• 330ci or 745i? - FIRST CAR
    68 replies, posted
I had a crew cab with a long bed Ford F150 as a first vehicle. Took my driving test in it and parallel parked it too. I also for the giggles parallel parked a Dodge Durmax outfitted for welding... that was fun. Also to aid in this topic your first car should not be a nice one, by ANY MEANS . It's like flying airplanes would you step up to a 35% Yak for your first plane? Nope. It would pile into the ground faster than what your reaction would be of "oh fuck what do I do". Just get like a grammy car. roll with it for a year or so and get a bmw or w.e .
Going to /o/ was a horrible idea, jesus christ.
[QUOTE=Serj22;43337877]Could BMW not be bothered to name their cars or something? Mercedes too... Just numbers and letters... I feel like I just read HTML. Someone educate my dumb ass.[/QUOTE] I love BMW's and Volvo's naming schemes. They make a lot more sense than just giving the car some name. For BMW, the digits are the engine's volume in litres, and the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_model_designations#BMW_nomenclature"]letters tell you a[/URL] bit more about the car. For Volvo it's cylindres and doors. OP: The 330 is gonna have more expensive insurance, sure it's got the smaller engine, but I would reckon it's more popular with teens, and teens crash, which means it'll be more expensive, since you'll be a bigger risk to the insurance company. The 7 on the other hand is usually owned by older drivers, more mature drivers.
[QUOTE=Gulen;43343950]I love BMW's and Volvo's naming schemes. They make a lot more sense than just giving the car some name. For BMW, the digits are the engine's volume in litres, and the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_model_designations#BMW_nomenclature"]letters tell you a[/URL] bit more about the car. For Volvo it's cylindres and doors. OP: The 330 is gonna have more expensive insurance, sure it's got the smaller engine, but I would reckon it's more popular with teens, and teens crash, which means it'll be more expensive, since you'll be a bigger risk to the insurance company. The 7 on the other hand is usually owned by older drivers, more mature drivers.[/QUOTE] having owned two 7s, I can safely say that the insurance on these cars is not cheap at all
I believe you, I couldn't even get a quote on a 7, not even just responsibility, because It'd be too expensive (>$5700)
Spending all of your money on a pretty old PoS is a bad idea. Spending some of your money on a somewhat old, reliable car like a Civic is a good idea. Then you also have more money to spend on repairs. Also don't get embarrassed that everyone just called you out on wanting a BMW... Every kid does it, even if adults pretend they didn't. I almost wanted a Faguar X-type 3.0. *cringe*. Just buy something safe and reliable. You WILL get into an accident. [QUOTE=Gulen;43343950] The 7 on the other hand is usually owned by older drivers, [B]more mature[/B] drivers.[/QUOTE] :suicide:
if he wants a BMW and can afford the maintenance, he should get one the last thing any teenager wants to do is cause more maintenance costs that you have to pay for yourself I learned that the hard way
It's kind of a simple choice. If you're into cars and like working on them/spending money on them, fuck it knock yourself out and buy the BM. If you see cars as transportation from A to B, get a Honda Civic or a Golf.
