Need some help

[crackerjack1000]

Hey guys so for a couple months now I've been looking for a first car, and as a BMW fan I've looked for BMW.

Recently I found a 1997 328is 125k miles, 5-spd manual, which has had most major items fixed/replaced. I'm looking up to maybe 5k for a car.

All my family members reject me when I tell them about the 328 lol, because its a BMW, maintenance costs a lot....

I tell them well being a car person and knowing a little about how cars work and run, with these older BMW's things are easier to fix by yourself you just need tools, and time. But of course they don't care.

Is maintenance for this car really expensive? That I possible couldn't afford it?

Right now my dad has a friend who has a old Toyota Camry with 200k miles that he wants to buy for me for 2k :shifty


Please help, thanks.

[xlDooM]

I have a 323i, which is basically the same car with less displacement, I've had it for a little over two years now. I have kept records of all costs, including depreciation, put it all in a spreadsheet. Excluding fuel consumption, it cost me about 35 cents per mile. That cost includes all the following and more:
- 2 sets of tires
- all small and big services
- rust repair
- new rims
- lowered suspension (kw springs and koni dampers)
- brake lines (failed inspection)
- rewrapped steering wheel
- used replacement steering rack
- new front control arms and sway bar endlinks
I'm not much of a mechanic, so nearly all of the work was done in the shop. I think it's a fairly representative cost, my previous E36 was similar (slightly cheaper being a 4-cylinder and no rims or springs).
Compared to machines of similar performance and style, that's really cheap. Of course compared to a 2k camry it's likely to be more expensive.

That 35 cents is with a pretty unfavorable exchange rate from euros to usd btw. It'd probably be a bit less if I actually lived over there.

[aeorozco]

The labor from any Licensed BMW shop will run you about 125/hr, I just too bought my 1st bimmr - 2000 323i, and it was randomly overheating...... took it to bmw and walked out $740 lighter in the wallet after they replaced my electric fan. Needless to say the parts and labor will run you just about double of what an economy car will.........but you need to buy something that you will be happy driving, and wont mind dumping loads of money into when something major goes wrong.....if you love the car you wont mind taking the hit in the wallet as bad, just my thoughts.

Also it seems that most BMW owners tend to replace the complete cooling system every 50k-100k miles, and thats not a cheap thing to do just fyi.........

[iwannabeam3]

The labor from any Licensed BMW shop will run you about 125/hr, I just too bought my 1st bimmr - 2000 323i, and it was randomly overheating...... took it to bmw and walked out $740 lighter in the wallet after they replaced my electric fan. Needless to say the parts and labor will run you just about double of what an economy car will.........but you need to buy something that you will be happy driving, and wont mind dumping loads of money into when something major goes wrong.....if you love the car you wont mind taking the hit in the wallet as bad, just my thoughts.

Also it seems that most BMW owners tend to replace the complete cooling system every 50k-100k miles, and thats not a cheap thing to do just fyi.........

Do the work yourself and that 740 would be like 200 :p but to agree bmw charges alot. 125 seems to be a little to much, my local dealer is about 60 a hr

[crackerjack1000]

Well I'm not the richest person so most money will go into just buying the car, my plans as of right now are to get a nicely maintained one, that has most major issues fixed so it is less for me to worry about.

As a first car, I was telling my dad how for a while it might sit so work can be done to the car if anything major happens, but of course he still cant get passed that its a BMW.

I though my dad would give good advice on BMW's cause hes owned over 10 bmw's he even had a 323i when it had first came out, but I think he forgot what its like being a kid...:( Coming from a city where all the people in my school drive brand new Mustangs and Camaro's..

[Sprouty88]

If you plan on fixing things yourself. Replacement parts and mantenance costs really aren't that bad. You just have to know where to go.

on that note. Honestly if it's your first car, your going to wreck it, so I wouldn't get something really nice. I would look for an older honda civic or accord and learn how to drive before you just jump right into a bmw.

If you plan on fixing things yourself. Replacement parts and mantenance costs really aren't that bad. You just have to know where to go.

on that note. Honestly if it's your first car, your going to wreck it, so I wouldn't get something really nice. I would look for an older honda civic or accord and learn how to drive before you just jump right into a bmw.

