Looking at 328I for a teenager?

[Dj Syco]

the census however, leans towards clear corners.

.....smoked.

but srsly, go for a newer car. I have an 00 that wasn't exactly taken care of. Had it for 2 months. spent 2 grand so far fixing it. they're all safe(watch the vid in the other topic about safety) and regular maintenance is a HUGE plus. but it does get costly to nurse an e46 back to health.

[SilverBeam]

Every time i see any kind of sporty and or luxury car, i always see a teenage girl driving it..... Sometimes i have to pull over so i can take my anger out on a tree or a rock, instead of them.

Stupid. I bought my E46 on my own without any help from my parents when I was 17 and I tracked and autocrossed it. Don't be so sexist.

Dane, car crashes are the leading cause of death of teens, accounting for over 40% of deaths. The leading causes of crashes are speed and inexperience. A car control clinic helps solve those problems by showing kids what their cars can and cannot do and showing them why driving safe is a smart idea. Driver's ed just tells kids to drive safe, but until you push your car in a safe place and experience the fear of under steering around a corner, you don't get it. That is what I see time and time again in my students. More education can never hurt, it can only help, so just because you haven't been in many crashes doesn't mean it isn't a helpful thing for many.

[iXguy]

It's not that a 328i is too powerful, it's just older and lacks some safety improvements. It is also more difficult to find an older car in good condition.

We can agree to disagree on the power; I'm not pontificating on that point we all have our own beliefs. I think a RWD car that turns in low 15 second quarters is a bit much for a first car, but you're free to disagree.

I also agree it's difficult to find an older car in good condition, and, as mentioned by Syco, expensive to nurse one back to health. Which is why I belive he should leave this car alone and go for one with exemplary records even if he needs to pay a bit of a premium. But can still be far cheaper than buying newer, if you're smart about what you buy.

As for the safety aspect... a 2000 3-series is still a very, very safe car with lots of good technology and German engineered crashworthiness. It's the 3rd generation 3-series from a serious and safety-consious manufacturer, I wouldn't feel I was shortchanging my daughter on safety if I bought her one. Yes there are safer cars made later. But I'd feel better putting her in that than 90% of the cars I see teenagers driving, new or not. Heck I'd put my E36 in that category too. Can we say "Active Safety"?

[Hornung418]

*4th gen...
Just to clear that up

[tdz123]

Tough call. A BMW is probably going to be safer than something japanese, but I'd be inclined to buy my daughter something slow and cheap to fix, and I'm not sure a 328i fits that description and a corrola probably does.

[danewilson77]

Stupid. I bought my E46 on my own without any help from my parents when I was 17 and I tracked and autocrossed it. Don't be so sexist.

Not stupid. He is merely stating something HE see's. How could you know better than him at what he see's?

Dane, car crashes are the leading cause of death of teens, accounting for over 40% of deaths. The leading causes of crashes are speed and inexperience. A car control clinic helps solve those problems by showing kids what their cars can and cannot do and showing them why driving safe is a smart idea. Driver's ed just tells kids to drive safe, but until you push your car in a safe place and experience the fear of under steering around a corner, you don't get it. That is what I see time and time again in my students. More education can never hurt, it can only help, so just because you haven't been in many crashes doesn't mean it isn't a helpful thing for many.

OMG......now I get to hear SB chime in on this. Dear Lord help me. I thought we were passed this?

HEY SB....I GET IT.......AND IF YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT.....I GET IT. APOLOGY SUBMITTED.

[SilverBeam]

Y u mad?

Also, he's not the only one who observes teenage girls driving 10 year old BMWs, he just seems to be getting a little too bent out of shape over it. Just because someone is female and young they are automatically held to a different standard? I bet the same member gets so upset when people hate on teenage boys in BMWs because they are just "jealous".

[danewilson77]

I'm not mad....I'm just over it. I am glad both of you have taken this on....because you are right....teenage auto safety is very important.

