I'm still trying to figure what car I should get. I'm a coolege student studying pre-med so you can probably expect that I don't have deep pockets.

I understand that BMW's are pretty reliable once maintained right. So my question is what are the average costs for such things as oil change, tire change and such on a BMW and would would be my anual cost.

I can do quite a bit for myself and have changed brake pads and oil on cars before but I understand that you need expensive equipment to do that on BMW's. Is this true.

Last but not least which 3 series model should I go with. I'm thinking about a used model between the model years 99-04.

Thanks in advance for the help.

A Kia is reliable if maintained properly. BMW's are not known for reliability and whomever told you that should be shot with a 10ga slug in the face. Pretty much any and all maintenance for a BMW will be more expensive than maintenance on, say....anything American. I'm not sure EXACTLY how much, because I've never owned one, but I'd venture to say you'd spend roughly 50% MORE than what you would on a comparable domestic. And, tire change, well, that depends on the tires you buy. Also, you have to take into consideration that when it needs to be repaired, mechanic rates are going to be around $150 and hour as opposed to $75-$100 an hour for a domestic.

I would never buy a bmw. ever. well maybe if I had a billion dollars.
anyway, bmw's are just status symbols, nothing else.
well, I should say that differently, they ARE fast and comfortable. but they are WAY overpriced. if you want a luxury car but don't want to spend that much on maintenance, get one that isn't a luxury name brand. IE Nissan Maxima, toyota avalon, hundai genesis, decked-out honda accord ECT.

Get a Hyundai Genesis V8! Those things are ****ing awesome! Something I never thought I'd say about a Hyundai or ANY Korean car, for that matter, but seriously, the interior is gorgeous, the leather is soft and supple, the engine has plenty of power, it's a HUGE step for Hyundai. If they keep things going in this direction, they will DEFINITELY become a huge force to be reckoned with.

Speaking of "3",get a Mazda 3,my daughter has one,nice car,she bought hers with less than 20k miles on it a year old,and just recently had the 60k mile service done at her Mazda dealer.The 60k mile service was like $600.No timing belts either...timing CHAIN.She has had NO problems with it,just maintenance.

I talked to quite a few BMW owners and mechanics and they game me some pretty good prices.

Basic things such as oil, breaks etc are things I can handle because I do them on my car and after checking some DIY articles I found out that its the same process of the E46 models.

Insurance is not high either. I got a quote for $150 a month (I'm 19 and I only got my license at 18).

Are there any BMW owners who have any ideas?

BMW is a car simply for satus and luxury. It is not a car for common people as maintenence cost is very high.Now you need to decide yourself.