college car?

[mustangfan65]

Hey, first off I'm a new member here, but I'm looking into selling my car to get a BMW. I'm going to get about $7000 for my next car and was wandering what I should look at, I've found a '97 m3 sedan, and a lot of '99-'05 3 and 5 series within my price range so far. I also need to take insurance into account because I am 18. If it has 4 doors that would be better. I basically just want a car that is fun to drive but also nice and not a downgrade from the comfort of my current car. So basically what would be a fun/practical/reliable BMW? Thanks for any help.

[spoonerDee]

Do you have a job? Because you'll need one to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of the cars. A 97 M3 in that price range will most likely have high millage and have been beat to piss by douches trying to look bad while creeping up and down main street USA.

I would stick with a 3 series. About as reliable as the 5 series, but less cost to maintain than the m3 and 5

[mustangfan65]

The m3 has 97k and looks like it was reasonably taken care of, and my dad owns a shop, so i get all parts at price, what mileage is too high cause don't these things last a while, and I do have a job but it's just minimum wage

[srezzo]

Honestly, I'd stay away from BMW. I was in a similar situation when I was in college (with a 35mile commute)in the late 90s and decided to buy an E28 535i. It was a lot of fun and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, it was a money pit! Far too much of my limited money (broke college student) went to keeping that car on the road, even doing the majority of the work myself. After a few years of that, I picked up a Probe GT. It was GREAT not having to worry about your car breaking down every few months. Eventually I came back to the BMW family with an E90. My recommendation is to pick up a Civic/Mazda 3 or some other reliable car with a low cost of ownership for now and get a Bimmer as a gift to yourself after you graduate.

[KevRC4130]

IMO if your ML has proven itself, you should keep that. I don't know that I'd consider an E36 or E46 really an upgrade over an ML - maybe just a lateral move. Once you start dealing with 10 year old German cars, it's a bit of a gamble. Once you get a good one that you can trust (is that what you'd consider your current car to be?), you should hang onto it as long as you can. No reason to roll the dice a second time.

Then again, I have always really liked that era ML. They're ugly in a cool German way, and are awesome HS/college cruisers. I had a couple friends with them, they're great to load up and have fun in.

[mustangfan65]

Thanks srezzo, but I'm sorta set on a german car, I know I sound like a stuck up teen, but I really don't want to downgrade from my current car (2003 ml350) and I think a BMW 4 door is much better than a e class, I'm going to live on campus about 5 miles away from my dads shop so I won't have a problem treating her right and keeping her on the road, I really would rather get a nice car that will be fun and cost more to keep up than something that just gets the job done

- - - Updated - - -

KevRC4130, It isn't that I don't trust my car but it has 170k on it and is getting to be problematic, and all the cars I'm looking at will be local and I'll inspect them before I buy them

Also I love my ml but it just isn't fun for country drives, and mine can only seat 5 anyway because the trunk has my subs

[MIKYZZ4]

I would suggest a 3series in the $5k range , and use the remainder of your budget for refresh & maintenance.Good Luck , shop carefully !

[srezzo]

I was the same way at your age. Stuck-up and having great taste in cars are 2 very different things :P

[ross1]

The m3 has 97k and looks like it was reasonably taken care of, and my dad owns a shop, so i get all parts at price, what mileage is too high cause don't these things last a while, and I do have a job but it's just minimum wage

At minimum wage no old BMW is for you. Buy some $2k beater with sound mechanicals and wait until you can afford to buy and OWN a nicer car. A 13 year old ///M3 will consume every penny you make and want more, you'll hate it in the end. House poor is bad enough, car poor is just plain stupid.

[BimmerBreaker]

He never mentioned an E46

I'd get an E39 hands down if you value the comfort aspect of the car. 528i would be great, non-TU engine would be my recomendation. The M3 is a great car but not what most would call comfortable...

Seems most the responses are overlooking the fact OP already owns a german car...

[mustangfan65]

Thanks bimmerbreaker, I can afford the upkeep on a German car with 170k on it that's 12 years old, I'm pretty good at managing money, I'd like to rephrase the question, which car that I listed is the best college car of the choices provided or bmw within that range

[d21spike]

Finished college last year and had three cars/bike while I was in. This proved to be a pain even though I did all the work myself.

Looking at any used BMW (assuming standard) right off the bat you're looking at cooling system maintenance, suspension refresh, potential clutch change (DMFs can get pricy), most likely tires, tired fuel pump, if you're in the north like me rust issues leading to exhaust systems being rotted, and of course the typical maintenance like plugs and oil. Goes on and on, just have to make sure that is something you can plan to pay for without much down time since I assume this would be your only means of transportation.