I have 5 kids....19, 17, 13, 11, 9.....my sons girl friend just moved in with us, and we are taking a kid from Belgium on an exchange program for a year where he will get to graduate high school, here in the good ole USA, with my son (yup...thats 7 kids in my house in case you weren't counting).

I am concerned about kids....trust me. I'm good....not mad......prolly pissed at my kids more than anything.....son just got hit in his BMW....for the 2nd time in as many months (sure...it was parked and he wasn't in it...but I'm still pissed).

Just stuff....that's all.

I have apologized for my rude behavior....and would like to just....just....IDK....just read threads and help people out...if I can.

[tdz123]

Personally, I think that it's too easy to get a driver's license in this country and I know I, for one, could have benefitted from some extra training. OP, maybe the answer would be to let your daughter have the BMW but spend a bunch of extra time teaching her to drive. . . far more than what's necessary to get her to pass the driver's exam.

[Hornung418]

OP isn't even reading these posts...He's passing on the car and looking elsewhere...just an FYI.

[tdz123]

OP isn't even reading these posts...He's passing on the car and looking elsewhere...just an FYI.

I thought he was just passing on that particular e46 and not on e46's generally. Whatever.

[iXguy]

*4th gen...
Just to clear that up

HA nice catch!

I dunno, for me life started with the E30. Shame on me for ignoring the E21 though.

Heh...

[Dj Syco]

Stupid. I bought my E46 on my own without any help from my parents when I was 17 and I tracked and autocrossed it. Don't be so sexist.

I bought my e46 a few months ago when I was 20 and I plan on track/axing it and taking care of it on my own too. People do mean mug a lot though b/c of how young I look.

BUT

I have to agree with him. and its not because we're sexist. I personally think my generation is Explitive stupid. out of all the girls I know not ONE knows how to drive properly, let alone take care of a car.(including my gf, but she is learning) they treat them like crap. I've seen countless 3series and 5series get ruined because of STUPID kids these days!!!(other cars too) BOYS TOO(just more so girls). Please don't jump on peoples backs like that if they make a small mundane comment/assumption. I think in order to get a license you should have to learn to drive manual and auto and learn what most of those classes teach. Its good they're teaching them, but it should be mandatory. society is effedinda a with my generation.

[xlDooM]

Interesting discussion, better get a post in before it's locked

I don't think there's much in it between boys and girls when it comes to teenage driver risk. Here in Belgium it's slightly cheaper to insure a girl with a powerful car than a boy, because the boys tend to extract the performance out of it more of the time and often have speed-related accidents. Girls on the other hand are less likely to spin out of a bend, but are less focussed on driving in general, and most of their accidents are related to not paying attention. That risk doesn't really increase as much when your car is faster. Also, you cannot legally be in a car before you're 16 years and 7 months of age, and that's on a learner's permit and taking a special program. Through the normal program you don't get to drive until you're 18. And looking back, I can honestly say that at 16 I probably wasn't ready to drive even my first bmw. I was causing accidents on the public road with my mountainbike ffs.

[Uliman]

Bought my 16 year old son an 02 330i sedan. He wanted convertible but the insurance was even more. He is very happy and his friends are envious. One owner car that is simply immaculate and has been very well maintained. If you can find a good independent mechanic and shop around for parts, it is really no more expensive than a Honda.

BMWs are very safe cars and will last a long time if properly maintained. Teach your kid about maintenance; it's a fun time and valuable lesson.

[Lusticles]

I bought my e46 a few months ago when I was 20 and I plan on track/axing it and taking care of it on my own too. People do mean mug a lot though b/c of how young I look.

BUT

I have to agree with him. and its not because we're sexist. I personally think my generation is Explitive stupid. out of all the girls I know not ONE knows how to drive properly, let alone take care of a car.(including my gf, but she is learning) they treat them like crap. I've seen countless 3series and 5series get ruined because of STUPID kids these days!!!(other cars too) BOYS TOO(just more so girls). Please don't jump on peoples backs like that if they make a small mundane comment/assumption. I think in order to get a license you should have to learn to drive manual and auto and learn what most of those classes teach. Its good they're teaching them, but it should be mandatory. society is effedinda a with my generation.

