[vetteflier]

Originally Posted by jmase248

This is all subjective as there are many variables, but I found this interesting article..

https://luxurycarsa2z.com/which-inco...w-vs-mercedes/

Here's a notable pull quote:

"BMW demographics are a little bit more "reasonable," as many BMW models are being bought by enthusiasts that stretch their budgets to be able to afford a BMW. Which in turn lowers the average income class of BMW to about $130k per household."

Anyways, back to reading the rest of the comments.

Interesting. However, M-B does in fact make "cheap" cars. Many available in the mid-30s, same as BMW 2 series.

[jmase248]

Originally Posted by vetteflier

Interesting. However, M-B does in fact make "cheap" cars. Many available in the mid-30s, same as BMW 2 series.

Yep, I think the writer may have been somewhat biased.

[440i6MT]

I think I might be in the vast minority regarding how much (I.e. how little) I bring in compared to how nice of a car I drive.

Then again, I'm just starting out in my career, while also driving a salvaged (project) 440i.
Not having a wife, kids, or a mortgage yet definitely grants me some flexibility.

[Piper1]

Originally Posted by QueueWhere

BMWs are really expensive, and if you cannot afford them, then don’t buy them. You can, of course, get an older and used car, but you would probably have to spend tons of money on repairing and maintenance. So, go for something simpler in the beginning.

I guess this is based on perspective, they’re not in supercar price bracket by any means, but growing up I thought this and never thought I’d ever own one, let alone 3. All used and my 03 e85 z4 I’ve spent “tons” more on performance upgrades than I’ve had to on maintenance and have all the receipts to prove it over the 11 years owning it. In fact I’ve spent less all in on my 03 z4 than you can get a Mazda FD rx7 these days and even my 07 e86 z4 with 34k miles that I picked up last year was 10k less than the cheapest FD on CarGurus right now that has 104k miles on it.

In the end all based on the car and supply and demand. Start a build on certain bronco and wrangler trims new and you’ll find they out price some entry bmw pricing. A base X1 starts at 38,600 a base bronco starts at 31,300.

[Kromans1]

The new X1 was cheaper than the Buick Envision we had in order.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by 440i6MT

I think I might be in the vast minority regarding how much (I.e. how little) I bring in compared to how nice of a car I drive.

Then again, I'm just starting out in my career, while also driving a salvaged (project) 440i.
Not having a wife, kids, or a mortgage yet definitely grants me some flexibility.

A wife is a plus if she's working!

My wife is a housewife, so I'm footing the bill for a kid, mortgage, and 4 cars, but I honestly like it. I work from home so we are all closer as a family than the house where I grew up, were both my parents never home.

[///MPhatic]

Threads like this are always interesting. I used to be concerned with such things, but as I got older I found I was more concerned with time. I would guess that I'm on the lower end of the BMW owner spectrum with regards to yearly salary, but I own my cars, will soon own my home, and work 3 days a week. I could work more, make more, and love life less. No thanks.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

Threads like this are always interesting. I used to be concerned with such things, but as I got older I found I was more concerned with time. I would guess that I'm on the lower end of the BMW owner spectrum with regards to yearly salary, but I own my cars, will soon own my home, and work 3 days a week. I could work more, make more, and love life less. No thanks.

MANY PEOPLE especially in the USA... simply do not understand this...

[damack]

It's funny, my BMW cost less than my F150 pickup. No one even blinked at that. People see BMW and go "ooh, big spender"

[chris719]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

Threads like this are always interesting. I used to be concerned with such things, but as I got older I found I was more concerned with time. I would guess that I'm on the lower end of the BMW owner spectrum with regards to yearly salary, but I own my cars, will soon own my home, and work 3 days a week. I could work more, make more, and love life less. No thanks.

Now I know he's become politicized of late, but I saw an interview with Bill Gates a long time ago where they asked if he gambled. His reply was something like, I'd gamble if I could win time.

[Blue87]

Originally Posted by damack

It's funny, my BMW cost less than my F150 pickup. No one even blinked at that. People see BMW and go "ooh, big spender"

I'm pretty sure most have no clue how much my M50i cost, but most likely make many assumptions.

