First Car... First BMW...

[imthatmvrk]

Hey, I'm new to the forum. I need some help, I would like to get a E34 540i. However, as I'm new to the whole car thing, I need some guidance. Both of my best friends drive BMWs (a E30 325es and a E46 M3) and they keep telling me to get a BMW. I've looked at everything, 3s, 5s, even 7s. I'm pretty much stuck on a E34 or E39 540i.

Here's where my problem is, I'm turning 16 in July and I'm going to be using this as a daily. To and from school (around 15 miles both ways) and maybe to work (add 10 miles). I'm just scared about reliability and gas mileage. So maybe after a few mods, maybe a good exhaust, not no eBay or Auto Zone crap, more like Magnaflow. And maybe some other mods when I figure out them when that time comes.

Will it be more of a nuisance or will it be good for me? I'm not scared to open a Bentley Service Manual and pour some elbow grease and DIY stuff.

Thanks for any help!

PS: forgot to mention that this would be my first car.

[Smoky540i]

I'd get a good straight 6 BMW, the V8s are great for power and the V8 sound but they're more maintenance. I've had pretty good luck on my E46 and E36 6 cylinders. Or get a 525i or 535i E34. Slightly better gas mileage than a 540i and less maintenance in my opinion

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[Kannackas]

If you can find a 540 in good condition with nice history there's no reason why it shouldn't be reliable, however I'm not sure a 16 year old with no previous driving experience should be driving around in a 300hp car(16 year old me would have crashed REAL quick..) without the safety features of modern cars. Take the money and spend it on a very clean 525i instead?

[ZUUD BYE]

I'd get a good straight 6 BMW, the V8s are great for power and the V8 sound but they're more maintenance. I've had pretty good luck on my E46 and E36 6 cylinders. Or get a 525i or 535i E34. Slightly better gas mileage than a 540i and less maintenance in my opinion

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+1

But they will still be a 27 (E34 1990) to 11 (E46 2007) year old car! They will typically want vacuum & coolant system and drive train, steering and suspension maintenance really quick.

Learn to love to work on them.

[Kingpin025]

I love these cars but they all require maintenance that can be costly unless you know how to turn the wrench yourself. The plus side is most every problem you could have is probably covered here so expertise is available if you're willing to gain the experience, put in the time and have funds available. If you're not in that position I'd suggest a late model Civic or Sentra for now and save the BMW for a graduation present for yourself. I had the exact same discussion with my youngest son and he opted for the BMW. He is currently on his 2nd year without a car because of a blown head gasket. That is a story led by him not listening to my advice when his cooling system started to fail, not doing the work on the car he promised he'd do and lack of funds. Kudos to you for coming here and asking questions about the car you're interested in. Good luck in whatever choice you make. I'll leave you with one last observation, there's nothing like pulling into a meet with an E34 project and having fellow owners appreciate your progress. Nothing like it!

[XAlt]

The early M60 V8s are very reliable, and if you can DIY, there's nothing to worry about. I was 15 when I got my E39 540 (about to turn 18), and I've had lots of fun wrenching on it over the past two years, and that's a car reserved for a masochists (the E34 is a much better choice for a daily).

Also, forget about the mods for now. A well maintained car is infinitely more satisfying than an exhaust.

[ross1]

Either make good reliable cars IF you get them caught up on maintenance. So, the basics before mods or you'll be disappointed.
Neither is any good unless you can do the work yourself or have an atypical budget for a 16 year old. These were expensive when new which means expensive to keep if you need to pay for servicing.

[cadam034]

I have two e34s, one with the v8 and one with the six cylinder, both are really reliable cars. HOWEVER, they are over twenty years old at this point and need periodic work to keep them running their best. When it comes to maintenance the six cylinder cars are ten times easier to work on, especially if you're just starting out. Parts for them are also much more common and cheaper. So keep that in mind. Just my thoughts on the matter

[zkd]

I love these cars but they all require maintenance that can be costly unless you know how to turn the wrench yourself. The plus side is most every problem you could have is probably covered here so expertise is available if you're willing to gain the experience, put in the time and have funds available. If you're not in that position I'd suggest a late model Civic or Sentra for now and save the BMW for a graduation present for yourself. I had the exact same discussion with my youngest son and he opted for the BMW. He is currently on his 2nd year without a car because of a blown head gasket. That is a story led by him not listening to my advice when his cooling system started to fail, not doing the work on the car he promised he'd do and lack of funds. Kudos to you for coming here and asking questions about the car you're interested in. Good luck in whatever choice you make. I'll leave you with one last observation, there's nothing like pulling into a meet with an E34 project and having fellow owners appreciate your progress. Nothing like it!

I totally agree with Kingpin025, my eldest blow the engine when he started driving the car and it was burning more oil than gas. had to do an engine swap which cost over $1500. now he's riding a bike....