Yo, come on guys! Give the gent a break. You dont know his situation so leave him be. He could have had a super rough December but for all we know, he may be debt free, have set investments etc.
I say, there is nothing wrong with grabbing yourself a new car when you're young and doing relatively well for yourself. If you work like a dog and want to reward yourself, then do it. People on this forum love to impose their ways on others. Of course though, you do get people who splurge 50% of their salary on a new car, which is completely irresponsible.
As long as you feel like you can afford it, get it.
As for the car itself, I'm not a fan. Didn't like the old 1 series and I dislike this one even more. If the A3 can improve the looks (which was already good looking) of the previous version, I dont see BMW doing very well with the 1 series.
As for the price, R287k for a 1.6T kicking out 100kw? Thats a little ridiculous...The torque at 220 isn't too bad though.
As for other options, why has no one mentioned the Alfa Romeo Giulietta

For R300k (10k on the clock) or so, you can get the Giulietta QV, 173kw and 340nm Torque!

You could even pick up the 1.4T MultiAir for R250k (also 10k on clock), 125kw and 250nm Torque. Lets also not forget its an absolute looker (at least I think so)
Its proven to be reliable. Since its release a year ago, there have been no significant "Alfa issues" reported. I keep a very close eye on the Alfa Owner forums. Mine is 10 months old and an absolute dream!