# I can afford a BMW because...



## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

Fzara2000 said:


> and they test-drive a BMW and they're both smiling and giggling and decide to take it.


And he's driving and she's staring out of the window. :tsk:


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

I'm 36 years old, own one apartment in Den Haag in the Netherlands and a house together with my wife here in Los Angeles. I lease my 325iT because of my reembursement for work, my wife bought her 330Ci outright. We both have good paying jobs (Sales Rep & Production Manager) and are sensable with money... :thumbup:


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

kurichan said:


> I'm glad you get kicks out of this, because it's true. People who make money tend to bring it to Southern California, San Francisco and Florida for the weather (and not just to certain neighborhoods). So yes, San Diego is a wealthy town.
> 
> Furthermore, there is a strong concentration of tech and biotech entrepreneurism in San Diego that you don't find in the midwest (just one example). Those people create companies which bring more people and the cycle feeds itself. It's quite similar to San Francisco.
> 
> ...


I see plenty of BMWs everyday. :dunno:


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## missing23 (Feb 1, 2002)

Wallenrod said:


> It's sort of like people asking how can these people in San Francisco afford their $900,000 condos? The fact is that you have more better educated and better paid people here. If you have a couple, muliply this purchasing power by 2. The average US salary is something like what $30K? The secretary in our office makes twice that.
> Most educated people I know here working in regular jobs make between $65K and $130K. Above that, that's a different story. Most of them are in their late 20s to mid 30s.
> So here goes your BMW ownership. It is a $35K car afterall. Not a $100K car. I mean you could buy an "affordable" Accord and noone would think twice about it but it is a $25K car afterall. I think if you are really into this and this is important to you and gives you joy and fun on a daily basis, it is not so hard to swing another $10K. It is a form of escapism afterall. People spend more on some other crazy hobbies.
> Also the more educated, responsible and better paid you are, it gets actually cheaper to get things. You get better credit rates, you have money saved/invested working for you. I bet some people pay maybe as much for their Chevy Malibu as someone for their BMW because they have a ****ty credit plus got screwed by their salesperson on the lease because they never went to highschool to learn how it works.
> ...


I'd rather live in a more reasonably priced area with lesser educated/paid people AND make more than five times what your secretary does!  :rofl:


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## NetEngWiz (Apr 5, 2004)

jeffh325 said:


> No they're not. I'm living proof.


Oh man, sorry to hear that. I went through a couple of layoffs, took a paycut, and I still get paid pretty good. What do you do?


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## phatchunk99 (Apr 22, 2004)

I'm 24. Graduated last year with an MSE in Electrical Engineering. Got a good job. No mortgage to pay, or kids to feed. Paying only a little over $100 for student loans each month. So besides food, rent, clothes, and drinks, I still have tons left. Why let your money sit in the bank earning 0.000001% interest when you can afford a sweet car. So why can I afford it? I went to a good school (go Red & Blue), and I'm actually working in the field that I studied. On top of everything, I saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to Geico.


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## Riuster (May 21, 2003)

docrobot said:


> I sense that many posters here who say they drive BMW's are under the age of 30, many under the age of, say, 22 or 23 based on they style and spelling of their posts.
> 
> That being said, BMW's are not cheap cars; in quality, nor in price.
> 
> ...


If you are in your 20s and just got out of college and have a small down of say 2 to 3K, you can lease a BMW, with an income of 40K, living in a small apt, etc. its not a big deal. Also, it depends where you live, some housing costs can cost 500 or like here in NYC its 2K for a small 1 bedroom or even a studio. So it depends where you live, and as for a 3 series purchase, comon its not going to break a young adult's bank account.

As for me...Im 35, no kids, see thats KEY, NO KIDS!! and not even married, I just have parents who are like kids, I have property, I have 3 cars, I own an M...sure its tight...on expenses..but...Hey..i cant take Lincoln and Ben to my grave ya know.

When I was 24...I couldnt afford a car, cause my salary was not that great, my apt. costs me alot, living around here in NYC is really expensive, so it was tough, still is tough now...but dont be suprised that a young 20s guy or girl can get a 3 series...as for a M3...the young 20s around in the NYC area without daddy or mommy's help..well...now thats another story....


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## Riuster (May 21, 2003)

phatchunk99 said:


> I'm 24. Graduated last year with an MSE in Electrical Engineering. Got a good job. No mortgage to pay, or kids to feed. Paying only a little over $100 for student loans each month. So besides food, rent, clothes, and drinks, I still have tons left. Why let your money sit in the bank earning 0.000001% interest when you can afford a sweet car. So why can I afford it? I went to a good school (go Red & Blue), and I'm actually working in the field that I studied. On top of everything, I saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to Geico.


