EBMCS03

It depends. If you think he deserves it, and you can afford it, help him out. If he doenst and really doesnt listen to you... is a trouble maker and didnt work hard in college... low GPA... then forget it.

What does he think of it? Is he money cautious? Does he fling it around like nothing? Does he know money doenst grow on trees and tries to conserve and save?

If he knows all that then go for it. He knows whats up and will be greatful and he just really wants a good nice car.

legalman

You and he may want to look at the Acura TSX with stick or automatic. The TSX is quite a bit of car for the money, and is built very well, is very safe, and is sporty. Retail on a new one is about $28k, and it has an incredible list of standard items at that price, including Nav.

Gadgets

...I wish my dad would've bought me a BMW when I was 18...

10 years ago = different decade ?

I sure hope your son appreciates it!!

SinisterJ

One tip of advice as you are trying to help him out and get going... Let him finance the car under his name then BOOM around the second payment make a 20,000 dollar payment and pay the car off! That will skyrocket his credit rating for later down the road.

05E60Black545i

Im not quite sure what I'm going to do, I understand where a few are coming from but he does appreciate things and we have never done anything like this for him in the past, I got his first car from a friend and the only reason it was given to him was that if he chose a state school I would get him a car, and him being who he was, in love with cars, chose that instead of a private institution.(Smart or not I don't know) That being said I know he will take care and appreciate any car I got him I just wanted to get him something nice that he wont have to worry about for a few years after school.

Hopco

When my wife's ex 1996 E36 gave up the ghost in the autumn of 2004, I was in the same boat as you. My daughter, who had been using it, loved the BMW, but did not want another - reverse snobbery, eh!

I wanted to give her (a 2006 UPenn grad) a safe, reliable, but fun car. She wanted pretty much the same, but also a car that got good mileage.

We looked at the Mini, Toyota Matrix, Honda Civic SI and Mazda-3 5door 5-speed. We picked the Mazda, costing about $21,000 delivered w/tax. The Mini was too small, the Matrix cost more when tricked out with air-bags, anti-lock brakes etc, the Honda drove very poorly (surprise) but the Mazda was fun to drive, had good CR reliability, and the right size. It's only drawback - a drumming at highway speeds - but what do you expect for that price - BMW 7 series soundproofing.

She is very happy with it, taking it to all her ski team events and is off this June to the West Coast. Reliability has been good. Maintenance, but for a few scratches, has been fluids etc only. She is pleased and expects to hold the car for some time.

Think of the Mazda as an alternative to a used BMW of unknown provenance.,

Best of Luck

John

PS: I hold no Mazda or Ford stock

markt540i

That is a tough decision. Sounds like you want to get the Bimmer. Go ahead. If it is a problem he can sell it and get something else. If he really wants the bimmer, and everyone on this forum knows that feeling, he can work hard to keep it repaired.

nickolas_g

This is a tough question. I was not as fortunate to have my dad a few years ago help fund my first car. I was in the same quandry. I was looking at the Audi A4 and the more reliable Japanese versions. Although I had a great experience with the Acura Integra with many many miles on it, I chose the A4. It was a great ride but very very unreliable.

This is going to sound very shallow, but it is reality. Girls will judge him on what he drives. It is a sad statement, and I sure to get hate mail on this, but it is the truth in the US that is. When I got my A4 it changed my dating life.

In the end the A4 was a real problem reliability wise. But, it was really fun to drive when it was running.

When you are right out of school you are broke and there are not many creature comforts to enjoy. Buy your son the BMW. Or something just as fun. Let him over rule your judgement if he thinks that would be best.

Hope this helps.

AC_S5

I got the keys to a brand new E46 when I was 19 to be honest is hard to go back on driving any other cars (as my experience with the Nissan) yes you can say a SUV and a Bimmer doesn't really compare well. The reason I got the Nissan was driving a Bimmer to an interview is not the best experience as the guy who's interviewing me saw me parking my car. During the interview, he ask me why I wanted to work while in school, I told him I want to get some working experience before graduating and he immediately say not for money reason obviously <_< so next time I have an interview, I park furthest away but still get question like "why you want to work here" when my co-workers find out what I drive to work.

So get him what you want, is your money after all if you think that's what he deserves and what's right for him.

heezy545i

For around $20-25K, I'd get him a s2000 or a 350Z.

For around $30K, you could get an '01 M3, but you'd also have the reliabilty issues that you're worried about. Though for another $5K, I'd much rather have the m3 than the 325 vert.