1. If you enjoy driving, then no. F30 is not a driver's car.

2. Are you planning to finance your purchase with your savings + loan? With your savings, doesn't seem like a wise choice to go for it.

That's quite surprising to hear, always see people complimenting Bimmer's drive and handling, especially the F30's for more recent times.

1. I always thought F30 was a driver's car? Alot of people complimenting it, even when compared to the newer G20. This should probably be another thread, but what would be a nice 2nd-hand driver's car for someone like me to upgrade to?

2. Just thought that my savings could be buffer enough for some maintenance costs neglected by previous owner, or maybe more downpayment so that can have less loan amount. 😅

F30 is first and foremost a family sedan with a pretty good chassis and powerful turbocharged power train.
Things that you generally harder/more expensive to modify already taken care of.

And that comes to modifications - with good suspensions and some miscellaneous plug and play resto mods (considering it being a used car), it can be a very good Sporty family sedan. And in good driver's hands, command a very respectable SIC lap times or even our regular Touge routes or highway sprints.

But, is it feasible for you to spend more cash into modifications and restorations? Even assuming the used unit you're getting isn't a lemon?

1) depends how much of a driver's car you want in compromising your family requirements.
You can look up actual sports cars/sports coupe
86 BRZ first gen is the definition of a driver's car and very attainable (even in Malaysia) sports coupe.

2) for F30 no
And for 86 BRZ even more no if you gotten a badly modified and trashed used unit/lemon unit.

test drive or rent socar. my house one overall quietness is very good yes.
the rest i make complain from A to Z not a good choice man.

Well, F30 is good to drive, provided you change the stock suspension to some after market like bilstein

Stock suspension is super floaty and at high speed you'll probably shit your pants on our super uneven/wavy highways

2016 F30 320i means B48, overall a reliable engine with sturdy design but it has coolant leak issues due to cracked return hose. Not expensive to change the hose, but if it breaks while you travel it's gonna be a hassle.

Also not forgetting the oil filter housing which is now plastic, compared to metal on the N20

Would recommend you to change the hose if you really getting it, as a preventive measure. Also do check the ofh for leaks. If it leaks, time to change

I'm going to be blunt here. Regardless of whether F30 is a good car or not, reality is you're not earning enough to be indulging in this kinda lifestyle.

Young man, don't get in to financial troubles before you've even progressed in career. Of course, I'm only making assumptions based on the limited info you provided. You need to be honest with yourself. End of day, you suffer or enjoy... None of us matter

Yeah, seems like better keep my head down and work harder before thinking about it. Thanks for all the feedback, guys! 🙏🏻🙏🙏

F30 is generally reliable. My friend owns a 320i for over 6 years. He is very aggressive driver. Just don't expect it to be like a Toyota. Brake pad, wheel speed sensor, steering rack changed or repaired luckily just before the end of the 5-year warranty period. No issues with the drivetrain. B48 is reliable. He likes his car.

You are looking for 2016 unit. If the previous owner didn't perform the brake pad changes and other fixes, then set aside several thousands to change them yourself. Find a trusted third-party BMW repair and spare parts shop because direct BMW will overcharge.

It appears people don't care of the fact he got 90k in savings.

I saved enough by driving a few econoboxes for over a decade. At my income level, I am generally still not recommended to buy a luxury car but I did the leap anyway because I could take a smaller loan, skipping the mainstream c-segment and hop straight to premium.

These days, 90k is not a lot of money. Better to keep it for contingencies or make it work to increase wealth slowly

I think for a good reason. Earning gross 4.5k doesn't sound like the income of a luxury car owner, more like a fresh grad with local car... Sure, 90k sounds comfortable to start a 2nd hand car ownership, but the person needs to ask himself:
- how long did you take to save up that 90k? You can take 5 years to accumulate it, then lose it all to 1-2 major overhaul in a matter of months, if unlucky. Also, the BMW is going to make you save up LESS the moment you own it....
- how's your career prospect? Think you can get a steady % of increment to upkeep the increased cost of living?
- projected lifestyle inflation? E.g. upgrade car today, next year travel overseas, following year upgrade PC... It goes endlessly if you want. With a new car beyond your means, you may have to forget about all that for several years.

Base on your income and want a BMW drivers car, the most you can look into is the last E90 LCI model. If want less issues get the 320d turbo diesel unit.

Might be a little too YOLO given his profile. Personally, I'll advise no. But, he sound like young, and not much commitment, if he really really really die die also wanna get a BMW also ok, just need to learn the lesson the hard way lo. Definitely gonna derail his financial freedom on the long run, but who here never young before? I did have my fair share of stupid financial decisions...

Agreed with the above.

Just for your reference, the total amount I've spent on maintaining the E46 at pristine condition to whack it hard and put it to good use is approximately RM108k as of today (this includes every single expenditure including the initial purchase).

Based on the info you shared, it seems that your savings alone cannot purchase the car without a loan. And you still need to factor in cost of maintenance.

This is by far the best reply of all.
All economic prediction of next year will be a harsh one so better play safe, be prepared for the rainy days and just keep working hard to increase your income and savings. Don't end up like so many cases of sambung bayar later.

oh ya, in case still have doubts, cyxnide already done your homework for you, go thank him.
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=5296063

It's kinda funny, back then i always wanted a Merc, but when i can afford one, i chose another car. Merc too milo tin and flashy for my age. Damn... my childhood dream gone, replaced by reality. Need to earn even more to buy car based on dream instead of reality.

oh well, work work.

Compared to F30, E46 is a really hardcore choice that cannot be justified if the reason to get it was the badge alone. It no longer meets the minimum criteria to be considered a luxury car in today's standards. The MyVi owners would be teasing their keyless entry and ignition. No wonder that thread starter found the bitter truth when he drove his relative's X50.

F30 should be the minimum, and a safe bet as well. Even Toyota is working with BMW to build the latest Supra. The LCI would be a bonus. A used one would be the cheapest decent RWD that isn't an Aruz. It has no AEB and a lot of other tech, though.

However, all of you are right about the economic situation currently. If he is not confident with his own career growth, it's best to re-consider. Unfortunately, if he really wants a spirited drive, there isn't any brand new models below RM100k that can match the performance figure except X50.

I used to say I'll never buy any Toyota (no thanks to them making boring Prius for over a decade and our God car/UMWT etc)

That i own a Toyota for more than 5 years.

Such is reality

Yeah not exactly a good comparison aside both cars having the same badge.

But it's a good reminder on how we may overestimate our financial capabilities or just generally being young and stupid.

While it's easy to say you can learn easily through other people experience/age of internet etc. Often, for most people the best lesson is still to self experience (pain).

Lee82gx well apparently X50 is a bad drive.
I have no personal experience with X50 yet however to me, I'm inclined to agree as it is a SUV after all.

Easy solution, I also wanted a merc, but didnt want to drive one.... so just buy one for yoru family. Solved.

Now I want a BMW..... and dont wanna drive one... so the solution.. u guessed it...

putting aside financial...

since u r in 20s, go for it, if problem...just sell lo...
keep your proton too.