[M3Sleeper]

Don't listen to the Forum Police you can start any threads you would like to.

To add some context I started out a "Failure" in most peoples eyes.

I left college early...without a piece of paper and a chip on my shoulder.

Early 20's got into sales doing packaging for retail stores cold calling door to door. I went from being the lowest paid person at the company to the highest by never giving up and never letting my lack of paperwork impact my income.

A few years later I launched a website with the owner focused on food packaging products which I later became an equity partner by sweat. We went from doing a few million a year locally to doing 10MIL/year online.

We leveraged the cashflow from the website into commercial real estate with my two brothers and Dad as cofounders and partners. Fast forward 19 years later I am an owner of 3 companies after getting kicked out of private school, told I was a failure, military school, then college drop out.

I was told by my teachers I would not be successful....told I could not do what the other kids could do. I ended up in 4 different high schools 1 public, 1 international private, and 2 USA private schools.

My kids were the driver behind my success. I believe that if it was not for my kids I would not even be on this BMW forum.

[Vindicator3]

I've probably posted this before, too, but the primary answer to "how did you buy such an expensive car" is not generally a popular one, but it's the one that worked for me. Simple 3-step process.

1) Drove a beater which was already on its last legs until I had 16k or so saved to pay cash for a new Civic.
2) Made monthly "car payments" to myself (my "new car fund") every month while driving the Civic for 13 years, at which point I had 30-something K saved to pay cash for a new Acura.
3) Made monthly "car payments" to myself (my "new car fund") every month while driving the Acura for 20 years, at which point I had the money saved to pay cash for a new 5-series.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

The wider range of people already politely tried to tell you in post #2 to use the search feature, because this topic has come up ad nauseam in the off-topic section. You're not the first person in 2026 that's in college and trying to figure out how to buy a status symbol that you probably can't afford to come into the OT section and post this exact same thread.

The answer to your question from someone who has already paid their dues to society is that you should buy a clunker car...and put every last penny of your money until it hurts into a retirement account. You'll learn the important life skill now about how to wrench on a car to keep it alive, and thank me later in about 40 years when all of the money you would have thrown away in status symbol payments has compounded itself into millions of bucks to enjoy your early retirement.....

This. Excellent advice. Live within yours means and save, save, save.

[RickFLM4]

Started as a CPA. Got tired of the grind and looking for something more rewarding so now I run daycare centers in Minnesota.

[swcrow]

ROTC in college
Army
Army contractor as a systems architect (OJT)
Program Manager
Program Director
Position opened up as a direct govt hire, so currently Enterprise Architect...on same program for 17 years and getting tired.

Been looking for the next chapter

[Moe2Moto]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

The wider range of people already politely tried to tell you in post #2 to use the search feature, because this topic has come up ad nauseam in the off-topic section. You're not the first person in 2026 that's in college and trying to figure out how to buy a status symbol that you probably can't afford to come into the OT section and post this exact same thread.

The answer to your question from someone who has already paid their dues to society is that you should buy a clunker car...and put every last penny of your money until it hurts into a retirement account. You'll learn the important life skill now about how to wrench on a car to keep it alive, and thank me later in about 40 years when all of the money you would have thrown away in status symbol payments has compounded itself into millions of bucks to enjoy your early retirement.....

I own my car, it’s been paid off. But I’d like to know other career paths that people have taken.

I have been seeing many people saying that it’s best to save their money for retirement. But I have an immature question to ask, I am young, I would like to have a little fun, because I know when I’m older, it won’t be the same and I won’t be able to do the same activities that I’d be able to do when I’m older.

Is there a balance between saving and enjoying your youth?

[Vindicator3]

Originally Posted by Moe2Moto

Is there a balance between saving and enjoying your youth?

Of course, and you have to find your own for yourself. Just as it would be extreme and foolish to save nothing for retirement and spend all your current income (or all your current income plus even more money by borrowing) on today's fun, it would be extreme and severe to live in a cardboard box and eat ramen every day so that you can save every dime for retirement.

A lot depends on your longevity, your current debt level if any, your current income vs your future income curve, your other obligations (family), etc., and some of that requires predicting the future, which is notoriously difficult.

