low buck daily driver, which one?

[<miles2go@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

First, let me say that in the past I have owned 1 E30 325iS, 1 E28 533i, 2
E24 635CSi's, 1 E24 L6, 1 E34 525iT, 1 E36 328iS and my 2000 BMW R1100S
sports bike. So, you could say I'm a nut for Beemers and Bimmers.
I'm also a big fan of older Volvos. I've had a 79 240 wagon, an 84 240 coupe
(2dr) and an 89 240 wagon. These have been very dependable and as easy to
work on as the BMWs I've had.

Here's the meat of this post:
My wife wants a new daily driver and really likes the 2002s. I have never
had a Bimmer that old and really don't know how much attention they need. In
the case of Volvos I know that an old 240 is cheaper to operate than an
early nineties 850. That is in part to the 850 being front drive.
I'm wondering if the 2002 can be as low maintenance and dependable as our
Volvos or if I would be better of looking for a low $ E30 325iS. She wants
something that is "cute" and sporty. I want something that she can drive
without me having to work on constantly and something that isn't prone to
sudden failures without warning. Can I find a 2002 that won't be a headache
for $3,000 -$5,000?

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