u/AJuni0103

I know this is completely irrational because everyone I have spoken to except one, has told me I should’ve retired a couple of years ago.

I turned 61 last September. I have a high paying job where I like the people but not the stress. I am divorced and live with my two sons aged 27 and 20. The latter is still in college and will be for 2-3 more years.

I separated from my ex in 2010 and left the house with less than 10k in the bank and about 300k in my 401ks. For the next 4 yrs I was giving my ex 2/3 of my take home pay to take care of my sons. This was done without a divorce agreement so none was deductible for me it was all after tax. I also started a 529 for my youngest.

In 2014 I started a new job and the divorce was finalized and financially I started to breathe again. 10 year term for alimony at 45k a year plus another 13-14k in CS. I was slowly able to get back on my feet.

In 2018 I took control of my former employer 401ks and made some very fortunate investments. Fast forward to today and I have significant IRA balances.

But I can’t shake the feeling that I can let go and just retire. I bought a home for my sons and I to live in in 2024 so I still have a mortgage to pay and a car loan that will be paid off next year.

I’ve run scenarios in Boldin, talked to a financial advisor and my planned lifestyle is 99% assured. So why can’t I just pull the plug and go?

I’ve spent my entire adult life in a demanding career working on average 50-60 hour weeks. Sometimes over 100 hrs (tho not recently). I am just worried I won’t know what to do with myself.

I’m in good shape having just used GLP-1s to get my health back in line.

Oh and I may someday inherit a significant sum from my mom.

Does anyone else or did anyone else have this dilemma? How did you convince yourself it would be ok?

I’m in the market for a 23/4 X3 M40i and have been looking the last month or so. For a very well equipped CPO 23 with 37k miles and an original MsRP of 75k the dealer is asking 51k. Another one is slightly less a slightly less optioned 24 with 35k miles. Also CPO MSRP of 72k asking 51k. The 23 has the M sport diff and better driver assist package.

I have a 2021 M340i xDrive with 38k miles to trade. One dealer offered 35400 (23 X3) the other 37050. Is it me or are those trade values low? My car is clean, no dents, no dings, no accidents. Front right wheel has some curb rash and a 1 inch chunk missing from the tire. No noticeable scratches inside or out.

The point of my post is to find out if anyone out there has recently traded in a well equipped X3 M40i and if so what did the dealer offer as a trade in value? It’s relatively easy to find a trade in value for my car - generally between 37 and 39. KBB says 42-45 but that’s wishful thinking.

Both dealerships say they won’t budge on the 51k and the 24 dealer says they absolutely won’t budge on my trade value.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Can anyone recommend a shop that would dyno the car to see what the new output is? I’ve never had this done to any of my cars so any advice would be appreciated.

Preferably the shop should be in NJ. Will they do it if they didn’t install the tune?

Please Excuse the typo. *Shop*

Looking to get regular service interval work done and for a 4 yr service the dealer is saying 5k. Service would include:

Oil change, brake fluid flush, cabin air filter, engine air filter, spark plugs.

Car is a 22 TTS with 17.8k miles on it and last service was end of July 2025. I’ve put about 2k miles on it since I bought it last November.

Looking for an independent shop in Northern NJ that people trust. I used to use Powertech in Rockaway and/or Shadetree in Morristown but that was years ago. Heard that Protosport in Whippany is an option but does anyone have experience with Rennsmith in Dover for routine maintenance? There are some shops up in Bergen but I’m not up that way too often but will go if that’s the only option.

Or any other suggestions?

I’ve watched countless videos and read numerous blogs and I feel pretty comfortable doing routine maintenance. I have most of the tools I need but still have some questions around oil capture, transport and disposal.

I don’t have a lift or quick jacks and will be relying on ramps and jack stands. I’ve yet to see a video with this set up where the oil is drained into a pan that isn’t a professional set up (except for TheWasteGate). But after you have the oil drained how do you transport it for disposal? The pans that purport to have all in one capability all have terrible reviews with most of them creating more of a mess than anything else.

Is there a low profile pan with a wide opening that has a lid that screws on tight? Most alternatives use some kind of open pan and pump combination to pump it from the pan into an original container for transport to a disposal facility. Or a Vevor rolling drain pan if space is not an issue.

What do most DIY’ers use?

No photos with this post but just a couple of observations.

I live in NJ and today on my commute to work I had a Land Rover defender behind me and while stopped at a light I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the driver taking what appeared to be a picture of my car.

Then on the way back I got on Rte 24 and next to me headed towards the dreaded entrance to 287 N I noticed a new 992.2 (?) 911 Carrera next to me (they were in the middle lane and I was in the right hand lane both of us inching towards the exit). He signaled that he wanted to get in my lane so I waited and flashed my light to let him know he could get over and I thought, man that is a beautiful car. Grey like mine although not exactly my color and the whole time we were stuck in traffic getting off at 1B I was admiring that car. The color, the silver wheels, the shape of that rear end. So clean.

The two experiences made me thankful that I’m fortunate to be able to own another 911. The car I always wanted as a kid. So kudos to “WOT EVA” beautiful car. Maybe we’ll meet up again.