If I worked less, then there would most definitely be a trade-off (both of us work); most likely no private school for the kids, guess i'd still have the Q7, wife would still have her new jeep, different house, much less spending/investment money each month etc. I told my parents, "I'll buy nice stuff while I can afford it, and stop when I'm on a fixed income and can't."

[jmg]

Originally Posted by damack

It's funny, my BMW cost less than my F150 pickup. No one even blinked at that. People see BMW and go "ooh, big spender"

I went from a B7 Audi S4 25quattro to a F30 328i and people thought I upgraded! Nope! Just bought a new house and wanted to get rid of a high maintenance 4.2L V8 that came with the S4. Funny enough, my F30 328i was Alpine White, so 3 years later when I parked my new Alpine White M3 at work, which was almost double the price at $80k, people didn't even realize it was a different car because they looked similar. So when I traded that for a M3 CS, co-workers thought I just traded it for just another M3 in a different color. They had no idea it was a $107k car. So basically, I went from a $42k 328i to a $107k M3 CS and no one really noticed.

These were obviously not car people.

[10"]

Originally Posted by ASAP

MANY PEOPLE especially in the USA... simply do not understand this...

Agree—it's sad how obsessed with salary and $$$ Americans are.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by chris719

Now I know he's become politicized of late, but I saw an interview with Bill Gates a long time ago where they asked if he gambled. His reply was something like, I'd gamble if I could win time.

It's a great quote for sure. A lot of people vilify Bill Gates, but I like him, and always have.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by jmg

I went from a B7 Audi S4 25quattro to a F30 328i and people thought I upgraded! Nope! Just bought a new house and wanted to get rid of a high maintenance 4.2L V8 that came with the S4. Funny enough, my F30 328i was Alpine White, so 3 years later when I parked my new Alpine White M3 at work, which was almost double the price at $80k, people didn't even realize it was a different car because they looked similar. So when I traded that for a M3 CS, co-workers thought I just traded it for just another M3 in a different color. They had no idea it was a $107k car. So basically, I went from a $42k 328i to a $107k M3 CS and no one really noticed.

These were obviously not car people.

That's what I like of owning BMW's, when your in a Cayman or base 911 ppl always assume it's a very expensive car.

[DB_Cooper]

Originally Posted by Randy Johnson

Is is safe to say the 99% of bmw owners make over 100k? With these cars costing so much I'm just wondering where owners are in terms of salary? Not sure who people can afford so much for a car these days.
PS: I buy used.

If you don't have a wife or kid(s), and normal overhead costs you can afford cars more expensive than a BMW, all the while making less than $100k.

[440i6MT]

Originally Posted by jmg

A wife is a plus if she's working!

My wife is a housewife, so I'm footing the bill for a kid, mortgage, and 4 cars, but I honestly like it. I work from home so we are all closer as a family than the house where I grew up, were both my parents never home.

I've thought about that. A wife is a solid investment
Lucky for me, my BMW is paid off.

You work from home? Lucky man

[chris719]

Originally Posted by DB_Cooper

If you don't have a wife or kid(s), and normal overhead costs you can afford cars more expensive than a BMW, all the while making less than $100k.

Less than 100k but more expensive than a BMW? If you mean like a non-M 3 series then sure, but BMW goes pretty high these days. Even if you’re single and make 100k it is probably very unwise to buy or lease a $100k car, for example. Just being able to make a monthly payment doesn’t mean one can truly afford it I think. I’m not gonna say you need to make a million a year to buy a 911, but if your car’s MSRP is > your salary then you’re asking for trouble. Excepting those with cash or savings etc. Especially if you live in a high cost of living area. In northern NJ a single bedroom apartment that isn’t an old garden apt is running like $2200+ a month right now.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by 440i6MT

You work from home? Lucky man

I hate working from home, sometimes anyway. I just don’t like being home so much. The boundaries get blurred and I don’t feel as involved. On the plus side I’ve avoided Covid about 6 times this year because of it.

[TheMaxXHD]

These conversations imo miss the point. You can afford whatever car fits your financial situation and your risk tolerance. Notice how I said financial situation and not simply just how much one makes. You can make quite a bit less than one might think to afford a BMW. Salary/wage for sure matters, but expenses and liquid cash situation matter just as much, if not more. Ultimately, it comes down to wage relative to obligations.

