Recommendations for good and affordable 2nd beamer

[Ron Tsur <ron@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I bought my doughtier a 1987 325i, (stick) for her first car.  She is driving
the car for the last year or so and she is just nuts about it.  She will not
drive any other car, even if it is newer.  During the time that she owns the
325i, I had to replace the clutch, water pump, engine thermostat, various hoses
and belts and quite a few fuses.  To save money, I did all the repairs myself. 
Through this experience though, and outside of driving the car occasionally
(under the pretense of TESTING what's wrong with it...) I learned to like it a
lot.  The E30 must be one of the easier cars to repair, at least in my
experience.

Then, my son just turned 15 and he is looking forward to passing the driver's
test and eventually, getting and driving his own car.  Following his sister's
footsteps, he wants a BMW with stick shift - no automatic and no cheap
imitation...  The trouble is that he is quite tall and can hardly fit inside
the E30.  I just wonder what are the choices out there for a suitable car that
will meet both function and price (under $5000) for a tall and young driver.

Thanks,

Ron Tsur

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