I am 24, just graduated college, have gotten a good paying job (~41,000)and will live at home (ie no expenses.)<p>I have been driving myself crazy looking for a car to use as a daily driver on my long commute to work (~65 miles round trip.) <p>I am aching for an M3 and have found a nice 95 with 30 or so thousand miles on it. I am also considering an A4 1.8T, Maxima and Prelude (NO flames please!)<p>What is a reasonable way to rationalize my choice? Any advice is appreciated.<p>I DO know how much better the M3 and how it doesn't compare to those others. I also know that I will be driving a lot of miles and am afraid of big service or repair bills.<p>What do y'all think?<p>Thanks.<br>

DASD

Depends where you live. If the weather's generally good, it's no contest. Get the M3. You're making very good money, and you don't have expenses. Assuming you don't have a crack habit or a gambling problem, you will be able to afford the car payments, maintenance, and insurance, and still have plenty left over for building a nest egg. (Don't know how long you plan to live at home, but I'd budget toward paying the car off before you move out.) Don't let the daily mileage scare you -- as long as you keep up maintenance, a good Bimmer, even an M, will run for 100's of thousands. Subscribe to the bmwuuc digest to learn *LOTS* more about Bimmers and M3s -- http://www.bubbaclub.com/bmwUUCdigest.<p>If you get a reasonable amount of snow/rain, again no contest. Get a 1.8tq. You don't need a Maxima -- it's a family car, albeit with a great engine. And the Prelude, while by all accounts a fun-to-drive car, has goofy headlights. But that's just my opinion. ;-) <p>Good luck with whatever you decide! :-)<p><br>-vik<br>99.5 1.8tqms

The A4 will be a much more comfortable commuter, while still a lot of fun. And it has an aesthetic appeal just right for the sophisticated 24 year old. And a warranty for worry free driving.<p>The M3, while fast, is a rough rider. And if it's used has much more potential for service<br>headaches. There are not many that have been driven to church by old ladies.<p>The Maxima is a car to consider when you've got a wife & kids. It falls way short aesthetically too, IMO.<p>O.K. no flames on the Prelude. It may be well-engineered & reliable, but you really shouldn't get one.<p>BTW, as you would expect, I am biased.<br>Good luck.<p>John<br>99.5 1.8tqms

I'm 24 also, and the income is there. I own an A4 1.8. I'm not going to flame you for the Nissan/Honda stuff, but understand that if you are a "driver" then neither of those cars is for you. I know quite a bit about all cars you mentioned, and the M3 and the Audi are the only contenders if you really care about cars! The M3 will break if you drive it like you should, and I bet it will rattle too. I love the car, but it is an older machine (relatively speaking). The 1.8TS is not as fast, but mine is fun in "chipped" mode and it handles well, not to mention the additional mods possible. You will eventually move out, and one idea might be to spend $30k on a 1.8, chip it, and make mods with the extra money as you see fit. SAVE THE REST INTO YOUR 401(K), IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY! You can make a 1.8TS perform great, and it is a new car with a very good warranty/maintenance package. I have had the 1.8T for 15 months, and now that the income has grown, I just ordered my S4. ICANTWAIT! The A4 is SOLID SOLID SOLID, and it turns heads, believe it or not. (though not as much as an M3 probably)<br>Good luck, my $.02<br>Conker 98 1.8TS-tip TAP .8

No evidence of this! Other than the somewhat specious overrev problem, I haven't seen any indications that the M3 won't stand up to thrashing. Where did you get this opinion from?<p><br>-vik<br>99.5 1.8tqms

going off comments from two friends who owned/drove M3's and one 850. Can't specify problems, and I didn't mean to offend. I know that the car performs great, but my advice was more toward the general aging of the car. You will agree that a 3-4 year old car on average will have more problems, especially if driven the way I would drive the M3. I have beaten up plenty of cars, and they all lasted shorter lives as a result of my driving habits, in spite of the maintenance/cleaning, which I am passionate about. The debate was between a new A4 and a '95 M3. As another forum member said, there are few M3's that have been driven to church by little old ladies.<br>You will not hear me beating up BMW very hard at all, I like them.<br>Conker 98 1.8TS-tip TAP .8

Due to your demographics, you have the luxury of buying a two door coupe which you will NOT have once you are married with children. something to consider.<p>If value for your dollar is your goal then you will be best off with a Toyota Celica, Honda Prelude, or Acura Integra. If, however, you truly enjoy driving and you do not drive in inclement weather, then a rear wheel drive M3 or 328 could be for you. In many ways the A4 will be the best of both worlds.

