New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

Im looking for 01-05 bmw coupe for no more than 12000 used. I havent purchased a BMW or any foreign car before and would like to know what i should look for when buying one regarding maintenance and mileage. also which are the most reliable models?

New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

Ahhh im assuming you want a 3series my step dad has a 06 he brought new its a 328 4door it has 75,xxx miles on it and its not to reliable hes had to have 6grand worth of work done to it all ready, im going to say this if you dont have the money to keep these cars up youll go broke pretty quick, parts cost more, and cost more to get fixed if you take it to a shop good luck

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

yea i researched that and saw that maintenance was one of the worst parts of the vehicle but. i am looking at 3 series as well ,but i heard if you do routine maintenance they can be reliable it just seems that some people have good fortune and they last up to 100k with only routine maintenance and other have bad and invest thousands of dollars in the first 50k miles. i definitely been doing alot of saving for that reason so i think i can handle it but i would likle to avoid as many problems as possible so is there any common problems that i should look out for when buying them since i really believe bmw is the way i want to go?

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

Service records, very complete records.

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

thanks definitely will make sure i get the service history.

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

Once they hit 80-100k, its all downhill from there if the previous owner didnt stay on top of it. Between shitty water pump and cooling system in general, window regulators going out around the same time, weak transmission, vanos seal leaking, shocks need to be replaced, bushings are worn. Then E46s are also notorious for the rear strut tower splitting. I'm going thru these right now on with my wife's E46 touring.

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

E46 99/00-05 MY 3-series are growing in popularity since their prices are going down.
For $12k, you're better off saving up another 2-3k and getting an E46M3/6MT with decent miles or a E9X 335i
If you're not trying to get an M3 you should be able to easily find some pretty decently modded 330's and 325's for the price with under 80k.
As far as performance, hold out for a 330. Don't settle for a 323, 325 or 328. You'll regret it otherwise.

Maintenance wise, the M54Bxx engine in the E46 is a tank as long as you keep up to date with Preventative Maintenance. Here's the thing I've found, when you wait for your BMW to break you're going to spend an arm and a leg to fix it. However, if you pay attention to your car and the way it handles and the signs it gives you, you can easily cut off most large maintenance bills just by replacing things before they break. Pretty general automotive advice really. However, with BMW, in comparison to JDM primarily, the cost of parts is higher just due to name brand. DIY maintenance isn't difficult at all, the engineers at BMW make the car extremely easy to work on as long as you're somewhat mechanically inclined.

If you're interested in the e46 series check out E46fanatics.com, there's a wealth of information there.

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

^^^I just hate all the stupid star torx screws on these cars...

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

I appreciate all the advice guys. this has definitely given me alot to think about. definitely will need to think which one of these cars would be best for me. heard alot of bmw haters out there but this is definitely what i want just needed a little guidance. thanks will be back if i think of anything else

Re: New Buyer trying to buy BMW. Need Advice
 

On point.

Also, if you're willing to work on the car yourself, e46's are very easy to work on, and most parts are pretty affordable.