To all teens/20s thinking of buying a used BMW. (Limited funds, in school, 540, etc)

[cmhbmw90]

Personally I think your rude. e30's are not exspensive to maintain, update, repair, or mod. survival of the fittest. can't afford it, wont be driving it. thats why i got an e30 over an e36. cost of operation is 3-6 times higher on a slightly newer car. have spent zer0 on any kind of trim or wheels or tint or whatever. I do have a sound system. but I am a sound person sort of speak. I cannot drive or own a vehicle (until I get an additional track only e30 when i have a career etc.) that doesnt have a decent sound system.

I hear you about keeping money for repairs and essential maintenance. I just think your going about it a little too agressively telling collage students not to buy an e30 because they wont be able to afford it. people have passion for their cars. if it means skipping out on eating out to be able to afford an oil change or whatever who cares. hondas suck. I would never wish a honda on someone who wants a bmw. thats like saying "oh you want a awesome gf? nah you can't afford it man you should just hang out with us bros all the time instead." f that noise people want to get laid! lol people want an awesome car that is great to drive and for the most part very reliable! besides if something breaks on an old honda wouldn't u feel bad spending money on that pos rather than spending it to keep you pride and joy running strong? just sayin...

In 178K abused miles my 2000 Accord has never left me stranded. Besides regular maintenance all I have had to do was replace a $50 ignition coil. You people are talking like honda is absolute shit but they really arent. It has comfort and enough power for my 50 mile trip to work and my 50 mile trip back home. I can have just as much fun doing the speed limit in my honda as I would a E36 or E30, it is when you are pushing them hard that you have noticeable differences.

Oh and I would much rather eat than put money in to a car. Priorities FTW

[LordLeverette]

Honestly, owning any sort of car short of an exotic isn't bad when you are young. The way most people go wrong is dumping loads of money into mods, which isn't bad, but they do it before maintenance. I've learned so much since buying my E39, which I bought as a project, and now I feel confident in taking apart anything and fixing anything myself. I have saved thousands by learning how to do repairs myself. Of course, at the same time, I'm tempted to dump all my money I don't have on M5 bumpers, BBS wheels, and coilovers, but that's all part of responsibility.

I think the big difference here is people buying BMWs to impress people and be flashy, and those who are plainly automobile enthusiasts. I mean, I fit the OP's profile perfectly. I have a budget where I should be driving a ratted out 1992 Toyota Camry that's covered in rust with dead paint. Basically, budget is nonexistent at the moment. However, with this budget of nothing, I have repaired everything from power steering lines, to ball bearings, to ball joints, and a whole rear suspension rebuild. I have also taken apart my door panels about half a dozen times or more.

You state spending $5k-$10k on repairs to have a good running car, but I can find all those parts and come out for around $1k. I believe the true answer here is that you can own any car you want at any age, you just have to learn to be smart (and in my case, get used to chrome wheels, non-working rear windows, and a torn driver's seat). All this elbow grease (and about $600 since I've bought it in two years), and I still can say I'm proud I own a BMW (and one with 202k miles at that) and not anything else.

[Dylans3960ccs]

I think if a kid is in a mechanics program, that is a major justification to the money pit car trap. There's no better way to learn your craft than practice and real world experience on your own car.

This, I do not advise this at all, but it's what I did. I bought my 740 at 17 and it has taught me more about working on cars than my schools auto program, though I do work on it there too.

[Ragnorak]

Nice post OP.

There are a million ways to justify a shitty investment. "But I can afford it" "My other expenses are low" "There are kids with much nicer cars than me"

At the end of the day a car is the worst way to spend your $.

Now that I am aging, own a home and starting to build a nest egg, I would give anything to get some $ back from my youth.

It's so easy to be irresponsible with you are in school, living at home, and you feel the world is yours for the taking. Eventually you will get a wake up call as to just how expensive life is. Then you'll question your decision to buy a car you could barely afford in the first place.

If you want a car that's fun to drive then go buy a Honda SI. 90% of the fun of the BMW at 50% of the cost. In a few years when you have taken care of any outstanding debt, have a home and a career, then you can buy the BMW you've always wanted.

My .02.......

Very true. My biggest financial dilemma has always been whether or not to blow money on my cars. It's the worst "investment" you can make. Most people realize this, treat cars as an appliance, and just expect it to work. Hence hunting for resale value, reliability, warranties, etc. The problem with us as a group is trying to feed that passion for cars while not going broke. And when I say broke, I don't mean you can't afford your rent. I mean that you are blowing every last dollar on your car every paycheck and have no savings/investments to show for it.

