In 1999, I bought my first BMW. It was a 1982 328i. I bought it for $800. It had issues and I resold it for $1,600 a few months later.
Fast forward 14 years.
I REALLY want an M3. I only have $4,000. I know that a $4,000 M3 is going to cost me $6,000 in repairs and I'll end up owning a 200k mile salvaged title M3 that I paid $10,00 for. So that option is not a good one.
I'm a 36 year old father of four working in outside sales spending a lot of my day in the car. I have owned all kinds of cars in my day from Toyota commuters to muscle cars to even mini-vans. My wife doesn't understand why I tell her that my old BMW and my 91 Mustang GT 5.0 were my two favorite even though we have owned several nicer cars! She doesnt get it when I say "driving an M3 is exhilarating like I'm on a race track in traffic".
If you were in my shoes with $4,000 to spend and maybe another $150 a month in "car fund" what would you do?
Option A - Save my money until I can afford a $10,000 M3 or something else and buy a $4,000 Toyota/Honda commuter that is very "economical" yet makes me sad while I drive.
Option B - Purchase the best $4,000 BMW 3 Series I can get and maintain it really well and when the time is right...upgrade.
If you were to choose Option B - What model would you go for that will be the most reliable daily driver with the least amount of "maintenance" costs, yet fun/sporty/luxury?
Is Option B a real option? Or am I fooling myself?
Fast forward 14 years.
I REALLY want an M3. I only have $4,000. I know that a $4,000 M3 is going to cost me $6,000 in repairs and I'll end up owning a 200k mile salvaged title M3 that I paid $10,00 for. So that option is not a good one.
I'm a 36 year old father of four working in outside sales spending a lot of my day in the car. I have owned all kinds of cars in my day from Toyota commuters to muscle cars to even mini-vans. My wife doesn't understand why I tell her that my old BMW and my 91 Mustang GT 5.0 were my two favorite even though we have owned several nicer cars! She doesnt get it when I say "driving an M3 is exhilarating like I'm on a race track in traffic".
If you were in my shoes with $4,000 to spend and maybe another $150 a month in "car fund" what would you do?
Option A - Save my money until I can afford a $10,000 M3 or something else and buy a $4,000 Toyota/Honda commuter that is very "economical" yet makes me sad while I drive.
Option B - Purchase the best $4,000 BMW 3 Series I can get and maintain it really well and when the time is right...upgrade.
If you were to choose Option B - What model would you go for that will be the most reliable daily driver with the least amount of "maintenance" costs, yet fun/sporty/luxury?
Is Option B a real option? Or am I fooling myself?