My 92 BMW is just not worth what I would need to put into it to bring it up to snuff.

That being said, I am kinda partial to BMW 6 cylinders, as long as they were the M50 generation (timing chain vs rubber band), and I see alot out there in the 5-6k range. I also like the fact they go a long time.

So for a DD, other than the BMW, what would ya'll recommend in the 5-6k price range? Looking for something rock solid, and ok with it being a bit boring.

I've owned several 5 series and a 2002.

I will never buy another BMW unless it is a 2002tii... Well maybe a 1600 cabrio...

Hey Mike...got you on that. A 2002 is on my list for someday. But I think I might have to consider it a play car.

I used to use mine as a daily drive and rarely had any problems. My 525i was a piece of shit. My 528i was a little less shitty.

My 325 was great for 11yrs. I abused it, I admit. Just looking for good ideas for something I will not have to think about much. If I am working on something myself, I want it to be the 914. Although look where I am with that.

Bucks Make'em Work. BMWs were a major part in keeping the shop doors open for a lot of years. I like 'em for that.

The Cap'n

You making me think elsewhere. Sooooo....good DD for around 5k? Japanese?

Civic. Hatches can be had for less than that, and they are mighty useful. Any generation, though the older ones will often be rougher.

Try to find one that hasn't had the whole JC Whitney catalog thrown at it, though.

--DD

Also consider older Subaru. After many family & friends with older Subaru Outbacks with over 200k miles with just normal repair costs, we jumped in the game and bought a new 2014 Outback for the wife. I have been thinking about picking an older one for myself as a DD.

Subaru is good, they have head gasket issues with older ones, the newer ones have problems with rings, my brothers 2013 is in the dealer for new rings, only 10k on car.
I looked for one for my wife, the ones in the 5-6k range were mostly crap, driven to death or not taken care of.....I gave up looking. Find an older one in great condition with a blown head gasket, fix it, have a great car.

Vw TDI anything...

great car. basically a one owner.

I JUST posted this in another thread. I have a 2005 Saab 9-2x Aero (Saabaru) that I'm getting ready to sell. May need a head-gasket though. I just replaced the turbo on it so it's burning up the oil in the cat right now, but it's a solid car past that. I'm selling it under $5K in Ohio.

Ten years ago I lived in Texas while my sons went to college in California. I bought them an older (1997) Subaru Legacy GT wagon for them to use coming back home for holidays and summer. The younger put in updated head gaskets and that was it, never a hiccup.

They did their best to destroy that Subaru, as I found out many years later over beers. Impressed by the four wheel drive they considered it born to off-road, and did pretty much what you'd expect from teenagers not invested in the car. After school the younger used it to tow his 58 bug back to Connecticut, where it finally was in its element of ice and snow. Then after five years of teenagers tag-teaming abuse he finally sold it for $1000 less than we originally paid for it. You know how every teenager destroys his first car, kind of the rite of passage? That damned Subaru survived. I think you can tell that I'm still impressed by that car.

I might be at the high end of historical Civic ownership... (2 CRX's, 2 hatchbacks, 2 sedans, all bought new)...but if you like a BMW 6 cylinder you won't like a Civic much. How about a 1st gen Lexus IS 300? They have a pretty strong inline 6, reliable as hell, rear wheel drive. Always wanted the wagon version for some reason ('cause we like weird cars, right? ) They can be pricey but I have seen some in the $6k range.

What year we talking for 1rst gen?

Whats considered low-ish mileage on these? At what point do they get scary?

2000-2005. They're starting to get popular with the tuner crowd so you'd want to find one that was unmodded (very similar to the Civic!). My neighbor has a 2nd gen. Pretty good bang for the buck.

150k is broken in.
Properly maintained it will go forever and the car will literally fall apart around it.

So, look at EVERY switch, knob, button etc and make sure everything works.

Buy a standard transmission...never an automatic.

500k miles is not unheard of..

cap'n loves his TDI,s