i feel your pain as i too am in college also me being 22. i can't decide on a 330 cic or a s2000. i mean they are really differant cars. i have this need for speed taht i can't get out of my curent ride a 97 acura cl. i want speed but i also want some luxurories as the s2000 pretty much does not have any. i am also worried about the 2 seater idea about the s2000 i like to have more then one girl in the car ( still single). the bmw 330 cic is not a slow poke but compared to the s2000 it is cats and dogs. i guess i just wish i could get a m3 and all my problems would be solved but then again i don't have 60k laying around. oh well dilemia time for me too.

p.s i saw a red 2002 bmw m3 cab at downtown disney and wanted to just steal it but then again lets get out of dream world

 

S2000.... no back seat.

End of story.

College + no back seat = no office space.

Dan

 

Wish my parents had me test driving bimmers when I went off to college. As an ex audiworld.com nut-case, have you considered the new 2002 A4? HUGE tuning potential and a fun/practical car to boot. Not to mention less expensive than the Bimmers.

 

Honda more maintainance than a BMW? I care to differ even if you get the free BMW oil changes.

Honda will be so much less expensive maintainance wise and probably insurance too, and probably less yawn factor...everyone has a bemmer!

look at the BMW 330i or 330ic if you have to get one. More torque and power, different handling, maybe a little...but a great car just the same...

 

If it were me, I would get neither car. Seriously.

Do yourself a favor and really make the hard work and dedication of your parents work for you.

Take the $40K (assuming you get a 330i) and buy yourself a Civic EX or something like that. Take the rest of the money and invest it. No, the Civic or Accord or whatever practical car you get isn't going to do much for your ego or picking up superficial woman. The $22K that you invest for four years and use to buy your first house or a new car when you graduate will.

Getting a cheaper, more practical car will allow you the piece of mind to leave the car parked in the lot or at the club or bar. Trust me, buying a 330I is not going to make you any less leary of parking the car in front of a dive bar at 2am on a Saturday.

Get that practical car and drive it into the ground. The $ that you save will pay off in dividends when you get out of college. You'll have a down payment on a home, a paid off car that hasn't begun to reach its potential, and a lot less stress.

Just my 2 cents. And by the way, it's easy for me to say this to you because I don't have to make this tough decision. I can't say for certain that I would be sensible enough to follow my own advice. I only thought I would state a different, perhaps more conservative, perspective.

 

Hmmm....very forward looking suggestion.

 

Yes Da Hapa, I do have to agree with you that looking to the future is always a good idea. Thankfully , a buddie's grandfather got me into investing last year and over the past two summers of working I've been putting every dollar I've earned into different stocks and a few bonds to save for a "rainy day" so to speak. Thanks for all your advice guys and good luck to you cali guy.
BTW cali guy, have you test driven the bimmers yet, my test drive the other day was really my first up close and personal experience with Bavarian engineering and the attention to detail in these cars simply blew me away. Very solid fit and finish.

Siper- I will probably be selling the Subaru around Thanksgiving-Christmas time, The Subaru has been an excellent car for me, saving my butt many times with its excellent AWD system. A very good car to learn in, very idiotproof ( I know from experience )

 

yes i have test drove pretty much every 3 series there is with the exception of the sedans. my friend in las vegas has gone through 3 (yes 3 ) 3 series bimmers within a 2 years. the first he got was a 323ci personally not that much power. then he bought a 330ci which had alot more power. and now his current ride is a 330 cic (convertible) btw all of these wherre manuals. The 330's i would say would be your best bet for power as i feel the 325 and the 323 lack alot of grunt. Also my friends bimmers where never stock as he and me are into tuning cars. the 330 cic has Dinan mods like a stage 2 ecu cold air intake and dinan exhaust. Also i am in a differant situation then the person who is getting a car from there parents i have saved up alot of money and paided off my current car the acura and will b trading it in and making the payments bymyself.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bob J.
[B]Right now I'm in a very big dilema as to which car I should get before I go off to college.

 

Not necessarily. Newer bimmers (2000 and later, I believe) have free regular maintenance. I have had my 323ci for 1 1/2 years and have never spent a dime on it (even oil changes and brake pads were free).