Guest xclozano Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I'm curious to see as to how many BMW owners are here, and any one buy one as their LT. mobile ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brickhistory Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I own one. Got it as my retirement gift to myself last year. Never could manage anything like that as an Lt. Put your money in investments; retirement or separation gets here before you know it. Oh, and you kids get off my lawn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas Man Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 One time after a drinking bender I pooped and it curled around the toilet into the shape of a W. So that is a BM W. Does that count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapilot Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I'm curious to see as to how many BMW owners are here, and any one buy one as their LT. mobile ? I agere a BMW does seem a little much for a LT, unless you have a silverspoon somewhere I think I would find something else to do with the stash. If your set on one though I would look into a preown. Maybe a 3series sometimes they have some good deals. If so look at getting one through a bmw dealer so as to get the pre owned warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoleIt Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 The older BMW's are pretty affordable. If your talking a brand new M3 then yea thats pretty rich. But I wouldn't be so quick to jump on the silver spoon. I am looking into a Corvette as we speak and I have worked for everything I own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infamous Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Just some insight from friends who have owned them "don't own one out of warranty" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AltazanSW Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Not an Lt. Mobile, but I'm working on an '87 325i, and looked at a '94 850ci today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STR1CK Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I have had two BMW's and I am looking to get a Third soon. My advice is know what you are getting. Search the BMW forums so you know a head of time what problems you are likely to encounter. Do not buy a BMW that is out of warranty. It will bleed you dry. Hell I am a Capt/GS12 and my wife works and it would bleed us dry. Honestly there are much better more realiable cars that cost a whole hell of a lot less. Before our daughter came alont I had a Honda Civic Si. That was an awesome car!!! It was fast, sporty, reliable, and most importantly affordable. I am not lecturing you, just do your homework. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilEagle Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Does a BMW motorcycle count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brickhistory Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 (edited) Does a BMW motorcycle count? http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/11/airforce_cosmo_bachelor_071109/ That admission was part of his bio as Virginias hottest bachelor, one of 50 contestants for the nations most eligible man in the November issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. Other tidbits: When Im not flying, I ride my motorcycle. It makes me feel so free. Wha?! I'm just sayin'... edited to add: a friendly beer if I could find those icons... Edited July 17, 2009 by brickhistory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudhen69 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Check with Carmax. I bought an 6 year old 325i with only 35,000 miles for about half what a brand new one would cost. My advice to you is if you have no credit card debt, are maxing out TSP/IRA, making your mortgage payments at least 1.5 times the min and have an emergency fund then go ahead and get a nice car. Until then, get something that is practical. For a LT, I would recommend a pickup truck (1/2 ton or smaller) since you will probably be either moving a lot, buying furniture/appliances and/or fixing up a house since you probably can’t afford a really nice one. Just some suggestions that most of which were learned the hard way by yours truly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest keystone Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 The problem you face in driving a BMW is everyone thinks either 1. You're parents bought it for you or 2. All your change is going into the car and you can't save money for down the road. How much does a brand new Tacoma cost? A Sierra with a 2-3 years on it? A new dodge ram? A hell of a lot more than an E46 3 series (1999-2005). Just do your research, E46fanatics.com is a great place to start. With BMWs it's not about the series number, it's about what engine you get. The 3.0 inline 6 in any series is great bang for the buck. You'll spend some extra coin on preventative maintenance, tires, and upkeep but I thought it was worth it. Don't try to stretch and get a 2001 M5 because they are only $21,000. Stay away from an M3 as well. As a LT, these are two you can not afford to maintain. I had my 330 for about 2 1/2 years. Most of the money i spent was my own fault (money shift). I ended up