Hi all, Is it worth keeping long term?

Had my leased m340i (G21 Touring LCI) for almost 3 years (Golf R Wagon for 6 years before that) and considering keeping it when the lease runs out next year - it’s been a trouble free experience so far it has to be sai…uh oh ‍! Anyway I thought I’d spend the next 12 months researching the car and any potential future issues that may arise, before committing to keeping it. Hopefully the knowledge here will help with the decision.

Thanks to all that have contributed to factual articles and knowledge bases.

 

Hello from a fellow G21 M340i LCI (2) owner.
I was in a quandary back in 2025 wondering what car would be a long term first car, one that fits as many uses as is possible. At the time I was in a G87 M2 and had grown a little tired of the relentless nature of the car, as utterly brilliant and mind melding as it was. The car before that had been a 2022 G22 M440i, so had experience of the magnificent B58 engine. After a brief dalliance with the idea of an M340d touring, a new “i” was ordered.
There is nothing this side of an Alpina D3S that would tempt me out of the car. It is just brilliant at everything I throw at it. The front end has been tightened up slightly with a pair of Dinan braces, other than that it is stock.
Seven fence panels need to be taken to the tip? No problem. Want a blast over to North Wales in Sport Individual and put a massive grin on my face? No problem. Commute up/down the motorways and return over 40mpg? No problem.
Seriously, I’m keeping mine! Only had it a year mid-August coming, but seriously can’t think of anything else I want to replace it with.
Also, the B58 is proving to be a very reliable engine as far as reports go.

 

I’ve done 12,700 miles on mine so far, put it in for an “early” oil change in two weeks.

 

Not quite the same but I have 2022 G26 M440i owned since last October. It is an excellent allrounder and the engine is in my opinion the best BMW currently do for a mix of power, economy and fun in the real world. Currently just passed 20k miles from new so cant speak on the longevity but by most accounts the B58 gets rave reviews. The car replaced a fully loaded 2018 G06 640d GC and I certainly don't feel short changed. I plan to keep it long term and nothing short of a Porsche 992 911 would tempt me to change for daily use. If it is running well I would stick with your G21 M340i.

 

Thanks for the welcome and comments on the car in general.

Warranty runs out next month and it’s one of the things I intend to look into before it expires. I have previously read the Insured Warranty is the way to go for these cars, but I wasn’t sure if I should just go the first year, then extend again if I buy the car ~ I’m not even sure if that’s possible yet ~ or go for 2 or more years straight off the bat. The problem is; if I decide not to keep the car after the first year I will have wasted the cost of a year of warranty cover. You make a great point with the wear and tear cover reference and it will form part of the consideration.

Thanks.

 

On the extended BMW warranty you will only be able to get a year at a time either paying monthly or in one payment. If you include breakdown and go for the £250 excess it should be around £700 if you are below 60K miles when you take it out.

 

You are 100% correct about the 60k miles "barrier". When my G30 went over this, the renewal quote was indeed breathtaking compared to what I'd paid previously. However, a phone call to them and some negotation enabled me to renew for a further year at zero increase over the previous year, as a one-time special offer, etc. Always worth a try...

 

This is all good to know, and I’m sure if the phone call to BMW is as positive as I believe it will be, the headache I’ve been nursing over making a quick decision can be postponed until at least next year by purchasing the first year with no care or worry for the second year. I haven’t had a quote yet, but it doesn’t sound like it will amount to the £1,000+ I was expecting. As for the mileage, I’m currently sitting at 29k, so the 60k limit is not going to be an issue for a few years yet.

It certainly seems I will extend the warranty before the factory warranty runs out anyway.

Thanks again for the tips, keep em coming.

 

At 29K miles it is not even run in! You should get a letter the month before your warranty runs out inviting you to take it out and giving you different options. As others have said it is well worth having. I will be taking it out shortly on my M440i when the AUC runs out. I had extended warranty on my previous three BMW and while I only used it once on my 2018 640d it was used a lot on the 2013 640d and even more on my 2009 E61 530i which was my first and almost my last BMW with repair costs totalling well into 5 figures..

 

Yes, I was expecting the invite any day, and it arrived this morning. I have purchased the comprehensive policy with recovery option for £600 + £100 excess ~ the other option was £484 + £250 excess and works out more expensive with a claim for some unknown reason.

Thanks to all of you for the guidance and confidence boost I needed to get this in place without hesitation.

 

Good work. 100% worth the peace of mind to extend the warranty if you are keeping the car.

 

Sounds like a good plan.

My Connected services expire in early September, so it would be a couple months without the updates and services to wait for November’s Black Friday sales. I may see what it feels like to be without them, but I’ve never used Alexa, and only rarely used the built-in maps to navigate anywhere - it’s not as detailed as phone maps like Waze, Google and Apple maps which now display in the instrument panel - so between the two they wouldn’t be seriously missed.