Help me pick a car

There's a LOT of miles on both of those cars. Especially for non-diesel Euros. I would steer clear, personally. Let me see what I can find near you. Is 3k your ceiling?

 

There is a reason you don't see many BMW's and Merc's of that vintage on the road. Parts are sky high. Even if you do your own mechanicing on them, they can eat you alive. I would venture to guess that these cars have reached the end of their reliable service. If you want a less expensive ride with higher mileage, look at Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc.

 

Cars for Sale: 1988 Jeep Comanche 2WD Pioneer LB in Bothell, WA 98011: Truck Details - 297190807 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 1993 Ford Bronco 4x4 in Bothell, WA 98011: Sport Utility Details - 299685127 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 1992 Dodge Stealth in EVERETT, WA 98203: Coupe Details - 300110148 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 1993 Subaru Legacy AWD Wagon in Lynnwood, WA 98087: Wagon Details - 259521344 - AutoTrader.com


The Comanche is a rare find, and the 4.0 I6 is bulletproof

The Subaru is similarly bulletproof with its 2.2 as those are hard to come by.

The Stealth is a good one if that's your thing, and the Bronco is going to of course be a good ol' standby.

All these cars have one thing in common: relatively cheap/easy repair jobs. This is something most people overlook when looking for their first car. I did, bought a VW, and fell down the money pit. Trust me, you don't want anything euro for your first car, especially if it costs less than ten grand.

 

First car? Get something cheap because you'll probably crash it. You are NOT a racecar driver.

 

get something thats american or Japanese made if you want a reliable used car with cheap repairs. I totaled my first car within 3 months pulling out in front of someone who didn't have their headlights on at night, shit happens
someone i work with just bought a 2002 jetta for 8 thousand dollars and he had to put almost another 8 thousand worth of repairs into it over the last year. on the other hand my 96 chevy cavalier that i bought for 1200 has lasted me 5 years and its still my daily driver with probably 1-2k worth of repairs of shit that wears down on old cars. The difference is parts for my car are 2-3x cheaper than his car.

Also if 3k is your max i would buy a car for around 2k and keep the other thousand for anything that breaks on it and all the old parts you will need to replace in the next year or so.

 

get something thats american or Japanese made if you want a reliable used car with cheap repairs. I totaled my first car within 3 months pulling out in front of someone who didn't have their headlights on at night, shit happens
someone i work with just bought a 2002 jetta for 8 thousand dollars and he had to put almost another 8 thousand worth of repairs into it over the last year. on the other hand my 96 chevy cavalier that i bought for 1200 has lasted me 5 years and its still my daily driver with probably 1-2k worth of repairs of shit that wears down on old cars. The difference is parts for my car are 2-3x cheaper than his car.

Also i have friends with mid 90's BMW and mercedes and they hate them cause of how much the repairs are

Also if 3k is your max i would buy a car for around 2k and keep the other thousand for anything that breaks on it and all the old parts you will need to replace in the next year or so.

 

I hate to say it but for that price range japanese is probably the way to go. I love old bimmers but unless you are good friends with a private BMW shop owner or something it's not worth the price. Maximas are good fun cars with a little more balls than civics, and they'll last just as long.

 

1991 Acura Integra LS - 1991 Acura Integra (honda reliablity)

1994 Honda accord sale or trade - 1994 Honda Accord (millions on the road, honda reliablity)

1995 Jeep Cherokee - 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee (bulletproof v6 with great gas mileage)

***1997 jeep grand cherokee limited 4WD*** - V8 w/ leather, gas mileage is shitty though)

1996 VOLVO 850 TURBO BLK - Volvo 850 (its a Volvo)

There are a few good options

 

I 100% agree with you... but an older BMW will amost definitely end up costing more in repairs than the initial purchase price... That's why they are so cheap to begin with, where new BMW's go for 40k ++

You could always go american. Find an old fox body mustang, or a monte carlo if you don't mind FWD, there's plenty more out there for your price range

 

dude look on craigslist in your area, it's free and you can get great deals on stuff, i recommend buying a honda accord or civic for that price, i would get like a 01 accord with 130k miles and 5 speed for about 3grand and i will get 3 gallon, better to have a nicer newer honda then older german, but if you are set on a german get a audi a4 like 96 up same price but newer looking good luck blade

 

i'm in my first bmw now. we've almost paid the same 9k in repairs now in 3 years that we bought it for. i plan on keeping it till the engine dies which hopefully wont be for a long time. I'm at 125k miles. my dad has a 76 5series that has over 200k miles. would still be driving it but it needs a hose or something for an oil leak.

 

I would not buy that BMW.. way too risky, if it brakes down and you can't afford to fix it, then what?

Look at Mitsubishis, Subarus, Chevies, Jeeps (if you can afford the gas$$$)..
there is no point buying a luxery car if it's gonna break down soon and be unaffordable to fix.

Cars for Sale: 1994 Mitsubishi Diamante in Lynnwood, WA 98087: Wagon Details - 299199839 - AutoTrader.com
-probably the most practical option

 

get a suzuki wagon r