But a 25 year old driving a brand-new M3, for example, is probably not striking what I would call the right balance, unless that 25 year old plays in the NBA or founded a now billion-dollar company when she was 21. A used 318i would of course perhaps be a different story.

[Moe2Moto]

Originally Posted by Vindicator3

Of course, and you have to find your own for yourself. Just as it would be extreme and foolish to save nothing for retirement and spend all your current income (or all your current income plus even more money by borrowing) on today's fun, it would be extreme and severe to live in a cardboard box and eat ramen every day so that you can save every dime for retirement.

A lot depends on your longevity, your current debt level if any, your current income vs your future income curve, your other obligations (family), etc., and some of that requires predicting the future, which is notoriously difficult.

But a 25 year old driving a brand-new M3, for example, is probably not striking what I would call the right balance, unless that 25 year old plays in the NBA or founded a now billion-dollar company when she was 21. A used 318i would of course perhaps be a different story.

No, I agree

[iX nOOky]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

Retired electronics tecnician. Came out of retirement and landed a
part-time job picking fly crap out of pepper shakers at local restaurant.

I picked the fly crap out of pepper on the pepper assembly line for years, I quit when they started making us wear heavy gloves and full masks.

[Moe2Moto]

Originally Posted by iX nOOky

I picked the fly crap out of pepper on the pepper assembly line for years, I quit when they started making us wear heavy gloves and full masks.

What do you do now?

[Mason Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Moe2Moto

I’m sorry, maybe I’m misunderstanding this, but why’re you being rude. It’s an off-topic forum with a wider range of people, I feel like I’d get more advice from different people. I honestly do no understand why some people on Bimmerpost can be so mean.

Again, if I did misunderstand your intention, then I apologize.

You think I am being rude? To point out that you have done this before on this site and suggest that rather than having two separate threads that you keep it to one is rude?

Man, you're going to have it tough

[MassWholeBimmer]

Originally Posted by Moe2Moto

Did you think you’d end up like this? Or your life would be different.

Don't know. 66 years old now.. If I had to do it again, I'd get into the health profession.. Took me a long time to realize I really like helping people..

[Moe2Moto]

Originally Posted by Mason Hatcher

You think I am being rude? To point out that you have done this before on this site and suggest that rather than having two separate threads that you keep it to one is rude?

Man, you're going to have it tough

In retrospect I did overreact, I apologize.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by iX nOOky

I picked the fly crap out of pepper on the pepper assembly line for years, I quit when they started making us wear heavy gloves and full masks.

I had to wear boxing gloves.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Moe2Moto

I own my car, it’s been paid off. But I’d like to know other career paths that people have taken.

I have been seeing many people saying that it’s best to save their money for retirement. But I have an immature question to ask, I am young, I would like to have a little fun, because I know when I’m older, it won’t be the same and I won’t be able to do the same activities that I’d be able to do when I’m older.

Is there a balance between saving and enjoying your youth?

Concentrate on doing things that you like and not owning things for status. If you like motorsports, attend races and autocross a car that you can afford. (I started with my '67 VW). Don't buy more house than you can afford. Oh,I spent years racing in SCCA, ESP autocross in 5.0 Mustang, with very limited mods. I occasionally beat national champions in my club. That class was very competitive and fun because the cars were not expensive.

Work hard and play hard still works. Being in huge debt, caused by trying to "keep up" with others is WAY less fun than driving a Mustang that's paid for.

[Moe2Moto]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Concentrate on doing things that you like and not owning things for status. If you like motorsports, attend races and autocross a car that you can afford. (I started with my '67 VW). Don't buy more house than you can afford. Oh,I spent years racing in SCCA, ESP autocross in 5.0 Mustang, with very limited mods. I occasionally beat national champions in my club. That class was very competitive and fun because the cars were not expensive.

Work hard and play hard still works. Being in huge debt, caused by trying to "keep up" with others is WAY less fun than driving a Mustang that's paid for.

I actually value this, I don’t drive a race car, and I am living a little above my needs, so I’d need to mend that. But this is VERY good advice, thank you.

