18 thinking of a 328i e92 or e90 as a first car
18, living with parents, and I have a road maintenance job ( 2500 a month, only real expense is $500 rent). My boss said I need to show up no matter what, including bad weather and I have no backup car if mine’s down.
I’ve wanted an E9x 328i (N52) for weeks did research on the known issues (cooling system, VANOS, valve cover gasket), planned to DIY most of it myself. I genuinely want to learn how to wrench, not just pay a shop for everything, and I want a car I’m actually proud to own and take care of, not just something that gets me from A to B. Dad would cosign once I have income.
But my dad’s pushing back hard on RWD + Premium gas he says + no backup car for a job that can’t tolerate a missed day, and I don’t fully disagree with the concern.
My current plan is a Subaru Legacy 2.5i (NA, AWD, manual) as the actual daily, saving toward the E9x as a second car later once I’ve got a job track record and more of a cushion.
Questions:
- Would you actually trust an RWD E9x as a daily with zero missed-day tolerance and no backup car, even with good winter tires?
- Is E9x xDrive worth the extra hunting/cost for this specific situation, or overkill?
- Anyone here delayed their dream car for a reliable daily first worth it, or regretted the wait?
Not trying to talk myself out of the E92 tbh I just want honest input on sequencing given the job constraint, and whether the DIY side of things is worth factoring in here. Thanks.