Which one of my two cars to sell

[Gina]

I am retired via 2% rule and am downsizing  from two cars to one.  I drive 3500 miles a year.  Any positive  guidance from mmm community to decide which vehicle to keep is appreciated. 

Bmw 2009 328i with 37,500 miles or
2005 Toyota Highlander with 102,000 miles. 

Fuel cost basically same.  Bmw costs $200 more for insurance per year than Highlander.  To make this decision, I assume will stick with the keeper car for five years, unless major repair costs arise.  Projecting depreciation and repair costs is a guess.  Given the mileage and car type differences, I have no clue other than Toyota should be less in both categories.  I do prefer to drive the bmw but how much should that weigh into the decision?
Both cars are posted on Craigslist now with the toyota’s Asking price $3,000 less than Bmw. 
My plan was to post both at kbb private party sale price, then see which one i am left with.  Tonight I discovered this forum and decided Mustachians could give me a fresh perspective.

Besides a face punch for one driver  owning two vehicles.... on the upside I have sold a farm, tractor, airstream, vacant land, etc in the last year.  Please advise.

[alsoknownasDean]

I'd imagine that the BMW would be the one to sell, given that a BMW is likely to have much higher repair costs down the line.

That said, the better option is to sell both and buy a tidy used Honda Civic or Prius or similar. No repair costs of a BMW or SUV fuel costs :)

[nereo]

similar to Dean... are either of these cars the one that fits your lifestyle?  What do you want in a car?

My personal recommendation would be to get rid of both cars and use the proceeds to buy something that fits your life (does what you need it to do), is efficient and (given you have both the capital and two cars to pay for it), something slightly newer.

Good MPG is great but less important if you drive only 3500/year.  insurance is likely your largest line-item, so there is that to consider.

[Dave1442397]

If you're only keeping the car for another five years, you should be ok with the BMW. If you really like it and are living on 2% of your income, then why not keep it?

If you were planning on keeping your car for as long as possible, then go with the Highlander and sell the BMW while it still has decent resale value. The BMW will almost certainly be a money pit as it ages. They have too many plastic parts that tend to crack with age.

[RWD]

If I had to choose between those two I would keep the BMW. But I agree with others that you should probably sell both and choose one car that best fits your life.

[rothwem]

I’ve got a 2009 328i also. I really really like it, but older BMWs are really annoying if you don’t DIY.  2009 is new enough that you need some computer skills to work on the vehicle, which can be really frustrating to older mechanics and limits the pool of people that will work on your car.

[Cassie]

Keep the Toyota.

[Gina]

Thank you for the helpful comments.  Today I have  thought about  what I want in a car, made a list of about town and out of town  errands with mileage, etc.  My next car for in town errands  should be a bike.  Lol.  For travel to the adjoining towns to visit family, I will need a car.  The high overhead of the bmw doesn’t meet my scaled down lifestyle.  Seems that  most of the 3500 miles driven last year was to the adjoining towns in order to keep the batteries charged with an errand or visit to family thrown in to justify the trip.  Yes, just crazy.  I live 1.2 miles from grocery store.  1.6 miles to Walmart.  And don’t drive a car everyday.

I lowered price on bmw this afternoon.  Toyota will be fine for a few months to see how this change pans out.  I guess that my annual mileage could  drop by a third.

Many thanks for your kind advice.   

[Home Stretch]

If you really wanted to try something next-level, you could sell both and buy a used plug-in hybrid of some sort (Chevy Volt, Prius Prime, etc...) - bonus points if you can buy one for less than the combined sales price of the Highlander and the 3-series.

For driving around town, you won't use a drop of fuel. For longer trips to visit family, no problem you still have a gas engine. You're like a case study for people who should drive a plug-in hybrid! (actually, almost everyone is a case study for this, but I digress)

[John Galt incarnate!]

I am retired via 2% rule and am downsizing  from two cars to one.  I drive 3500 miles a year.  Any positive  guidance from mmm community to decide which vehicle to keep is appreciated. 

Bmw 2009 328i with 37,500 miles or
2005 Toyota Highlander with 102,000 miles. 

Fuel cost basically same.  Bmw costs $200 more for insurance per year than Highlander.  To make this decision, I assume will stick with the keeper car for five years, unless major repair costs arise.  Projecting depreciation and repair costs is a guess.  Given the mileage and car type differences, I have no clue other than Toyota should be less in both categories.  I do prefer to drive the bmw but how much should that weigh into the decision?
Both cars are posted on Craigslist now with the toyota’s Asking price $3,000 less than Bmw. 
My plan was to post both at kbb private party sale price, then see which one i am left with.  Tonight I discovered this forum and decided Mustachians could give me a fresh perspective.

Besides a face punch for one driver  owning two vehicles.... on the upside I have sold a farm, tractor, airstream, vacant land, etc in the last year.  Please advise.

I'd keep the more utilitarian Toyota.

Mileage of 102,000 miles is not too high  since you only drive ~3500 miles annually.

[Gina]

Update:  For around town errands, going to try bicycle.  Looked at online bike shops and Craigslist.  I am in small town in East Tennessee, so Knoxville has nearest bike shop at 1.5 hours away.  All if that is way too much just to try riding a bike for errands.  Asked a friend and she offered her bike for as long as I need it with delivery this week. 

Both cars on Craigslist.  I turned down an amusing $6000 text offer on BMW of $1,000 down and carry note for five years.  Have a test drive scheduled for Sunday.  Will be interesting to see how car and bicycle scenario plays out.

[marty998]

@Gina you are the first person in a very very long time here to ask a car question and actually end up with a bike.

There is hope for this forum yet! :D