...just wanted to know why you had that opinion. :-)<p>Yes it's true that a 4 year old car has a higher risk of problems, but if you're into performance driving and can afford the maintenance, the payoff is WELL worth it. Also, as I said before, if you keep up maintenance (which is certainly not cheap), the car will last a LONG time. I drove (and *seriously* considered buying) a beautiful '88 M5 with 167K on the clock that had not one single rattle -- it felt like it had years of life left. Of course, the catch is that the owner was spending $3-5K/year on maintenance. But the E36 M3 shares a LOT more parts with its milder brothers than the E28 M5, and this owner was *very* particular about his car, so that number is not representative.<p>Lastly, while it's true that many M3s have been driven *hard*, it's also true that many of them have been owned by posers who never exceeded the speed limit or took it to the red. In any case, I'd probably trust a car that has been beaten on more than a poser car, since the enthusiast would be more likely to properly maintain the car. Either way, while not a Toyota, an M3 is certainly reliable enough to be worth the risk, as long as it was checked out by a good mechanic. Reject an M3 based on bad-weather capability, on insurance costs, on rear-seat room, or on the subpar interior fit/finish/design, but *not* on reliability.<p>My .02, YMMV, all rights reserved, etc., etc., etc.<p><br>-vik<br>99.5 1.8tqms<br>97 M3/4 wannabe

and I was deciding between a new A4, a new BMW 323(old bodystyle) coupe, or a used M3. I was 24 and had a good job with money saved up to pay cash.<p>I decided on a new A4 1.8T for the following reasons.<p>1. Insurance, being 24 yrs old insurance was still a major concern. The 323 was more then $1200 a year vs. $800 for the A4. Didnt even check the M3 because of the 323 being so much more. The A4 has 4 doors and a 4 cyl so I think this is reason for the insurance differences.<p>2. Figured the M3, since a sports car, would have been driven hard, so decided I didnt want a used one.<p>3. BMW 323 was more then the A4, body style was being replaced. I hate the image that goes with a BMW plus everyone including their grandma have one in Southern Cal(But they are very good cars and this shouldnt matter).<p>So I ended up getting the A4, the only regrets was not getting quattro and I drive too fast:)<p>Jeff R.

..well actually I was 21. After graduating the only car I wanted to get was an M3. A 1999 M3. But I drive an A4 1.8T. Why you ask? Well, because insurance on the 1.8T is *only* $150/month (full coverage). Insurance on the M3 would have been $365/month. That's an additional $7740 I would have paid in insurance over the next 3 years. Not a whole lot if you ask me but with the E46 M3 just around the corner I thought I would wait. Since you're almost 25 I suspect insurance for either would be closer than my quotes. <p>The M3 and A4 are two very different cars. I suggest to get behind the wheel of both for some quality seat time, get your financial plan down, and pick the car that is right for you. As a side note, you must be in IT. And if you are ~41k is too little. Nearly all of my same year alums started at 45k or more.

get the A4 and if this gets you a date, and your date wants to spend the night, tell her that she can sleep in the guest room and that your mom will cook her breakfast in the morning. just bustin'.

New IT grads in San Diego are making around 45k starting. I guess in San Jose are new grads are starting in the mid 60s.<p>Jeff R.

I'm actually kindof in the same position as you... although I was wondering if 41k per year is enough to afford an A4? I'm considering either an A4 1.8T or an Integra GSR... only prob is that after financing, the A4 would probably come out to about 10k more expensive than the GSR... was wondering if anyone knows any general guidelines as to how much one should be making (ballpark) in order to afford an A4 (specifically for some just coming out of college, renting an apartment?) Thanks!

I was in this position 1 year ago. <p>My decision was a used 96 A4 2.8QM- it now gets more attention than my girlfriend.<p>Looking at other cars, I found that the "more reasonable" fun cars were a bit small- the Prelude certainly was the case- but I'm 6 foot. However, I know six-footers that drive Corrados and Integras, but anyway...<p>Money: first, move out. A car can liberate you, but nothing liberates like staking out. Does that make such cars prohibitively expensive. If you live in the Bay area then yes- $41k is a ton of money anywhere else- not here.<p>Deciding between an M3 (or 328) and A4. Ski=A4, no question. One factor I got lucky on was "the Mechanic"- if you can find a great mechanic for either car, let that influence you. <p>Good luck,<p>Peter G 96 A4 2.8Q

You'll be happier on each drive. <p>To cut down on repair bill potential, might buy an extended warranty. Considering you'll prob. be putting on 25K+ miles a year, it's probably a good investment.<p>Look over any used cars carefully; never know how they've been flogged.<p>Also, do you ha to worry about bad weather? That alone to me should sway you to a Quattro.<p>

No matter what, get any used car checked out by a mechanic - get one recommended, or go to a reputible dealer. For liability reasons, mechanics should be straightforward about this sort of thing. <p>I have not had the pleasure of buying a new Audi yet, but realize that they are being sold at a premium (typical dealers sell at $500 over invoice for a new car, Audi drivers negotiate for $1500)- if you have the patience (and perhaps luck), it's not hard to save $5,000 buying used.

(nt)

Twenty somethings..........cars are great, beautiful, fun and all that, but when thinking of investments in "your" future... just be prudent. I'm 30, have bought 4 cars in 8 years, and have decided to keep my last purchase (of course an A4 2.8) for many, many years. $41,000 a year? You know how much money that is for a 24 year old? My God, spend less then half, invest the rest (stocks, real estate) for the next 10 years and, honestly, you could retire young........................but no one ever does. It's common to spend what you make.

Good points vik. M3's, by definition, are DESIGNED to be driven hard. However, it would be make better sense to go with the new A4 (just for the 3 year warranty and service alone!)<p>Harry<br>99.5 1.8T<br>97 M3/4 Two years...no rattles :)

I did it at 34K, and did not break the bank.<br>