Looking for a irst car

[kcband]

M 16 and looking for a first car. I have made enough money that I have 3k to buy the car and 1.5k to maintain it. What would be better an e24 or a e30?

Thanks

[my1stE30]

I think you will find a larger selection of E30's and therefore a better price on the E30 ... at least E24's are pretty rare around this area.

keep your eye on craigslist for your area and watch prices and vehicle condition to get a decent idea of what is out there... then go and drive a few of them .. a clean and well maintained E30 (or E24) stands out reallly well after you have seen and driven a few beaters ..

within your price range you should be able to get yourself into a good E30 ... I think an E24 is likely going to set your back more money up front .. but it depends on the deal you find

for any E30 or E24 you are thinking about .. try to get the maintenance service records and check under the car (fenders, shockmounts, bumpers, etc. for rust ... walk away from a rust bucket unless you get it for less than $500 and don't plan to keep it very long .....

[genoknox]

+1

Norustnorustnorustnorust

[iamgnat]

$3k should get you a decent RWD e30 coupe or sedan, but it won't be flawless and will likely need some work even if it is minor stuff.

Your $1500 to maintain it is more limiting in my book. Most things on these cars can be fixed/replaced for under that, but while you're in there fixing the main problem you'll find other problems and/or plenty of "while I'm in there" things. My point is that even a $200 job can snowball quickly and you should keep that in mind when looking at old cars.

[red88ix]

Not to pile on, but you need to forget the e24 with your budget. Even if you find a decent example for your 3 grand, the $1500 won't go far on keeping it running. Just
a much more expensive car than the e30, to buy and to maintain.