For the most part, my car buying history has been somewhat sensible. Over the years, I’ve normally always had two cars in my inventory - one day-to-day driver, and one weekend blaster.

However, now I’m getting a little older (28, yeah, maybe not that old), and have decided it’s time to shake things up a bit. The only current debt is my property, as every car I’ve ever purchased has been paid 100% full in cash - and I aim to keep this tradition going. Also, I’m not married, and no kids either, so why not go ahead and waste the money elsewhere?

Currently, my cars consist of a 2010 Hyundai Getz, and a 2012 Subaru WRX STi. Both fine cars for what they are, but they’ve both served their purpose. Firstly, I’m going to be looking at a new daily driver to replace my humble Hyundai, and after many late night and hours on classifieds websites, I’ve come up with two replacements below - one reasonable, and one thats far from reasonable.

NOTE: These are suggestions for my new daily car. The new weekend car will be coming much later.

Let’s get started on the unreasonable side:

2006 BMW M5

I took this photo at a car meet a few years ago. Clearly, the M5 is special to me.

Pros:

• A 5.0 V10 in a sedan? Where do I sign?
• Rather understated, save for the quad exhaust pipe.
• Cheapest, so can keep the leftover cash for a rainy day.
• Will decimate most modern performance cars, and even give some supercars a fright.

Cons:

• Again, that 5.0 V10. It’s notoriously unreliable with age, and if anything major goes wrong, you may as well just scrap the car.
• Fuel consumption is slightly on the heavy side. Ok, it’s actually terrible.
• iDrive system is dumb.
• Might be the cheapest, but also the oldest. 12 years old, in fact.
• Services out of motor plan are scary.

I’ve found one for sale locally for the measly equivalent of USD $12,700 - the cheapest one currently on offer in all of South Africa. The mileage is ok for the year, but the “no service history” is worrisome. Take a look below.

I would prefer a black one, but beggars can't be choosers.

Bear in mind I usually only drive the whopping distance of 10km total per day, so petrol usage isn't really a concern to me.

All done? Next!

2012 Lexus IS 350 EX

Pros:

• Reliable AF.
• Still reliable AF.
• Aged well.
• Specced very well for a fair price, has all the tech of the M5 (and more).
• 3.5 V6 is impressive, and actually more powerful than my current weekend car.
• Only 6 years old.
• @nelkeljdm has one (the IS 250), and who doesn't want to be like him?

Cons:

• Lacks the “drama” of the M5. But in a daily driver, maybe thats not a bad thing.
• It’s quick, but not M5 quick. Again, not really an issue.
• More expensive than the M5.

Again, I’ve found a local example for sale at USD $15,700. There are way cheaper ones, but this is the lowest price for a decently specced one. I'm sure this price is negotiable, as the front bumper looks slightly scuffed.

As the M5, I would prefer a different colour. All my cars have either been white or silver.

So, what should my new daily driver be? Or do you have any other crazy suggestions? Let me know below!

The brain says Lexus, but the heart says M5.