To BMW, or not to BMW

[steve8462]

I am nosing around the market for a BMW 325I 2001-2004 model year
I would love to hear any comments positive OR negative about the Bavarian Bombers.
I recently purchased a 2005 VW Jetta which has turned into a nightmare because it turned out to had the dreaded BBW engine which is variable timing California emissions! every part is hard to find and three to ten times the cost of the normal VW parts. (note: I am in desperate need of a used 2.0 BBW engine code camshaft if anybody knows where I might find one)

back to the BMW. I'm looking for any info I can find before I buy a BMW. is there a dreaded California emissions model that I should avoid? are some six cylinders better than others? how do I determine the difference between amenity packages. some I look at have neat options that others don't ETC........... are there any hidden problems I need to look for that a person might attempt to hide?
thank you for any and all input in this venture

[Jimb]

Why those particular years? My wife has a 2002 E46 325i Convert. She quite likes it. Before this one she had a 1989 E30 convert. At the same time I had a 1990 E30 M3 convert that I imported from Switzerland. Now that was a beautiful car.
What use will it be. Commuter, pleasure, fixer-upper, strictly sunday driver? Automatic or manual? What body style?
With the E46 I would definitely look for one with a good paper trail. Receipts are paramount. The inspections 1 and 2 can be expensive. My wife insisted on a manual so we looked for a very long time. There are probably 50 automatics for every manual out there. Why it's a BMW?!
Jim

[steve8462]

I like the body style- I need a four door and those model years are in my price range. I prefer automatic because my pickup and Fiat are both stick shifts so I enjoy the break from shifting. it will be my daily driver. I'm not looking for an exotic car, just a dependable car with an elegant style. I'm very mechanically inclined and have worked on cars for over twenty years. (mostly American)

[Jimb]

Yah, we liked the style as well. I believe that style though goes up to 2006. We chose 2002 simply because it came down to two cars, a 2002 and a 2006. The 2002 had lower mileage believe it or not. They are expensive to repair and harder on gas than we'd like, but most of the depreciating is done.
Right after we first got it home I took it to Dentex (paintless dent removal) to remove a couple of dents in the passenger door. Another plus with the E46 era is they have a side molding that minimizes door jobs. 2007 and newer don't.
Turned out I had to remove the interior door panel so they could get at the dents...there is a brace across the middle of the door that they couldn't otherwise get behind. Unfortunately I also unplugged the side door impact airbag. Big mistake! BMW wanted $300 to reset the computer so that the dash warning light indicating someone had tampered with the airbag would go out. I found a friend who had the right tool in the end. Also right now there is a recall on the passenger front airbags. Apparently they shoot shrapnel at you if they were to go off. However that's a free fix.
As I say, I strongly advise to get one that has full history paperwork. Regular maintenance is so important on these cars. There are a ton of automatics out there so you can afford to be chosey. Plus having more than one short listed will really benefit you when negotiating.
You can get a really nice one for pretty darn cheap. Even with out of state shipping added in.
Jim

[So Cal Mark]

I'd steer clear of those money pits, no love for BMW here

[njoconnor]

For decades, I agreed with Mark: no love for BMW. Then I tried one, and came to really enjoy it. I had a 2010 328 wagon (x drive) for a little over 4 years: Auto and 3.0 six, hauled self, guitars and golf clubs, no issues. Needed front brakes at 60K before I taught myself brake work, so the dealer was costly. That was it, beyond oil changes. I could see a non-turbo sedan for commuting/general purposes (my foot would be in the turbo too much to make it economical!). Sport seats would be a bit more comfy, if you can get one so equipped. Not sure there's a huge difference in trims beyond that, but my experience was limited.

Sold the BMW as a downsizing effort (see my sig file thread). If I had the space at the house, I'd probably go back for two: a 3 series coupe and a 535 Gran Turismo (yeah, ugly from the rear quarters, but fast and quiet!). In Wisconsin, both would be xDrive, of course. In my experience, I had fewer mechanical issues with the Bimmer than any of my Audi's. I'd do Bimmers again.

Neil

[steve8462]

i felt just like you did NJOCONNER, i snubbed my nose at the BMW because twenty years ago i hung around with the up and coming yuppie crowd who all drove new BMW's and it seemed that they were always in the shop and came to realize that the best plan is to let the rich people buy them new, work out all the bugs and major expenses and then buy them after trade in time.
does anybody know if the automatic transmissions are reliable? my dad was a mechanic and always told me that it was better to not completely flush out a good running transmission when changing its filter. he said leave some in because it was like "good" cholesterol. he seems to have more transmission failures with the full flush outs. he used to drain two quarts out and replace it with two new quarts once a year on his company trucks and never had to pull a tranny once while he owned them.

[narfire]

Qualifier here...I don't own a "bimmer" but have several friends that do. They have commented that parts are expensive. A power steering assembly for the 325 was around $3000.00 installed (cdn funds though) and a friends M3 had a tranny issue and thankfully he said it was a small item as a pump/valve part for the tranny was around $4000.00+
Plenty here have said they are one of the nicest cars to drive but repairs are pricey.. I'm finding that out with my 07 Passat 4motion.
Would I own one.....5 series wagon with x drive and around 300HP in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

[steve8462]

I have been completely soured on Volkswagens after this experience with my Jetta. I love German cars. I've owned a Mercedes 560 SEL and wish I still had it. scheduled maintenance is paramount to enjoying those cars. the fact that I am capable of doing all my own mechanic work outside of machine shop stuff makes these cars more affordable for me. the camshaft I need for that Satan Jetta is only available from the dealer for $1200-$1400 bucks. I cant even find one used! so it looks like I will be using Harts Machine service in Cecil, OH to spray weld the bad lobe and regrind it back to factory specs. not my first choice, but my only choice. the next part I put on that car is going to be a for sale sign! the worst six months of ownership in my life. Fiat spiders are as dependable as Tanks compared to that Jetta! that is why I'm trying to better inform myself about the BMW's. I have admired them from afar but would now like to own one. I just cant afford to get into another "nickel and dime me" to death kind of car. I have given up all hope on American cars newer than 1996.

[jfrawley]

I bought a 2003 535i with about 100,000 miles on last year. It now has 140,000 and I have grown to really like the car. Accelerates nicely, handles well, and gets about 30+ mpg on the highway. They do have some things about them that should be considered before purchase. Parts are expensive, so get a complete pre-purchase inspection done by someone who knows the car well.

If the car has 100,000 miles on it and the cooling system hasn't been replaced, do it. They tend to fail rather dramatically. Buy a code reader. They throw off a lot of codes, so you need to be able to figure out what it is. My reader only cost $25.00. The systems are so complex it doesn't take much to turn on the "service engine" light. Except for one that required replacing the DISA value...I cleared them and they usually never come back.

Very enjoyable car, just make sure you're buying one that's in good shape..... with a complete service history.

JF

[RRoller123]

Great cars, but difficult and expensive to maintain. I was a huge fan of their bikes, had '71 R75/5, '77 R100/7, and an '82 RS100.