LMAO...switched to GEICO..hahaha...ME TOO!!..ahhaahah :thumbup:


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## kurichan (May 1, 2004)

Artslinger said:


> I see plenty of BMWs everyday. :dunno:


And you point is?


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## SONET (Mar 1, 2002)

I got my 330Ci two years ago when I was 25. I had my own computer business that was doing well for a number of years and was tired of worrying about the reliability of my 87 Supra. So I took the plunge, and unfortunately my business did the same soon thereafter. I had a business deal go really sour and lost lots of money. My biggest client (who I thought was my friend) essentially stole from me, and of course on top of that I lost all their business (this is the don't-put-all-your-eggs-in-one-basket lesson!). Luckily I was living well below my means and was able to pull through it without ruining my credit. 

Now I have two small businesses and work full time for a company in a different field. My company pays most of my living expenses (housing, part of my car, etc.) along with a generous salary, so I feel like I can finally afford this car comfortably again. :thumbup:

--SONET


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## jgrgnt (Apr 27, 2002)

I'm 24. I bought the 325 when I was 22. Thanks to my parents, I had a car to trade in (their '92 Camry, which was a gift to me when I turned 18) and no student loans (they paid for the majority of my college education). I also had a well-paying job when I graduated, and relatively few other expenses. I'll be making payments for another year or two, but I don't feel financially strained in any way.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

docrobot said:


> Please include your age, and your real car in your post...


I'm 44 and Debbie is slightly older  We can afford our 2004 325i Sedan because we are sharing it. One set of lease payments is not too bad. We carpool to work and take turns driving!

With BMW's high lease residuals and the current incentives, a 325 is not as expensive to lease as some other cars in the mid $30K range.

Our other car is a 1990 535i. It has been paid for years and years and years.

Our daughter drives a 318Ti that we bought used. Used BMWs can be a bargin when you consider total cost of ownership.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

I'm 35 and we just bought a house, which I admit is a lot nicer than the 330 ZHP I wanted.  If we didn't have two good incomes, I'd be driving a Civic. 

My used car has cost me as much to own as a new 323i would have though. But I think it's also a lot more fun to drive than a new 323i. It's way too nice to trade for the $7000 it's now worth.


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## ClubSpec330i (Oct 22, 2003)

BloodRedHog said:


> A decade in the mortgage business tells me this is theoritcally true; however, I rarely find 700+ scores attached to buyers who are young and/or make below the median income for their area and/or have only a HS diploma. Generally, the high credit scores are very common with retirees; married couples in their 40's; etc.


Wow! you must make a big chunk of money in the past few years in the real estate business ha! Anyhow, I think you are right about 700+ score in a younger age bracket. However, a few of us here are exceptional. My wife and I are in our mid&late twenties, 25 and 27 respectively. We have good credit. Let just say that we have no credit card debt. I use my paycheck for all expenses in the house and save all of her.

We live modestly and save regularly. I always thought BMWs were expensive until we were expecting our baby. Safety for my wife and our child was paramount when we bought our first 330i SP in '03. I like it so much I had to get one for myself too, it is a 325 look alike but most people called it "ZHP". Then I still like Honda, so S2000 followed shortly. In addition to that, I need a beater car - so I got a Toyota Corolla with 4AGE engine a short while after. Of course, all the cars in our house is a company expenses (luckily a company I started last year did quite well its first quarter.)

Well, our saving may not be as pretty as it used to but we are happy nonetheless. I AM BROKE BUT HAPPY.


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## LordByron (Aug 1, 2003)

Well I'm 25 bought my first BMW when I was 20, one year later I bought a condo, then last year I exchanged my old BMW for a new one. I work in NYC for a big financial company, doing ok, getting married soon so saving lots of $$$. My parents did not help me with anything. I work hard, get OT, and save $$... oh and also I had sex w/ one of the female executives and got a big promotion !! :bigpimp: Just kidding !!!


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## DrivingMaryland (Jun 16, 2004)

I am 21, working in my first year after graduating. Sofware Developer, making good money for my age. I plan on staying with parents for a few years, much rather put the money aside towards a house then shell out the same 700 a month for an apartment. :thumbup:


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## NASA43 (Jul 19, 2003)

I'm 44, the wife is 45. One child starting college this Fall and the other is a sophomore in High School. Wife is a school teacher and I am an engineer. The wife drives a leased Jeep. This is by far the most expensive car I have ever bought. We are just at a point in our lives where our income is significantly more than our expenses so I felt ok about doing this. It helps that houses and property taxes are very low in Alabama. I have only seen one other ZHP in my area, and not many more 330s. Most of the BMWs around here are 325s, though a lady up the street just recently got a black 545.