I am just out of college, I do make good money for being just out of college, but I am below 6 figures. That is probably less than many of you. Have a 2023 M340i xDrive on order currently, MSRP ~67,000.

There is a reason BMW has the recent college grad program (that I am taking advantage of), grads have a higher chance of lower obligation, even if they make less. If there was a very low uptake of that program, they wouldn’t be offering it.

By the time I receive the vehicle I could probably swing a 50% downpayment if I wanted to (and might with interest rates) with a bit of room to spare for emergencies, after years of saving a lot and the past few months of saving with my new job. In addition, providing nothing else happens, I will likely within 1 year or so of receiving the vehicle have the ability to pay off the car entirely if I so chose (also in part because interest rates). I also have a some cushion in the bank if something goes wrong within the first few months of receiving it, to give me time to find another job (also helped by doing a 5 year loan which would also buy me time).

I’m lucky. I can afford what is practically my dream car for the next 10+ years. I can do this because I save, and have no other major obligations. Many others will make much more than me, but also find it more difficult than me due to other obligations like mortgages, taxes, bills, taking less risk due to family, etc. Do your research, understand the risks, understand your situation, and make an informed decision. That is all you can do. It is so much more than just how much one makes pre/post-tax.

Also finally, buy the car you want, at the price that makes sense for you. Nobody needs a BMW, a Honda Civic is still an acceptable vehicle. If that is what you can afford or all the you want, that is perfectly fine. Don’t overstretch for the sake of a status symbol or a want. If you can afford it and want a BMW, great, if not, one has plenty of great options for much less.

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by TheMaxXHD

These conversations imo miss the point. You can afford whatever car fits your financial situation and your risk tolerance. Notice how I said financial situation and not simply just how much one makes. You can make quite a bit less than one might think to afford a BMW. Salary/wage for sure matters, but expenses and liquid cash situation matter just as much, if not more. Ultimately, it comes down to wage relative to obligations.

I am just out of college, I do make good money for being just out of college, but I am below 6 figures. That is probably less than many of you. Have a 2023 M340i xDrive on order currently, MSRP ~67,000.

There is a reason BMW has the recent college grad program (that I am taking advantage of), grads have a higher chance of lower obligation, even if they make less. If there was a very low uptake of that program, they wouldn’t be offering it.

By the time I receive the vehicle I could probably swing a 50% downpayment if I wanted to (and might with interest rates) with a bit of room to spare for emergencies, after years of saving a lot and the past few months of saving with my new job. In addition, providing nothing else happens, I will likely within 1 year or so of receiving the vehicle have the ability to pay off the car entirely if I so chose (also in part because interest rates). I also have a some cushion in the bank if something goes wrong within the first few months of receiving it, to give me time to find another job (also helped by doing a 5 year loan which would also buy me time).

I’m lucky. I can afford what is practically my dream car for the next 10+ years. I can do this because I save, and have no other major obligations. Many others will make much more than me, but also find it more difficult than me due to other obligations like mortgages, taxes, bills, taking less risk due to family, etc. Do your research, understand the risks, understand your situation, and make an informed decision. That is all you can do. It is so much more than just how much one makes pre/post-tax.

Also finally, buy the car you want, at the price that makes sense for you. Nobody needs a BMW, a Honda Civic is still an acceptable vehicle. If that is what you can afford or all the you want, that is perfectly fine. Don’t overstretch for the sake of a status symbol or a want.

Everyone already knows this and it's been repeated 100x in this thread

[TheMaxXHD]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Everyone already knows this and it's been repeated 100x in this thread

Well unfortunately it needs to be continuously repeated. I don’t blame people btw for thinking salary is the only thing that matters. It doesn’t help that most guidance you see online is related to how much you should spend on a car relative to things like your monthly take home pay. Neglecting to mention things like expenses, that could even make someone who has a lot of expenses from thinking they can afford more, or someone with less expenses thinking they can afford less.

Some people will use this thread to understand if they can afford a BMW or not, and the answer is, we aren’t you, we can’t make that decision for you, even if we know everything.

This forum is biased on the high performance car side and probably higher wages compared to the average person that doesn’t visit this forum looking for a car.

I don’t know, why does it matter who makes what. Owning a BMW is about owning a BMW, we should be talking about that.