The big thing is maintenance. With a 2nd being insurance. If you can afford a nice car and are willing to learn to drive carefully and not beat the crap out of it and take care of it, that's great. BUT. If you want to learn to work on and maintain a car mechanically yourself, a newer BMW is not a good choice in my opinion. The electrical is not as friendly, nor is how it's built. I've been to a few rodeos, and even just changing the tensioner pulley on my friend's 2002 3series wasn't a great time (I swore a lot). It's going to be a much steeper learning curve. If you do want to take on the challenge, give it a shot, just know it's going to take some more work. Def get the 3Series, though.. nice little car, sporty, better gas mileage, less electrical crap to stop working (like brake pad depth sensors and junk). Now, if you do want to learn to work on your own car, and don't want a challenge... get a 4cyl Japanese car, IMO. Late 90's Corolla or Civic are both great cars, fairly comfortable and nimble enough to make for a fun ride. For $3000-$4000 you can get one that is in pristine shape with like... 30,000 miles on it probably. Stay away from American 4cyl stuff like Cavaliers and Escorts.. cuz those are pretty crappy overall I think. Japanese 6 cyl vehicles are OK, but will take a big of extra work for doing maintenance like plugs and wires, since they usually have a big overhang intake that needs removal. American 6cyl stuff like Grand Ams and Impalas that have the 3400 V6 are another great car to start with, since that engine is easy to work on and learn with. Again, you can get one in great shape for what you've got. Finally, if you're NOT planning on learning to work on the car yourself and just plan on taking it to a shop for maintenance and repairs, a BMW will be fine. BUT be prepared for larger bills both in labor and parts. Just sayin.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;43341687]It's even more ridiculous here in Australia because you can have zero practical driving experience and drive a 315kW HSV as long as you're with someone who has their full license, but as soon as you get those 120 hours of driving experience and get your provisional license you can't even drive a shitty Holden Cruze with a turbocharged 1.4L engine.[/QUOTE] you can in perth sucka
[QUOTE=clutch2;43363915]The big thing is maintenance. With a 2nd being insurance. If you can afford a nice car and are willing to learn to drive carefully and not beat the crap out of it and take care of it, that's great. BUT. If you want to learn to work on and maintain a car mechanically yourself, a newer BMW is not a good choice in my opinion. The electrical is not as friendly, nor is how it's built. I've been to a few rodeos, and even just changing the tensioner pulley on my friend's 2002 3series wasn't a great time (I swore a lot). It's going to be a much steeper learning curve. If you do want to take on the challenge, give it a shot, just know it's going to take some more work. Def get the 3Series, though.. nice little car, sporty, better gas mileage, less electrical crap to stop working (like brake pad depth sensors and junk). Now, if you do want to learn to work on your own car, and don't want a challenge... get a 4cyl Japanese car, IMO. Late 90's Corolla or Civic are both great cars, fairly comfortable and nimble enough to make for a fun ride. For $3000-$4000 you can get one that is in pristine shape with like... 30,000 miles on it probably. Stay away from American 4cyl stuff like Cavaliers and Escorts.. cuz those are pretty crappy overall I think. Japanese 6 cyl vehicles are OK, but will take a big of extra work for doing maintenance like plugs and wires, since they usually have a big overhang intake that needs removal. American 6cyl stuff like Grand Ams and Impalas that have the 3400 V6 are another great car to start with, since that engine is easy to work on and learn with. Again, you can get one in great shape for what you've got. Finally, if you're NOT planning on learning to work on the car yourself and just plan on taking it to a shop for maintenance and repairs, a BMW will be fine. BUT be prepared for larger bills both in labor and parts. Just sayin.[/QUOTE] This guy here knows what hes talking about. I remember shortly after getting the hang of working on cars (as in getting used to working on my civic) I confidently told my friend I could tune up his engine and fix the dead radio on his e38 with the dsp boogaloo. Cmon I could take apart and put that civic back together in better condition than from factory so hows a beamer any different. And mahahahaaaan I was wrong. Instantly you go from 10mm bolt on everything to bolts you've never seen of odd proportions, wire looms the size of your forearm just to control the power seats, and engine covers covering engine covers which house the main engine cover to cover the engine cover over the engine cover. And some of those warn old fuckers do [i][b]not[/b][/i] come off easy *unless you don't give a fuck and break them* I'm not saying working on a BMW is impossible, and hey, maybe getting used to the simplistic nature of jap cars actually made it in a way harder, but for getting wrenching experience and a much lower chance of fucking shit up, old jap cars are great. And plus, you can get so many mods to give an old jap car some luxury. Trust me, after fully vibration and sound deadning my civic, with some interior mods, it rides extremely nicely
Get an expensive car and crash = you ruin your wallet for a long time Get a cheap car and crash = you can learn from it without it completely ruining your life. Depending on how hard you crash ofc :v:
[QUOTE=masterwolf;43365394]This guy here knows what hes talking about. I remember shortly after getting the hang of working on cars (as in getting used to working on my civic) I confidently told my friend I could tune up his engine and fix the dead radio on his e38 with the dsp boogaloo. Cmon I could take apart and put that civic back together in better condition than from factory so hows a beamer any different. And mahahahaaaan I was wrong. Instantly you go from [B]10mm bolt[/B] on everything to bolts you've never seen of odd proportions, wire looms the size of your forearm just to control the power seats, and engine covers covering engine covers which house the main engine cover to cover the engine cover over the engine cover. And some of those warn old fuckers do [i][b]not[/b][/i] come off easy *unless you don't give a fuck and break them*[/QUOTE] [quote][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2XdXoCl0rU[/media][/quote] 3:50
I can deny that all japanese bikes have 10mm, just on my rear axle, there's a 17mm on the bolt, and 19mm on the nut, because why not. Only the adjusting screw is 10mm, the locking nut on the adjusting screw is 12mm I think. [editline]1st January 2014[/editline] My friend's chinese kit bike on the other hand, only has two sizes, a small and a big allen key.
