M3 vs 135i for a teen?

All I can say is that I'm glad I don't live near this future highway fatality.

Brudda, The following is the most thoughtful post here. Re-read it. I am lucky to have survived those years. If you get a 1M at this point you would be lucky to survive as well. Get a slightly used (or even new if you have to 128i). I've had them as loaner cars allot and find them to be outstandingly balanced drivers cars and still probably more power than a first time car owner needs. Good luck, you may need it. George

Originally Posted by JimD1

Grudda Khan,

I am so sorry to hear of what happened to your brother. I hope your family has recovered. I am the father of a son and daughter who are 10+ years older than you. So that is my perspective. Both my son and daughter are great young adults. Both had wrecks in their first couple years of driving. The "kid car" was at first my wife's old Ford Taurus. It was in good mechanical shape but had close to 100,000 miles on it. My son rolled it off an earthen dam. He wasn't hurt, fortunately he went down the back side and not into the water. I don't think he was driving real aggressive but it had just rained a little and the dam was mud that got real slick. I think he wanted to get home before me, we were both coming from my daughter's sweet sixteen birthday party where he did the music. Mostly he just used bad judgement in taking the mud road - especially after it rained.

My daughter's first wreck was a fender bender pulling into a parking space. She wanted an "up-front" space at church where she was coming to volunteer to babysit. She was going the wrong direction to pull into the parking place she wanted and hit the back fender of a black Maxima belonging to a friend of mine. Only cost $800 to fix the fender, I made her pay half. She didn't have another wreck until less than a year ago when she hydroplaned going home and totaled the 2 year old Elantra I had purchased for her. That was not a judgement thing, she just didn't know what to do when the car started moving a little because of the hydroplane. I will probably send her to a BMW course - not the M school - soon to try and help her develop more skill.

There are multiple drawbacks to beginner drivers driving fast powerful cars. Driving too fast on the street is only part of it. Your friends are likely to encourage you in this direction, are you the kind of person that likes to get along with others? If so, you will probably, at some point, give in to pressure and do it. Using poor judgement about which road to take, what parking space you can fit into, etc. are also risks. When you are driving an older car, if it is "hurt" the bills are not so big. When you drive an expensive car, the bills go up disproportionately as does the insurance.

A 128i is not a slow car, as some of the 135i drivers suggest. It is about the same quickness as a e36 M3. It has almost identical horsepower. It is what I drive. It will do a 15 second quarter mile (with a manual). Many "muscle cars" from the time I was your age are slower despite much larger engines. Of the current BMW fleet it is the best for a young driver who wants to be good. To make a 128i go fast, you need to have it in the right gear. With a 135i, all you do is mash the pedal to the floor. Not much skill involved in that. You should read Mike Miller's piece in the Roundel on the 128i. Mike writes the "fix it" column for the Roundel. He is a very experienced BMW mechanic and very knowledgable on BMWs.

Even better would be to drive an older car worth less for a couple years until you have a chance to develop the necessary judgement and the skills become ingrained. There is no shame in this, everybody follows the same path. Something like a Maxima or Mustang would still be sporty but not so expensive.

Lastly, I would be more worried about getting help from my father if I were you, with college expenses than with a nice new car. Around here, it seems fashionable to some to give their kid a fancy car to brag about and then stiff them on college. Getting a good education is much more important. My kids drove cheap cars but had no college loans to pay off. Better way to go IMHO.

Jim

Get a 1987 Toyota Camry.

You will wreck before you are 20, might as well be a classic that gets good gas mileage.

In all seriousness, I'd get the 1 series because its harder to cram your friends in it, meaning you will most likely not be driving around a bunch of people. This means fewer distractions which leads to safer driving, or fewer deaths when you wreck depending on how you look at it.

RE:"And yes I have the g27 logitech wheel which I use with the online simulation, Live For Speed. Very helpful". Seriously? wow.

Originally Posted by 3ismagic#

All I can say is that I'm glad I don't live near this future highway fatality.

+1. While the OP genuinely seems to want to learn and be respectful of the board's opinions, he's 15. The only cure for that is time. What I don't understand is the rocks that are rolling around in the head of his dad. To bury one son isn't enough? What kind of father offers up ANY sports car his 15 year old takes a shine to? He's missing the love factor in raising his son. Sounds like his mom has more sense.

As for getting him a sportsbike....good grief. I've ridden sportbikes for 16 years, starting as a mature adult, fast on the track, skilled on the street, and we have a saying that the lifespan of a 16 year old on a sportbike is 6 months. Young men are knotheads on a motorcycle. As an experienced female, I've called my share of ambulances, and helped pull countless of these enthusiasts out of ditches and from under guardrails. They have no sense of mortality. This kid can do himself a favor by acting more mature than his age and heeding the advice of those that suggest starting with a reasonable car.

I won't even go into the Dad's lack of teaching a work ethic. He's way far gone on that topic.

I'd like to see the OP post once in a while, just to make sure he's alive.

It's hard to say which car is best for your situation.. If i was you i would get the M3.. it's bigger, which also means safer, and outside the track is just a hint quicker that the 135i.

But let me tell you my story first..

The year when I was 18 (that's the legal driving age here in greece), my parents happened to buy a convertible Carrera S... I immediately fell in love with the car.. the rear end was soo happy to drift out of corners whatever kind of tarmac it was on.. I had a blast every time i drove the car...
I tell you right now though there are definitely a few problems that you are going to face when driving such a car.. First of all, you really need to know how to drive it... Now my 911 was stick, not automatic, something which required real skill, and a set of brass ones between your legs.. let's face it, everybody can drive an automatic, even fast.. but when you are at the car's limits, it's much easier for something bad to happen to you when you have to think about a third pedal at your feet and a stick in your hands..