selling it not over money, but because I wanted more room...got a truck. Yes, the best advice is Mudhen69's about saving and staying out of debt. However, if you're going to pony up $250-$400 a month it might as well be on something you enjoy driving. Another way to look at it; this might be the only time in your life when no one else is counting on you, so a few more dollars a month on a shinny new ride may not hurt so bad. Try telling the wife you figured out a way to fit the 2 kid's seats in the back of the new 335I on the BMW Lot. Do your research, just be careful, the used ones are hit or miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Buy a Genesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brabus Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 (edited) I bought a 2001 330ci back in 2003. It was a great looking and performing car. I had it up until 4 months ago when I sold it so I could afford to do some work on my 71 vette. If it wasn't for my vette obsession, I'd still have the car. BMWs are very easy to work on (minus large American hands/arms fitting into German engines). If you are even basically mechanically inclined, you can do a lot of the MX yourself. You can also repair a lot of things yourself. People talk about how expensive BMWs are to maintain, blah blah...yeah, it's because a camshaft position sensor goes out and they don't question the dealership when they get charged $500 to fix it. Yeah that one took me $50 and 30 min. E46fanatics.com is a good site, but I also used bimmerfest.com a ton. It's like the baseops of the BMW world. You can find DIY instructions on just about anything and there's some very knowledgeable people over there. My BMW also got 35 MPG on the highway...not many cars can get that good of gas mileage but have awesome performance. In the end, do what makes you happy, but will still keep you within budget. Secondly, I WILL have another BMW again someday...that's how much I liked that car. Edited July 17, 2009 by brabus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest s52 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 My first car was an '87 325is, I paid 3,000 for it and it served me well, wound up selling it with 220,000 miles on the clock... still running strong. In college I picked up my dream car, a '96 M3 I still own. Overall they are great cars, maintenance isn't too bad as long as your willing to get your hands dirty. I have shop manuals and a craftsman tool set which allows me to tackle just about any maintenance/ repairs you could imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoAviator Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 My LT-Mobile is a 2006 BMW 325Ci (Coupe). My rationale is that I'm single and this is probably the last time in my life when I can have such an awesome car. Picked it up for ~$24,000 with 26,000 miles on it. "2" on E46fanatics.com and bimmerfest.com. BMWs aren't much harder to work on than your typical American car. Don't let a dealership talk you out of $150 for an oil change when you can get a kit (including BMW's 'special' oil) for $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 The only BMW I'd own: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xclozano Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 How much should a new LT spend on a car/truck ? My friend and I test drove a '09 Ford f-150 lariat, that went for about $48,000...leather seating,air-conditioned seats, nav, the works.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloDude Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 How much should a new LT spend on a car/truck ? My friend and I test drove a '09 Ford f-150 lariat, that went for about $48,000...leather seating,air-conditioned seats, nav, the works.... Dude, that is a freakin' waste of money, especially for a new LT. You finally graduated from college, got commissioned, and are earning a decent paycheck--I understand that you now you want something to show for it, but don't blow your money just because you can get the financing. My youngest brother just got commissioned in the Army and he took the USAA loan and bought a 2 year old Nissan Exterra that cost him a little under $20K. I'd say around $20K is reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoleIt Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 How much should a new LT spend on a car/truck ? My friend and I test drove a '09 Ford f-150 lariat, that went for about $48,000...leather seating,air-conditioned seats, nav, the works.... I wouldn't do anything much more than the USAA loan (25k, ~$450 a month). Right now that is the only debt I have and its easy to manage. I still manage to save close to entire paycheck a month and its only going to go up now that I make BAH. I am heavily looking into an 06 C6 Z06, which is probably going to set me back $45k before taxes. But I can afford it, I did some smart investing and by the time I am all said and done my only debt will still be the very manageable USAA loan. So basically...unless you have another 20-25k in your back pocket AND the USAA loan, don't blow it on a 48k vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infamous Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Not an Lt. Mobile, but I'm working on an '87 325i, and looked at a '94 