[QUOTE=Gulen;43375659]I can deny that all japanese bikes have 10mm, just on my rear axle, there's a 17mm on the bolt, and 19mm on the nut, because why not. Only the adjusting screw is 10mm, the locking nut on the adjusting screw is 12mm I think. [editline]1st January 2014[/editline] My friend's chinese kit bike on the other hand, only has two sizes, a small and a big allen key.[/QUOTE] I have a terrible terrible habit that especially car enthusiasts should not have - I never put tools back properly. And when I have to deal with switching out sockets, instead of just putting it back on the socket bar, I subcontiosly put it aside, and eventually forgot where I set it. So having 10mm's on everything is definitely good for me, cause it never leaves the spanner.
I put my tools away when I first got them, but after letting my dad, my brother, and a buddy use my tools I'm missing at least a quarter of them, some of the tools I have aren't even mine. I guess someone wanted my craftsmen wrenches more than their cheap no name ones. I just throw em in the box and only put them all away when I can't close it anymore. :\
[QUOTE=Squeegy Mackoy;43336368]Get a shitbox as your first car. Not only is a better investment (because you're going to crash your first car anyway), but it lets you appreciate your proceeding cars more.[/QUOTE] I dunno man. My first car (that i daily drive) was never really a shitbox. I was rearended when driving it just months after getting my license, nearly totalling it (other guy was at fault, drove nearly 1/4 mile while reading the owners manual for his new car and not watching the road.) Now, 4 years later, ive repaired the damage and spent hours on end turning it into the perfect car for me. Not everyone crashes their first car. Ive put many miles on mine and theres many more left in it
[QUOTE=Del91;43375881]I put my tools away when I first got them, but after letting my dad, my brother, and a buddy use my tools I'm missing at least a quarter of them, some of the tools I have aren't even mine. I guess someone wanted my craftsmen wrenches more than their cheap no name ones. I just throw em in the box and only put them all away when I can't close it anymore. :\[/QUOTE] I've just inherited the tools my dad left when he moved out, so I have an incomplete Kamasa tools socket set (didn't even have a ratchet, was supposed to have two), a bunch of no-name 3/8" sockets (I use 1/2"), 2 3/8" ratchets, and a 1/2" ratchet gun set with sockets for wheel nuts. Also got a bunch of spanners in different sizes, and a load of other tools (even a spray gun!)
[QUOTE=FordLord;43375962]I dunno man. My first car (that i daily drive) was never really a shitbox. I was rearended when driving it just months after getting my license, nearly totalling it (other guy was at fault, drove nearly 1/4 mile while reading the owners manual for his new car and not watching the road.) Now, 4 years later, ive repaired the damage and spent hours on end turning it into the perfect car for me. Not everyone crashes their first car. Ive put many miles on mine and theres many more left in it[/QUOTE] But you did. And I did and my room mate did and a mate I helped buy a subaru this summer did honestly I'd put it at a good 25% of people crash their first ride. The road can be a confusing and fast paced dynamic place, and even if you're a pretty good starting out driver there's lots of people who're driving like dumbshits.
[QUOTE=clutch2;43381436]But you did. And I did and my room mate did and a mate I helped buy a subaru this summer did honestly I'd put it at a good 25% of people crash their first ride. The road can be a confusing and fast paced dynamic place, and even if you're a pretty good starting out driver there's lots of people who're driving like dumbshits.[/QUOTE] *I* didnt crash mine, though someone not watching the road managed to hit me. Theres a big difference from someone crashing a car, and someone else hitting them I mean, if youre using that logic, if my car was parked in a parking lot and someone slammed into it, itd still be me who crashed it
If you're insistent on getting a BMW for a first car, get an E36. Parts are (much) cheaper, the car itself is (much) cheaper, and they're still just as fun.
