My first new car

"FiveSeries" (xedilian) 11/06/2013 at 00:59 • Filed to: None

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Hello folks at Oppo, im turning 20 in january, and im thinking about getting a 2014 BMW 118i Manual as my first car, what do you think? My dad will help me out with half the cash, and here in my country the car is 28k dollars. im planning on getting it Orange, suggestions are much appreciated :D

Im not a first time driver, i've had other cars through my life, (used ones tho) my first car was a Ford Escort wagon, then i got an accord v6, then a chrysler 300c, then a vw beetle, then a Chevy Spark, then a NC Miata, automatic :( and this would be the first new car i'd be getting, my dad will help me with half the money or so, cuz i just entered to college.

911e46z06 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 01:10

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That's a pretty good idea. I personally would lay down the extra chips for a 135. And of course you can get an e46 M3 for less money. Just sayin.

offroadkarter > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 01:11

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If it has a warranty, go for it. Have you checked to see what your insurance rates would be?

Hoccy > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 01:31

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I would go for something cheaper, because you will most likely end up in the ditch some time. Don't buy a fast/new car until you've got some driving experience. Most likely will you learn more with an older car as well.

Franzouse > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 01:34

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Good for you if you can afford that nice a vehicle as a first car.

Better for you if you can afford the insurance for such a vehicle (esp. in orange, that color must put at least an extra 15%) at your age.

offroadkarter > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 01:44

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you can't always prove that, my marauder was my first car, it was 3 years old with 30,000 miles, 302hp, and I never put it into a ditch.

Usually when you pay out the money yourself, you appreciate it more. If the OP was getting a free 1M from his parents, then I'd say "back up a second"

bhardoin > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 01:48

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I say this without any knowledge of your personal situation, but I'm a 21 year old who just got my first car last year, so here's my experience.

I bought a 240z. Its freaking cool, insanely fun to drive, and I could probably almost entirely restore the car for the price of a 118i. Having an car twice my age has, over a year now, basically taught me all essential vehicular maintenance knowledge. Its been super fun, and at this point in my life, having a car that's out of commission for a couple days while I occasionally restore/tune bits and pieces is ok because I don't have much really important obligation to drive.

If you can, I can't emphasize enough how nice it is to have an old car that's not too fast, but still really fun.

TheOnelectronic > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 02:04

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I would argue, but I put my WRX into a ditch at 17...

So the point is, in reality, buy a car that can survive being put into a ditch without any damage.

B_dol > Franzouse 11/06/2013 at 04:02

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Color is not on the insurance forms. The more you know...

Hoccy > offroadkarter 11/06/2013 at 04:54

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There's a reason why I said "most likely". I was lucky enough to not put my first car in the ditch, but most of the other guys I know have been off the road at some point. As a new driver, you're always interested in figuring out where the limits are (I was). If you do this in a sensible way (not on the road), but damage the the car, you might want a car that you haven't spent very much money on. Or that survives a trip into the ditch.

Appreciating things when you use your own money translates to cheaper cars as well. Buying cars are usually a large investment, and keeping cars in a good shape always pays off.

duurtlang > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 05:16

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We might need more information. Where do you live, what kind of 118i do you want (2005-2013) and are you spending your own money or are you getting it from your parents?

You should definitely get a manual, don't start driving an automatic (torque converter or dual clutch) until you're an experienced driver. If at all. And certainly don't get a high powered (130i, M3) car as a first car. It can turn out fine, but you've got the odds against you. Building experience is best in a cheap low powered car, imho. The 118i of any age is already much faster than what I'd recommend, but I can understand you wanting a nice car.

Sn210 > B_dol 11/06/2013 at 07:04

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It is in my state. The louder the color, the more they screw you.

davedave1111 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 07:23

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It's a downright terrible first car. The only thing it has going for it is that it's a nice car, but even that's just going to make it feel worse when you put it in a hedge. If you're lucky enough to only hit a hedge, anyway, and can still feel anything afterwards instead of being dead.

You want something safe and easy to drive, at least for a year or two until you're used to driving in traffic and have some attention to spare for the car itself. FWD, understeery, and safe. Doesn't mean it can't be somewhat fun to drive too.

The BMW is far too powerful for a learner, and rear wheel drive. That is pretty close to a guarantee of trouble: you'll need to concentrate on driving it properly in order to be safe, but your attention needs to be 100% on the road and traffic at this stage.

timateo81 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 07:50

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this is your first car, not your last. pick modestly now and appreciate the finer things in life later. if a 118i now, what next? and then? and then? in 4 cars you'll be 30 and have nothing left to live for.

jimbeb > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 08:15

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My brother bought an E81 118i just last winter (@ age 22), it's a very nice car, fun to drive (more fun than the E90) and fairly frugal with start/stop and so on - insurance isn't too bad either. We test-drove a bunch of 1-series and A3's and in my opinion the 118i is the way to go, the 116i felt completely uninspiring in comparrison and the premium for a 120i is just not worth it (at least where I live), as for the A3's they don't feel quite as special.Best of luck with your purchase.

