[xMavrik]

I finished school in May and am doing pretty well in new job.

I love everything about the m235. I have found a few used models around my home city. I've been told BMW's are one of the biggest money pots due to their expensive upkeep. The only other car I was looking at was the WRX.

Is the increase in upkeep as bad as everyone says? Am I going to be paying half the initial cost of the car in maintenance?

Any advice would be very much welcomed!!!

[BEM-S4]

You don't want to be a single mechanical failure away from financial disaster. If you're really worried about $ there are plenty of nice cars out there. Get a GTI sport with warranty for instance and get the 235 in a few years.

[jmwilson125]

I was kinda in the same boat. After school i was doing pretty well. Nothing crazy, not over 6 figures, but better than a lot of kids just out of school.

I saved for a year and put 25k down on a new m235i. So far i have had very few issues with it. Any minor issues that i did have were covered by the dealership no questions asked. My car is fbo now and still now issues or cost. Im currently at 25,000 miles in 2 years.

My advice, if you finance put a large chunk down so payments are very easily managed. I also have a personal company vehicle so if i ever had an issue with my m235 its not a huge issue for me.

When i was looking at cars i considered the audi s4, m235i or the sti. I never even made it to test drive the sti. I fell in love with the m235 instantly.

I would advise test driving multiple cars though you may even like a cheaper car better. It all depends what you are looking for

[bryan_G01]

Your car should cost 10%-15% of your total income after taxes yearly.
Figure that out, and thats what your car should cost you.

Having a cool car now is a lot less cooler than retiring at 40 years old with a bunch of houses, trust me.

There are plenty of affordable cars that will get you A to B. I wouldnt be looking at a 35k CPO or 55k new BMW.

[aozer]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

Your car should cost 10%-15% of your total income after taxes yearly.
Figure that out, and thats what your car should cost you.

Having a cool car now is a lot less cooler than retiring at 40 years old with a bunch of houses, trust me.

There are plenty of affordable cars that will get you A to B. I wouldnt be looking at a 35k CPO or 55k new BMW.

thats pretty conservative. you telling me someone making 100k a year before taxes shouldnt even drive a car that costs 15k?

[BEM-S4]

Actually you know what - check out a 2007/2008 Z4 3.0si coupe. I'm test driving one Saturday in fact. Like $20k you can drive it for a few years and probably sell it for close to what you paid they're bottoming out and possible going to start increasing in value soon. Fun, fun car on a shoestring budget. The Na 6 in that is pretty bullet proof and being 10 years old less electronics and tech (read: expensive shit to fix).

[jmwilson125]

Having a cool car now is a lot less cooler than retiring at 40 years old with a bunch of houses, trust me.

Brian is definitely right if you are looking a few years down the road.

Even on a smaller scale though, do you want the boys to be going out in town for the night, or going on a vacation weekend with the girlfriend/wife and you have to stop and think hmmmm can i afford this?


As for what your income is vs how much you pay for a car. Its somewhat relative, an enthusiast is going to spebd a much larger chunk of their income on a car the someone who doesnt car what they drive at all.

Hell, i spend most of my disposable income on car parts.

[DuckBone]

If you're worried about repair costs go with the WRX. Cheaper upfront and will hold it's value better. Otherwise I'd recommend a CPO'd 2 series. It will be a little more expensive at firs but you won't have to worry about major repairs.

[bryan_G01]

Originally Posted by aozer

thats pretty conservative. you telling me someone making 100k a year before taxes shouldnt even drive a car that costs 15k?

per year, with payment and insurance yes.

100k is not a lot of money at all. When you buy a home, pay back loans, have a family, etc...

Check out a book called the Automatic Millionaire.
Your car is an expense, it doesn't make any money for you.

The most common cars drove by millionaires are not lambos or ferrari, they are:

BMW 328i. ...
Mercedez-Benz C-Class. ...
Lexus RX 350. ...
Toyota Prius. ...
Volkswagen Jetta. ...
Honda Accord. ...
Toyota Camry. ...
BMW X5. With a suggested retail price of $58,595, the BMW X5 is the priciest ride on the list of 10 most sought-after rides among the richest Americans, according to TrueCar.com

[bryan_G01]

i know plenty of people who are in the 1%, and one thing they all have in common is they had shit cars until they had at least 3 houses.

Im not saying beaters, but always had a used mercedes, or bmw which they paid cash for.

When you have lets say 2 houses rented out and making 2-5k per month on the property ( i also live in NYC where the cost of buying and renting is astronomical) thats how you can afford to buy an exotic. It's free money at that point that would either be going to a bank account or the fun account which includes cool cars and track days. The more you can bank, the earlier you can retire.

I have friends who just turned 31 yrs old with 3 houses in Jersey City downtown, he can sell them all right now and bank $5mil. His plan is to make cash, pay down his mortgages, or even pay off 1 or 2, than hes banking 10-15k a month per property without having to do any work at all. Thats being liquid.

A few of my friends even have garages at NJMP/Monticello where they keep the race car. Even better, they write of these costs towards their businesses as expenses.

