Well...time for me to start looking for cars, it's that age

Anywho, I was looking at this one in particular :


http://www.canadatrader.com/trader/r...1&cregion=1011

Basically because BMW's don't really break down, or well, no major breakdowns, it's a nice car with ALL the options (I could live without leather seats though..too hot in summer)

It's going to mainly for city use, with some highway useage, and summer/winter climate (hey..we just got a last ditch mother nature effort of 20cm of snow today )

Remember, all prices and mileage are in CANADIAN terms, not American :p


Sooo..does anyone have any suggestions/tips/other cartypes/etc...for a car purchase for a young guy? I'm 19..20 next january, and no, I'm not really interested in racing (I kinda wanna live past 20, ya know? )

Thanks in advance!


- Anthony

Wow, those prices and mileages are high.... (j/k)

I think your theory is very sound: Get something with moderately high miles, in a model of car that really doesn't care how many miles you put on it.

I've always been a big fan of older Mercedes, and BMW's are almost as reliable. We got a '91 Mercedes 4-matic (their AWD -- Vermont has lots of mountains, and as much snow as Montreal) a couple of years ago with similar mileage and price-- on E-Bay, of all places. (Just, if you do that, make sure to have the car's condition in writing, and check it out before you pay, and/or use escrow.)

As far as buying advice: If you know a lot about cars, great. If not, and you're serious about a particular car, take it to a good mechanic that you know (not affiliated with the dealer), and have them look it over thoroughly. Usually this will cost about $50-ish, but it can be well worth it. Also check out kbb.com (Kelley Blue Book) and nadaguides.com (NADA Guide) to get a feel for its value at various conditions-- not sure if there's a Canadian version of these sites.

Then, whether you've checked it out yourself or had someone do it, tell the dealer about anything you've found, and ask them to take off for any necessary repairs. Also, if KBB or NADA shows lower retail prices, show them a printout. It always pays to ask nicely if they will give you a better price, particularly if you have facts to justify it. Don't be afraid of this conversation; just be sure to keep it very friendly. Compliments also work well during this process, especially if you're buying from a private seller. For example: "It's a really nice car, and I want to be able to maintain it as it deserves."

If you have to do financing, shop around-- Often, banks will give much lower rates than car dealers, unless the dealer is running a promotion. In the case of someone your age, perhaps without a long credit history, you might be eligible for a better rate either if you have a history with a local bank, or if you can get a relative to co-sign.

Good luck!

Thanks for the input!

I've been up all night looking at the car, seeing what would need to be done, etc..etc..

The thing I like about those bmw's is that they don't need any performance upgrades (I'm not into racing, but having a 120hp engine isn't great either ). I was looking at maybe adding a skirt in front and a spoiler so it'll remain stylish for it's lifespan.

I look at KBB and Nada, the dealership is selling it at about the right price, considering it's fully loaded and in great shape. The dealer will pay for a CAA (canadian AAA) for a thorough checkup.

If that car was properly maintained up until now, how much of a lifespan do you think it has left (in your opinion) ? That's also another factor I'm looking at...

Hmm, the only thing scaring me completely is the insurance, which is the killer. I could get one of my parents to put it under his/her name, but I wouldn't exactly like that either.

Hmmm...about the credit history, since I've turned 18, I've been paying monthly bills (Internet, cell phone) and always paid off my credit card in full on time. So that would give me a 1 year(at most) credit history. Is that enough for a dealership or bank, or would I still need a parent/relative to co-sign (which I'm not too thrilled about). Local bank...I don't really got o my bank branchDo everything online) So I wouldn't really know anyone "personally" nor have a relationship with the bank...

Oh, as far as the car needing repairs, I don't believe it does, but I'll get it checked out anyways, but I was reading on edmunds and cardomain.com and consumerguide.com(or something similar) the defects/recalls that this model car went thru. They we're nothing really major, but Air conditioning, the breaking and the lighting system. Can those be knocked off the price in theory, or if it always went in for every recall/defect(would the dealer know this?) I can't do anything about that?


Thanks again for the help!

BMW + 7135....dude, don't worry about the car deal, worry about the girl that sits next to you with a leather fetish!

