My recommendation on the 3 series you picked up is to change oil every 5000 to 7500 miles (synthetic only). That engine has an oil pump system that leaves a lot to be desired. I've seen one come in that had been dealer maintained by the book and the engine was locked up at 120k miles. Every one that I have had in shop with that engine that i replaced valve cover gasket on except for one had indications on the cams that reflected a lack of oil flow. You will do good to get rid of it anytime after about 100k miles.

Thanks Jim. Appreciate your experience.

I happen to be blessed/cursed with a smart kid.

Those things are fast. I drove the cab version many times in SF, slightly longer wheelbase, I think, and those suckers surprised me at the speed and power from a large Detroit sedan. I just read that they had 4 wheel discs, I recall excellent braking.

The engine was SOHC, the cop version not significantly more powerful but enhanced, oil cooler added, other small upgrades. I've often thought I could be happy with a police Crown Vic.

For a teenager I would go with the slowest Honda or Toyota I could find, manual tranny. Kids can get weird with speed. One of my clients bought a Tesla a few years back, they were talking about letting their daughter have it when she got her license at age 16. I went onto thin ice when I advised him to think twice about that. He said he had been reconsidering that, was thinking some kind of Toyota. I don't think a 4 second 0 to 60 car would be good for a teenager. I recall the 17 year old girl who piled her father's Porsche up at a road toll booth.

That's a tad weird. I got 450K out of my first E30 with the M20. Heads never off. It wasn't a complicated engine - SOHC, NA of course. The only vulnerable part I could see was the cam belt. I always changed it around 50K, no need to push it.

Gawd Dayum... $1,700 for a new AC compressor. :(

I got a 88 Honda for sale ..cheeps

Don't tease, make a post in the for sale section including decent photos and price then add a hyperlink here .

There is a post go look. Right above my $600 w124 post

No hyperlink....