[TimmyTurbos]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Started as a CPA. Got tired of the grind and looking for something more rewarding so now I run daycare centers in Minnesota.

You hiring? Lol

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Moe2Moto

I own my car, it’s been paid off. But I’d like to know other career paths that people have taken.

I have been seeing many people saying that it’s best to save their money for retirement. But I have an immature question to ask, I am young, I would like to have a little fun, because I know when I’m older, it won’t be the same and I won’t be able to do the same activities that I’d be able to do when I’m older.

Is there a balance between saving and enjoying your youth?

As others have said, it's a balance. But one thing is for certain, the earlier you start saving, the less you have to put in per month to achieve the same retirement balance goal versus starting later. There are a myriad of videos and financial calculators that show how time works in your favor where in your early 20s saving a $100 a month would require multiples of that if you start much later to achieve the same financial goal.

I wish I had started earlier in saving for retirement. I only got serious in my late 20s/early 30s.

I also had the income to enjoy nicer cars as I am a car guy. But I waited till my 40s before I actually bought something real nice for myself. The other cars were econoboxes.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

As others have said, it's a balance. But one thing is for certain, the earlier you start saving, the less you have to put in per month to achieve the same retirement balance goal versus starting later.

Here's a true story, that served as my too-late eye-opener.

A VP at the place where I worked my whole adult life decided to retire in 2012. Back when he was an undergrad college student in 1971, he worked as a dorm Resident Assistant. The school he went to made him contribute $375/year to their retirement plan, and 100% matched his contribution. After two years, the the total in that account was $1,500 and his out-of-pocket was $750 of that.

Fast-forward 40 years, when he met with a retirement consultant for the first time as he was trying to figure out his post-retirement income a few months before his last day of work. The retirement consultant asked him a strange question...which retirement account did the VP want to tap first? Say what? The VP totally forgot about that first account from 1971, and the consultant somehow found it. Long story short, that $1,500 from 1971 grew to EIGHTY SEVEN GRAND over 40 years! I went straight to HR that day, and finally signed up for my employer's retirement plan.

Before that, I put dcstep to shame by blowing all of my money fielding a nationally-competitive car all over the country on weekends. Been to 43 of the lower 48 states and three Canadian provinces, investing every dime of my money in race rubber and trophy futures. What do I have to show for it? A 26-year-old car in my enclosed race car hauler, a stack of spare rims, and six boxes of trophies.

I was involuntarily retired from my IT job of almost 40 years last July, and because I was really late to the retirement account party my monthly income from my account is only $337/month. I'm actually packing to move out of my house as I post this, and hope that I can find a cardboard box big enough to fit under the overpass that I'll be calling home in April that I can fit all six boxes of trophies in along with a sleeping bag.

Coming full-circle, my current job is serving as a good example to college students about what NOT to do with their lives. Also note my forum signature that I don't even own a BMW any more and probably will never own one again.....

[iX nOOky]

Originally Posted by Moe2Moto

What do you do now?

I throw everything into retirement that I can is what I do now. I'm 57 and wishing I would not have pissed so much money away when I was younger on beer, women, car stereos, and cars and trucks. Thankfully I never got into boats, I always threw a case of beer at a friend and went out on theirs.

Currently I work in process engineering, and my wife is a veterinarian and owns her own clinic. We are currently working on a plan to sell the clinic so she can retire. She makes about 3 times what I do, so I guess she is my sugar momma.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

As others have said, it's a balance. But one thing is for certain, the earlier you start saving, the less you have to put in per month to achieve the same retirement balance goal versus starting later. There are a myriad of videos and financial calculators that show how time works in your favor where in your early 20s saving a $100 a month would require multiples of that if you start much later to achieve the same financial goal.

I wish I had started earlier in saving for retirement. I only got serious in my late 20s/early 30s.

I also had the income to enjoy nicer cars as I am a car guy. But I waited till my 40s before I actually bought something real nice for myself. The other cars were econoboxes.