I read somewhere that good guidelines for buying/paying for a car are:

• Don't buy a new car worth more than 50% of your annual income
• Don't spend more than 25% of your monthly income on transporation (payments, insurance, gas, maintenance, etc.)
• If you must spend more, realize you should be cutting from other "discretionary spending" (eating out, entertainment, movies, bars, etc)

So breaking that out...let's assume you're making $40,000/yr (pretty good for college/early 20s). Your take-home pay is floating around $32,000/yr.

• $16,000 budget on a new car
• $615 on your total car expenses for the month

Spend $50/week on gas and $100/mo on insurance (conservative) and you have a tad over $300/mo to spend on your car without buying oil, tires, mods, etc.

Obviously a lot of us don't stick to this, but it's something to shoot for and/or think about if you don't want to rent (and pay someone else's mortgage) or want to retire. Thinking about these numbers make me laugh, though, because I know some 25 year old's making less than that and are driving almost-new E92 M3s or 750s because they live at home and blow all their cash on the car.

[OnTheFence]

Ragnorak, interesting post. As a reality check, those numbers are fantasy land for many educated professionals. Using the numbers you provided virtually guarantees a life trapped in poverty, welfare, and never moving out of your parent's basement. Some would suggest a $5000 Honda until you're over the $50k mark. Many people who earn over $300,000 would never even dream of buying a $50,000 car (15%, not even close to 50%)

[WTFPENGUIN]

An investment is anything that makes you happy.

So let's say someone graduated highschool in 2005, and instead of buying a nice car, they bought a house and invested the rest.

Stock market lost all it's gains from 05-07 in 2008, and the house would be worth half as much today.

I bought a 99 m3 at age 17 working 2 jobs
I spent every dollar I had on mods, track days, drives, etc.

Were the mods wasted money? Depends how you look at it.

At age 22 I bought a 1999 911. I spent a large portion of my income on track days. I met some very successful people and made some great contacts.

I learned more from the successful business professionals than I had in my 4 years of college.

At age 24 I sold the Porsche and bought an e36 m3 again and pursued my passion working for myself as a day trader.

The nice cars at a young age gives us a taste for high society life.

The only thing I would've changed is going to college.

[Ragnorak]

Ragnorak, interesting post. As a reality check, those numbers are fantasy land for many educated professionals. Using the numbers you provided virtually guarantees a life trapped in poverty, welfare, and never moving out of your parent's basement. Some would suggest a $5000 Honda until you're over the $50k mark. Many people who earn over $300,000 would never even dream of buying a $50,000 car (15%, not even close to 50%)

You're right, it's just something I've read and worked for me. It's supposed to be a catch-all and a max-limit budget on transportation (even if you don't own a car). Obviously the more you can save, invest, and keep from burning the better off you'll be in the long run. I think the problem is with other posts I've seen on here...

"Where do I invest to turn my $3,000 into $30,000 in six months".....

[EpDarks]

This is what happens when you have too much car for your own good.

[BavarianBeast]

This is what happens when you have too much car for your own good.

Holy ****. That is a is wreck if I haven't seen one myself. I hope the driver is ok. I don't know if you know him or where you got the pic from but that is definitely up there on the list of top BMW wrecks I've seen.

[faranginline6]

hey guys, im very excited as this is my very first post onthis forum. I have been looking for info on bmw's for sometime but i had never come across this place before. I dont know any people who drive bmws. I dont even own a car myself, i ride a gsxr600. my wife however, does drive a car. she drives her dads 1994 honda accord. its really beat up and i just dont feel like putting any more money into that car. i have been looking around and i found an '08 335i for just over $19000. The thing is that this car has aroun 97000 miles. I dont know anything about bmws so i was wondering if this sounds like it might be worth the price. I saw this at a dealer but i didnt step in to ask anything about it. are bmws known to be reliable? do i have to take it back to the dealer and have them do the maintenance or would i be able to get away with doing it myself? i have serviced my dads explorer myself for the past eight yrs and its at 240000 miles and still running strong. I wanted to put $10,000 down payment to keep the monthly payment under $200. Keep in mind, im not a rich person but i have saved some money over the past few yrs. i would like to get this car for my wife but im not sure its worth the price with so many miles. what do you guys think?
p.s. how rude of me, my name is enrique and its great to be part of this place.
p.p.s my screen name was supposed to be nameless5r but i effed up my spelling without doublechecking it and now...its not.

Welcome to the forum, Enrique. Many people on here have lots of information to share about BMW's, so you should be able to find out what you're looking for.

It sounds like, for your needs, the 335i might not be the best car. You said you're able to work on cars yourself. An older 3 or 5 series would be good for that.

I think everyone has had their own personal experience with owning certain types of cars.
From mine, BMW's are definitely reliable. If you can work on the car yourself, then you can be sure you've done the job correctly (not made mistakes).
There's a certain sense of pride and joy in owning a BMW that is unique.

