I miss my BMW. Should I buy another or get something cheaper?

Hi, so my first car was a 1998 E39 and unfortunately I totaled it 3 months ago. I miss that car so much as it was such a pleasure to drive and was gorgeous! However, it was expensive to maintain and I had it in the shop at least twice a month. The car had 165k miles and was 21 yrs old. These both likely had a factor in it's poor mechanical condition but then again, BMWs aren't necessarily known for being low-maintenance. Despite the high costs I still miss my Brandi and am considering purchasing another Bimmer or maybe a Volkswagen. Should I go for it or get something more economical? I'm 18 and I make good money for my age, $24k a year. Just looking for some advice on what I should do. Thanks!!
Answers

nt

Not a BMW, or a VW or a mercedes. Stick with normal & reliable. Honda, Toyota, Mazda or Hyundai would be my choices.

Johnnie

Drive what you really like and pay whatever it involves if not then decide on some cheaper model and learn to love it too.

Anonymous

No way you only make $24k a year. You should not be driving a luxury car. For you an old beater car under $5000 that will be reliable and cheap to fix. I would recommend an old toyota corolla. While driving that beater start looking for a better job or go to school. Once you making atleast $50k a year then we can talk nicer cars.

boy boy

we have had our 1998 bmw528i from new ..it still runs and looks like new ...serviced every year ..nothings broken ..no rust ..30mpg easily ..never broken down ..for you ..buy a toyota

SennaMP4

BMW quality and reliability has been steadily decreasing since the late 80s. I would not recommend buying any modern German vehicle for someone in your current financial position. You need to be focusing on saving money, not living paycheck to paycheck to keep a beater afloat. Buying a newer BMW or VW will not mean that your cost of ownership will decrease substantially as they are poorly engineered examples of planned obsolescence designed to drain your wallet. The 5 series and Passat are the 2 most heavily depreciating new cars you can buy, and when the warranty ends, you'll be on the hard shoulder more than on the road. Keep in mind the E39 might not be the last car that you total. You should probably just buy a C5 or C6 Corvette which will cost nothing to maintain or insure, and it will drive better than any BMW since the E30. Alternatively, there's a plethora of Japanese and pony cars that are cheap reliable and fun, but they will have very high insurance rates.

Kellie

Uv

Kary

BMWs are proned to high maintenance, extreme mileage, and spendy bill due to the car parts, name brand, and designer label!

trap$benny

cheaper

Alfredo

Another way if you cam afford it

Anonymous

A used Scion.