[justinca540i]

I'd stay away personally from the M3 at this age. I'd go for either an E39 or E46. If you want comfort and luxury go for the E39. But if you want sporty get an E46. The I6 in the E39 and E46 are cheaper to repair than the V8 in the E39 in terms of part as the V8 usually requires double the parts. E46 usually has been said to be more reliable but it all depends on previous owners.

[e39hamann]

He never mentioned an E46

I'd get an E39 hands down if you value the comfort aspect of the car. 528i would be great, non-TU engine would be my recomendation. The M3 is a great car but not what most would call comfortable...

Seems most the responses are overlooking the fact OP already owns a german car...

This. Find a 97-98 528i, pretty much the most reliable e39 you can get. My 97 528i will be hitting 300k miles in couple months and I still have the original auto trans and engine, the top end was rebuilt 2 years ago due to my Dad overheating the car and blowing the head gasket haha

[1215]

We have a son going off to college who is about your age. Three things come to mind, first, something I saw on a forum recently: "the most expensive thing is a cheap BMW" [probably applicable to all German cars] second: "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know", and third: "double your time and your budget".


The e36 that my son drives has roughly 300k miles on it. It has been in the family for the last ~200k miles and we obsess over its condition and upkeep. That said, we know it will soon need a clutch, catalytic converter, rear suspension & wheel bearings, steering rehab and it is showing signs of rust in various places. His e36 is not worth keeping on the road unless we perform the maintenance and upkeep; or rephrased, hiring a shop to upkeep and maintain the vehicle could easily cost $10-$15k which far exceeds its value. Additionally, because of its age and mileage, if preventative maintenance is not performed vigorously, issues tend to spiral out of control.

It sounds like you know your ML's strengths and weaknesses and you have access to a shop where you can obtain parts and perform the work yourself. Buying someone else's problems could be catastrophic to your budget [or the reliability of your next vehicle] and its likely going to cost you more than you have factored to get out of the ML and into a vehicle of your current liking, especially with the BOOM-BOOM stereo system.

It is because of the above, and your budget of approximately $7,000, that I would recommend keeping your ML or NOT getting an e36 or e46.

Good luck with the decisions.

[nike001]

I got a 330i ZHP for college and don't regret it one bit, although I had a job through college for whenever maintenance issues popped up.

I'm out of college now and it is for sale

[sullypants1]

If you're going to beat on your car it doesn't really matter what you get. I'd wager a maintained S5x/M5x car will take a beating better than just about any other car, German or not.

My school's fsae team is a great data pool of 'hot shot' drivers and 'hot shot' cars. They all get driven hard, they all get maintained, they all have hiccups.

However on the e30/e36 cars it's small shit; hood cables, lights, trim, sunroofs, sensors. On the others it seems to be larger things; civic trannys, subaru wheel bearings, subaru engines, etc.

[BimmerBreaker]

It sounds like you know your ML's strengths and weaknesses and you have access to a shop where you can obtain parts and perform the work yourself. Buying someone else's problems could be catastrophic to your budget [or the reliability of your next vehicle] and its likely going to cost you more than you have factored to get out of the ML and into a vehicle of your current liking, especially with the BOOM-BOOM stereo system.

Yup... but people are overlooking this part I think...

KevRC4130, It isn't that I don't trust my car but it has 170k on it and is getting to be problematic, and all the cars I'm looking at will be local and I'll inspect them before I buy them

I'd like to rephrase the question, which car that I listed is the best college car of the choices provided or bmw within that range

See below...

I'd get an E39 hands down if you value the comfort aspect of the car. 528i would be great, non-TU engine would be my recomendation. The M3 is a great car but not what most would call comfortable...

This. Find a 97-98 528i, pretty much the most reliable e39 you can get. My 97 528i will be hitting 300k miles in couple months and I still have the original auto trans and engine, the top end was rebuilt 2 years ago due to my Dad overheating the car and blowing the head gasket haha

Insurance is also reasonable on E39s especially with the smaller engine.