The recall work is a very good question. The dealer should either be able to show you records that this car has had all recalls taken care of, or should do them before they sell to you. If it's a true recall, the car manufacturer should be paying for it, so it's not something that the dealer themselves have to pay for, just something that they should make sure is taken care of. While recalls can seem minor, they were made for a reason, and usually involve safety issues. Otherwise, the manufacturer wouldn't choose to spend the money!

In the same vein, it's also a good idea to ask for the service records of a car. In addition to showing whether recalls were done, they can also show whether the car was maintained responsibly-- i.e., oil changed, scheduled services done, etc. They can also show you whether there was any unexpected substantial work done, which might indicate it was in an accident.

Insurance-- I hear ya: yuk! Insurance premiums for 19 year old male are awful!

Banks-- Yes, one of the downsides of being able to do everything online, is that we don't get to know our locals as much. With timely credit card payments for a year or so, you're on the right track, but it may not be enough. They'll look at your employment situation as well: Income, stability, etc.. So depending on how this looks, they may still ask for someone to co-sign, or perhaps offer you a better rate if you have a co-signer. This probably means you'll have to shop around in order to get a decent package.

As for the life of the car-- Hard to say. I don't know BMW's as well as other German cars. Mercedes I trust to go 200K miles or more, if the body and mechanics are maintained (rust dealt with early, brakes replaced, etc.). (Basically, the engine will run until the rest of the car falls apart around it. I speak from experience. ) I think BMW's may sacrifice a little reliability in exchange for performance. Other brands: Volvos about the same as Mercedes. Audis, Land Rovers and Subaru's start to go around 150K miles. American cars start to get iffy around 125K miles, but might be fine much longer. It depends a lot on where the car spent its time, and how the owner maintained it. Places up here where they salt in the winter are hard on cars, and near the ocean is also very bad. Warm, dry climates tend to be easier on the car. And whether it was garaged, serviced, etc. can make a huge difference. Maybe there are some Beamer owners about who can give an estimate?

Have fun with the looking and test driving.

Considering the car is in good condition, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed! Own a '90 525i myself, with ~199,000 miles on it and still running strong.

Check this site: http://www.bimmer.info

That's an excellent set of message boards for all bimmers (you're getting an E36) with people all over the planet with plenty of advice about your future 3er.

__________________
LART 'em all! Let /root grep 'em out!

Ahhh.....you came to the right place.

My first car was a 12 year old 633 Csi, then I got a 535i, which is now 18 years old, close to 200k miles and runs like a champ, bought dirt cheap when it was 13 years old.
My husband got a 16 year old hot red 325i convertible, bought at 11 years old around 160k miles now

So you can tell we are all BMW. We buy them cash when they are at least 10 years old. They get GOOD when they reach 100k.

There are some knows problems with them, which can easily be fixed if you know where to look. I fixed my whole fuel injection system on my 535i within 20 minutes after knowing what was wrong (little computer that runs that system sits in the glove box, after 17 years cold and heat some solder joints finally gave up. Got another one (used of course) and switched it out).

Here's the best site on the web for BMWs: http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e28/

This is about the 5-series, they also have boards about all the other series.

So GO for it. But you CAN do better pricewise than what you got on that link. Look at the above forum link, they also have some for sale which are all in excellent shape, and honest people. All BMW crazies.

Dagi

Yea, and over here in New Hampshire is no better, like the 2 new feet we just got this weekend. It was just about all melted...nothing worse than shoveling show a week after getting back from Jamaica.

I have a number of friends with older BMWs, and they are all pretty happy. For northern climates, nothing beats a BMW, older Saabs, and Volvos

As for the Insurance, if you have a good relationship with your parents, and they are willing, leave your name on theirs, put the new car on, and list you as the primary driver of that car. I did that until I was 25, but payed for the difference. Otherwise it's just outragous.

I personally have to agree with turboCat on the Benz's though, but that's only because I now have my very own.

Steve

NO WAY turbocat and angus!!! Benz's are like tanks compared to BMWs. Trust me, I drove many of each myself on the Autobahn in Germany.

Dagi

Are you implying that's good or bad? :p

Any I'd have to disagree with that one, at least mine. No tank feeling at all!

Oh well...if you want to push off those Fords and Japanese with pure power take the Benz, if you want to compete with Corvettes at the traffic light take the BMW.

Guess I'm going to just have to try yours out myself then