Take a look throughout the forum about 3 series models: E30, E36, E46, E90 and 5 series models: E28, E34, E39, E60. I believe these cars would be best for you.

Good luck


I'm 23 years old. At this time, I don't own any car while living in Thailand. I'm heading back home to Colorado this spring.

My first car was a 1987 325is. 2-door, 5-speed. Cinnabar red over black leather. I learned to drive in this car when I was 15 and bought it once i got my license. It was my daily-driver up until 2010 when I decided it was time to move on & sell the car to another BMW enthusiast.
From my experience, it was very reliable with excellent performance. It was a car that forced me to concentrate while driving and defines my driving style up to this day.
For reliability, the car was always there for me because I was always there for it. Much money was spent on maintaining it over the years. A small specialty BMW shop helped maintain it while I drove the car quite hard.
Both I and members of my family helped pay to take care of the car. Over $10,000 was spent on repairs during the time that I had it. It had nearly 227,000 miles when it was sold.

So, now I'm looking to buy a car when I get back to the States this summer.
My second car was a Toyota Camry. It's an option to buy a Japanese economical car, but that's not what I really want.
I'm not into E36 models, so an E30 is an option. I am well aware of the costs of ownership, but would love to rekindle the relationship and passion for the brand.

[namelass5r]

[FONT=Georgia]Welcome to the forum, Enrique. Many people on here have lots of information to share about BMW's, so you should be able to find out what you're looking for.

It sounds like, for your needs, the 335i might not be the best car. You said you're able to work on cars yourself. An older 3 or 5 series would be good for that.

I think everyone has had their own personal experience with owning certain types of cars.
From mine, BMW's are definitely reliable. If you can work on the car yourself, then you can be sure you've done the job correctly (not made mistakes).
There's a certain sense of pride and joy in owning a BMW that is unique.

Take a look throughout the forum about 3 series models: E30, E36, E46, E90 and 5 series models: E28, E34, E39, E60. I believe these cars would be best for you.

Good luck

Thank you and I will keep this in mind before I make any final decisions.

[Neds Bimmer]

A lot of the time these young kids get help from their parents too in case anything major goes wrong. I mean how else can a kid at my school drive a murcielago? Or another with a bentley.

[imola e36]

I don't see anything wrong with a kid buying a BMW at a young age.

I always wanted to have a nice car when I was 16, so I worked hard from the age of 10, and 2 weeks after my 15th bday I bought my first car, a 1 owner '92 318is with 107k, couldn't legally drive it by myself for 17 months! It was cheap to maintain though and got 35 mpg or so but was still plenty fast for a kid.

My problem is kids who get these cars given to them. My friend is a prime example. For his 16th bday he got a brand new 330xi. 2 weeks later he totaled it. They then bought him the first 330ci zhp that was in our area, beautiful car. The car was painted about 7 different times from stupid stuff, sideswiping guard rails, hitting mail box's, hitting big ass raccoons. Then the e92's came out and the e46 was gone. 335xi coupe ordered. That car has been painted 4 times so far....

This kid is one of my best friends, but because he was given everything, he has no respect for it, and he really has no clue as to how much things cost. If a kid goes and buys an e39, then looses all of his money on maintenance, then at least he's learned a lesson. If he then buys another BMW after that, then he's def an enthusiast in my book.

Plus have you guys looked at the cost of used cars? Find me a good car for under $5k. Really the only ones I would trust to not F me over in that price range would be a BMW.

[imola e36]

I don't see anything wrong with a kid buying a BMW at a young age.

I always wanted to have a nice car when I was 16, so I worked hard from the age of 10, and 2 weeks after my 15th bday I bought my first car, a 1 owner '92 318is with 107k, couldn't legally drive it by myself for 17 months! It was cheap to maintain though and got 35 mpg or so but was still plenty fast for a kid.

My problem is kids who get these cars given to them. My friend is a prime example. For his 16th bday he got a brand new 330xi. 2 weeks later he totaled it. They then bought him the first 330ci zhp that was in our area, beautiful car. The car was painted about 7 different times from stupid stuff, sideswiping guard rails, hitting mail box's, hitting big ass raccoons. Then the e92's came out and the e46 was gone. 335xi coupe ordered. That car has been painted 4 times so far....

This kid is one of my best friends, but because he was given everything, he has no respect for it, and he really has no clue as to how much things cost. If a kid goes and buys an e39, then looses all of his money on maintenance, then at least he's learned a lesson. If he then buys another BMW after that, then he's def an enthusiast in my book.

Plus have you guys looked at the cost of used cars? Find me a good car for under $5k. Really the only ones I would trust to not F me over in that price range would be a BMW.

