I was looking for a car this weekend for my son, Sean. I saw two 1990 535is. both with standard 5 speed transmissions. One car had 217,000 miles good paint; the headliner needed to be reglued and the front seat leather was cracked but not ripped. It ran well and the body was just about perfect with a little door ding. This was the owner's "driver car" and ran well. He wanted $2500 for the car. I thought that it was a good value and an appropriate first car for my son. The second car was a 1990 535i 5 speed as well with only 95,000 miles. The price was $8500 and the condition was excellent. The car recently had a new clutch installed. I drove it and it was powerful and smooth. I would love to put a chip in this car!

I am just looking for opinions here. I am favoring a less expensive car for my son as he is a new driver. What are your opinions?