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## sniper6182 (Apr 24, 2004)

i just turned 22......got my bimmer when i was 21......life is good cant complain...but it wasnt easy to get here....busted my arse thru HS, graduated 7th in my class (was #1 at one point but then i found out there was more to life than just school so i slipped a little but it was worht it).....went to college, Electrical Engineering major, spent days and nites in the labs....studied hard, partied hard....got a minor in business.....all within 4 years....got a couple job offers, turned down motorola, now workin for the 2nd larger contract manufacturing company in the world (at one point it was #1), producing Cisco products, as an test development engineer (in training) for our Xray machines......paying for my own bimmer (parents helped a lil w/ the downpayment).....


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## missing23 (Feb 1, 2002)

BMW4phillygirl said:


> I only skimmed the previous replies, but honestly, if you want something, you will find a way to get it. Whether you save up for 5 years to buy it, or leverage your credit cards, and lease it and live paycheck-to-paycheck, I couldn't care less...
> 
> What gets my goat is when people COMPLAIN about not being able to afford something AND they have a bimmer. Sorry, but in my book, a bimmer is still a luxury, and if you're going to waste away your 20's and 30's and not save a dime, don't come looking to me when you turn 65 and want to know where your freakin' Social Security is. Do whatever you want with your money, but don't come crying to me for MY money when you run out of it yourself!
> 
> (Note: that wasn't addressed to anyone in particular here, just the generic "other people" in conversations)


Yeah, those damn Democrats... :rofl:


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## jovial73 (Jul 17, 2004)

rumratt said:


> Did you mean to post this at E46fanatics, but you sent it here by accident?


AMEN! I just joined this forum after getting tired of the teenage banter about 'I beat a Infinit today' or 'I raced a camero' blah, blah, blah... over on e46fanatics.


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## allaboutme (Dec 22, 2003)

cwsqbm said:


> Also, the posts on Bimmerfest seem to be above average. Roadfly and others seem a touch less by comparision.
> 
> Finally, for someone living in an area with a high cost of living, a $40k car is a smaller percentage of their expenses, so a more reasonable purchase. One friend likes to comment that my car cost more than his house did, but he lives in the middle of nowhere.


Living in a high cost area probably does mean you are sufficient enough in income to be able to divert payments towards a suitable car for the neighborhood. You can pay off your car and might not even own a house, or pay off your house with only a decent car. It comes down to priorities, income, and money management.

I think the different boards are divided by their contents. For example, roadfly seems to cater a lot of track junkies, a generally older group. Bimmerfest seems to have a lot of young'ns relative to roadfly.. or the atmosphere is just different here. fanatics has the modder crowd. m3forums is well.. I don't know.. all-in-all, roadfly and bimmerfest seem more similar than the other forums from my perspective


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## 0BMW0323i (Oct 4, 2004)

Im 18, I got the car when I was 17. It's my second car, my first being a mustang. I drive a 323i, the new body style. Its a 1999 but I like to say its a 2000 b/c so many peps seem to think its the older body (which I can see why cuz the sedan was the first to convert over, while the others stayed the same). Anyway, Im an only child and live with my parents I go to college full-time and work part-time as a Micro Tech. How'd I get the car? I paid half with money I had saved while my mom paid the diff. But I am paying her monthly payments to pay her back for the money she spotted me. Why do so many people think reg. 3's are so much $$$!? It's just the name I guess, I know some1 who just paid 30K for a Eclipse GT, and I bet less people would bat an eye at that, than they would at a kid driving a 4 yr old BMW which costs less...


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## icky (Sep 15, 2004)

Hi. I'm a 23 year old Network Administrator, and I just bought my 2001 325xi. I can afford it because I manage my money in a way that enables me to pay for it! In all honesty used 3 series aren't really expensive cars. You deffinently get your "bang for your buck". I paid 23k for my car. I can't think of a single other car I would rather have for 23k.I get a lot of looks, and a lot of people saying "You drive a WHAT?" People just naturally think its more expensive than it is.


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## solsurfr (Oct 19, 2003)

icky said:


> Hi. I'm a 23 year old Network Administrator, and I just bought my 2001 325xi. I can afford it because I manage my money in a way that enables me to pay for it! In all honesty used 3 series aren't really expensive cars. You deffinently get your "bang for your buck". I paid 23k for my car. I can't think of a single other car I would rather have for 23k.I get a lot of looks, and a lot of people saying "You drive a WHAT?" People just naturally think its more expensive than it is.


Exactly. 3-Series aren't that expensive relative to whats out in the market. A loaded Honda Accord can get in the upper 20's, I think. I think most knowledgeable people realize today that these cars are within reach for most middle-income people. It's the 5, 6, and 7 series where the prices start to skyrocket in my opinion.


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## Fast Bob (Jun 4, 2004)

I can afford a BMW because:

"I`M RICK JAMES, BEYOTCH !!!!"

(props to Dave Chapelle)

Regards,
Bob


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## machmeter (Aug 6, 2002)

2 33 0 22 185 9 12 $ i x 11

There! Happy?