[QUOTE=ramirez!;43381722]If you're insistent on getting a BMW for a first car, get an E36. Parts are (much) cheaper, the car itself is (much) cheaper, and they're still just as fun.[/QUOTE] High insurance since they're popular with the epitome of BMW fuckwits though. Although even the amazing Sharknose BMW's or fuckexpensive brand spanking new ones aren't safe from those retards, but they all seem to ciclejerk over the E36 at a alarming degree.
Clearly you don't want a shitbox, but buy something sensible. Find a car that you like, feel comfortable working on, and suits your needs. Any luxury car is going to be horrible on insurance, hell my insurance is $2600 a year....
[QUOTE=O Cheerios O;43382228]High insurance since they're popular with the epitome of BMW fuckwits though. Although even the amazing Sharknose BMW's or fuckexpensive brand spanking new ones aren't safe from those retards, but they all seem to ciclejerk over the E36 at a alarming degree.[/QUOTE] Yup. That being said, I'd recommend just not getting a BMW for a first car. Congrats to you for saving up so much, but it's likely you're not going to ready for the performance even a mid-level Bimmer will net, especially if it's a RWD.
Why is rwd bad for a first time driver? If anything front wheel drive is worse because torque steer.
You know, I've never really thought about it. The first car I ever actually owned myself was a rwd. I think it's just because before that I used to borrow a fwd, so switching to rwd was a bit strange for a while. Still, throwing the power of a 330ci for a first car is likely not going to end well.
It's not like it has massive power either.
[QUOTE=ramirez!;43385794]You know, I've never really thought about it. The first car I ever actually owned myself was a rwd. I think it's just because before that I used to borrow a fwd, so switching to rwd was a bit strange for a while. Still, throwing the [B]power[/B] of a 330ci for a first car is likely not going to end well.[/QUOTE] Uh what. The 330ci is not a powerful car, nor is it fast, nor is it unsafe. I would rather have that over any FWD car any day, FWD cars have torque steer, and depending on the car, that might catch someone around Episodes and my age when they aren't paying attention and apply a bit more gas then they probably should. I think the bigger issue with this thread is that someone is comparing 2 cars of similar and horrible insurance rates with high initial costs and pain in the ass maintenance. As for the sake of the thread, I suggest that Episode go with a pre 2000 Bimmer or Mercedes if he is after a nice ride. The old W124 E-Class, W126 S-Class, and the older 7 series cars offer a better value than a post 2000s BMWs due to their cheaper initial costs as well as being less complex and having less plastic shrouds blocking access to key areas if work needs to be done. Also, don't buy anything with a V12 for a first car, then you are just asking to get raped by your insurance carrier. Just be sensible about your purchase, and don't blow all of your cash, trust me, you WILL run into problems.
Why is torque steer that bad? It's much easier to control that than a spin - plus if the rear loses traction for any reason all you need to do in a FF car is keep it pointed at where you want to go. I floor it in my open diff Protege all the damn time, I haven't noticed it that much even on slick roads, on twisties no less. Just chill your nuts with the throttle like you should with any other car and it shouldn't be an issue.
[QUOTE=n0cturni;43390741]Why is torque steer that bad? It's much easier to control that than a spin - plus if the rear loses traction for any reason all you need to do in a FF car is keep it pointed at where you want to go. I floor it in my open diff Protege all the damn time, I haven't noticed it that much even on slick roads, on twisties no less. Just chill your nuts with the throttle like you should with any other car and it shouldn't be an issue.[/QUOTE] If you hit ice with a fwd keeping it where your pointed doesnt do jack. Especially if its a light front end. I mean in any car if you have enough speed your in doo doo and theres very little you can do to get out, I'm not trying to say fwd are especially prone to this, but I've noticed in my experiences when beginning to loose control in slick conditions, rwd cars give a bit more manuverability. Idk though could just be the cars I've driven, or just my driving style, but torque steer is not forgiving at times, and theres times I wish I could swing out my tail then loose all hope of steering.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.