Finding a car for my 17 yr. old, Sean

[Al Gray]

I was looking for a car this weekend for my son, Sean. I saw two 1990 535is. both with standard 5 speed transmissions. One car had 217,000 miles good paint; the headliner needed to be reglued and the front seat leather was cracked but not ripped. It ran well and the body was just about perfect with a little door ding. This was the owner's "driver car" and ran well. He wanted $2500 for the car. I thought that it was a good value and an appropriate first car for my son. The second car was a 1990 535i 5 speed as well with only 95,000 miles. The price was $8500 and the condition was excellent. The car recently had a new clutch installed. I drove it and it was powerful and smooth. I would love to put a chip in this car!

I am just looking for opinions here. I am favoring a less expensive car for my son as he is a new driver. What are your opinions?

[bahnstormer]

well i am 19 and have had 3 cars
1 - 95 saturn sc1 - learned stick on it and it was slow and safe
2 - 89 325i good car, stick, fun fast, no air bag my dad made me sell
3 - 91 535i stick and an airbag safe, but powerful not sure if i'd give this
to my son either

[jplacson]

DAMN!!! I wish I had a Bimmer when I was 17!!! hehehehe

well, $2500 and $8500 are a far way off... the $8500 maybe give you a lot less headaches... but then again, for $2500, you'd have a lot more cash to spare for repairs that come along (and at least you really know what has been done)

217000 miles is a lot though, I paid $10700 for my 520i, but it only has about 34,000 miles on it, and the only major repair I had to do was the timing belt, and PS pump. The suspension was my call, it was actually still 'bearable' with a faint clunk going over humps... but I drive a bit more aggressively than most, so I demand more from my suspension on an everyday basis.

[Rory]

I was looking for a car this weekend for my son, Sean. I saw two 1990 535is. both with standard 5 speed transmissions. One car had 217,000 miles good paint; the headliner needed to be reglued and the front seat leather was cracked but not ripped. It ran well and the body was just about perfect with a little door ding. This was the owner's "driver car" and ran well. He wanted $2500 for the car. I thought that it was a good value and an appropriate first car for my son. The second car was a 1990 535i 5 speed as well with only 95,000 miles. The price was $8500 and the condition was excellent. The car recently had a new clutch installed. I drove it and it was powerful and smooth. I would love to put a chip in this car!

I am just looking for opinions here. I am favoring a less expensive car for my son as he is a new driver. What are your opinions?
I would vote for an old Mercedes 300 SD or a Volvo 240D. Both are bullet proof tanks that will keep your son nice and safe. They are also classic styles (except the volvo :) ), safe, powerful enough, but not enough to get him in trouble, and have room in the back seat for the ladies. Ha Ha, I couldn't resist. I would vote for an E34, but would probably lean more towards an M20'd 5. I had too many friends that had powerful cars when I was in HS and I am amazed that all of them made it out alive. YMMV.

Best,
Rory

[Scott H]

...........obviously you are not.

The higher mileage car you may easily spend 6k getting it straight if something major were to happen soon after the purchase.

I would have to stick with the low mileage one, especially if the body is in super shape. There are other cars you could easily pay more for, and others less. Do you feel like having another car to maintain? There may be some additional costs here, and you have to decided if you want to put in the time and the money of necessary.

I don't think I'd have a problem giving my son a nice, safe car to drive.......unless he was a delinquent.....haha

My opinion will probably not help you at all.........I've just been working late for a couple months and am starting to get a little wacky.

[Phil M]

I think it would be better for your 17 year old. Seems as if those M30 engines can run forever. If I could go back to when I was looking for my E34, then I would have definatly looked for a 535iM (5 spd tranny). I'm 17 myself and I had to have the most *powerful* one so I convinced my padre to get the 540iA I had found. But, I would recommend either one, depending on documentation and taking them both to an indy to have checked out. It'll cost a little bit but its well worth it in the long run. And I guess it also just depends on how much you want to spend on a car for him. I guarantee that if you get him either one, he will be hooked on BMWs for life. I know I am.