[ChuckDizzle]

labor is what makes maintenance expensive. True some parts are more expensive compared to other car manufacturer's but I also find the e36 very straight forward and easy to understand mechanically.
On the opposite end, there's Subaru. Reliable and solid, cheap to own and insure. But damn they're a pain in the ass to work on, just routine maintenance. Spark plugs on a boxer motor are a bitch. A dirty, mean one.

[crackerjack1000]

If you plan on fixing things yourself. Replacement parts and mantenance costs really aren't that bad. You just have to know where to go.

on that note. Honestly if it's your first car, your going to wreck it, so I wouldn't get something really nice. I would look for an older honda civic or accord and learn how to drive before you just jump right into a bmw.

If you plan on fixing things yourself. Replacement parts and mantenance costs really aren't that bad. You just have to know where to go.

on that note. Honestly if it's your first car, your going to wreck it, so I wouldn't get something really nice. I would look for an older honda civic or accord and learn how to drive before you just jump right into a bmw.

To be honest I tried looking into 97-99 honda civics and they run near or a bit more price wise than the e36 I thought it would be half the price :shifty

[Sprouty88]

Don't know why that posted twice ^^^

Well in that case. Go for it.

[UnderCoverGuy11]

If you plan on fixing things yourself. Replacement parts and mantenance costs really aren't that bad. You just have to know where to go.

on that note. Honestly if it's your first car, your going to wreck it, so I wouldn't get something really nice. I would look for an older honda civic or accord and learn how to drive before you just jump right into a bmw.

If you plan on fixing things yourself. Replacement parts and mantenance costs really aren't that bad. You just have to know where to go.

on that note. Honestly if it's your first car, your going to wreck it, so I wouldn't get something really nice. I would look for an older honda civic or accord and learn how to drive before you just jump right into a bmw.

Not everyone wrecks their first car haha

[rllynch1]

Not everyone wrecks their first car haha

Thank you! Just cause the OP is younger doesn't necessarily mean he is a horrible driver, and not every driver wrecks their car. My mom is almost 60 and has never wrecked a car or gotten a ticket. And for the record, I've never wrecked a car either (knock on wood).

OP, you're doing the right thing by trying to find one that was maintained pretty well. Not sure how that search is going, but good luck with it. As far as parents go, I'll give you an idea. Just search online for stuff that will make your BMW stand out from most other vehicles on the road. Hell, I know off the top of my head, and from the top of this part of the forum that the 3 series was named "Car of the year" since it was introduced. Thats a fact and parents can't argue with that. Just look for some more things such as safety ratings and whatnot that will persuade your parents that getting you a BMW, or buying yourself a BMW is a good idea.

[crackerjack1000]

Well I admit from just driving around taking my parents places and using their cars, I'm a pretty decent driver sometimes while I'm driving it surprises me how some people can mess up so bad just doing basic turns. Just need a little work on parking into tight spaces and backing out, cause I still get a little nervous hehe but it's ok I still have another 8 hours of in-car driving lessons to learn :buttrock

buump

[crackerjack1000]

bump;)

[Boland01]

Have the car your interested in checked out first by a mechanic. This will minimize the chance of any unexpected repairs. After you get the car unless it comes with detailed records showing it had been maintained, change every fluid and filter you can including oil, transmission, rear end, cooling, air and gas filter too. These are do it yourself tasks and will help you get familiar with your car.
Make sure other items such as the spark plugs shocks etc,.. are OK too. Parts do cost more in general for a BMW however if you can learn/do the work yourself it's not that much more.
On the positive side, my son's 1996 328i has been completely reliable and drives like a newer car still. All that with a 112,000 miles on it. Comparing it to other cars the build, solid feel and material quality is way above most everything else.
The big question is would we buy another BMW. Knowing what I know now the answer is absolutely yes.

[pbonsalb]

Your father has had BMWs so he knows they can be expensive to maintain and that they are not the most reliable cars in the world. He also knows that the japanese cars are pretty good and that his friend's camry has been well maintained and should not need a lot of work. Compared to an unknown BMW, the camry seems appealing from the father's perspective. The father probably knows he will be the one helping out when things go wrong.

