New (to me) car decision

[alex.kostun]

Hey guys. I'm somewhat new to the forums as I've read a lot of posts on here but have never really posted myself. I've used the forums in a lot of research for me for my new (to me) car. Right now I drive a 1997 Honda Civic Hatch. I wanted it as a daily but also project car but as I am 19 and go to school, I feel as if I bit off more than I can chew. I don't have the time or money to do the things to the civic that I want to, so now I am looking for a new car and would like some opinions. Obviously I won't be able to buy new as both cars are discontinued.

Like I previously stated I am 19 so any M car is way out of the picture because of price and insurance. Right now the cars I am looking at are a 2016 Ford Fiesta ST and a 2009-2010 BMW 128i. They are both around the same for insurance and price so I am not really worried about that. I've sort of made a PROS and CONS list for both the cars and just need help with deciding.

I am looking at the Fiesta ST because I love the practicality it has with 4 doors and a hatch with great fuel economy. However, again, I'm 19 so it is just my girlfriend and I, with no kids, and all my friends have moved away to college so I don't really have a need for backseats. I've heard that they have decent reliability and tend not to live up to the "Found On Road Dead" slogan everyone loves to regurgitate. My cons for the Fiesta is that it is FWD and all I've had at this point is FWD cars and I want to get away from that. This is about to sound sort of contradicting, but I also want to get into a regular coupe like the 128i because I love the look and feel of them.

Now, the 128i. I've been looking at them for about a year now and just honestly fell in love with them the minute I found out about them. I really want to get into that traditional BMW, straight 6, NA, 6MT, RWD experience. I've read some other threads from 128i owners saying how in love with the car they are and how great it treats them. The only thing I am worried about is that beloved BMW reliability everyone talks so badly about. I just want to know that if I get one how it will treat me as a daily. I found a 2009 manual 128i near me with 79k miles for $16k. The dealer says they have all the service paperwork which is a great sign but then again I don't know how trustworthy that is. I've read about owners saying how the car treats them great, but I've also read from people who work on bimmers that they are a nightmare car.

I just want to know how the 128i will treat me and help in my car buying decision. Thanks guys!

-Alex

[UNVM3s]

the 128i is gonna be so much nicer to drive i can promise that unless your a pure boy racer BMW > FIESTA. Please note I was a boy racer once and have owned and tuned and burned money on many cars in the past. I just sold my 2012 tuned SI yesterday for a 328i wagon. Which btw you can find many of those 328 mid 2015'ish or just slightly older for around 15k if you are not afraid of some miles. #1 priority is finding a decent BMW mechanic who is not a dealer and who doesn't just charge book rates.

If its me i'm gonna get that 128i for 16k.