Hey /o/
Lets have a discussion on the BMW 3-series. Is it a good car to own? Are maintenance bills really so crazy? Does BMW really stand for "Big Money Wasted"?
I'd love to hear from past or current owners of e46 and e90 models, but feel free to add your own input if you have/had something else.
I've owned 6 BMWs - 3 E36s, 2 E46s, one E65 7 series.
They have been very reliable for me and cheap to upkeep/fix but I can't talk much of the maintenance costs as I'm an eurofag and maintaining german cars here is generally cheaper than in the U.S
I'd recommend you get an E46 330i or 330ci with a manual transmission if your budget is up to ~7-8k
If you can afford get an E90/92 335i, preferably the facelift one as it's more reliable than the first 335i's, but such cars cost about 13-20k in America if i'm not misinformed.
Bump for interest as I'm looking into an E90 (330i E92 specifically) myself
>>15278524
what about e92 530i's? That's also something I'm considering.
What are some common things to look for in the cars you've owned?
I've had my '04 e46 330ci convertible for over a year now and it hasn't let me down so far. Overheating is a common problem with this model but I haven't had any issues yet. The only problem i've had was my passenger side low beam conked out one night. Did a little research and find out that's a common problem too. Dealer looked at it and found some faulty wiring and repaired it in like an hour.
Other than that, the car is a dream/
>>15278573
you mean the E92 330i's? Did they ever come to America? Or do you mean the E60 530i 5 series?
The most common things are cooling system leaks, broken thermostats, worn bushings, broken window regulators and sometimes blown head gaskets (due to overheating from broken cooling systems), you can easily check if the head gasket is fucked though - remove the oil cap and look for a coffee like substance
>>15278814
sorry that was a typo, I meant the e39
>>15278834
they're very good cars, relatively cheap as well. Slightly slower than E46 330i's but more comfortable and the same maintenance/repair costs
Not OP, but I have a chance to buy a 1996 e36 that has a dinan supercharger for 3K. I test drove it, body is rough but mechanically its sound and the interior is goddam mint. Is it a good deal?
>>15278898
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, how rough we talkin here?
>Fellow E36 Brother here
>>15278920
Not super awful. It as rust on one of the fenders, and a bit on the trunk. Underneath looks okay. Needs small things like hood shocks, brakes, I would probably put a new water pump in it. No dents or damage. Also its goddam teal. Also it needs tires. It has winters on it now, comes with the stock 328is rims. And some (e35 I think?) 19s that I would sell, cause the tires are toast.
>>15278944
sounds like its beat to shit and the owner doesn't want to pay to keep it on the road. I'd stay away.
>>15279006
That sounds pretty reasonable. Now I just need to convince myself not to buy the 944 turbo s for 8k....
>>15278540
Also this guy here, is the 335i significantly more costly to own?