GhostZ > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 08:38

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How much money are you going to spend? Because at the end of the day, a new 118i is going to cost you around $20,000. That's $30,000 to buy, about $10,000 in gas, maintenence, operating costs and insurance (which may be more) and then resale of about $20,000 later on.

By contrast, most used cars that sell for $30,000 will only cost you about $10,000 or less at the end of the day because they don't lose half of their value in two years like most luxury cars.

If I had $30,000-$50,000 to dump on a car (which is about what you're suggesting) I'd be getting myself an old Porsche 964 and save 10k for power mods, and 10k for maintenance. When I was done, I could sell it for about what I paid for it and come out on top in every aspect.

How do you plan on buying it? Leasing? How much would you be willing to pay for the sake of 'newness'?

Would you be okay with a $10,000 car now, so you can buy a $50,000-$80,000 car later on?

Franzouse > B_dol 11/06/2013 at 10:54

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It is in France; a red 1.6l hatchback to a 23 year old male is 20% more than a blue or white one.

FiveSeries > GhostZ 11/06/2013 at 11:35

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I would buy an used car, but unfortunately i live in Mexico, where all used cars u can get are shit :P

FiveSeries > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 11:37

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i've had other cars before, and never crashed, this will be my first new car, i've had a Chrysler 300C, a chevy spark (lol) a new Beetle (eew) and a Mazda Miata (nc, but automatic)

B_dol > Franzouse 11/06/2013 at 11:37

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Yikes. Insurance is bad enough under the age of 25

FiveSeries > Franzouse 11/06/2013 at 11:38

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actually is not thaaaaat expensive, is 1k dollars less expensive than a miata, plus, my dad will help me with half the money or so.

FiveSeries > bhardoin 11/06/2013 at 11:40

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deep in my heart, i've always wanted an used 300zx, those are half the price of a new 118i, and i've found some manuals on mexico craiglist, but my dad said he would help me with half the cash if i get a new car :S

FiveSeries > duurtlang 11/06/2013 at 11:41

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i would be getting a 2014 118i Manual of course, i've had other cars, but used cars, i've had a 300c, so i feel i can handle 170 horses, but what do you recommend?

FiveSeries > davedave1111 11/06/2013 at 11:43

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im not a distracted driver, i love driving, i've had other cars, but used ones, is really the 118i torquey and hard to drive? i mean, on paper it is 170hp RWD, is that a recipe for disaster? if so, what car would you recommend? :)

FiveSeries > timateo81 11/06/2013 at 11:44

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here in my country, a 118i is as expensive as a mazda miata. :S

Hoccy > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 11:44

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Okay, then it's a bit different.

The headline said "My first car" so I thought this would be your first own car, not your first new car.

FiveSeries > 911e46z06 11/06/2013 at 11:44

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i found a 20k dlls e46 m3, mustard, with black rims and white interior, dat straight six... but i can't get a used car, :S i would love having that one.. or a 300zx

FiveSeries > offroadkarter 11/06/2013 at 11:45

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nope, are they super expensive? whats more expensive to insure, a Miata or a 118i?

FiveSeries > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 11:49

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well, my bad :S

offroadkarter > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 11:49

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its a BMW, and a new one at that. A new BMW with a first time driver won't be as cheap as say, a 25 year old camry

FiveSeries > offroadkarter 11/06/2013 at 11:52

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im not a first time driver, i gotta correct that :P

Casper > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 11:52

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Seems like a reasonable car... assuming you can pay the BMW tax on parts.

Casper > Franzouse 11/06/2013 at 11:52

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Yeah, insurance would be the hard part there.

GhostZ > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 11:53

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"Shit?" What are your standards? If the only options are a $40,000 car and a $1000 car, sure, but it would shock me if there weren't some good $10,000 vehicles for sale.

Can you bring one over the border from the US? US border states have great used cars.

All I'm trying to figure out is whether or not you know what you're getting for your money. That's the biggest mistake people make with new cars: they think they get a good deal because they don't realize what else is available for them, and end up paying way more than they needed to.

Casper > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 11:54

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He's 20... not 16. By the time you are 20 you should have some maturity or your parents have completely failed. Of course, I see people in their 40's that I would swear are 16 mentally.

offroadkarter > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 11:55

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are you >25?

FiveSeries > GhostZ 11/06/2013 at 11:57

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that is why i posted on oppo, cuz i trust my fellow jalops to guide my tru my car buying process, so i don't end up doing a mistake and being unhappy with my car, the options as used cars, of say, 10k dlls, are Jaguar X types and cars like that, there are miatas, soft top ones, attractive ones, but my dad said that he didn't liked used cars, he is weird.

FiveSeries > offroadkarter 11/06/2013 at 11:58

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im 19, turning 20 on january. the post sez :P

offroadkarter > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 12:07

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alright so yeah insurance is gonna suck is my guess

FiveSeries > offroadkarter 11/06/2013 at 12:09

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why is that?

offroadkarter > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 12:11

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wait, what country are you in exactly?

