[oVeRdOsE.]

got my driving licence at 17, and my 1st car was a nissan maxima 96' v6 5mt.

while my friends had mx3 4cyl, accord 4cyl auto, civic, jetta mk4, etc.

I must say, it was something owning a mid-luxury car in the mid-2000.
Kept it for 10 years, and had to scrap it, since it was dropped, the frame rail rubbed on the road and disappear, and the car was rusty af at the floor.

had ton of fun, and winning street races with it ( when it was safe and cool )

I can imagine now in 2023, a mid-luxury car can easily be a 328.

believe it or not, I took this picture few day before sending it to the scrap yard.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

For those wondering what all the fuss is all about, this is the perfect cockpit:

Interesting pic; I wonder if the owner was performing the blower fan resistor test. Another easy repair on the E30.

So just a bit of history. The E30 would let you blend any volume of air between windshield, torso, and feet. In this pic, the temp dial is almost set to where you could have cool air blow on your face and hot air blow on your feet and/or windshield (at the 3 o'clock position. That function is why modern BMWs have the air temp blend wheel on the dash. It mimics what the E30 did manually. Truly one of BMWs best cockpit designs.

[K9Leader]

OP, good for you for investigating the options and possibilities. As a number of respondents have noted, an E9x can be a good platform for a young car enthusiast . . . IF . . . you have the resources of time, some money, tools, and an appropriate work space. You will have to work on this car, possibly (probably) a lot. BMWs have a lot of components and systems that, when working properly, make it, well, the Ultimate Driving Machine. Maintenance and repairs can be frequent and expensive if you are not DIYing it. Most of the E9x that you will find are on their second, third (or more!) owners. (I'm the third owner of my 2010 E91 and the seventh of my 2011 E82.) Often, people who are not enthusiasts will be the second, third (or more!) owners, attracted by the BMW aura and status and the (seemingly) affordable price. They then ignore/put off repairs and maintenance and dump the car when the big expenses smack them between the eyes. They dump the car on you.

This is not an insurmountable problem but you need to 1) be aware of it and 2) be prepared for it. Again, do you have a place you can work on the car and, possibly, leave it there up on jack stands for several days while waiting for parts/repairs/diagnosis? Can you be without the car for a few days or will that cause a problem getting to school or work? Do you have the tools (or access to the tools) necessary? It helps to have someone who knows auto mechanics/BMWs and who is willing to mentor you, although YouTube and the forums can go a long way in filling this need.

Both of my BMWs have needed a lot of work over the time I've had them. The E91 is my daily and has been pretty reliable for that, although I do have other cars for those times the E91 was laid up. When the radiator started leaking, I was able to park it for several weeks while I researched and purchased (at the best prices) all the necessary coolant system refresh parts. I wasn't forced to pay a shop whatever they wanted just so I would have it back in two days. The E82 was a basket case when I bought it and I have spent two-and-a-half years bringing it back to life. But I wanted a project car and could afford a project car - I have spent way more than the car is worth to get it to this point, but I knew that would be the case going in. And, I'm 62, retired and can indulge this as a hobby. When I was your age (and again, when I had young children) I could not have afforded such a car.

There are a lot of fun cars that will not be so maintenance and cost intensive but that you will still be able to learn some DIY skills on - Mazda Miata, Mazda 3, Honda Civic (preferably an SI but you have to find one that has not been thrashed). My son is 35 now and is still driving the 2004 Mazda 6 that we gave him when he graduated college 13 years ago. It was my wife's car from (almost) new so I have maintained it its entire life. My son is not a car guy - he just wants something reliable and relatively comfortable - and he does not drive much. He works from home and usually only uses it on weekends and when visiting us. It has 140K miles, was garaged the entire time we had it, and has been garaged the entire time he has had it. I just changed the oil, put on a new fan control module, and did a coolant change last week. It has required only about $15,000 in maintenance and repairs over the 20 years (I've spent at least that much on the E82 in just the 2+ years I've had it). My 32yo daughter has a 2018 Mazda 3 that she bought new and it, too, has been trouble free, except for picking up an inordinate number of nails and screws in the tires, but she lives in a pretty urban area and goes to a lot of construction sites (civil engineer).

