I was looking at picking up one of these games but i was wondering which one i should get first. what are your opinions?

I prefer Days of the Fox, but there's a store on a certain popular auction site selling new copies of Normandy for $20 (or less). You can't beat that price!

Both are good, but I really like DotF.

I would also choose rather DotF than Normandy. DotF is realy another cup of cofee in comparison with scenarios from a base game (mostly NW Europe).

Normandy brings almost only optional features (weather cards, leadership decks,...). Yes, also several new tanks, the other half of British army and a new campaign, but by my opinion it all is stil less than what has brought DotF.

In your place I would rather choose (think of) a variant: DotF + Designer series scenario book (instead of Normandy), if you do not already have it.

yeah i went on that a very popular auction site to see the prices and saw some good ones but the shipping is ridiculously expensive. i was thinking about getting that book today with the map expansion pack perhaps?? does that ever come in handy for larger scenarios or for the expansion book?

There is only one scenario where you need more boards in the book but you also need more units (2 base games recommended) If you are going to get the book get DoTF aswell this will allow you to play all the scenarios in the book but 1 (2vs2). Plus DoTF is a very good expansion with good scenarios. Once you end up getting Normandy then maybe get the map expansion (well map update, all the tiles are the same as the base game ones) cause the art work on the updated boards match the artwork that normandy uses.