SHAME, SHAME SHAME on Tom & Ray for suggesting that Rebecca of Portland should dump her '85 BMW 325e (a present from an ex-boyfriend) and buy a Honda Civic or Fit. Honda's middle name is RUST as in Ferrous Oxide. Not only do I challenge you to find any '85 Hondas remaining on this planet outside the bounds of dry, desert climates, but the E30 three series chassis is one of the best ones that ever came out of Munich. It has all the driving virtues of the venerable 2002 plus modern refinements (like ABS brakes, AC, a 5-speed manual tranny, power windows and superb corrosion protection). Moreover, Rebecca needs a new and improved boyfriend, and what better place for her to find one than in her local Oregon Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America OR the annual E30 picnic that attracts over 200 BMW E30 owners to the Seatle area for a weekend every Spring. See www.e30picnic.com for details. The E30 is easy enough for a shade tree mechanic or indpendent shop to maintain. Please advise Rebecca to keep the E30 and not even entertain thoughts of Hondas. Personal experience - When I met my wife in 1992, she owned an '85 Accord Hatchback, 5-speed that was already a rust bucket. In November of '97, she replaced that hunk of junk with an '89 BMW 325i - two door, five speed with 101,000 miles. She kept that Bimmer for nealy ten years & 84,000 more miles and sold the Honda for parts ($350). The floorboard of the Honda was rusted through, as was the fuel filter neck + the interior of that car was a mess. She only sold the E30 in May of 2007 because as our extra car, it would have been too fast for my 15½ year old (step) son. Even after 12 Nebraska winters (lets hear it for quality snow tires), there were no rust performations in the body and the vinyl interior showed very little wear. Sincerely (and "Aus Freude am Fahren") Craig Reisser of Omaha (BMW CCA member since 1974) - '98 BMW 323iC Convertible, '71 BMW 2002 (since new), '05 Chrysler Town & Country Van, and '98 Taurus for a winter beater!