I love the way my BMWs drive and I enjoy DIYing them but at your age, I couldn't have afforded it and wouldn't have been ready for that even if I could have afforded it. Through high school and college, I drove a 1977 Dodge Aspen two-door coupe that my grandfather bought new for me in 1977 (thanks, Papa Luis!) - it wasn't a very good car but it was new and it had the Chrysler slant six engine, which was indestructible. But I was one of the few among my friends who had their own car so it provided many great and memorable experiences. Sold it in 1985 to my parents' next door neighbor, whose three kids used it for going back and forth to college for several more years.

If you really, really want to go the BMW route and you are really, really prepared for it, then it's possible.

Good luck to you! Please come back here and let us know which direction you end up going.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by K9Leader

OP, good for you for investigating the options and possibilities. As a number of respondents have noted, an E9x can be a good platform for a young car enthusiast . . . IF . . . you have the resources of time, some money, tools, and an appropriate work space. You will have to work on this car, possibly (probably) a lot. BMWs have a lot of components and systems that, when working properly, make it, well, the Ultimate Driving Machine. Maintenance and repairs can be frequent and expensive if you are not DIYing it. Most of the E9x that you will find are on their second, third (or more!) owners. (I'm the third owner of my 2010 E91 and the seventh of my 2011 E82.) Often, people who are not enthusiasts will be the second, third (or more!) owners, attracted by the BMW aura and status and the (seemingly) affordable price. They then ignore/put off repairs and maintenance and dump the car when the big expenses smack them between the eyes. They dump the car on you.

This is not an insurmountable problem but you need to 1) be aware of it and 2) be prepared for it. Again, do you have a place you can work on the car and, possibly, leave it there up on jack stands for several days while waiting for parts/repairs/diagnosis? Can you be without the car for a few days or will that cause a problem getting to school or work? Do you have the tools (or access to the tools) necessary? It helps to have someone who knows auto mechanics/BMWs and who is willing to mentor you, although YouTube and the forums can go a long way in filling this need.

Both of my BMWs have needed a lot of work over the time I've had them. The E91 is my daily and has been pretty reliable for that, although I do have other cars for those times the E91 was laid up. When the radiator started leaking, I was able to park it for several weeks while I researched and purchased (at the best prices) all the necessary coolant system refresh parts. I wasn't forced to pay a shop whatever they wanted just so I would have it back in two days. The E82 was a basket case when I bought it and I have spent two-and-a-half years bringing it back to life. But I wanted a project car and could afford a project car - I have spent way more than the car is worth to get it to this point, but I knew that would be the case going in. And, I'm 62, retired and can indulge this as a hobby. When I was your age (and again, when I had young children) I could not have afforded such a car.

There are a lot of fun cars that will not be so maintenance and cost intensive but that you will still be able to learn some DIY skills on - Mazda Miata, Mazda 3, Honda Civic (preferably an SI but you have to find one that has not been thrashed). My son is 35 now and is still driving the 2004 Mazda 6 that we gave him when he graduated college 13 years ago. It was my wife's car from (almost) new so I have maintained it its entire life. My son is not a car guy - he just wants something reliable and relatively comfortable - and he does not drive much. He works from home and usually only uses it on weekends and when visiting us. It has 140K miles, was garaged the entire time we had it, and has been garaged the entire time he has had it. I just changed the oil, put on a new fan control module, and did a coolant change last week. It has required only about $15,000 in maintenance and repairs over the 20 years (I've spent at least that much on the E82 in just the 2+ years I've had it). My 32yo daughter has a 2018 Mazda 3 that she bought new and it, too, has been trouble free, except for picking up an inordinate number of nails and screws in the tires, but she lives in a pretty urban area and goes to a lot of construction sites (civil engineer).