I didn’t own a performance car until I bought my new 2014 M235i, two
years after I retired. All previous cars were lower end econo-cars, except
the new 2012 GLK350 we bought shortly after retirement. I still have the
M235i and I absolutely love it. It still looks and drive like new. I fully
appreciate having it.

Because both my wife and I worked (bless her heart) and saved, our net
retirement income is 150% of our net working working income.

Here’s a gotcha or two to think about. My wife has advanced dementia.
It finally got to the point where I could no longer care for her, so I placed
her in a very nice memory care facility. She has her own room. I’m very
happy we have the resources to fund her care. Also, I’m currently going
going through cataract surgery on both eyes. I opted for the new LAL
lenses. Its expensive, but the likely outcome will be 20/15 vision.

Plan for your retirement years. Shinola happens.

[Vindicator3]

Lots of great advice above. If I had to sum my thoughts up in a two key points for someone your age, I'd offer these:

1) Debt is not your friend. Debit is a very useful tool to finance things that will hold or increase in value - buying a house, paying for an education, expanding a business you own, etc. Debt is a terrible way to pay for anything else - car, vacation, wedding, hobbies, whatever. This includes credit card debt and the new "buy now pay later" services such as Klarna - don't buy anything on a card/app if you won't be able to pay the balance in full and on time. Cheapest way to buy a car is to buy a three-year-old reliable econobox (Civic, Camry, Accord) with cash and drive it until the wheels fall off, then repeat. Anything more expensive than that is a luxury, which is fine if you can afford it, but if you can't afford to pay cash for it, you can't afford it. Specific caveats - before borrowing to fund an education right now I'd want to be very clear it will pay off based on school, major, and in particular your ability as a student. For example, if you want to get an MD, DDS, JD, MBA, etc. I would get it at your in-state state school unless you have a better than 50% chance of being at the top of your class, in which case it "might" make sense to borrow more to go to Harvard instead. Caveat to the never borrow to buy "stuff" rule - sometimes interest rates go to near zero as they did for about a decade ending a couple of years ago. Or sometimes the furniture store offers you zero percent financing for 36 months with no alternative to get a cash discount instead. Etc. Those can be exceptions, assuming you could afford to pay up front and you just set that money aside to earn interest while you make the interest-free payments.

2. Find a balance on how to spend the money you do have (as opposed to money you'd have to borrow). Buy or rent a place that allows you to afford other things, don't be "house poor." Don't skimp on insurance, to protect your finances from catastrophe. Prioritize retirement contributions (particularly those that get matched) and paying down high-interest debt. Banish the idea that you "deserve" to buy something (a new car, a new outfit, a great trip, a big ol' steak for the grill this weekend, whatever), because economics don't work based on what you deserve, they work based on what you can afford. If you are saving healthy amounts for retirement and making healthy payments on any debt, and covering your other necessities, it's more than OK to spend money on fun stuff you can afford. On the latter, most people report greater satisfaction on spending that money on experiences that create lasting memories (especially those with other people) rather than spending it on fancy possessions (this is hard for me, as I have a "collector" mindset, but the older I get, the more I realize it's true).

3. Do your very very best not to judge what you "should" be able to afford by what others have. Just assume that 95% of the people who you think are comparable to you in terms of income but spend more money than you are in debt up to their eyeballs and will be eating cat food when they retire, because 80% of them probably are. The others probably came into an inheritance or make more money than you realize.

4. This one's a little out there, and highly dependent upon your relationship status, but when young something to prioritize in your spending is finding a spouse/mate/life partner, whatever you want to call him or her, and finding the right one. If you don't already have one and you're choosing between buying that Lego Star Wars set or instead spending that money on something that will put you in contact with other young singles, do the latter. There are few things that correlate so strongly to good things across the board - longevity, good health, happiness, financial stability, and so on, as having a long-term stable relationship with the right partner. It's huge. Not that you can't be happy without one, and of course marrying the wrong one can be a disaster, but when done right such a relationship does wonders.

These rules work for most people who intend to work for an employer or enter a profession (as you intend). If you are starting your own business instead, you'll have to modify some of the above to take more risk, with more potential reward (and more potential downside), depeding on how it works out.