flood
Diamond Member
Heres my situation:
I'm a full time student in seattle, working part time doing database stuff. I drive a 91 735i right now, which I'm in the process of selling. I want something a little newer and sportier. I can now afford a 97ish M3, but im trying to stay away from it because of the insurance.
So, I've been planning on getting a 98ish 528 for a while... I talked to my cousin, who really got me into bmw's. He is 31 and owns a 528 (has owned a 318 and 328). He told me to go for a 3 because it is so much sportier than a 5, and stressed that I'm spending a lot of money and to take it into consideration.
I have a good amount of capital to work with, but my monthly income isn't all that much. I could pretty easily afford the 528 (~ $20k)...
Taking my cousin's advice, I decided to take a look at some other (read: cheaper) cars for a bit today.
I'm primarily looking for a freeway cruiser that'll do some spirited driving once in a while. I'm not really interested in a pure sports car.
What I've been researching:
97-00 A4
92-96 325/328
The A4 sells for ~14k and has a nice interior. The quattro is nice, and the 1.8t engine is very tunable.
I tried looking at it this way.... I asked myself: instead of having a 528, would I rather have an A4 and $6k in the bank? I think I would.
Then again, the A4 isn't the greatest car to own... long term ownership costs are quite high and they dont seem to last all that long (highest mileage I've seen is 166k - compare to 300-400k+ on lots of bmw's).
The 325.... Similar interior to the M3, so the same complaints... it feels cheap.
Other than that, I dont have much to complain about... it looks good, drives good, reasonable long term ownership costs, reasonable insrurance rate.
I found a local one that looks to be in good shape, 80k miles. They want $8k for it...
So again, I ask myself... instead of having a 528, would I rather have a 325 and $12k in the bank? I think I definetly would.
So, I made some plans to go take it for a test drive later this week...
But then it occured to me... WTF am I going to do with all that money?? (I know to expect posts asking for the money 😛)
But really... All I ever do with my money is save it so I can put it towards a nice car... That $12k is just going to sit in the bank. Instead, I could be driving a 99 titanium silver 528 with angel eyes, deep dish rims, and of course, the dinan badge.
But, to put it back in perspective... I'm 21 and I'm still in school.
So, I guess I'm asking for the advice of some of the older (read: wiser) people here.
Do you live it up while you can?
I'm a full time student in seattle, working part time doing database stuff. I drive a 91 735i right now, which I'm in the process of selling. I want something a little newer and sportier. I can now afford a 97ish M3, but im trying to stay away from it because of the insurance.
So, I've been planning on getting a 98ish 528 for a while... I talked to my cousin, who really got me into bmw's. He is 31 and owns a 528 (has owned a 318 and 328). He told me to go for a 3 because it is so much sportier than a 5, and stressed that I'm spending a lot of money and to take it into consideration.
I have a good amount of capital to work with, but my monthly income isn't all that much. I could pretty easily afford the 528 (~ $20k)...
Taking my cousin's advice, I decided to take a look at some other (read: cheaper) cars for a bit today.
I'm primarily looking for a freeway cruiser that'll do some spirited driving once in a while. I'm not really interested in a pure sports car.
What I've been researching:
97-00 A4
92-96 325/328
The A4 sells for ~14k and has a nice interior. The quattro is nice, and the 1.8t engine is very tunable.
I tried looking at it this way.... I asked myself: instead of having a 528, would I rather have an A4 and $6k in the bank? I think I would.
Then again, the A4 isn't the greatest car to own... long term ownership costs are quite high and they dont seem to last all that long (highest mileage I've seen is 166k - compare to 300-400k+ on lots of bmw's).
The 325.... Similar interior to the M3, so the same complaints... it feels cheap.
Other than that, I dont have much to complain about... it looks good, drives good, reasonable long term ownership costs, reasonable insrurance rate.
I found a local one that looks to be in good shape, 80k miles. They want $8k for it...
So again, I ask myself... instead of having a 528, would I rather have a 325 and $12k in the bank? I think I definetly would.
So, I made some plans to go take it for a test drive later this week...
But then it occured to me... WTF am I going to do with all that money?? (I know to expect posts asking for the money 😛)
But really... All I ever do with my money is save it so I can put it towards a nice car... That $12k is just going to sit in the bank. Instead, I could be driving a 99 titanium silver 528 with angel eyes, deep dish rims, and of course, the dinan badge.
But, to put it back in perspective... I'm 21 and I'm still in school.
So, I guess I'm asking for the advice of some of the older (read: wiser) people here.
Do you live it up while you can?