I love the way my BMWs drive and I enjoy DIYing them but at your age, I couldn't have afforded it and wouldn't have been ready for that even if I could have afforded it. Through high school and college, I drove a 1977 Dodge Aspen two-door coupe that my grandfather bought new for me in 1977 (thanks, Papa Luis!) - it wasn't a very good car but it was new and it had the Chrysler slant six engine, which was indestructible. But I was one of the few among my friends who had their own car so it provided many great and memorable experiences. Sold it in 1985 to my parents' next door neighbor, whose three kids used it for going back and forth to college for several more years.

If you really, really want to go the BMW route and you are really, really prepared for it, then it's possible.

Good luck to you! Please come back here and let us know which direction you end up going.

^ this^

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

That function is why modern BMWs have the air temp blend wheel on the dash. It mimics what the E30 did manually.

Does that dial even work? I own two E90s and one E93 and that wheel doesn't seem to do anything on all three of them. I love the concept though... I often like cooler air blowing from the dash vents.


Definitely not an E30, but my first car had a similar minimalist layout with sliders and dials.

Also it was very fuel efficient and surprisingly fun to drive despite the relatively low power output. Bought it in 1996 for $2100 with 100K miles on it, sold it in 2002 with 260K on it. Oil, tires, wiper blades, belts, shocks, spark plugs were all that were ever changed on it since I owned it.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Does that dial even work? I own two E90s and one E93 and that wheel doesn't seem to do anything on all three of them. I love the concept though... I often like cooler air blowing from the dash vents.


Definitely not an E30, but my first car had a similar minimalist layout with sliders and dials.

Also it was very fuel efficient and surprisingly fun to drive despite the relatively low power output. Bought it in 1996 for $2100 with 100K miles on it, sold it in 2002 with 260K on it. Oil, tires, wiper blades, belts, shocks, spark plugs were all that were ever changed on it since I owned it.

I had an E46 cabrio for a few years and my E90. The dial worked on both the E46 and works on the E90.

[StradaRedlands]

What's up y2k_alyx??? A lot of good info here, what's your take on it?

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I had an E46 cabrio for a few years and my E90. The dial worked on both the E46 and works on the E90.

I played around with it on my E93 today and it actually works the way it's supposed to. Maybe the other times I tried it I didn't have the blower fan turned on high enough. Usually I just leave it on the coldest settings.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

What's up y2k_alyx??? A lot of good info here, what's your take on it?

Looks like we have an echo chamber going here and our young protege flew the coop!

Cluck!

[y2k_alyx]

hey there everyone! im not dead, nor gone, ive just been lurking a bit while people responded. thank you to everyone who has inputted on this thread, massively appreciated I saw a few recurring answers pop up as i looked through, so im gonna try to give my stance on them.

- japanese options being a better fit and more reliable for someone my age

for the most part, i agree, something like a honda civic or a camry would be better suited to someone my age, but it should be no surprise to anyone that something a little more engaging would be preferred. in my (very limited, especially compared to most here) experience, these japanese cars aren’t really as reliable as they’ve been cracked up to be, multiple family members of mine have had Camrys, accords, civics, imprezas, mazdas, and some of them develop really concerning issues really quickly or just plainly came from the factory broken (example; uncles ‘21 civic lx had a cracked oil pan from the time he bought it, had to be replaced before he even got the keys) due to all that, im a bit less inclined to get one, but it isn’t off my radar.

- money/family/experience situation

im very blessed to have car enthusiast parents (especially my dad, who raised me in a wrx sti ) and ive ran every car idea i had past them. every time, i always get the same answer of “choose what you think is best, it’s your car, be smart about it” so, from my perspective, they are alright with this idea. money isn’t an issue either as i work and have a dedicated fund to help out with maintenance, and if worst comes to worst, my dad is willing to help me too! (hallelujah.mp3) in experience, ill be the first to admit that im nowhere close to a pro, but i have always loved cars and ive had wonderful opportunities throughout my life to expand my knowledge. the most fruitful of these was a year-long apprenticeship at a local subaru motorsports shop in starting in the middle of 2022. was really helpful and i learned a lot! there’s always more to learn though, and i love working on cars, so i think it works

again, thank you all for helping me out, my confidence in these cars is certainly higher now!

edit: looks like i forgot to add in something, sorry!

