Need to locate a car for my son

[JPS Europa]

We are looking for BMW 3 E36 series, 2 door, manual trans in excellent condition with about 100K miles on it. I am in Southeastern MA, so I can inspect cars in this area, but if I open up the search to you guys...and I trust your judgement, we might find something sooner. NJ and PA seem to have lots of these things, but that is a bit far to go to just check out a car.
Thanks,
Paul
Paul

 

[BATMANs]

 

[Ryanmcd2]

240D MB is a great car.

 

[ANYTIME]

I would buy him a corolla, camry, civic or accord (older ones). They last forever and are cheap to maintain. Any reason he needs a beamer during this time?

 

[BATMANs]

None of them are as safe (for the price and being an older car) than the MB.

MB are tanks.

I know from experience.

 

[JPS Europa]

Hi guys,
As a family we talked this out. My wife and I would like to have the car be a true incentive. We worked out the numbers with my son and this is the car we agreed upon. I know this kid and I know what will work with him, so I would like to find this particular model. My boss is looking for a very clean Accord or Camry auto for about 6K though. I'll field those replies as well.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[ChopsJazz]

Agree with BATMANs, the 240 - 300D's are great cars. I had a 300D for 15 years. I would use the term "bulletproof" to describe it. Plus, big and slow are added benefits for a college kid, although he may not agree. :wink:

 

[TURBO2GO]

whats the budget?

 

[BATMANs]

Agree with BATMANs, the 240 - 300D's are great cars. I had a 300D for 15 years. I would use the term "bulletproof" to describe it. Plus, big and slow are added benefits for a college kid, although he may not agree. :wink:

And if u want speed, just route a feed from the cockpit where u can spray brake cleaner or choke cleaner.

That is NOS for diesels.

 

[JPS Europa]

budget is $8500 max for an excellent car
no offense, but really not interested in the other cars.
Thanks,
Paul

 

[ANYTIME]

Hi guys,
As a family we talked this out. My wife and I would like to have the car be a true incentive. We worked out the numbers with my son and this is the car we agreed upon. I know this kid and I know what will work with him, so I would like to find this particular model. My boss is looking for a very clean Accord or Camry auto for about 6K though. I'll field those replies as well.

Thanks,
Paul

An incentive would be getting a car like that after completing school, no? My daughter (in my avatar = 4yrs) will get a decent and realiably safe transportation when she needs it and a nice car when she can pay for it herself. I always worked hard for my cars and was never given anything I didn't have to work for, which was a great lesson.
If he doesn't do good in school, would the car be on the auction block? :biggrin:

 

[Ryanmcd2]

Did he not drop out 1 time already? I say get him something cheep 2-3k that runs, I was never given a car and had to work it teaches people to care for things. But what do I know

 

[JPS Europa]

ah yeah...no forest green

 

[Syncro]

Why do so many people have something against giving someone a nice car for their first ride?

I bought my RX-7 with my own money (I work/study fulltime), so it's not like I was one of the lucky ones. Actually, dad pays for college and if he didin't I'd be driving a $500 vehicle buuuut that's beside the point... :biggrin:

When I have kids, I plan to get them the absolute best of everything. Proper parenting will absolutley prevent a spoiled child.

Kudos to you getting your son a decent car :smile:

 

[eNeSeX 95T]

the older MB are great cars but if you dont find the right one it will be in the shop all the time. My friends dad has 4 old mercedes and they are constantly breaking. You should get him a jeep CJ/Wrangler. The jeeps are safe, and the inline 6 motors are bullet proof, and he can have some fun on the trails.:biggrin:

 

[sahtt]

Why do so many people have something against giving someone a nice car for their first ride?

I bought my RX-7 with my own money (I work/study full time), so it's not like I was one of the lucky ones. Actually, dad pays for college and if he didn't I'd be driving a $500 vehicle buuuut that's beside the point... :biggrin:

When I have kids, I plan to get them the absolute best of everything. Proper parenting will absolutely prevent a spoiled child.

Kudos to you getting your son a decent car :smile:

Anything is possible. Some people realize the value and lessons learned from driving a pos for a few years; then again some people know that stress derived from those situations can also take its toll, especially while someone is already giving it all they have in college.

My first truck was a $500 84 suburban with a top almost rusted threw and when I'd start the car there would be a cloud of oil behind it. The interior was barely there and the brakes were awful.

