E39 540i 6 Spd Vs. E36 M3 (insurance and reliability)

**Ghery** · 06-23-2004, 07:54 PM

Ok, so it is almost time for me to get my bimmer...

Right now I am thinkin an M3 is better for a 17 year old kid. I was thinkin about it and I realized that the e39 540 defines PIMP.

Will the 540's insurance be higher than an M3?
Which car is more reliable?

I am thinkin 99 540i 6 spd or a 97 Estroil M3 5 spd

**Jagarus** · 06-23-2004, 08:46 PM

Insurance is high for both, expecially for 17. I was shopping around for both cars last year too. Im driving a beater right now waiting to see if there are price drops in the E39 540i's because of the release of the E60. 2001 540s are going for great prices, but I hope I can get a better deal on the 2003s in a couple months.

**MGregski** · 06-23-2004, 08:54 PM

An e39 will be more expensive to maintain.

**EThirD** · 06-23-2004, 10:20 PM

Thats alot of money to be spending on a car at 17. Get an M3 if you want to turn more, get the 5 if you want to go straight more. I personally love that V8 though.

**Serious** · 06-24-2004, 01:27 AM

get the 540 6.

i think its just a cooler car than the e36 M.

quite rare.

**makken** · 06-24-2004, 05:20 AM

Originally Posted by MGregski

An e39 will be more expensive to maintain.

I dunno about that. We brought our '99 540iA CPO with a tad under 50k miles (47 and some change), The car is at 77k now, and besides the scheduled oil change, we've had absolutely NO maitaince whatsoever.

I'm paranoid that our radiator water hose is going to randomly pop on us now.

**kotsos1870** · 06-24-2004, 07:20 AM

A 540 at 17??

: what will you drive when you re 25, 30, 35??

Get the M3!!

The 540 will suit you better later on in your late 20s early 30s. A 17-year old driving a 540? Everyone will think you re driving daddy's car w/out a doubt.

**Jagarus** · 06-24-2004, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by kotsos1870

A 540 at 17??

: what will you drive when you re 25, 30, 35??

Get the M3!!

The 540 will suit you better later on in your late 20s early 30s. A 17-year old driving a 540? Everyone will think you re driving daddy's car w/out a doubt.

And when he burns everyone in the 540, they will shut up

**Shoe Coupe** · 06-24-2004, 01:34 PM

Hmm..another stereotypical armenian kid wanting an M3 or another BMW as their first car..Let me guess you're from glendale or surrounding area?

Get a beater toyota and learn how to drive before you buy a BMW and end up totalling it.

Before you say anything I'm Armenian too. I dunno why Armos want M3s 99% of them wouldnt even drive it to their potential, guess its just a status thing.

**SilverStreak** · 06-24-2004, 01:40 PM

Both the M3 and 540 are expensive, insurance wise. For a 17 yr old, think about an E36 328, it will be affordable, plenty of fun to drive, very modifiable for more fun, use it to get you thru school, than after you get out, think about an M car or a V8 powered BMW...

Just my 2 cents...

**Ghery** · 06-24-2004, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by Tetatdo

Hmm..another stereotypical armenian kid wanting an M3 or another BMW as their first car..Let me guess you're from glendale or surrounding area?

Get a beater toyota and learn how to drive before you buy a BMW and end up totalling it.

Before you say anything I'm Armenian too. I dunno why Armos want M3s 99% of them wouldnt even drive it to their potential, guess its just a status thing.

first off, you dont know me, so dont call me a stereotypical kid. I am a damn good driver. The bimmer will not be my first car.

I have been in love with bimmers (especially e36) and have spent a lot of time studyin them

And no, i dont want the car JUST for status. I am going to be taking racing classes and autoxing a lot.

Anyway, I know what you mean by some young ass armenian kid gettin an M3 and thinkin hes all bad. I have seen way too many m3s crash.

Besides, most of those young armos drive 318s and 325s with M3 badges.

**m3fuz** · 06-24-2004, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by SilverStreak

Both the M3 and 540 are expensive, insurance wise. For a 17 yr old, think about an E36 328, it will be affordable, plenty of fun to drive, very modifiable for more fun, use it to get you thru school, than after you get out, think about an M car or a V8 powered BMW...

Just my 2 cents...

That's what I was thinking. The car is going to be abused at your current school and in college, if that's in your future. Get something you don't have to be paranoid about, you'll be healthier and happier.

**Dirty Grill** · 06-24-2004, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by SoundOfSpeed

first off, you dont know me, so dont call me a stereotypical kid. I am a damn good driver. The bimmer will not be my first car.

:
Everyone on this board was a "damn good driver" at 17...

**bellavus** · 06-24-2004, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by SoundOfSpeed

first off, you dont know me, so dont call me a stereotypical kid. I am a damn good driver. The bimmer will not be my first car...

You are 17, you have maybe 1 year of driving experience. I don't care how good of a driver you think you are, an inexperienced driver is much more prone to accidents and much more likely to make a stupid decision when confronted with a difficult driving situation.

My BMW is my 4th car, and I've been driving for 6 solid years now, and by no means do I call myself a damn good driver. I can say that I am a relatively good defensive driver, but everyone gets better with experience.

