My Beloved BMW 320i

As I briefly mentioned in a recent post, after much thought, I have decided to say goodbye to my very first car, my beloved BMW 320i.

I bought the 320 used last April. Struggling to drive our family’s MT-spec Boxster and unable to drive much even after getting my automatic transmission license lifted for three years, I thought,

“At this rate, I’ll never be able to drive a Porsche MT. I should buy an MT car myself and practice!”

That’s how it started.

From deciding that to finding this 320 took just two weeks, and I actually decided on the very day I went to see it. Looking back now, I still think, “I was really bold back then.”

After the 320 was delivered, I drove it almost daily, stalling repeatedly at first, but within about a week I was able to drive it reasonably well. After that, I consciously worked on “starting smoothly” and “shifting without shock for smooth operation,” and by the time six months had passed, my body reacted naturally and I could drive smoothly without thinking much.

Once I gained some confidence driving an MT, I was able to drive the Boxster, which I had struggled with so much, normally, and gradually started to enjoy driving the GT3 more and more… I truly felt a new door had opened in my car life.

All of this was thanks to the 320i. Without this car, I wouldn’t be who I am today—I truly mean that, no exaggeration.

Although I mainly drove the 320 around the neighborhood, once I drove it round-trip from home to Fuji Speedway. Driving about 1,000 km round-trip in an MT was quite a challenge for me back then, but surprisingly, I was able to drive without much stress, and I realized that for long-distance highway driving, there’s not much difference between AT and MT.

The 320 gave me confidence in many ways, and I am truly full of gratitude for this car.

Why I’m Letting Go of the 320

So why have I decided to part with this beloved 320? The biggest reason is our third child is due next month. When I bought the 320, I didn’t think at all about rear seat comfort or passengers; I was simply focused on buying a well-maintained, reasonably priced MT car.

However, this 320 doesn’t have tinted glass or rear window tint, and since it’s parked outdoors, it gets very hot in the summer even with the air conditioning on. Especially the rear seat AC doesn’t cool well, and one hot summer day last year, I noticed the kids were drenched in sweat in the back.

On top of that, with a baby arriving next month and needing to install a baby seat, I started to feel it might be a bit tough on the kids.

Sure, I could add tinted glass or apply window film, but given my budget, I wanted to keep the 320 as is without spending much more money on it.

Also, I had achieved my original goal of “learning to drive an MT car.” My husband even said,

“Now that you can drive this well, even if you take a break from MTs, you’ll remember how to drive one in just a few minutes when you get back in. You don’t need to drive an MT every day.”

So I started thinking, “Maybe I should let go of the 320 for now and save up to buy my own Porsche next.”

In addition to these reasons, my husband’s company switched to full remote work due to COVID, and since that’s continuing, he’s been driving the Nissan Note e-POWER NISMO S he bought for commuting much less often.

This Note is very comfortable, with great air conditioning and heating, and the rear seats are roomier than the 320’s, which the kids really like.

Plus, it’s compact enough to go anywhere, has excellent fuel economy, and being a NISMO, it has plenty of power and drives wonderfully.

It feels like such a waste not to use this versatile car more, and thinking about the whole family, I realized, “If I take the kids in this car, everything will work out perfectly.”

With all these reasons combined, I decided to say goodbye to the 320. (Even though I just paid the car tax… haha)

As for selling the 320i, I plan to use the “bulk appraisal bidding method” that my husband used successfully when selling his SLK. However, since I have almost no experience negotiating car sales and tend to go along with whatever the salesperson says (I was totally talked into buying the 320 too), I plan to have my husband help with the negotiations while I watch and learn.

So, once the rainy season ends, I’ll wash the car and start preparing for our farewell.