Bottom line is, when i was young and making 125-150k, i went out and bought range rovers, m3s, built custom drag and track cars, and all that money could have went toward real estate or other investments. I was dumb, no one told me what life was all about. Hopefully one of you will read this and think about it.

[snaketh]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

per year, with payment and insurance yes.

100k is not a lot of money at all. When you buy a home, pay back loans, have a family, etc...

100k is nothing in NYC but in other cities it will go a long way. Not everyone has kids, or loans either, so blanket advice isn't very useful.

There's a balance between living your life and spending money on things you enjoy, and saving/investing. I 'wasted' money on nice cars and vacations when I was younger but I don't regret it because I enjoyed those things in my prime.

OP: To answer your questions. Yes on the whole BMW's are some of the most expensive cars to maintain.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article...y-maddy-martin

However the 2er is very reliable and has had few issues. You could esimate cost of ownership yourself once you know what year you want and how long you intend to keep the car.

Rumor has it that the 2018 GTi may be coming with a 6 year manufacturers warranty being that the Tiguan and Atlas have that. Could be bs, but perhaps it's worth waiting a month or two. If that is the case it wouldn't be a bad choice for someone out of school with 30k to spend.

[B_Rice]

What are you looking for in your next car?
I also looked at WRXs before my 2er and couldn't handle the crappiness of interior.
If you're worried about operating costs get a nice CPO 2er for 30k and buy extended warranty/maintenance. Or find a good bmw mechanic that knows what their doing.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by xMavrik

I finished school in May and am doing pretty well in new job.

I love everything about the m235. I have found a few used models around my home city. I've been told BMW's are one of the biggest money pots due to their expensive upkeep. The only other car I was looking at was the WRX.

Is the increase in upkeep as bad as everyone says? Am I going to be paying half the initial cost of the car in maintenance?

Any advice would be very much welcomed!!!

1. Live beneath your means.
2. Buy a house.
3. Save. Save. Save.
4. Don't raid the equity in your house.
5. Take sack lunches to work.
6. Don't stop at Starbucks.


7. Enjoy your well funded retirement. That day might
arrive much sooner than you think, if 1 thru 6.

[bryan_G01]

[QUOTE=snaketh;22029943If that is the case it wouldn't be a bad choice for someone out of school with 30k to spend.[/QUOTE]

I don't care where you live or how much you make, spending 30k on a car coming out of school is the worst advice anyone can give.

If you loose your job on a re-org or downsize, how are you going to make your payments, pay rent, pay your loans back, and buy food?

Or you can have that xtra 400 a month and saved up, for a house, or the oh shit fund.

Or just be hood rich and live in your moms basement forever.

[snaketh]

Originally Posted by bryan_f22

I don't care where you live or how much you make, spending 30k on a car coming out of school is the worst advice anyone can give.

If you loose your job on a re-org or downsize, how are you going to make your payments, pay rent, pay your loans back, and buy food?

Or you can have that xtra 400 a month and saved up, for a house, or the oh shit fund.

Or just be hood rich and live in your moms basement forever.

OP didn't mention his financial situation nor was he asking for financial advice. He asked if the 2er was going to be a money pit. According to edmunds the 235 will cost $8k more over 5 years vs the WRX STI in repairs and maintenance.

https://www.edmunds.com/bmw/2-series...9/cost-to-own/

https://www.edmunds.com/subaru/wrx/2...4/cost-to-own/

[capo180]

If you enjoy it buy it. As long as your financial house is in decent order and you are able to save money, who cares. Life is short, everyone has different goals.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by capo180

If you enjoy it buy it. As long as your financial house is in decent order and you are able to save money, who cares. Life is short, everyone has different goals.

You can always sleep in your car, but you can never drive your house.

[capo180]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

You can always sleep in your car, but you can never drive your house.

Young women don't like WRXs anyways.. idk why anyone would buy one :

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by capo180

Young women don't like WRXs anyways.. idk why anyone would buy one :

To that point 99% of the time they see BMW and nothing else, so if you're just looking to pull trim there's no benefit to spending more on a 235 versus a 228.

[CAMOETO]

You could always play it safe and get a 2014-2015 CPO 228i with about 20-30k miles on the clock. It will still have about 3 years of warranty left due to the CPO adding 2 years and cost ~$25,000 which makes it a great value proposition. Your monthly payment will be very reasonable and depreciation will be relatively low. The CPO warranty will cover any unexpected issues.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by CAMOETO

You could always play it safe and get a 2014-2015 CPO 228i with about 20-30k miles on the clock. It will still have about 3 years of warranty left due to the CPO adding 2 years and cost ~$25,000 which makes it a great value proposition. Your monthly payment will be very reasonable and depreciation will be relatively low. The CPO warranty will cover any unexpected issues.

Ha. I was JUST looking at those for GF literally right now. Lot of nice options our there.

[CAMOETO]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Ha. I was JUST looking at those for GF literally right now. Lot of nice options our there.

They are a great value for sure, and they are a lot cooler than your "secretary special" 320/328i that go for about the same price.