Im getting rid of my 95 celica because someone has offered to buy me a used car under 20,000. Iv been looking at a 2001 lincoln ls and a 2001 bmw 3-series. Which would you prefer? Im open for any other suggestions besides these specific cars im just tired of the celica.

The Lincoln is probably a little bit bigger, but other then that, the 3-series kills it in almost every respect. Go test drive both of them and you will notice a monumental difference between the two.

Other than both of them being RWD, they have little in common. You could likely get a great deal on a used LS as they don't hold their value as well as BMW. The LS V8 has more power but for overall driving pleasure it's hard to beat a good condition E46.

the LS V8 is a LOT faster than a comparably priced 3-series and if you don't lean on your cars handling-wise a lot its a pretty good choice. The 3 series handles better and some people say they feel more "refined" but I feel that the LS is also a very well sorted and comfortable car.

I wouldn't say the LS V8 is a LOT faster. It does 0-60 in the low 7's and that is slightly faster than an E46 325i but slower than an E46 330i

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=1983

In C&D's comparo of 7 different sports sedans, the Lincoln LS placed last and the BMW 330i placed first.

Other cars that I would look at would be the Lexus IS300 and ES300/330, the Audi A4, and the Infiniti G35. Other available cars in the segment that I don't like as much are the Jaguar X-Type, Cadillac CTS, and the Mercedes C-Class.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=1983

In C&D's comparo of 7 different sports sedans, the Lincoln LS placed last and the BMW 330i placed first.

Other cars that I would look at would be the Lexus IS300 and ES300/330, the Audi A4, and the Infiniti G35. Other available cars in the segment that I don't like as much are the Jaguar X-Type, Cadillac CTS, and the Mercedes C-Class.

Be advised that the C&D people are notorious BMW marks though.

Be advised that the C&D people are notorious BMW marks though.

I hear this alot, but I really gotta call bs. The only BMW that consistantly does really really well in their comparisons is the 3-series, which also tends to do well in almost every single other magazine as well. All that "BMW favoritism" nonsense was completely destroyed by their comparisons that included the 745i, X5, 645Ci, and 530i. In all of those the BMWs did mediocre at best.

Look at the May 2005 issue that compared sub $55,000 sedans. The comparison took place about a month before BMW upgraded the 530i's engine from 225hp to 255, and the arbitrary limit of $55,000 put the 545i just out of reach, forcing BMW's to compete against cars with comparatively new V8s (Infiniti M45 sport, Lexus GS430, Audi A6 4.2, Cadillac CTS V8, Jaguar S-Type 4.2) as well as the newer 6-cylinders in the Acura RL and Mercedes E350, using the outdated 530i with the old engine that carried over from the E39 and E46. That is about as far from favoritism as you can get. BMW got completely screwed in that comparison.

Even the M3s and M5s have lost comparisons.

The 3-series is widely toted as the best sports sedan on the market, and not just by C&D, numerous other magazines have ranked it very high. I thing it was CAR magazine that recently said something to the effect of "the BMW 3-series is the greatest all around car ever made." Almost no car has been as widely acclaimed by car journalists as the 3-series, its not just C&D.