Maenad
Recycles dryer sheets
I was a little surprised to read that your BMW is only 2 years older than my Prius, but is starting to need significant work. DH pointed out that maybe you drive a lot of miles, which of course wears down cars faster. I've always had short commutes with this car.IMO the trick is to critically examine each expense category and cut back everywhere you can, but maybe not everywhere. Some expenses you'll be able to cut altogether, some you can spend less or reduce frequency...
So, as an example of what Midpack says, you could keep driving a Beemer, but move closer to work, so that you don't rack up the mileage as fast. Then you can buy a new car every 15 years instead of every 7.
Or am I being condescending and telling you things you already know?