I used it to haul around lawn equipment for almost 2 years in high school, and used it to do deliveries [sometimes 2,000+lbs in industrial rope] for another job I had. It only let me down twice, both because of busted alternators.

I am a financially independent college student and there have been times when the whole world seems aligned against you, mostly due to financial issues.

I can assure you if you haven't 'been' there, there is no substitute for what it's like. Whether or not that stress is worth what you can take away from that is whole other story.

That being said, I think a E36 can be an OK first car. It's not really up to us to decide for him anyways, if he wants to give his kid a C5 that's his choice. I think it could be a good experience if he's responsible for keeping it running and doing the maint. etc. on it himself. He'll probably become an excellent BMW mechanic very quickly.

 

[Syncro]

I am a financially independent college student and there have been times when the whole world seems aligned against you, mostly due to financial issues.

I can assure you if you haven't 'been' there, there is no substitute for what it's like. Whether or not that stress is worth what you can take away from that is whole other story.

Although I can't say I've ever been through tough economical times to any serious extent I can understand your point(s).

As a child my parents provided everything that I could possibly have wanted.

When I was 18 I got myself a job and decided the only spending money I was going to have was what I earned. I became aware of the value of the dollar quickly.

However theres been times when I've overdrawn my account and I've gone without (I ate pasta for a month blergh!). But I always had a roof over my head (I live in one of my dad's houses, and he pays the mortgage, but I pay the bills) and had things gotten too rough he'd be able to bail me out.

Unfortunately my contract ended and the company decided to move their operations elsewhere, so I'm out of a job and it's one of those crunch periods again :frown:

I'm going to have to sell the FD project and rely on the Daily Driver for transportation if I dont find another income source within the next 6 months.

As an international student it would be impossible for me to afford my tuition. Here in Florida we pay 4X the ammount a Florida resident does. My tuition is $23,000 a year, but most of my classmates pay 1/4 of that *and* they get access to financial aid easily. Add to that an expensive car that goes through engines every 60,000 miles and my 'expensive' lifestyle... I'd never be able to afford it all. And my job used to pay very well.

 

[sahtt]

Although I can't say I've ever been through tough economical times to any serious extent I can understand your point(s).

As a child my parents provided everything that I could possibly have wanted.

When I was 18 I got myself a job and decided the only spending money I was going to have was what I earned. I became aware of the value of the dollar quickly.

However theres been times when I've overdrawn my account and I've gone without (I ate pasta for a month blergh!). But I always had a roof over my head (I live in one of my dad's houses, and he pays the mortgage, but I pay the bills) and had things gotten too rough he'd be able to bail me out.

Unfortunately my contract ended and the company decided to move their operations elsewhere, so I'm out of a job and it's one of those crunch periods again :frown:

I'm going to have to sell the FD project and rely on the Daily Driver for transportation if I don't find another income source within the next 6 months.

As an international student it would be impossible for me to afford my tuition. Here in Florida we pay 4X the ammount a Florida resident does. My tuition is $23,000 a year, but most of my classmates pay 1/4 of that *and* they get access to financial aid easily. Add to that an expensive car that goes through engines every 60,000 miles and my 'expensive' lifestyle... I'd never be able to afford it all. And my job used to pay very well.

Sounds like you are responsible and haven't been what I would consider spoiled given your family's recourses. I think it's a balance of teaching someone the value of a dollar, respecting those around you w/o $$, but w/o being miserable/overly worried about $ in the process. I have a sizable 'safety net' now and a couple vehicles, but there have been times when going to the dentist, getting new dress shoes when I really needed them, etc. were not really feasible or I hesitated a lot longer than I should have. I wore a pair of Kenneth Coles for 3 years to the point they were mostly super glued together. I would rather have my theoretical child live more like you do than how I did.

 

[SilverStone05]

Why do so many people have something against giving someone a nice car for their first ride?

I bought my RX-7 with my own money (I work/study fulltime), so it's not like I was one of the lucky ones. Actually, dad pays for college and if he didin't I'd be driving a $500 vehicle buuuut that's beside the point... :biggrin:

When I have kids, I plan to get them the absolute best of everything. Proper parenting will absolutley prevent a spoiled child.

Kudos to you getting your son a decent car :smile:

I was given a decent car when I was younger. It taught me to take care of my cars, and the value of low maintenence costs. As a result, I had more time for school because I didn't have work so much at a part time job paying for repairs and insurance while I juggled extracurriculars. I also developed a general respect for automobiles.
I am pretty grateful to my parents for that.