Plenty of the younger crowd have the e46. It's just that to the outside world our cars still LOOK new and expensive, when in reality they're depreciating into the same price range as Hondas and Toyotas. Nowadays a teen could buy his own e46 and it will still look like Daddy's money.

[xlDooM]

At a gas station an older guy once said to me "Nice present from daddy, that?" about my 3 grand e36. He was driving a newish people carrier worth at least 10k. Stupid tart.

[ezbmr]

A 328i is a good choice, you might be able to avoid the ZF Transmission, but you will get the smaller bushings on the control arms, but chances are they have been replaced. Things to look out for are the ZF Transmission, they start to go around 200k, water pump, a/c, radiator. Get it inspected by someone who knows, look for Yellow Shocks on it. Parts need to start being replaced at 150k, beware of manipulation dot, they require a new speedo, I was foolish enough to buy one with a manipulation dot.

[crackerjack1000]

Hey I got a .3 525i as my first, and its amazing! Just want to say maybe go with a late model e36, (might sell my 525 for a 328is to learn stick, and less cash for maintenance)

But if you buy her this car enroll her into maybe bmw M teen driving school. Trust me she might think its going to be stupid but you do end up having some fun. It truely does help because now I know the limits to my car and not to push it so hard on turns.

[youngbimmer]

i've had my car for almost 2 years now (i'm turning 18 soon), and i've had to put 1000 into it so far (mainly got screwed by my indy, should have cost 500 at a different shop altogether). It all depends who your mechanic is and previous history of the car. I love mine, but it does have its quirks.

[HeyiTsGee]

Get the car inspected!! A lot of independent dealers buy crashed cars, fix them cheap and resell them. I'd hate for you to get this car for your daughter then realize a few years later, when the paint starts to fade that it was in a horrible crash.

I think an E46 is a very good first car. They stop and handle well and are very safe. Maintenance will be more than a Japanese car, but not obscenely more, and IMO I'd rather have my child be safe than save money on oil changes.

I teach a teenage car control clinic in Orange County. We teach teens how to how to recognize and avoid dangerous situations and how to be safe drivers. If you want more information please email me. Most parents feel that the class should be mandatory after their children go through the program.

+1 This! With the deal you would be getting for the vehicle, take it to a shop certified to work on BMW and get that purchase pre-inspection. If the seller is confident that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle he/she will let you take it to get one accomplished. Hell, I went to Dallas to pick up my 328i and my dealer offered to drive it to the shop of my choice for a pre-inspection when I mentioned getting one done. He even had the certified BMW shop give me a call to give me the 4-1-1 on the vehicle, the best $200.00 spent in my opinion. You've been in the game for awhile now so I don't need to tell you to take your time and not to rush things. As already mentioned several times before, these cars will last a lifetime if taken care of. Just make sure you take the vehicle to a shop and get a thorough pre-inspection to get an idea what kind of work needs to be done, if any. Of course you will have your annual maintenance but also you can get better idea how well kept the vehicle was under previous owners. Prevent you and your daughter from getting blindsided. Google it, I'm sure lots certified BMW shops will pop near your area.

I wish you the best of luck! Definitely keep us posted.

[Hornung418]

Thread's a year old guys...

[sanchjer]

Haha I didn't even notice this till you just posted haha. I was enjoying all the posts.

[HeyiTsGee]

Thread's a year old guys...

Ooops! My fault, it was under the 'New Posts' category.

[HolaSenor]

Welcome to bf.c.
Please read: http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index.php/BMW_E46 if you haven't already.
Manual or Automatic?
Mileage?
Any history to it?
Be sure to have it inspected at a dealer especially the rear subframe inspection as the lawsuit is ending early in September.
As 2k mentioned, a well maintained car will last well over 200k miles. It's a very good car and of course I'm going to sound biased...

about the rear subframe inspection, i thought it ended a while ago. i saw the forum thats parked at the top. im the second owner of the vehicle would i still be elegible?