Hoccy > Casper 11/06/2013 at 12:14

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I don't think age matters much when you're a new driver. You don't get any experience from not driving. Sure, you'll be more mature, but the difference between a bloke that's 16, 18 and 20 isn't really anything to talk about.

I'm 20 myself, going into my fourth winter as a driver, and I can't say that I would buy me a new car myself if I had the money.

Casper > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 12:19

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Experience is not as critical as maturity in most driving tasks. Driving is easy, that's why so many idiots are doing it every day without knowing how... and each generation of new car makes it easier still. We make it harder or easier by our decision making capabilities. Younger people (especially men) have very poor decision making capacity when they are immature. This leans to them having trouble in most aspects of life including driving.

Obviously you can improve your abilities over time, but generally most new cars can be driven by a drunken ape with a learning disability... it's deciding when or if something should be done that really makes the difference.

FiveSeries > offroadkarter 11/06/2013 at 12:20

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mexico

offroadkarter > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 12:23

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oh hell I'm not sure how insurance works down there, in the US if you are under 25, you pay more for insurance on just about everything.

911e46z06 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 12:27

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Fair enough. I'd throw down for the 135 then. Not sure the price differential, but I've driven the 135 and it's worth whatever it costs.

Also, where you at in Mexico? I have a buddy in Mexicali who buys all his cars in the states an imports them. That might be something to look at if you're concerned about finding a quality used car.

bhardoin > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 12:32

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fair point. I'm sure he just wants you in something where you won't lose your legs if/when you crash.

Hoccy > Casper 11/06/2013 at 12:52

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Driving isn't easy in a country that has weather with more variation than sun and light rain, and roads that aren't straight all the time. Sure, a lot of idiots drive every day, but those are the first to end up on the side of the road when the conditions get tricky.

I agree with you when you say driving is all about decisions. But I think that you'll have to make a few wrong decisions before making a right one. Becoming mature and gaining experience is the same thing in my book. I'd say a guy at 22 that has driven for four years is a better driver than one at 30 that has never been behind a driving wheel before.

If you're about to encounter something that you haven't seen before, what would you do? Practice, or sit down and wait to become older?

FiveSeries > bhardoin 11/06/2013 at 12:58

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could be, any safe-used-manual-rwd car you suggest?

FiveSeries > 911e46z06 11/06/2013 at 12:59

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South-ish mexico, Jalisco, a 135i is 700k pesos (62k dlls) ouch.

Casper > Hoccy 11/06/2013 at 13:21

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I understand your basic point. I just disagree on significance.

Part of the decision making process is to decide how to handle the situation logically and with the best consideration possible rather than impulsively. Likewise, part of the process is to decide if you should even be driving that day at all. I never said experience was not a factor, I said that maturity was a greater factor. Just look at the racing world, drivers with exceptional talent and skill still lose/crash due to poor decisions.

The amount of time driving doesn't mean that anything has been learned and more often than not means people have developed overconfidence and bad habits. Generally people who take the act of driving seriously are inherently better because they are focused on improvement, which is a decision in of it's self. To further illustrate the point, and inexperienced driver who has the maturity to know his/her limits when making decisions is always at an advantage of a person who simply has general skills practice.

Give any one of the instructors I know a person with a car and a few days at the track and they will be driving technically better than 90% of people on the road regardless of how long they have been driving... but they can do nothing to help them make good decisions. All the talent and knowledge in the world can't help you if you make a fundamentally poor decision.

Every year we get snow, every year people are in the ditch. Most have 30 years or more experience, but are poor under pressure or poor at adapting their decision process to the situation. Your muscle control and knowledge is of very little use on ice if you panic brake or attempt to over drive the car.

911e46z06 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 13:29

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Ah, that makes it tough. Well, enjoy your 118, you could definately do a lot worse.

Maybe check out a Camaro. Chevys tend to be pretty reasonable down there, in Baja anyway.

Hoccy > Casper 11/06/2013 at 13:36

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Of course, you have to be motivated to gain knowledge and experience to become better. If you drive into the ditch but don't have a clue why and don't find out, you're not going to be a better driver.

I think we agree, but we put different thoughts behind the words mature and experience. When people are mature enough to know their limits and make the right decision, they have some sort of experience that tells them where those limits are. I also have that belief that you can't gain skills without practice. And part of those skills is the ability to make the right decision.

It's a reason you should listen to your older relatives. They've most likely been in the same situation as you are now, and could give you some mature advice based on their experience.

FiveSeries > 911e46z06 11/06/2013 at 14:40

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the camaro in the price bracket of the 118i is a v6 automatic =(

911e46z06 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 15:36

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Yeah. That would be a tough decision for me as both a BMW and Chevy fanboy. More power, auto trans or less power, manual trans.

davedave1111 > FiveSeries 11/06/2013 at 16:51

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Sorry, I missed the word 'new' in there. I thought you'd said you were getting it as a first car of any kind, which seemed a bad plan. So ignore me :)

FiveSeries > davedave1111 11/07/2013 at 10:54

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ok :P no probz