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Been working since 16. Did all the necessary research, bought it myself, financed some, and NO parents help.

Have always loved BMW's since I was young, until the day I was driven in my neighbors e46 330ci ZHP package with manual, and that day made me say I will always own a BMW

 

It is interesting so many below 25 yr olds drive e60s.
I'm still getting used to the size of this car coming from A4's and 3'ers. If I did not need the space with a 3yr old, I would have stuck with a smaller car == more nimble, faster car.
Why did you younger folks pick this platform (nothing wrong with it just curious)?
FYI I'm 35.

 

24 bought it when I was 20 getting ready for that m5 .. how you afford it? Live at home and get a job lol cost me most of my paycheck though

why I picked the e60 my neighbor had the 550 with the m sport kit that did it for me lol .. I didn't want the e90 too many people had it and the e92 vert was alittle over what I could afford at the time

 

i agree, smaller car was always my wish when i thought about buying a newer bmw.
for me i drove an e39 and loved the 5 series. there are a ton of 3 series out there and absolutely hate the look of a four door 3 series. i don't know what about them, but i seriously dislike them hahaha.

in the end, spending that kind of cash on a car i'd be paying for over the next few years it only made sense to buy something with four doors. droping anything more or close to 15k on a two door car at a young age seems like it cannot be justified unless your ego is really that big... I dont mind the extra doors, as long as it came with a 6 speed.

not to mention all that fancy technology these 5 series have. To buy something comparable in a three series or 2 door you would have to buy something much newer.. i don't think e46 has any idrive system in it.

 

I have to say I also find it interesting to see so many young people driving these cars. I myself am only 19, but I'm closer to a 50 year old at heart.

 

I'll tell you for me (I'm 25) it was depreciation, the demographic the 5er appeals to new, and the maintenance on the cars.

See I wanted a 3er more than a 5er, but the problem I kept running into the with 3er is the previous owners beat the hell out of these cars. Kids graduate from college with a BA in Marketing and think "I've gotta lease a BMW to fit in with my peer group" so they go off to the dealer, which promises them no maintenance costs for the first 50k miles just sign on the line for $440 a month for the next 39 months and YOU'RE A BMW OWNER. These 22-35 year olds change the oil ever 15k drive them very hard, they sit in apartment parking lots and get run through a million drive through car washes. It is because most people who purchase/lease a 3er new really cannot afford a BMW new nor know/realize what it takes to really maintain it, and they treat the 3er like they treated their Toyota Corolla in college.

The 5er appeals to the more middle-aged professional, which means they cost substantially more, thus eliminating most of the recent college grads from the purchasing pool as new. Middle-aged drivers have kids, a mortgage, and have the disposable income to properly maintain a car such as a BMW -- IF -- and only if they know what it takes to properly maintain a BMW. Many used 5ers suffer from the same problems as a 3er but there are more that are properly maintained. Moreover, the 5er is much more likely to live its life in a garage as opposed to in an apartment parking lot. The other beautiful thing about the 5er is the depreciation. Because it is a bigger car and many times slower without the same "performance" image as the 3er it doesn't really appeal to people my age -- we want the 3er -- but the middle aged guy would rather, and normally has the money (for people who are interested in BMWs) to purchase/lease one new. Ergo the demand for used 5er is substantially smaller than the 3er. Its why a 7 year old BMW 5er thats 7 years old usually costs less than a similarly aged 3er -- demand & demographics.

Ergo, I choose a 5er over the more coveted 3er due to car for the money, who was the previous owner and how the car was maintained. An early production BMW 330i from 2006 that was 1 owner and maintained like my e60 was commands a price about $4k more than I paid for my late production 05 545i with comparable milage and features. Its why you see so many "kids" on here paying for these cars with their own money, as opposed to daddy's money like the 3er community is.

Just my thoughts on the subject though.

 

32 bought the 05 545i 4 years ago

 

27
purchased in 2009

 

ha! im right there with ya.. i feel your pain

 

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