$10k Fun or Sensible?

I'm buying my first car, but I'm still young and not financially established. I want to buy a used BMW, but I can't help but think in the back of my mind that going that route may be a big mistake. I hear that BMWs are very reliable, but what are the chances of things going wrong and the car becoming a money pit that I won't be able to afford? I'll pretty much only be looking a BMWs with over 100,000 kilometers on them, in my price range.

On the other side of the coin is buying a newer compact car, which seems sensible, especially in my current stage in life. But I know it will be so disappointing. A boring, FWD car that's pure transportation and no fun. I don't want to financially ruin myself though. Are my expectations unrealistic? Should I force myself to save more money? If I do, I feel like it's not smart to spend even more money on my first car. Any thoughts, experience or advice would really be appreciated.

>wat is
>2006 MX-5
>2006 GTI
>2006 Civic Si

>buying a bmw after the e46, e39, e38 or m coupe
shiggy diggy

Not a fan of Honda or hatches. The MX-5 seems like an odd choice as an only car.

Would you mind explaining? Not sure why I'd want to buy an even older car as my main means of transportation.

>Not sure why I'd want to buy an even older car

get a new prius or a nissan leaf then

You know what I'm trying to say. Older cars are more likely to require maintenance, because they've seen more use. Spending more money on maintenance after the initial purchase is something I'd like to avoid, hence why I'm looking at newer BMWs.

I'm a big fan of e46 and older. BMW engines and transmissions are reliable, but anecdotally, the little stuff doesn't seem to be reliable. On my e46 I had window regulators fail several times, minor seals would fail but they were expensive and time consuming to fix, and I had to replace the expansion tank twice. It developed some weird electrical problems right before I sold it.

From what I hear, these issues are only compounded on newer generations. But damn if the e46 wasn't fun to drive, even if it was slow.

Yea, seems like something I don't want to get myself into.

every single vehicle old or new needs maintenance, you need to do your due diligence on each one all the same. idiots buy new cars too, you know

I get that. Tires, brakes, bearings, oil, all the stuff you're expected to maintain and replace. It's the "this random part broke unexpectedly and it's going to cost you $800" that I want to avoid as much as reasonably possible.

bmw's are known for this, particularly with the electrics

This. It's generally not the engine or transmission that will give you trouble, it's the window motors, the O2 sensor, the wheel bearings, etc. All the stuff that's considered ticky tack and minor IF you know how to wrench or you have the money to hire it out. It doesn't break the bank if you're older and established in your job but it can be significant for someone still in school or just starting out. The older the car, the more likely these things are to need fixing.

Seriously, if you have 10k to spend, get yourself a Civic Si or a GTI. They're a lot of fun and they won't bankrupt you should something break. Get a good job, save money while you're driving the econoboxes and get something with an M badge when you can really afford it.

All of those are better driving and more reliable than a newer BMW. E90s suffer from carbon buildup and don't have dipsticks. You also get bangle's shitty design and for 10k you can only get a 328i. 328is were the lease special so they were all used and abused.

Keep your shitty cars in your containment thread. This is the 10th thread today at least about shitty ass bmws

Fair enough, seems like I'll need to look elsewhere.

You know now that you mention that, I know someone who worked for a BMW dealership who owned a 2005 3 series, who recently sold that and bought a new Golf R Wolfsburg.

Any general thoughts on the Audi A4? I just really like midsize sedans.

The engine choice is shit. You get either a shitty gasoline engine or a diesel. FSI/TFSI are expensive to maintain and unreliable. Generally these cars are made to explode after they're leased by some asshole who wants to look rich.

Wrong wheel drive.
Shitty haldex awd
Engine is too far forward = unfixable understeer
"luxury" car with a 4-cylinder (at your budget)
Horribly unreliable
Timing_chain.jpg

Man, I'm really having a hard time finding a car I'll like. Short of saying fuck it and just saving until I can afford a Mustang or 370z, it seems like I'll be stuck with a smaller car.

Yea, I've finally drifted away from the BMW, at least for now. Probably for the better.

I've owned quite a few bimmers, and they've been pretty reliable (besides the ones with an SMG transmission, not the double clutch).
One BIG tip, don't buy mid-range ones. CPO top range > new mid-range 10 times out of ten.

For a first car though, you should probably stop being a faggot and buy a Civic.

>I hear that BMWs are very reliable
lol wat

Care to offer some suggestions?

Why not fun AND sensible?

What's wrong with affordable cars, m8? Are you mad that someone wants to spend 10k on a used piece of shit German jalopy?

LMAO bullshit.

There is so much bullshit about BMWs on this board and actually also IRL from people that have never owned one.

Window regulators fail also on an 15 years old toyota. It's just the limits of fucking mass production, BMW is not immune to laws of physics.

But saying how everything will break a week after you buy a used BMW is the complete bullshit.

All direct injection engines suffer from carbon buildup (this includes N54 N55 which are used in 335i, but not N52). Is this an issue? Perhaps. But it's inflated. Not having a dipstick is perfectly OK. You get a message that you're low on oil if you are. Also about myth that all BMWs are abused lol actually most are very well taken care of because they are owned by guys that really like their car. The abused ones you'll get anywhere where you buy a car with enough HP but that will be obvious when test driving the car. So again it's not a BMW problem at all. LMAO people. Buy the BMW it's the most fun "normal" car.

The only thing you should concern yourself is if you have the money to service the car at stealership or do you have some indy guy or are you perhaps willing to do it DIY using youtube. Prepare money accordingly. If you do stuff yourself it's pretty cheap to own a BMW. And there is more info and even diagnostic software on the net so you can do pretty much everything yourself. I changed my shocks, did the CDV delete, normal oil services etc.

If you don't get a bone optioned 328i, it probably wasn't a lease. Plus you can check the carfax. Not a problem.

Carbon buildup is only on the N54/N55 on the 335i

Bangle design isn't that bad on the 3 after the LCI.

Get a japanese car for starters. Bimmers are very expensive to fix and not really good for some students first car.

do what everyone else does

>buy sensible commuter car, maybe with the sport trim
>start throwing retarded mods and engine swaps that cost as much as another car or three at it when you get bored/pay it off
>still get BTFO by actual sportscars, but get half the speeding tickets because you don't stand out
>never tell your insurance company