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## machmeter (Aug 6, 2002)

Ooops. What's wrong with my number keys???


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## atlau (Jul 1, 2004)

It's worrying that most of us in here seem to be well educated, uni degrees, smart people who simply love our cars, and do quite well. However many can't seem to spell correctly!!

I just read the entire thread from top to bottom - and so many entries I had to reread, just to figure out what it says.

Anyway - my observation for the day 

In OZ, BMWs cost much more than the US, our 318i base models start at around A$68k, stretching to around A$130K for a M3. (That's around U$110k... let the good times roll!!)

Our streets in Sydney are littered with thousands of 318i, but we all love them.

I bought mine after working 4 years as a senior IT consultant, driving a Honda Accord. That's the natural progression... to go Civic -> Accord -> 3er...


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## TLudwig (Mar 30, 2004)

atlau said:


> It's worrying that most of us in here seem to be well educated, uni degrees, smart people who simply love our cars, and do quite well. However many can't seem to spell correctly!!
> 
> I just read the entire thread from top to bottom - and so many entries I had to reread, just to figure out what it says.
> 
> Anyway - my observation for the day


Just because you Aussies can't read proper English, don't blame it on our writing.  Actually, I agree with you 100%. Most people cannot write well these days, and the sad thing is that English and Writing are not American students' worst subjects. 



atlau said:


> In OZ, BMWs cost much more than the US, our 318i base models start at around A$68k, stretching to around A$130K for a M3. (That's around U$110k... let the good times roll!!)
> 
> Our streets in Sydney are littered with thousands of 318i, but we all love them.
> 
> I bought mine after working 4 years as a senior IT consultant, driving a Honda Accord. That's the natural progression... to go Civic -> Accord -> 3er...


Wow! I knew the prices were pretty bad, but that's absolutely nuts! I guess to own a BMW down under, you have to be loaded or a true BMW fan or both.


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## MyF355Spider (Oct 14, 2004)

*It is all about playing smart,*

Call me spoiled if you like, but I don't think of myself that way. I like to think that I have made smart decisions, or at least been able to quickly recover from the not as smart ones. I am 18. My first car was a 92 Merc Grand Marquis which threw a rod. I bought a 98 Audi A4 in February of '02. My parents paid for most of the car, I covered about $2000. I spent $9000 of my own money in mods/maintenance over the course of it's ownership. I worked as a lifeguard for three summer and had a few other supplemental income sources.

I graduated in the top 3% of my highly regarded HS. I am now a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University studying to be a pilot. It has been my dream. I am incredibly fortunate to have a lot of my education paid for by my grandparents through their savings. 
But now I am in college, and my current car is not exactly what I need right now.

I have decided to part it out over the course of the next few months. By purchasing wisely, I should end up with a net loss (excluding gas, insurance, and registration) of about $1000. :thumbup: I buy just about everything used, and do not spend any money on alcohol or drugs. I have a decent, yet not extravagent social life.

With the money from my current car, I plan on buying a 328Ci and spending about 3000 on wheels, supsension, minor exterior mods, and then just cruising it through college. I will save the rest. With my advanced standings in HS I should be out in 3 years. 
After graduation is where I have some doubts. The industry is fairly unpredictable right now. If all goes well, I will find a job as an instructor pilot for a few years. Probably trade the coupe in for a used G35 coupe, and drive that until I get a job with an airline. Then, who knows? 

I plan and don't foresee this being a problem, to never carry a CC balance. Financing a vehicle will only happen if the interest rates are below my return on investments (in other words I won't buy a car I don't have the cash for, even if I don't necessarilly pay cash).

My friends are spending twice the amount of money on new cars right now, that don't handle, aren't flashy, and depreciate enormously over the first few years. I, on the other hand, buy a 3-4 year old car for 30-50% of it's original cost, and am able to own a German masterpeice that practically holds 100% of it's value!!! So, again, call me spoiled, but in my opinion, it's a game, the game of life, and I think I'm winning!

So for the short version, I have a good idea of what I want, know how to get it, and sure as hell am trying my best to stay in the pilot's seat. There may be some turbulence, but realistically, I see a safe landing! :rofl:


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## Artslinger (Sep 2, 2002)

Da Ja Vue.

Why do the most STUPID f'n threads go on forever? :dunno:


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## allaboutme (Dec 22, 2003)

MyF355Spider said:


> So for the short version, I have a good idea of what I want, know how to get it, and sure as hell am trying my best to stay in the pilot's seat.


I want to be like you when I grow up...


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## vicszhp (Aug 27, 2004)

Artslinger said:


> Da Ja Vue.
> 
> Why do the most STUPID f'n threads go on forever? :dunno:


Because people like you and me add to them.....


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