[FutureBlake]

Hi folks,

I'm in the market for a 3 series and can only spend around $10k. I'm also looking to buy a house, so the majority of my cash will be going that way. I live in NYC now and have had no need for a car for the last 5+ years. Before moving to NYC (and committing to the subway), I had a 318ti that I loved. I know those ti's are going to be too old to fit the bill now, so I thought I would see what I could get from BMW at that price. Is an E90 3 series possible? Even close?

I want something reliable, so going with something with a ton of miles probably isn't smart. Is my E90 dream alive?

What would YOU get for $10,000?

Thanks for any help! I've really been sweating this one. I'll be depressed if I have to get into a Civic every day. :-)

[Cyrax91]

Ya I think your dreams of an e90 are still pretty off. I still see regular e46 3series cars going for mid to high teens.

I would find a nice e36 M3 You can even find high mileage e46 m3s for around ten (closer to 15k), but higher mileage and might be beat up a bit.

Good luck!

[FutureBlake]

Got it - fair enough. So E46 may be my best target. Would it be smart to sink $10k - $12k or so into an E46 as a daily driver? Would what I get for my $ be reliable enough?

[persian54]

I think you should get a car for about 7k and keep 3k aside for future maintenance

[username604]

bmw's are not reliable. $10k is not enough for a beamer.
I'd spend 10k on a bmw then throw aside 5k for repairs and maintenance and hope it lasts your for more than 3 years

[jasonlu]

you can get one with very high mileage, it's possible.
but you might also have to pay a lot for the maintaince.
do not suggest to do that.
just my opinion.

[Syndicategt]

You live in NYC, I would buy a used 00-04 model Civic for about $8k, it's going to get beat up anyways. Keep the $2K for upgrades around your new house.

[FutureBlake]

I'm heading out of NYC - moving to the 'burbs, so this will be my first car in more than 5 years. I'd like something small-ish, reliable, but with some personality. I worked on my old 318ti - oil changes were a breeze - but it sounds like a BMW may too much of a stretch with my current budget.

What would you do if you were me? Small-ish, reliable, and with a little personality for around $10k...

[ADV.1 Matt]

Mmmmm... C230 6-spd? The W203 with the M271 engine is actually fantastically reliable, 34mpg, and they can be had for around 10k easily. Still a nice car.

[profanitypete]

You should buy my 04 G35X, I'll take 10k :P. Nah, but I think just like others are saying, if you're looking for a BMW, start lower and leave some cash for maintenance.

If you're seriously interested in the G, it's got 92k miles, summer and winter wheels, needs about $500 of work right now but it's nothing major. Runs great, and I currently have an aftermarket navi and exhaust in it.

[m42stanle]

Originally Posted by FutureBlake

Hi folks,

I'm in the market for a 3 series and can only spend around $10k. I'm also looking to buy a house, so the majority of my cash will be going that way. I live in NYC now and have had no need for a car for the last 5+ years. Before moving to NYC (and committing to the subway), I had a 318ti that I loved. I know those ti's are going to be too old to fit the bill now, so I thought I would see what I could get from BMW at that price. Is an E90 3 series possible? Even close?

I want something reliable, so going with something with a ton of miles probably isn't smart. Is my E90 dream alive?

What would YOU get for $10,000?

Thanks for any help! I've really been sweating this one. I'll be depressed if I have to get into a Civic every day. :-)

The Civic is probably the more sensible choice, but if you *have* to have a BMW, did you consider leasing? If you can find a zero down lease, $10k is the better part of two years worth of payments with zero down at around ~$450/month.

The down side here is you will not build any equity in the car. However, on the plus side you will get a brand new vehicle, your payments will be known and predictable, and you will not have any maintenance or repair surprises.

Buying a high mileage, out of warranty BMW at the same time you're saving for a house is just asking for trouble IMHO. Trust me, you will have enough unexpected surprises once you become a homeowner.

[mike-y]

yeah, if you aren't good with performing your own maintenance, you might want to get a used japanese car of some sort at your price range.. Perhaps something like a TSX 6 speed, or similar. sometimes you just need to search your area and see what's available, and go from there.

Getting your first house is a big step. I'd sacrifice the nice car for a couple years until you get settled in (you never know what kind of home expenses pop up). give yourself time to save up some cash, and then get a newer car later on.

[FutureBlake]

Thanks! I certainly don't *have* to pull the trigger on a BMW, but there must be something sexier than a Civic, eh?

I like the C230 suggestion - never been a Benz guy, but certainly worth a second look. Thanks for passing it over.

Good logic on the lease idea. Not sure the lease is a good thing for potential mortgage companies, though. That's why I was hoping to pay in cash and be free of any payment commitment.

[talisman311]

Sounds like you want to buy a japanese car.. 10k and reliable. If you get an older BMW near 100k, you'll probably need a cooling system overhaul of it isn't already done.. think that runs around 1k itself.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

For $10K I would look into a Clean Acura RSX or TSX.

[blacknbean]

stay away from bmw if you only have 10k. anything you buy will need a suspension overhaul and maybe even cooling system maintanence. like others said you can get a honda that will run for days with no repairs for less than 10k.

[FutureBlake]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I honestly hadn't considered an Acura before - the TSX or RSX both look like they could fit the bill. Pretty much a Honda with a little more personality!

[lesha]

2004 jetta, 1.8T, my wife had one when we met, the turbo was fun, would take any day over civic,,

as an example: http://www.texasautoonline.com/web/u...-Texas/550243/

[fdriller9]

Even if you can find an E9x under 10k it will be a high mileage car. Unless you can keep up with maintenance, you'll spend way more than 10K in the long run.

[michaelalex17]

hahahah

[Edward]

Everyone is pretty much on point here. $10k is too low because the car will have high miles, and with high miles comes expensive maintenance repairs. Cooling/coolant expansion tanks, water pump, fuel pumps, serpentine belts, fcabs, head gaskets, timing belts, aux belt, radiator, window regulators, transmission, oil services, brakes etc. Every SINGLE one of those went out multiple times on my E46 that I put 125k miles on before I dumped her for my new lady.

Get a Japanese car and lol to the bank with your no nonsense low maintenance. Good luck dude.

[ericlol]

how bout just keep the 10k, lease a brand new 328i, with 0 down payment
then use the 10k to pay the lease over the year, hopefully after 1 year, you will get be able to save a bit of $ from work