[Martin in Bellevue]

CCA track days can help anyone to handle a car.

Maintenance & condition count for alot compared to mileage on these cars. Age dictates that both cars would require similar work to get them where you're comfortable with the car on the road. Check Bruno's bmwe34.net site for things that will break.
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/trouble/what_will_break.htm

Another reason to go for the cheaper 535 is the opportunity to spend quality time with the kid. The 17 year old needs a car that needs him. That $6k difference will buy a ton of maintenance.

[Muratti]

I remember when I was 18 , my father gave me an old Fiat Mirafiori and I killed the engine in 1 year. Anyway it was a very old car. Later I bought a BMW 2002, 1977 and it lasted 5 years with lots of fun, speed and good time for the maintenance. So I would definitely recommend a bulky Bimmer 535 but with higher mileage. You can spend good time with your kid to repair, search for parts and accesories and he will learn a bit about cars... The rest of the money (6.5K) will help you long years to maintain and bring it in a perfect shape...

[winfred]

my 1st wheels at 16 was a 75 240 diesel 4 speed mercedes
then 83 rx7 gs mazda 5 speed the most fun you can have with 100 hp, bought it for $300 put 40k miles on it and sold it for $300 with a dead ignition switch.
88 760 turbo volvo auto 10 psi boost, auto crossed it a few times put 45k miles on it
84 240 turbo volvo wagon, rebuilt motor with some tweaks added, converted it to a true 5 speed (not push button 4 speed) from auto, intercooled it and ran 10 psi boost, should of kept it and sold the 760 instead.
90 325ism still have, put almost 70k miles on it.
90 535ia still have, put almost 30k miles on it

67 122 amazon volvo project (forgotten project) blocking up half of my carport for the last 7 years

[jplacson]

On a similar topic... would there be anyway to cheat the DME diagnostic chip inside the engines so that BMW wouldn't be able to tell what was wrong with it? My 520i didn't come with an OBC, but I'm presuming the OBC is mainly just for driver to know exactly what's wrong... not the BMW dealer right? (If they plug the system into their main computer, all the problems would still show up right?)

[winfred]

no disrespect intended, but what in the hell are you talking about???????


On a similar topic... would there be anyway to cheat the DME diagnostic chip inside the engines so that BMW wouldn't be able to tell what was wrong with it? My 520i didn't come with an OBC, but I'm presuming the OBC is mainly just for driver to know exactly what's wrong... not the BMW dealer right? (If they plug the system into their main computer, all the problems would still show up right?)

[Sheqel]

My first car was a 79 Mitsubishi Lancer Coupe. Known in the US as the Dodge Arrow.
It was great. Got that when I was 14, my mate rolled it when I was 16.

My car now I'm 17, is an '89 535iM. I don't know which one to get, so sorry can't help you! But awesome cars (the diff is nice to have in the 'iS')

[Paul in NZ]

On a similar topic... would there be anyway to cheat the DME diagnostic chip inside the engines so that BMW wouldn't be able to tell what was wrong with it? My 520i didn't come with an OBC, but I'm presuming the OBC is mainly just for driver to know exactly what's wrong... not the BMW dealer right? (If they plug the system into their main computer, all the problems would still show up right?)

the obc is not related to the diagnostic plug which is under the large round black cover immediately below the throttle cables in this pic of george the man m30 in his e32
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/kiwi535/M-30DrSdResize.jpg

[jplacson]

HAHAHA... sorry... I'm just worried, cuz the odometer in my car was broken when I got it. Previous owner said it only happened recently when he reset the trip odometer. I just wanted to know if Inspection II would turn up things that a car seller might try to hide. When I had my car run through the Inspection II at the dealer's... it only turned up the usual suspension parts, and my secondary clutch...oh and a few hoses here and there. That's about it. I was wondering if there's anything else I should look out for, that the Insp 2 might've overlooked, or missed.

