Car choice for daughter , Beema MAD!

[chrisl]

I’m going to be the opposing voice here. An E36 is not an unreliable car and will not cost you a fortune to repair unless it breaks down so if you get a well maintained car, then it’s just as likely to never break down as any other car. Anyway, its not that important to go to a BMW dealler for a car of that age. You can use a reputable BMW specialist at half the price. The other advantage is that it will always have some appeal so it will have some value when she wants to sell, as opposed to a old tinny buzz box that no one will want and you will have to pay someone to take it away.

Having said all that, have you considered an early Mazda MX5? It’s in the same price range, has just as much appeal as a beema and if it’s Japanese reliability you want then this has it by the bucket load... not to mention the incredibly good fun factor and fuel savings. But best of all, she will only be able to carry one passenger and that’s a real biggie for safety. (It has been well shown statistically that a new driver is far far more likely to be involved in a serious collision when there is a group of young people in a car. It has to do with the “party” and “show off” factor).

Also, although the biggest down side is that this car is not a Ford, it is in fact a Mazda which means that it is part of the Ford group of companies