[berti00]

I bought a 04 325i sport package and love the thing to death. everything is easy to work on it if you are a handy guy a little that is. The car is super comfortable and good on gas. I been driving it a lot and enjoy it every time. drove to Chicago and Wisconsin from Florida and it was a blast. I also have a 520whp AMG and 540tq but that's different lol and I used to have the e36 m3 supercharged as well. Great car too not as comfortable as the e46

[sid the sloth]

I've had my e36 328i for a few years now while being in.college and if it wasn't for having a high paying side job keeping it maintained would have been difficult. Easily spent $1k each year. Being 18 figure out the insurance part out because while you can push off some maintenance, your insurance is a fixed cost whether the car drives or not.
Keeping your ML is by far the best option, at least for a couple years till your income rises. Also know your free time will also probably disappear so don't bank on getting an entire day for repairs.

[mustangfan65]

Thanks for the help y'all, I already found a few nice '97 528i's with roughly 100-120k miles for under 6k which will even leave me some money for any repairs I need for a little, but how many miles is too many for buying one of those, and would a 540i bee too much for someone like me, would the engine still be expensive to repair if I only drove it sparingly around town and on the occasional country road, if I am very cautious not to redline or anything would it be a bad choice?

[BimmerBreaker]

540i is a lot more expensive to repair, has a lot more things that can go wrong overall, much less mpg, insurance is much more and a lot more possible major expenses (timing chains and VANOS come to mind). The 97 528i is a great, relatively bulletproof engine. I'd get the 528i now and out of college when you can look at more expensive cars to at that time consider moving up to a 540i or even an M5, or into other "flavors" of BMW.

All my S52's (similar engine to what is in the 528i) have about 100-140K miles and to me (specifically 118K, 123K, 128K), at this point in time thats a good point for them to be. Too low of miles concerns me because that means it was never driven - too high isn't inherently bad if everything was kept up but by 200k or so it will have needed a LOT of work and most will have probably been put off. 100-120K is fine mileage-wise and personally thats the mileage range I shoot for in consideration of both reliability and pricing.

[justinca540i]

540i is a lot more expensive to repair, has a lot more things that can go wrong overall, much less mpg, insurance is much more and a lot more possible major expenses (timing chains and VANOS come to mind).

That's true. It does have a few more problems than the I6. But it all depends on how well the Previous Owner took care of it. Mine is at 122k miles (540i) have only had it for a year and has only needed gaskets changed. But it all depends on which manufacture you use if you stick with OEM or venture off. Some times parts come cheaper for the V8 and also repair process is quicker. If you do all your work yourself, it is easily repairable but taking into the shop racks it up.

For me at 16, it is $10 extra for the V8 compared to the I6 for insurance. So it all depends on if you have to pay yourself for insurance and gas and parts.

[mustangfan65]

I won't have to pay insurance unless I get something that increases it a lot and that's my major concern, I'm going to have my dad look over the whole car whatever it is and if it is in good shape then good, and also even though I have a sound system it is for crisper sound not annoying the hell out of people. Would a 2002 3 series be better than a late 90's 5? Those are the main choices I have in my price range and the 2000's usually have as many miles as the 90's, thank you all for the help because I have little to no knowledge on BMW's I just know that they are a comparable luxury to my car and in much better shape, also would a 3 series comfortable seat 4 or is the back cramped, I usually have more than 2 people in my car.

[pizzaman09]

We are all allowed to be young and stupid. If you want to get a BMW, go get it. I know multiple people in the situation that you are considering getting yourself into. I have a friend that is going to college right now and daily drives a very nice 1993 525i automatic. It has 140k ish miles. It has done him well over the last two years, has yet to let him stranded to the point that he needed a tow. He does do the normal maintenance and the upkeep that it needs. The car isn't perfect but he enjoys it, it most certainly needs the recirculating ball steering refurbished.

Another friend of mine in college has gone even deeper off of the deep end and purchased a not very good condition 1986 Porsche 944. He spent $4k for the car and right off the bat dumped another $4k into it to really make it road worthy. The 944 is an absolutely blast to drive and he really enjoys the car. It needs quite a bit of work to be perfect but it got him where he needed to go. All was going well with the car until he got an internship during school which meant driving 10 miles to work a few days a in the winter in a car with 4 inches of ground clearance with nearly bald summer tires. He also was not confident in the reliability of his car so he made the smart decision to sell the 944 and purchase something new, and reliable. He is now working quite a bit to make the car payments.

One thing to note is both of my friends have rather well paying engineering internships, they can afford to maintain the cars they are driving. When I was in school I certainly did not drive a BMW there and back every day. I would have liked to but I already had a super nice condition and reliable car so purchasing a different vehicle just did not make sense.