850ci today I love the 8 series. The front end of those look pretty mean, reminds me somewhat of a Formula 1 car. I wouldn't do anything much more than the USAA loan (25k, ~$450 a month). Right now that is the only debt I have and its easy to manage. I still manage to save close to entire paycheck a month and its only going to go up now that I make BAH. I am heavily looking into an 06 C6 Z06, which is probably going to set me back $45k before taxes. But I can afford it, I did some smart investing and by the time I am all said and done my only debt will still be the very manageable USAA loan. So basically...unless you have another 20-25k in your back pocket AND the USAA loan, don't blow it on a 48k vehicle. Holy shit. A C6 Z06? That's an AWESOME car! I really am looking into possibly getting a C5 Z06 but in a couple years if the C6 Z06 comes down into the 30's that's what I would be spending my money on. I was surprised to see a first gen Viper GTS in the high 30's with only 35,000 miles! If only it got the gas mileage that a Vette did... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M2 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I had two E40s (mid-80s 3-series) while I was stationed in Germany. Great cars, very balanced and a hoot to drive. The first one took a Land Rover head-on and I walked away, combined speed of the accident had to be 70-80 MPH (fucker drifted into my lane on a small mountain road). No airbags, no ABS, just solid German engineering! While TDY to Patch in 93, a Lavy LT, Army SGT and I stopped by the big BMW dealership right outside the gate. There was a beautiful 850i on the floor that we figured if we pooled all our paychecks, we might be able to afford it! Unfortunately, I was heading to Slovakia, the SGT Albania, and the LT the Czech Republic if I recall correctly; and we couldn't figure out how to time-share the car! One of the reasons I love my Jeep so much is that it reminds me of my BMWs. RWD, everything’s mechanical (no power windows or locks), and an engine I can do most of the maintenance on myself. Of course, it doesn’t drive anything like the Beemer (“the Ultimate Driving Machine”), but it is just as much fun. Cheers! M2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltopfor Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Got a 2001 325i. Lt mobile, but I looked around for months before I got it. Its been great so far. As long as this one works well in the long run Ill probably get another older one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ImpRoV Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I got my baby around 2003...A 1996 318is with 120k miles onit. I got it for 5 grand. It was in superb condition inside and out. I now have 260k miles on it and that lil guy can haul for a car with only a 5 speed 140hp. Manual or not, its a FAST light car. Its phenomenal on gas since its only a 4 cylinder. But the real reason I love BMW's isnt because of how good it looks or drives or the MPG's.. It's because one day my mother borrowed it and stopped at a red light.. and next thing you know an 18 wheeler Mack truck whos flatbed is fully loaded with cargo slams into her doing 30-40 mph, a nasty rearend collision. The cops that saw what the car looked like said my mom shouldnt be walking into an ambulance because it was that demolished. It looked like an accordion and everyone from cops to insurance people said the car saved her life. My mom has some neck pain and is in generally good health now. But after that accident, I saw first hand how safe these German cars are with all that crazy german engineering. I'm a total BMW enthusiast. Here is what the car looked like before the accident, I copied everything this guy had but repainted my car in Jet Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitman Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I got my baby around 2003...A 1996 318is with 120k miles onit. I got it for 5 grand. It was in superb condition inside and out. I now have 260k miles on it and that lil guy can haul for a car with only a 5 speed 140hp. Manual or not, its a FAST light car. Its phenomenal on gas since its only a 4 cylinder. But the real reason I love BMW's isnt because of how good it looks or drives or the MPG's.. It's because one day my mother borrowed it and stopped at a red light.. and next thing you know an 18 wheeler Mack truck whos flatbed is fully loaded with cargo slams into her doing 30-40 mph, a nasty rearend collision. The cops that saw what the car looked like said my mom shouldnt be walking into an ambulance because it was that demolished. It looked like an accordion and everyone from cops to insurance people said the car saved her life. My mom has some neck pain and is in generally good health now. But after that accident, I saw first hand how safe these German cars are with all that crazy german engineering. I'm a total BMW enthusiast. Here is what the car looked like before the accident, I copied everything this guy had but repainted my car in Jet Black Do you still have a pic of the car after the wreck? BTW, if you go to full reply you can attach a file through the server without going to photobucket, if that's easier for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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