My advice is that while you are still dependent on your parents, you try to work things out with them. If you cannot convince them that the BMW is at least as good a choice as the camry, I would let the BMW go at this point in your life and take the camry. There will be another opportunity for a BMW down the road.

To try to work things out with your parents, ask about having each car inspected by a shop that specializes in the brand. If your father hears from a mechanic that the BMW in question is well sorted out and lower mileage and not likely to need any expensive work anytime soon, he might accept it. You have to pay for pre-purchase inspections, obviously.

You could also offer to take a shop class or join a car club to learn how to do more work on the car yourself.

[slocar]

Not everyone wrecks their first car haha

True. I never did so much as put a scratch on my first car ... 2nd and 3rd ... different story.

OP, as tempting as it is, I would skip the BMW for a first car (unless your parents are going to be paying for repairs and maintenance) ... I had a BMW as my first car and all the money I made working my part time job went straight into it.

It's not that they necessarily need everything done to them, but you buy it, you expect it to drive like a brand new BMW (and it isn't), so you decide to fix this and fix that, and before you know it, you're spending all sorts of money on it.

That said, I'd probably skip the 200k mile Camry too ...

[JmorganM3]

I believe the E36's are fairly easy to work on, however if you have never taken a shop class, or worked on a car before, they can be rather intimidating. Things like the rear suspension can be a head ache sometimes, but they just take a little patience and time.

Having said that, any Toyota might be a good choice, especially to insure. I have worked in the insurance industry for the last 4 years and one thing I have noticed is the price difference between a coupe and a sedan. Depending how long you have been driving, that could be the biggest factor.

I actually have a sweet spot for the e36 maintenance schedule. I had a 2000 Camaro SS and that thing was a nightmare to work on. Spark plugs took 2-3 hours to change, on my M3 i just swapped all 6 out in under 30 minutes.

And as for safety, if you are going to crash your first car, which doesnt always happen, you might as well crash in something safe. Like a Toyota or BMW. I am not too fond of hondas. Especially the 90's versions.

Again these are all just opinions and you need to find what would be the best for you. You dont want to hear an "I told you so" from your parents. But you might end up telling one your self on a car with 75k more miles on it. Good luck on the purchase, either one would be a good choice.

[iwannabeam3]

If they have really fixed every major thing and with 125k id buy it. I think they are great cars. With it being a manual too you won't have to worry as much on your tranny going out.

[scooper]

Hey OP, if you're buying a car for $5k or less, realize you're going to have to put money and time into it whether it's a 328 or camry. Even though not many things have broken on the camry, after 200k miles, things are going to need to be replaced. As for the 328 it's a nice ride if you can maintain it properly. Learn to do stuff yourself. Make sure you get a car with maintenance receipts so you know what's been done and when. You will be spending time working on the car, so if you're still in high school and need to study for this test or apply to that college, you should consider those things too. Working on cars yourself will save money but not time. I love BMWs but sometimes I feel like I'm a slave to my car. Just some things to think about...:)

One more thing, the e36 platform is among the easiest to diagnose and maintain among the BMWs. If your family has ever had a e38 for example, I can understand why your dad might think maintenance and repairs would be expensive.

[crackerjack1000]

Well I mean me and my dad already agreed any car I get we are definitely going to do a PPI, because I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of problems with no money to fix them.

If I don't go with a 328 I still don't want to go for a camry. I know its a first car and all but I want to atleast get something cheap that I would like, cause the camry is just ugly.

I finally got to talk to my dad yesterday about a price range for a car, and now the chances of a 328 are very slim. He wants to pay 2k max for car, and I keep telling him its impossible to find a decent car for 2k, and it sucks cause all the money I saved towards a car my mom withdrew from the bank so I couldn't use it on a car :mad

[slocar]

^ Sure you can find a decent car for 2 grand. Look at e30s/e34s and such.

Probably the most fun I ever had with a car was a 1500 dollar, 265k (with broken speed sensor at the time of purchase .. so probably close to 300k really) 1990 535i/5sp. The thing was beastly, had LSD, nice stereo ... cosmetically it was junky, but at least I didn't care where I parked it or if I scraped the bumper on a curb or anything of that nature. Careless motoring at it's best ... I still regret selling it. :/

[crackerjack1000]

I'd like to but since it older might cost more than I want it to