94 Bimmer 325i or 97 Maxima SE

I know you guys may be biased, but with that in mind, I'm soliciting your honest opinion.

I have about $10K to spend, and it looks like I can get a 94 Bimmer 325i or a 97 Maxima for that amount (I was also considering an 95 Infiniti J30). I do not have any particular cars in mind, but after looking at the car ads, it looks like this is what I may find for the price I have to spend.

I would like something sport, and I've always love Bimmers, so my heart wants the 325, but I am afraid of a maintenance nightmare, and I know the Maximas are supposed to be very reliable... plus I'll be getting a newer car for the same amount of money.... So it seems like the heart vs. the brain.

Any opinions or suggestions on what's best for my money (overall)... Again, I have no more than $10K to spend.

THANK YOU!

[Wanna B ///M3 Driver]

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...7&pagenumber=1

go here, max's are nice, my friend has a 99 SE auto....still hella quick.

[The Jesal]

get the maxima.. cuz im guessing it has less miles, and my brother has a 97 max, and its really nice. he has 60k miles and no problems

[Reboot]

Go for the Maxima! Or if you really want a BMW, get an E34 like some of the guys here w/ 535s w/ 5-speeds (fast and yet still BMW).

[RedFive]

Seeing how you are from Arizona, there shouldn't be any excuses for buying a RWD car. Early 90's cars from BMW are very well built. Especially the E34s. You can probably find a nice 525 double vanos 5spd for just over $10k. A Jim Conforti chip boost the hp to 210. A ERT supercharger can boost hp to 275.
The BMW is more distinct than a Nissan. So I would go with the BMW.
As for fast; suposedly the Maximas are fast. I've never seen one sucessfully beat anyone on cruise night. I've never taken them as a threat, even in my Jetta.

[NiTE]

Im looking into the same thing as cny is. Ive got around $10,000 and would really like to buy a 93 - 96 BMW 318/325 with around 50 - 60k miles. Is it worth it? Or will I have to pay tens of thousands of dollars on maintenance.
I also live in New England, some years we tend to get heavy snow during the winter season. RWD isn't too much of a problem as I should be able to afford some nice winter tires to handle the snow. Are BMWs ok during the winter if they have a good set of snow tires on them?

[Reboot]

Originally posted by NiTE:
Im looking into the same thing as cny is. Ive got around $10,000 and would really like to buy a 93 - 96 BMW 318/325 with around 50 - 60k miles. Is it worth it? Or will I have to pay tens of thousands of dollars on maintenance.
I also live in New England, some years we tend to get heavy snow during the winter season. RWD isn't too much of a problem as I should be able to afford some nice winter tires to handle the snow. Are BMWs ok during the winter if they have a good set of snow tires on them?

Having owned 3 BMWs and driven them in the winter as well (Chicago winter to be the least), I can tell you that BMWs are extremely easy to drive in the winter. Given the 50/50 weight distribution, I personally perfer a BMW over a FWD car.

As for your question of whether to get a 318/325, I would rather get a 325. I don't think you will get the performance you'll be looking at out of a 318.

[NiTE]

Yea, im hoping for a 325 too but ive driven a 318Ti and 318i and the feel is still nice. Unfortunately, the 325 line is much harder to find for a good price, Im still looking. But, on that note... anyone got an old 1994 (or newer) BMW with 50 - 60k miles (or less) and want to get rid of it for around 10k?

[NiTE]

oh yes, one more thing, that question wasnt referring to which model I should get (318/325) but was referring to whether I should get a 1993 or newer BMW with 50 - 60k miles. Im a little scared about the maintenance.

[delRey]

Originally posted by NiTE:
oh yes, one more thing, that question wasnt referring to which model I should get (318/325) but was referring to whether I should get a 1993 or newer BMW with 50 - 60k miles. Im a little scared about the maintenance.

Damn, I ran into a 2000 323i red coupe 5-speed Sport Package w/51,000 miles. It was runnin for 27,500. Test drove it, and loved it. But it was the mileage that scared me. Oh well, I'll find one soon enough. The Maxima is a nice package. But if you find a 325 go for it. If not, then go for a Maxima.

Kevin

[NiTE]

yea, I should be able nice 318ti for $9 - 10k (50 - 60k miles) and I hear these things will last you for a LONG time. Winter shouldnt be much of a problem as I hear slapping on some blizzaks should transform my car into a tank . I really like the feel of all BMWs in general so I think I will be satisified with a ti. They look great if you add an M3 front kit too (btw, how much do the M3 front kits cost?)

[Reboot]

Originally posted by NiTE:
yea, I should be able nice 318ti for $9 - 10k (50 - 60k miles) and I hear these things will last you for a LONG time. Winter shouldnt be much of a problem as I hear slapping on some blizzaks should transform my car into a tank . I really like the feel of all BMWs in general so I think I will be satisified with a ti. They look great if you add an M3 front kit too (btw, how much do the M3 front kits cost?)

I think the kit can be had for about $1200 minus install/paint. Also, I just checked www.cars.com and you can get a '92 325i/is for about $9500 w/ about 65k miles on it. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

[NiTE]

'92 seems a bit old , I like at LEAST a '93 or preferably a '94. Hmm... but for $1200 it would be nice to get a ti for around $8800 and then use the rest of my money on that kit . Is installation/painting difficult? Im willing to do it myself, I dont know much about the parts of a BMW though.

[NiTE]

oh yea, one more thing, I was looking at autotrader.com and they always have these EXTREMELY cheap repossesed vheicles that link to an auction site. This site says you have to pay around $50 (if I remember correctly) to gain access to the auctions. Anyone actually use these? www.repoautos.com is one of them.