, but might be worth waiting for the new bronco if you could hold out that long. Or if you can swing it...an X model with M trim.

[heavyD^2]

Originally Posted by ..Rush..

I'd get a Jeep as a 2nd vehicle

This. Wranglers don't make good daily drivers for a variety of reasons. They are noisy, unrefined, drive like crap, and will constantly torment you with various issues. There are hundreds of better vehicles you could choose as your daily driver.

[Mintsopoulos]

better yet...FJ Cruiser.

[Humdizzle]

if this condo is temporary then dump the 235i and get a used civic si or golf gti. these cars are very reliable, comfy, and have decent performance. plus they are tiny so parking is easy. they are kind of on that border between nice and fun, but not so nice that you'd care about a ding/scratch when that eventually does happen. Use the time to save, so that when you do move again to a better place you can buy a 235 or something better.

if this is a permanent or long term situation. then look into buying/renting a spot for your 235. I know that this can also be expensive (my buddy paid like $30k for his parking spot at his Chicago condo)… but that's the price you gotta pay for living in the city and having a nice car.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

This. Wranglers don't make good daily drivers for a variety of reasons. They are noisy, unrefined, drive like crap, and will constantly torment you with various issues. There are hundreds of better vehicles you could choose as your daily driver.

so many good points mentioned in all the post.

Last weekend drove from Balto to N. Philly and distinctly spent the trip checking out the cars on the road. Most CUV's SUV's particularly the British, American, Japanese also the VW's just look uninspiring to me.

[Smgs1992]

The only good thing about a wrangler is the resale value otherwise theyre crap. Slow overpriced, overhyped, underwhelming, poor interiors and poorly made.
If you really want one get like a 99-00 there isnt much at all that has changed on them