- tools!

i have a ton of tools at my disposal thanks to my family and i have my own personal two toolkits that i bought myself for christmas, so im pretty set on that end. for an area to work, usually my dads cars stay in the driveway/garage of our house but the shop i apprenticed at is open yk allowing me to use their equipment and building space when they close, so im pretty good on that side too!

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Don't go in thinking you'll find a gem and not have to work on it. That's not how this works at this stage with the E9X platform, it's just too old now. But you can find a decent example to start the process with.

Good luck with your quest.

I mostly agree with you with. But you CAN get lucky. I bought my '11 e88 128i convertible going on four years ago. It was technically needing nothing, but I did replace all the fluids and filters, the serp belt and tensioner and idler, and OFHG and the battery pro-actively, simply because it was at MY fully equipped shop at my summer place in Maine that first summer before I brought it to Florida. Otherwise, just new tires and scheduled fluids in going on 25K of driving.

BUT - I paid top-of-the-market money for an absolute minter with only 46K on it. It was nice enough that a BMW dealer was selling it as a nearly 10yo used car. That in and of itself is unusual. The average one that a kid can afford certainly is going to have a LOT more dilemmas.

The flip side is my '14 Mercedes wagon whose A/C compressor clutch failed recently. Down here in God's Waiting Room, FL, I have minimal tools, no real indoor space to work on a car, no lift that can work with that car (my Quickjack is too small for the Panzerwagen), all my A/C tools are in Maine, etc. So I sucked it up and took it to an indie shop. Who found a couple other issues that were not unusual for an 80K mile Mercedes (oil leaks at timing cover, cam adjusters leaking, serp belt and tensioner, spark plugs due for replacement - a big project on that car). $4468 later, my car is sorted out. Basically half the money was the A/C, the other half the rest of it. Of course, you can't just buy the compressor clutch, you have to buy a $1000 compressor.

That is the more common reality for this sort of car for most people. Luckily it hurt my pride more than my wallet, but the reality is that is more than I paid for most of the used cars I have bought in my life.

[K9Leader]

Yep, I agree with Efthreeoh, it sounds as though you are fairly well-prepared to go the E9x route (or, perhaps, the E82 route?). Yep, something just past the 100K milestone might be your sweet spot. Good luck - let us know what you end up with.

[Bims328i]

Let's go! Shoot I picked up an E90 SULEV N51 at 73k and can only wish I had been on here beforehand. Excited to see if you manage to find something good! Best of luck to you! Hope you find the one you're looking for.

[POBEP]

y2k_alyx

E90 328i would be great first car to learn how to do basic maintenance and fun to drive.
In the current day and age maintenance also implies you will get familiar with diagnostic tools (scanner, INPA/ISTA+). Easy to learn.

My own experience has been so far
- E90 N52 is by far more reliable than Honda
- I had Civic 4MT and Accord 5MT - both left me stranded on hwy multiple times. E9X - never.
- I spent far more $/mile on my Honda's repairs than on my E91
- Honda or Toyota is more of a transport - E9X is a drivers car
- My Accord was broken into 3 times, and finally got stolen, E90 was broken into once - by a bear.

My advise for the first car (BMW E90/91):
- stay away from turbo 335i or 335d (these are awesome but will drain your wallet and time)
- get xdrive only if your area gets snow, otherwise RWD
- MT/AT does not really matter. I would recommend MT
- consider sourcing car from areas without a snow (e.g CA)

Yes, you'll have to change fluids on schedule, tires/pads/rotors/struts as they wear out.
N52 Gaskets, perhaps water pump/thermostat at some point.

Good luck