[iRamtin]

hello
first of all i wanna be sorry for my bad english
hi i'm a 21 years old boy and i live in iran (middle east ) i'm a univercity student and i wanna buy a E60 BMW 530i (its full option) and it is in good condition and used about 52 miles the price tag for this car its about 80,000 US dollars ( you should know in iran cars very very expensive for example my mom buy a 320i e90 for about 85,000 US $ or a bmw 760i its about 640,000 US $ or ... ) is it worth to buy this car ? ( and you also notice for example tires gearbox and... it is also expensive too (its about 3x or 4x more expensive than us) so is it worth to buy this car or not ?
thank you very very much
pictures

[02 330xi 10 128]

If you can't work on BMWs and it's out of warranty and higher mileage it really isn't practical. I took my E46 330xi to Cain BMW one day, a friend pricing the car still needed $5,300 worth of work. Got it done for about $950. It's all about what you're capable with when there's a wrench in your hand.

[S16]

I'm 18 and have just bought my first beemer, a 98 328i 5 speed. I work at a supermarket and most of my money goes towards my car. I think its fine if young guys know what they're getting themselves into and are prepared to maintain the car. So far in my first month and a half of owning it I've done the oil and filter, gearbox oil, fuel filter, plugs, diff oil, repaired some of the plastic shields on the underside and flushed/bled brakes. I have got myself some BBS's and a gear knob but apart from that most of my costs have gone towards maintenance. I also have some peeling clear coat but before I attend to that I will be doing the cooling system refresh. As I said, as long as you understand the car needs to be maintained and you balance spending money on mods/things of that nature with required upkeep, these can be great and fairly affordable cars for young people.

[atl530i]

Necrothread...anyway

Who cares?? If they want a car (or anything for that matter) that is not cheap to maintain but cannot truly afford to maintain/fix it properly, let them have it. Learning the hard way builds character.

[KevRC4130]

Eh, older BMW's are great cars to drive into the ground. Why not buy a $1500 E30 and have a ton of fun with it, and when it is dead, it's dead. They're well made, fun to drive, safe, and keep you from feeling like a complete piece of shit (hey, at least it's a BMW. A $1500 Honda is going to be an unreliable rusted out piece of shit too. You may as well get the fun of having the roundel). Plus, you get RWD and a stick shift, which aid in the process of beating it into the ground.

OP, I agree that most younger buyers looking at old BMW's are not within their range to keep their cars perfectly maintained - especially if they are not looking to do the work themselves. But when a 20 year old buys an old 7-series for $2000... He gets a year or two of rolling around like a boss in the limo, gets laid in the back a few times, and has many fond memories and stories to tell. When the car ends up needing a catastrophic repair that ends up being as much as he paid for the car - so what? It was only $2,000 anyways.

[MIMI1]

Like it was said before. At 18 you need an E39 M5 to teach you about living a frugal life. ... very frugal like raman noodles and water frugal

[ineedlsd]

%110 agree. not only that but mods will lower the value of the car, unless... maybe... there m3 upgrades or dinan etc... stuff that was engineered specifically for the needy bimmer.

And odds are if your working with a limited budget your probably dealing with an old car, and when you put bells and whistles on old car's..... Well... There not looking at you cus they like your car, there looking at you cus you seem tacky, and dumb... Take a step back and ask yourself: (If this wasnt my car, would i think this is cool?)

Now drive your bucket until the wheels fall off, let it make you money, not break your wallet.

[OnTheFence]

And odds are if your working with a limited budget your probably dealing with an old car, and when you put bells and whistles on old car's..... Well... There not looking at you cus they like your car, there looking at you cus you seem tacky, and dumb... Take a step back and ask yourself: (If this wasnt my car, would i think this is cool?)
.

Unfortunately, for the modders, the answer is yes.
That's WHY they crassly mod their own car.
It's "aspirational".
Stupid is as stupid does.

[TheLadiesMan]

There's ups and down to owning a BMW at a young age. I got my E38 when I was 16. That car thought me how to work on cars and now I do mechanic work for my fellow University students for a decent pay in addition to my regular hourly job. I've also made several connections and friends in the local BMW community that I'm sure will open new doors in the near future. Budgeting is also something I learned from owning this car... as you can imagine an M62TU isn't exactly cheap let alone the 7 series chassis.

[e39hamann]

Unfortunately, for the modders, the answer is yes.
That's WHY they crassly mod their own car.
It's "aspirational".
Stupid is as stupid does.

You must be a boring person

[MrBlackonWhite]

I'm 17 and have a 96 328i that was my first car I pay for all the repairs I can and do the wrenching with my dad. We are also restoring a 84 320i euro with major rust issues, but the e30 is a graduation gift for when I graduate in may.