[Unregistered]

the obc is not related to the diagnostic plug which is under the large round black cover immediately below the throttle cables in this pic of george the man m30 in his e32
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/kiwi535/M-30DrSdResize.jpg


Paul is that your car's engine bay? WOW that's bad man how can u keep the engine that clean and nice?

Ken from Guam

[KenB]

the obc is not related to the diagnostic plug which is under the large round black cover immediately below the throttle cables in this pic of george the man m30 in his e32
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/kiwi535/M-30DrSdResize.jpg


Wow, Do you ever DRIVE this car??? Looks like a museum piece. Since it's spring, I'm looking for someone to detail my engine compartment, what is the best method? Anyone???

Sorry for changing the subject.

[Chip]

Al-
I would get the lower mileage car for you and go play. There is plenty of maintenance time to be spent with your son with either of these cars. I would favor the lower mileage car for the reason that you should get a longer life out of it, but then you never know. As for buying the cheaper and having $6k to spend, after all is said and done it still has 110k+ more miles on it than the other.
Have you looked at any 525 5sp cars, these would be just as fun with less power and there seems to be more cars in the market to choose from.
Getting involved in driving schools would be an excellent idea- especially for your son. It's a great way to learn how to handle a car, plus he can get fast driving out of his system in a controlled environment (not that you ever truly get it out of your system).
Good luck with your decision- keep us posted.

[MikeV]

well, I just went through a similar situation with my older son... but since he has shown zero interest in working on anything automotive I went with a '94 Geo Prizm a.k.a. Toyota Corolla in the ugly Geo turquoise color... Possibly the dullest car of its day, but I expect this will last him through college with minimal repair bills. And just under $2K after new tires, complete brake system rebuild, timing belt, struts, belts, ignition parts, etc.
Oh yeah, cheap to insure, too, and dual airbags

[PatrickPGH]

I am just looking for opinions here. I am favoring a less expensive car for my son as he is a new driver. What are your opinions?

Go with an early 90's 240 Volvo with the 5 speed. Indestructible car that will run forever with very little maintenance.

And if your son expresses an interest in working on his own car it's incredibly easy with the 240. There's a large online community + a Bentley manual, abundant used parts and a good supplier network as well.

Lot's of upgrade options as well, IPD makes suspension upgrades and there's always the turbo engine or V8 transplant.

Patrick

[Mr. BILL]

I agree, go with the $2500 car. That way, if he dings it, you won't feel as bad. I bought a '80 528 5spd for my son's first car.

[Kennan]

When I was 16, I got my first car, my current e34, a 525i which was a hand me down from my mom. It's always been slow, but I thought the world of it. Recently I moved up to an '04 545i six-speed and couldn't be happier.

Out of those two cars, I would get the low mileage one without a doubt. Since you already have an e34 in your stable, maybe look into a different car all together. Possibly an older 3 series or maybe an Integra or a Jetta. Since your son is driving, maybe give him the leeway to have final choice on the car.

[warton]

DAMN!!! I wish I had a Bimmer when I was 17!!! hehehehe


Tell me about it... I was driving "Wookie" at that age - a '76 International Scout Traveler (that was the "wagon" version of the Scout) - 2-door, extremely unreliable, very slow, prone to engine fires, serious gas hog. But it was huge in the back with the seats folded up!

Ah, the good old days. ;-)

Peter

[DrewT]

I went through this about 1 year ago. I decided I would buy my son the safest car my son would drive for under $10,000. I decided on a 1994 525. Insurance test shows as very safe and consumer reports show the M50 engine to be a very good and dependable motor. I also like the fact that the M50 is not all that fast and good on gas mileage.
I found a 525 that had a spolier on the front and back which made my sone very happy. My car had 72,000 miles on it and I paid $8,500. which included a warranty to 100,000 miles.