WTB- M3 <$10,000 looking for first car

hi guys, new to these forums and i have fallen in love with BMW somehow

i know an m3 isnt the best idea for a first car but what would be my options to get one?

bmw for a first car not a bad idea

don't plan on finding an e46 m3 under ten.

high mileage e36 m3's however, are in that range.

be ready for some retarded repair costs.

Originally Posted by issacsierra06

bmw for a first car not a bad idea

You could argue that a BMW is but an M3 is not. I know you're in love with the idea of having an M3 (everyone here is the same) but it really is a poor idea for a first car. Not only is it too much for a beginner to handle but maintenance will be more than you anticipate. Insurance will be through the roof for a beginning driver. Learn how to drive on a quality non-M 3 series and then when ready move up.

so a 3 series of some sort?

I agree with the above. You might wanna get yourself a nice 325 or 330. Hang onto that for a while. A 330 is more than enough in the right hands.

Originally Posted by SDKmann

You could argue that a BMW is but an M3 is not. I know you're in love with the idea of having an M3 (everyone here is the same) but it really is a poor idea for a first car. Not only is it too much for a beginner to handle but maintenance will be more than you anticipate. Insurance will be through the roof for a beginning driver. Learn how to drive on a quality non-M 3 series and then when ready move up.

werd.

get a 330(c)i 5speed and enjoy that until you are ready for the big financial leap of an M3.

thanks everyone not to educated on this (as you can see )

Originally Posted by gmilori

A 330 is more than enough in the right hands.

Thats exactly right. I drive a 325i and my driving skills are not beyond my cars abilities. I started out with a 318ti and that was plenty of performance when I was first driving, probably still would be. For under $10k you could probably get a clean E36 328, which is what I would do.

Originally Posted by Marker106

hi guys, new to these forums and i have fallen in love with BMW somehow

i know an m3 isnt the best idea for a first car but what would be my options to get one?

I am a firm believer in purchasing a car that you like, however at the same time making a wise financial decision....

If you are looking to spend <$10k on a car, do you (honestly) think BMW is the route to go?

Most BMW's for that price will have high miles, plenty of problems (fixed or not) and plenty of problems more to come. When you buy a used car, you are always buying someone elses problems.

Now say you do actually find a reasonable deal... 2001 330i with 140k, you go and get it checked out, the vehicle report looks good, no major accidents, and your mechanic says "go for it, it looks like it was well maintained."

Is purchasing it a bad idea? absolutely not... however you better have a savings account with a few grand in it JUST IN CASE something goes wrong.

If you can do it that way, then I would say go for it... but if you aren't ready to pay $$$ for maintenance, insurance, oil, gas, and etc... then you really should look into getting a cheaper maintenace car... not to mention a newer one with less miles..

Be smart..... you'll fvcking hate BMW if you buy one that has a lot of problems and you don't have the money to fix it...

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...1#post11230121

this one looks good to me
i wouuld probably want to get a carfax on it or something

Grab a Jetta GLI or GTI, awesome first car.

i got mine for 5 grand ...... well maintained its whole life, all it needed was a few tires, and shocks had to be replaced after i put on H&R race springs. 10K is a good chunk of change. but its not m3 change. i mean i would say get a 323/325. pleanty of power and great on gas, and has lots of emenities. or you could grab an e30 for like 1.5K and modify it into anything you wannt...

look buddy..... money should not be an object if its new car ... but some shity honda for 2k $ and drive it for a year or 2 and then plan for the damn bmw ..... just trust me first car = always recked or dmged by stupid driving ..... or abused by a heavy foot ... ! i am not lying just trust me !

Originally Posted by JJR4884

Now say you do actually find a reasonable deal... 2001 330i with 140k, you go and get it checked out, the vehicle report looks good, no major accidents, and your mechanic says "go for it, it looks like it was well maintained."

I couldn't agree more with you. That's exactly what I did, and I have been nothing but pleased with my 328Ci. If I wasn't moving up to an M, I would hold onto this car for sure!

Check out my 2000 328Ci with 146k miles - asking around $8,000. It has a 5 speed manual transmission. Steel Gray with black interior. Beautiful car and runs incredibly strong (harder than many 330's - no lie!). Check out my for sale thread to see pics and details of the car. I am also slightly negotiable with the price!

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...442&highlight=

yes it took me a lot of money to buy my first e36 m3, 20 years old bought it for 7 grand, with high miles and ended up putting around 5 grand into it in 2 years for maint. i think you should joint the bmw world no doubt, but 323, 325, 328, 330. Have a lot of friends with those cars and they are awesome cars to learn how to drive in, and nothing compared to M's to fix. " you may be able to buy an M3, but can you OWN an M3".

get a 325 and get a m3 when you get a little older... i wish i did (im 20 now)

You'll be fine with a non m bimmer

Im 18 and drive a 2004 325ci, great car. Its no M for performance, but it gets the job done. G/L

Originally Posted by Sub

Grab a Jetta GLI or GTI, awesome first car.

+1 I had a MkIV GTI VR6 and a MKIII GTI VR6 before I got into bmw.

trust me, going BMW is amazing, but it will only cause you headache if you cant deal with the maintenance and upkeep. Plus you know you are going to want to mod it eventually (every car enthusiast with a license eventually wants to do something) and that isnt cheap AT ALL for BMW. Get yourself a nice VW or something, you get good ride quality, decent performance, leather seats-, german made(most of them)- all the things you want but in a more achievable manner w/ lower mileage, lower maintenance costs, better condition for the price range. good luck with the car hunt! The first one is always exciting!

but if your heart wont let you buy anything else, i understand the feeling, and welcome to the club haha.