Considering my first-ever BMW. Can someone point me in the right direction?

[thefastlife24]

really love the E34 and E39 5 Series and the E46 3 Series but i don't want to spend much more than $15,000.

should i forget about BMW all together?

is there a specific car that will last me quite some time if i find a good example?

as you can see, i am a complete noob. thank you in advance.

[pottsalot]

The e46 series will be your most reliable bet.

[AusE39er]

Just a shame the E46 sedan is not an attractive car, whereas the coupe is. The E46 sedans are going pretty cheap over here. I know their interiors don't wear as well as say an E39s.

I like my E39, especially the interior, but I think a E36 or E34 would be a bit easier to work on.

[justinca540i]

Look for an E46 3 series. They are newer than the E34 and E39.

[Imolarot2]

$15k will get you a very nice example of any of the choices mentioned as long as you're planning non-M

[PeterHall]

Heck you could find a nice car for half your budget and save the rest for maintenance.

[BimmerBreaker]

$15K could technically buy you an M variant of any of those models.

However, spending 1/3-1/2 of that budget on the car and saving the rest for maintenance is no doubt the best option. Consider an E39 540i if you do a lot of long trips and highway driving, or an E46 330i if you want something a bit more sporty.

[OnTheFence]

Don't spend the entire $15k on the car.
You can spend $7-8k on a car, and have $7k as a repair fund, and sleep easy at night.

[shiftmygears]

$15k is more than enough... you'd spend more like 7-8 on a clean example. If you looked hard enough you may even find an E46 M3. Put aside the rest. Now an unique car would be an E34 M5