[Calo]

I saved up enough to buy a n55 335i cash, but I'm worried it will be too much to maintain for a college student like myself. Is the n55 expensive to keep up or is it generally reliable?

[jwalker87]

If you can do the work, you're probably fine. If you'd be paying labor as well to maintain/repair a now-10 year old BMW, maybe not.

Of note, 'expensive to keep up' and 'generally reliable' can both be true. In general, BMWs require high levels of preventive maintenance, but IF PROPERLY MAINTAINED they are reliable.

For specifics, see Mike Miller's old school maintenance guide and google some parts prices.

[bobbby]

Originally Posted by Calo

I saved up enough to buy a n55 335i cash, but I'm worried it will be too much to maintain for a college student like myself. Is the n55 expensive to keep up or is it generally reliable?

Yes. You need a stable income to afford this car.

[tcphoto]

I would strongly try to discourage you from buying a BMW, you may think that you bought a good one but what would happen if you suddenly had a $2K or more repair or service needed?

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

I mean yeah you could probably limp it along for 4 years if you had to.

[TunafishE93]

Don't get a BMW they are money/time pits. At this point you should be concentrating on your school not a car. Get something Asian, you can get a nice Honda for a couple of grand and invest the rest in some cryptocurrency. By the time you are out of college you can buy whatever BMW you want with the investment.

[19jdog]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

Don't get a BMW they are money/time pits. At this point you should be concentrating on your school not a car. Get something Asian, you can get a nice Honda for a couple of grand and invest the rest in some cryptocurrency. By the time you are out of college you can buy whatever BMW you want with the investment.

dogecoin to the moon!!!!!

[TunafishE93]

Had a good dip today but most of mine is in litecoin. I do have a few hundred shares in doge in case things get interesting.

I figure in a couple of years I can pay BMW to redo the seal on my convertible and maybe a respray.

[Aceway]

I'd say it's pretty reliable for a turbo BMW. I wouldn't spend my savings buying one though, buy one when you have that kind of expendable income.

[3PedalJake]

+1 for the Honda. A 8th or 9th gen Accord V6 MT is relatively fun and as close to zero maint as a car can be and you prolly won't wrap it around a pole on spring break. You're supposed to be in college so you can have nice things some day, not start out with them.

[19jdog]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

Had a good dip today but most of mine is in litecoin. I do have a few hundred shares in doge in case things get interesting.

I figure in a couple of years I can pay BMW to redo the seal on my convertible and maybe a respray.

I had litecoin. had 200 coins back in 2012. sold when it reached a dollar and didnt look back. now its over 300 a coin!!!! F me man.

But i am up 15k since Jan. with doge

shiba looking promising as well

HOLD!!!!!

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by Calo

I saved up enough to buy a n55 335i cash, but I'm worried it will be too much to maintain for a college student like myself. Is the n55 expensive to keep up or is it generally reliable?

I just graduated college and I have a tad under 20k into my f30 335i.

I wish I kept my black 330i and pocketed the cash as I could have gotten a duplex with a FHA loan in a few months. I would recommend purchasing a clean 328i with the much more reliable N52.

In terms of early N55 I had one in my F10 that was trashed so I would be afraid to own another one. I would budget $500 a year to DIY repair a N52, $1000 a year for a N54 or N55.

[Tyc0]

I'm a freshman this year and drive a n54 with upgraded turbos and just about everything else. If you can do ALL the work yourself including the possible engine swap if things really go wrong (which I had to) then go for it. Save up extra money before you buy the car and do all the maintenance. Then keep an emergency car fund for when something fun happens like a slipping clutch. This car has never left me stranded as I've been good to it. If you do the same it'll be a really fun car!

[CTinline-six]

Buy a 328i.

[Luis561]

I would tell you to go for it if you do the work yourself, but if you were to get a Toyota or Honda, I can tell you that you'll make it out of college with a car that was reliable every day

[Efthreeoh]

If you have to ask, then the car will be outside of your financial comfort level.

[E92.Dom]

I've had mine since I was 16, everything paid for myself I work full time minimum wage and have plenty of money left over but then again I don't drive too far and out many miles on it I'm sure that helps a ton

[JTMMO]

I wouldn't. I'm 17 and have a "clean" e92 n55. A lot of fun to drive, but really was a terrible financial decision.

[rick100]

Originally Posted by E92.Dom

I've had mine since I was 16, everything paid for myself I work full time minimum wage and have plenty of money left over but then again I don't drive too far and out many miles on it I'm sure that helps a ton

well , if you work full time at minimum wage that probably means you dont go to school , at least not full time and you probably still live at home , so a bit of different story than OP.

[rick100]

Originally Posted by Calo

I saved up enough to buy a n55 335i cash, but I'm worried it will be too much to maintain for a college student like myself. Is the n55 expensive to keep up or is it generally reliable?

if you just saved up enough to buy n55 335i that means you probably don't have money laying around for maintenance. Keep in mind this is a 10 year old car, even if the car you buy its a reliable one ( maybe) , you still need money to keep with regular maintenance which is more expensive than your regular Japanese car... If something breaks , that can get very expensive. Also these cars have a lot of software involved when doing maintenance, replaced the battery easy but then you need to register the battery, replace the light bulb easy, but then you need to code the light bulb . My american car, you replace battery and you are done .

If you can work on your own car good, but you still need the tools , time, software and space to work on these cars, being a college student you probably do not want to spend the time fixing your own car. I dont know, its really up to you , but I would not recommend a 335i n55 for a college student with low funds , even a 328 would be a stretch

If you are already working part time , going to school full time and studying after hours, there is not time to worry about cars expenses. I would honestly get a honda and move on , maybe even a civic si , NA reliable car.

[mousefarmer]

Buy a beater or something cheap, pay off debts, save, invest and buy a more expensive car later on when you have lots of money.

Alternatively, you can buy expensive things now and live paycheck to paycheck and be stressed all the time.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Calo

I saved up enough to buy a n55 335i cash, but I'm worried it will be too much to maintain for a college student like myself. Is the n55 expensive to keep up or is it generally reliable?

Go with a Honda Civic if you want very little maintenance. If you are hard pressed that you must have an E series BMW, get a 328