Moving on to point no. 2:
Being looked at on the street is nice at first, when even yourself is still blinded by the sense of power that a really fast car gives you as a man.. When that feeling starts to fade out after a few months, you realize that nobody really ever admired you because of what you drove.. It was all just because of envy.. When you first realize the kind of impression you gave to others, it's gonna start eating you from the inside till you reach a point where you might start hating the car itself...

Finally my third point is:
You have to feel the airbag smashing at your face, the safety belt almost crushing your lungs, and the sense of utmost fear and anxiety you get when you have lost every sense of direction - you can't open the doors to get out of the car and you think that the car is on fire, in order to get a real feeling of what your limits and your car's limits were in the first place.. And yes as you may have understood by now i did crash my Carrera at one point. Badly. Nothing happened to me, but the car was literally scrapped.. Now I drive a 135i and I extremely happy with it. I's more that I could ever ask for.. It's definitely not as a head-turning car as an M3 or a Carrera (i think these two are in the same category imho), but that's a good thing...

Anyway, i feel like i've written too much.. I'm gonna end this by saying this: If you gonna use what these kind of cars are offering you, then it's only a matter of time till you crash and get to realize what your limits really were.. In that case, I just hope you are lucky enough not to find yourself in an accident that involves injury or even death.. At least i was lucky enough not to.. If you want such a car only for the show factor and for a loud exhaust sound, then get a pimped Escalade or a Range Rover or something like that.. Safe, fairly quick, head-turning, safe, and finally safe.

I wish you good luck!

I would suggest a well taken car of 2003 e39 530 or 540 Sport or [M package for the 540] with a good maint record, full cooling system overhaul, and decent miles. These are extremely reliable cars, provided that the repairs are completed in a timely matter. If you find a decent car then you wouldn't have to worry too much about the maint. The e39s are really exceptional cars, with plenty of modding choices, classic yet modern stylings and powerful engines. I've driven the 335 [same engine as the 135 minus a few extra pounds ect] and it's great, but doesn't have the same "feeling" as the e39. The insurance costs are also going to be a great deal cheaper with the e39 as opposed to the much newer m3 or 135i. Im 18 and as much as I loved the e46 m3, I decided against it because of the costs for maint [cluthes,oil ect] and went with the 528 my parents bought since new. My car only has 83K and I treat her really well.

Getting a newer car of course has it's benifits:
Newer chassis
Less $$$ into maint
New technology
New Choices, the list goes on and on.

However If you do decide to go ahead with the new car I would suggest the 135i. After driving the 335 [coupe] I fell in love with that engine. The power throughout the rev range is insane. Just don't kill yourself trying to do street races bro and you'll be fine. Good Luck

This thread intrigued me enough to log into my account after 1 year's worth of inactivity. Thought I'd give my 2 cents.

I know where you're coming from OP. family is wealthy, car's price will not factor into your college education.. etc etc. not a perspective many people can appreciate. It's quite common in SF to see kids driving around with 70k+ sportscars without ANY appreciation of what the car can do. I have no reason to be jealous, I just feel sorry that these monstrous engines are reduced to freaking poodles. Kids in my school drive Bentley GT's, Lambos, Astons and I just laugh because they probably don't know how ridiculous they look. Sure they will get ooh ahh's here and there, but they definitely will not get respect from the people that matter.

I got my first car, a used bone stock 328xi 6mt, for my 20th birthday. I was never into cars beforehand and actually insisted to get a 328 over a 335 after quickly skimming this forum (I know, I know). That and because I wanted the only 6mt in stock and because I wanted a status symbol (A month later realizing the tons of 335i's out here in CA). In hindsight driving the 6mt was what got me into cars, ie. I started to pick out the M3's from the 3's, the 911's from the Boxters, the ricers from the NSX etc etc... AWD was hella fun I was blasting through windy mountain passes like there was no tomorrow and in hindsight I was incredibly stupid and incredibly lucky to not get into a major accident and ruin other people's lives.

1 year, 999 dents, 50 speeding tickets, 1000 parking violations later I have fallen in love with my 328xi. Its not twin turbo but it definitely gets the job done and what a blast to drive! I feel very fortunate to be able to appreciate this "road love" that many BMW enthusiasts crave. It's like I want to have a threesome with the road and the steering wheel.

Rants aside, kid, I think that you should take the M3, considering your track experience. If you can handle a ferrari I'm sure you can definitely handle a M3. Don't think you would be be happy with a 128 coming from a ferrari. Just be responsible on public roads and brush up your parking skills as dents are a PITA. Get a manual and you're set. There's gonna be haters jealous of a 16yo child racing prodigy, but hey haters gonna hate. Practice your skills on the track and never get tempted by those stupid ricers on the streets. It's survival of the fittest man, just drive sensibly and you'll be fine. Save the monster for the track.

I'm now back in the forums as I have ordered an M3 scheduled to arrive at the end of the month (XD XD) and in hindsight I'm glad that I had a beater 328xi (kinda) to practice my manual techniques, make my dents, curb my rims etc etc... Also I'm glad that I had something to move up to. Think about it if you drive an M3 now there are not gonna be many options for you to upgrade to later on in life. Unless you want to look like one of those ridiculous kids driving ferraris and bentleys. I plan to keep my NA V8 M3 for as long as possible as the M3 is an icon and a dying breed (1M X6M? lol?). If your family has the money then do your family's garage a favor and GO FOR IT !! I think its very good that you are into track racing not like many computer game zombie kids these days. Good luck !

on a side note can anyone recommend m3post m3forum e90post bimmerfest ? or do you just register for all ? XD