**ducky** · 06-24-2004, 04:15 PM

I was paying a little over $6k/year to insure my M3 when I was 17, and that was with my dad listed as the primary driver, I had one accident but no moving violations that made it to my insurance....shit is expensive.

I would get the 540i, M3's are a dime a dozen.

**Ghery** · 06-24-2004, 05:00 PM

Alright, enough with the arguing.

I dont care if you think im a horrible driver or a good one...

It seems to me that you guys think that the second i get my car, im gonna go race every car i see at a red light and floor it every chance i get... Ummmmm, no.

I work my ass off and will work even harder for the car. So please, save your trash talking.

**Dirty Grill** · 06-24-2004, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by SoundOfSpeed

Alright, enough with the arguing.

I dont care if you think im a horrible driver or a good one...

It seems to me that you guys think that the second i get my car, im gonna go race every car i see at a red light and floor it every chance i get... Ummmmm, no.

I work my ass off and will work even harder for the car. So please, save your trash talking.

There is a wealth of knowledge available to you on this board, and how you choose to interpret it is up to you. I will say that most of the members opinions are based on their own experiences (I know mine are). When the vast majority of any single group give similar opinions (i.e. get a more sensible car or you're not as good a driver as you think you are) then you have two choices. First you can listen to what people are saying and either modify your decision accordingly, or you can tunnel-vision your way through all advice different from what you can like to hear and interpret them as personal attacks.

I for one think that you should be grateful to be getting such a nice car so young. I didn't have that opportunity, but if I had I would have jumped all over it. I had the beater all throughout high school, but once out of school and after a lot of hard work I was able to get several nice vehicles. However, now that I've had several nice cars if I had the ability to do it all over again, I would have most certainly taken a different route. I should have bought a house and saved the car for a little later down the line. After all, no one should have to pay over 700 a month for insurance.

**Estoril ART** · 06-24-2004, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tetatdo

..Let me guess you're from glendale or surrounding area?

:

SoundOfSpeed, when you start off mentioning "I was thinkin about it and I realized that the e39 540 defines PIMP", you make it sound like you do care more about status.

You have to think about what you really want. The 540i/6 is great because it's a 4-door and if you're always the one driving your friends/everyone else around then a 4-door is a good idea. Then again if you really want a 4-door you could get a 4-door M3. The thing about the E36 M3 vs 540 is that the speed of both cars will be about the same, there won't be too much of a difference. In handling the M3 will be better because of it's lower weight, so if you're looking to track the car and handling is at the top of your list then go for the M3. Also keep in mind, parts will most likely be more expensive for the 540i.

**Oak** · 06-24-2004, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by AlphaLead

I dunno about that. We brought our '99 540iA CPO with a tad under 50k miles (47 and some change), The car is at 77k now, and besides the scheduled oil change, we've had absolutely NO maitaince whatsoever.

I'm paranoid that our radiator water hose is going to randomly pop on us now.

More like the radiator reservoir or the radiator itself.

**318qship** · 06-24-2004, 07:47 PM

In my house hold we have both and i love both. If i could i would drive the 540i because i just got 20s on it and its PIMP . The M3 is if you love what BMW stands for and want the racing feeling. The M3 is just asking you to drive it hard. Both cars are totally sweet and there is so much you can upgrade on the 540i which makes it fun to have.

**Shoe Coupe** · 06-25-2004, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by SoundOfSpeed

first off, you dont know me, so dont call me a stereotypical kid. I am a damn good driver. The bimmer will not be my first car.

I have been in love with bimmers (especially e36) and have spent a lot of time studyin them

And no, i dont want the car JUST for status. I am going to be taking racing classes and autoxing a lot.

Anyway, I know what you mean by some young ass armenian kid gettin an M3 and thinkin hes all bad. I have seen way too many m3s crash.

Besides, most of those young armos drive 318s and 325s with M3 badges.

Look, I'm not trying to make a stab at you dude, but I speak from experience. No matter how much of a good driver you think you are, at 17, you've only had one year of driving experience. Hell I thought I was a GREAT driver at 17. I never got into any accidents, but thats not to say I didnt do alot of stupid things driving. You make the same comments I've heard from other young Armenian kids with nice cars "MAN! YOU DONT KNOW ME! IM AN AWESOME DRIVER! IF I CAN SUCH AND SUCH CAR IM GONNA TRACK IT EVERY WEEKEND!!" In reality you'll end up cruising up and down Glenoaks thinking your the sh!t and trying to pickup on girls.. Lol.. happens all the time..

Get a M3, get a 540, get any car you want, but be grateful for what you have, and by all means, dont crash and die.

I know I made some stupid driving mistakes at 20, when I got my 325.

**SR20Fastback** · 06-25-2004, 11:39 PM

You will probably be raped for insurance on either car. Last year at 18 I was quoted near 6k a year for an E36 M3 with a perfect record except 1 accident 5 days after I got my license. I also had a good stundent discount, multi car discount, and was under my parents name.

Im only 19 now and Im faced with a similar decision again, Im really looking into an E36 M3 now that I am basicly out of school for good and on my way in my career. Parts/labor are no worries because I get them at cost from now on

but insurance will be killer. I've lived on my own for about a year now, just think when you have to support yourself, if you have a really expensive car, responsibility will probably kick your ass if you're not ready...