al77
Master Don Juan
Originally posted by Derek Flint
First off, I bought the Corvette for myself, as I did my previous one, an 87 Convertible.
Not to race someone at a stoplight or to impress anyone, especially some chick.
Also, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area,
Marin county to be exact, and Corvettes are considered redneck cars among all the newer BMW M3's and MBZ AMG's around here.
100K cars around here are common.
It all depends on what part of the country you live in.
Around here, a Corvette doesn't get any attention.
Secondly, any car will cost you money and maintanence.
I used to have a 94 BMW 325is, and that car nearly broke me.
Spent thousands on it and it was always in the shop.
The point of the older BMW's (mid-80's 3-seies) is that they are more reliable than just about any other car from that era and in that price range.
These cars are easy to work on, and I do almost all my own work, unlike most newer cars which are a PITA to work on, and you need all kinds of specialty tools.
Parts are easy to find locally and on-line, and can be delivered overnight if needed.
All I need to work on it is some basic tools and a multi-meter.
The bottom line is that if the original poster wants inexpensive, dependable transportation, I would highly recommend a 83-89 3-Series BMW
So you pose as a redneck in a red Corvette? You might as well start selling books of jokes about CA rednecks if it is true.
Thats just drastically different from almost any other part of the country.
I am sure chicks have no idea what BMW M3 is...they see BMW, no rust, looks "cool" you are in! They can't say if it is $100k bmw or $20k bmw. They can smell "coolness" of the car only...
Anyway:
A guy who never had a car will not be able to fix his car with a multimeter. Thats obvious. He'll have to got ot a shop....it is conceptually somehting new that old bmw is cheap and easy to fix. Parts for european cars have alway been expensive, especially for somehting decent like bmw.
By the way, how do you figure out reliability of cars..lets say
83-89 3-Series BMW vs 94 BMW 325is? Is there any guide... website about reliablity?
Your experience, skills, state and $ situation are unique. I am sure the orginal poster of the question is in a very different situation now.