Buying My First Car

Hey, so I am still quite a long time away from buying my first car, but I am trying to do all the research I can in order to find the best deal. I really want a bmw, even though many people say not to be a brand whore and find the most ideal brand that fits your needs and budget.

Even with that said, I still can't stay away from the day dreams of driving in my own bmw. So on that note, does anyone know the best model of bmw that would fit a budget of $10,000? This budget includes insurance etc.. I do not mind if it is an older model, which I expect it will be.

Thanks for your time and any suggestions are appreciated.

 

In the UK you'd be stupid to blow $10,000 on your first car.

 

This isn't my set budget, just something to work with. I have no idea what my real budget will be yet, just using 10k as a variable.

 

Problem with BMW's especially where I live if/when you get electrical problems you need to take it to a BMW dealer since most mechanics won't fiddle with their electrical systems and when that happens you better lube up and bend over.... I'm not sure what it's like where you are but it's like that here.

 

Damn, alright thanks for the feedback.

 

Hey honestly don't let it discourage you if that's what your heart really wants. I'm buying an rx7 a really weird and sort of unreliable car simply because it's my dream car. I would wait and buy something different though as a first car and upgrade to a newer bmw later on when you have more money to buy one without any underlying problems.

 

Appreciate that man. I'll definitely take your idea into consideration. Thanks playa .

 

Don't blow your cash on an old car, best first car is something like a Volkswagen Polo/Golf they are really reliable although its not a convertible.

 

If you have a 10k budget for your first car then a bmw is probably within range. However, let it be known that I've owned two BMW's and I've never had cars that cost me such much money to maintain. I ended up hating them. One MOT cost me £1,200 for two new brake lines and some other minor stuff. They're nice cars to drive, look at.. Not nice to own. From my experience anyway.

You'd be better off getting a run-about for your first car. As you're likely to have a few scrapes and dings which you don't want to cost an arm and a leg to repair.

 

As stated above regardless of where you live BMW's are a bitch and a half to maintain. If I were you I wouldn't dump 10k in a car you're going to fuck up. Almost everyone fucks up their first car, period. I'd get something cheaper to maintain, and in the sub $5k range. If possible bank the rest of the money and save up for something nice after you've got your bearings on the road a little better.

 

After buying a few cars I've realized something. In the long run buying new/semi-new/leasing is better.

Buying older used cars results in endless hassles. Buying newer cars results in less repairs etc.

For example, my brother bought a 2005 mazda. It looks sweet. But he's already paid $4000 in repairs. Add that $4000 to it's original price and he could've bought a 2010 mazda with no issues.

Long story short, do yourself a favor and save as long as you can before it totally inconveniences your life. Then buy a excellent car and by the time it should begin to have problems you sell it to someone and the problems become theirs, same as they'd become yours if you buy an older car.

Take care of your car and it will refund a large portion of the initial cost when you're ready to trade up.

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Very much appreciated.

 

If you're going VW don't touch anything with a BXE engine in it, or a 3 cylinder, as they're prone to going bang.

 

So, I'm currently on my 7th car (all have been sold w/o problems, I have just flipped them).

I would stay away from luxury model cars (BMW, Mercedes, etc.). Yes, you can pick up an older model for $10k, but you need to take in account things such as maintenance. If you're not doing it yourself, you are charged a ridiculous amount for things as simple as brakes on a luxury car. Also, if you're going sporty, take in account tires, they can easily run $200+ a piece.

Now, I don't know why you're getting advice telling you to stay away from older cars. If a car was properly maintained, odds are it's fine. Check the maintenance records, check the wear-and-tear, and see if it was beat to hell. I've owned cars dated from 1966-2012 and as long as they've been taken care of, they'll run fine. This is definitely true for newer-old cars (90's and later).

As for you car, it really depends on what you want out of it. There's way too many cars out there to just throw a car name at you.

Sporty/Sporty Sedan:
Mazda 3 & 6 are sporty and quite cheap, could easily find a late 2000's for under $10k.

Sedan:
You could get a very nice Hyundai Sonata (2008-2013) for under $10k. They're quite reliable and have quite a few features. Honda Accord & Civic would also fit this, but they'll be more expensive.

Crossoverish:
Subaru Forester & Outback are also great, all Subarus are AWD, but they do look a little goofy. Early-Mid 2000's would likely set you back $4-10k (depending on model and all).

Edit: Everything I wrote is catered to a U.S. marketplace, I have no idea what the European car market is like. Either way, I would stay away from luxury vehicles until you have money to ensure you can cover maintenance and if you run into a problem, you can pay to fix it (providing you don't work on cars).

 

Wow! Thanks for all the detail put into your feedback!

I am reconsidering the BMW since everyone is saying it will cost a lot maintenance wise, but I was so drawn to the style of those cars that now I have no idea what to look for.

The different options of cars you've shared are definitely ones I will research. Again, Thanks so much!

 

I know very little about cars, so I have no idea what your talking about haha. I will definitely be putting more research in about what to look for in a car though. Thanks for the feedback!

 

Same with me now, dont have enough money but set price for car and im looking for it. BMWs of course great, i thought about 5th series BMW 2006~ year, but everyone said that maintenance/car repair could cost bunch of money.
So i end up looking for VW passat/golf Audi A3 (audi a3 has same engine as golf). I did research and 2006 year VW/Audi you can buy for 5-6k euro/7k~ dollars, its max price i think it could be even less. In my opinion its reasonable price for economic/reliable and not bad year car.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'll check out those cars you mentioned.

 

live fast die young

 

My guess is that your brother bought an 2005 rx8. Rotary engines are prone to boom if you don't know what you're doing. My dads rx8 has almost 200k kms nothing ever done other than a few reliability mods (upgraded oil cooler, oil pump) and brakes once.

On the topic of the OP. Depending where you live an older Mazda 6 or 3 would be good. They have a little bit of rust issues if the previous owners haven't kept up with maintaining them (my 04 mazda 6 has zero rust in northern ontario) but if you're going with the first generation mazda 6 buy a 4 cylinder rather than the 6. I have the v6 but it is more maintenance.