Opinions on BMW 325??

[Nathans_Dad]

My current daily driver is a 98 Honda Accord which has never given me a single minute of grief, 89k on the clock and counting. But damn it if I haven't gotten the bug to trade it in. Maybe it's the fact that I am less than 18 months from getting out of the military and joining the civilian world, maybe it's because I've been driving it for 7 years now, who knows.

Anyhow, my first idea is to buy a 993 and use it as a daily driver. Second idea that I got into tonight after farting around on Autotrader is to get a <45k mile 325i sedan. I also have looked at A4s and A3s. Here are my requirements:

1) Has to be able to haul two kids twice a week for another 18 months. After that my wife (probably) will quit working and will be a full time mom. This is a minus for the 993 and a plus for the 325i.
2) Reliable, would be my daily driver. I do have the 84 Targa to drive if there were a mechanical problem, but would rather keep it for fun.
3) HAS to get my golf clubs in the trunk. Stupid I know, but I am a golf fanatic and my clubs are ALWAYS in the trunk. Might be a tight fit in the 993.
4) Budget is up to $35k but I would be financing so the cheaper the better.

I was looking on Autotrader and there are about 10 325is from 2002-2004 with less than 40k miles on them all for less than $25k.

Anyone with a BMW in the garage want to help me out? I absolutely LOVE the 993s, but I really like the 325i as well. The BMW would be cheaper and newer with less miles. Also would have 4 doors and a bigger trunk. Seems like the more logical choice...

Course the boring (and probably smarter) answer is to drive the Honda till the wheels fall off. BOOOORRRRING...

[Tim Hancock]

Well, I have a '92 E36 ('92-'98) 325i with 260,000 on it that burns little oil and is still on it's original clutch. I bought it for cheap in '98 w/ 140k on the clock and since then, I have replaced the radiator, voltage regulator, brake pads, shocks, AC expansion valve o-ring, and the heater core. The car still looks and drives excellant (actually better than when I bought it).

I would say that is pretty reliable for a daily driver!

[Nathans_Dad]

Update:

Specific cars in my area for sale now:

BMW 325i 4 door sedan with 6 cylinder engine, leatherette interior. 40k miles, asking $26k

Audi A4T 4 door sedan. 1.8 liter turbo engine, leatherette interior, 23k miles, asking $22K.

Man that Audi is screaming at me, but I like the looks of the 325 a bit better. But a A4 turbo with 23k miles for $22k? Is it just me or is that a steal already without even haggling???

Does the Audi come with its own mechanic? If not, you may want to put one on retainer.

[VaSteve]

BMW is supposedly a better value. I have an E46 325xi and really like it. A friend had that exact Audi 1.8T. Also nice, but after the BMW, the steering was so light, it was like driving a Caddy.

I don't think that Audi is such a deal. Most Audis sell for much less than a comparable BMW

[umgang]

We have owned three BMWs, a 1990 E30 325i, a 1993 318is, and currently a 1999 E36 M3. They have all been phenomenal and bullet proof. Though they do not lend themselves to the seat-of-the-pants thrill sports car drive a 911 does, they are still precision made and a bit more utilitarian. And, when pushed can provide a great drive. Otherwise, working AC, room for four, trunk space, and a choice of passive or active driving styles makes it great.
Good luck,
Nick

[David in VA]

I had an '01 325 automatic. It was a very nice looking car and fun to drive but had a lot of problems. For a 15,000 mile car, it leaked oil and power steering fluid, the control arm bushings were shot and clunked when turning, the A/C control module went south and a few other small things went wrong. I would suggest going to bimmerforums.com. I found a lot of problem areas detailed there and seem to have had every one of them. I think an extended warranty would be a good thing to look into.

[Deschodt]

Wife got a 2001 325i, biggest dissapointment of my car purchasing career ;-)

It was in the shop for major or minor stuff all the time, from engine fan failure the day we bought it, to window trim falling off, door panels falling off, squeaks all over the trunk area, electronic problems etc.... NOt all that fun to drive either, ultimate pain in the ass. That said it probably was lemon ! I'd get the 993 ;-)

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
Well, I have a '92 E36 ('92-'98) 325i with 260,000 on it that burns little oil and is still on it's original clutch. I bought it for cheap in '98 w/ 140k on the clock and since then, I have replaced the radiator, voltage regulator, brake pads, shocks, AC expansion valve o-ring, and the heater core. The car still looks and drives excellant (actually better than when I bought it).

I would say that is pretty reliable for a daily driver!

Well based on what some of you guys are saying, I either got lucky, or the early E-36's are better than the newer E-46's.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
My current daily driver is a 98 Honda Accord which has never given me a single minute of grief, 89k on the clock and counting. But damn it if I haven't gotten the bug to trade it in. Maybe it's the fact that I am less than 18 months from getting out of the military and joining the civilian world, maybe it's because I've been driving it for 7 years now, who knows.

Anyhow, my first idea is to buy a 993 and use it as a daily driver. Second idea that I got into tonight after farting around on Autotrader is to get a <45k mile 325i sedan. I also have looked at A4s and A3s. Here are my requirements:

1) Has to be able to haul two kids twice a week for another 18 months. After that my wife (probably) will quit working and will be a full time mom. This is a minus for the 993 and a plus for the 325i.
2) Reliable, would be my daily driver. I do have the 84 Targa to drive if there were a mechanical problem, but would rather keep it for fun.
3) HAS to get my golf clubs in the trunk. Stupid I know, but I am a golf fanatic and my clubs are ALWAYS in the trunk. Might be a tight fit in the 993.
4) Budget is up to $35k but I would be financing so the cheaper the better.

I was looking on Autotrader and there are about 10 325is from 2002-2004 with less than 40k miles on them all for less than $25k.

Anyone with a BMW in the garage want to help me out? I absolutely LOVE the 993s, but I really like the 325i as well. The BMW would be cheaper and newer with less miles. Also would have 4 doors and a bigger trunk. Seems like the more logical choice...

Course the boring (and probably smarter) answer is to drive the Honda till the wheels fall off. BOOOORRRRING...

There are e46 325i wagons that meet your needs and don't sacrifice handling or performance over the sedans or coupes.

[David]

We've had a 99 e46 323i since 2001. It's some little problems, but I think it's worth it. It has about 75K miles and still drives great.

Main issues:
Rear wheel bearing started making noise and was dealer replaced ~$500
A/C compressor caused ignition problem and was dealer replaced ~$1000
Clutch at 40K, ~$200 in parts and I changed it.
Front control arms, ~$300 in parts and I changed them.

[pbs911]

My GF has a 325. I hate it. It drives, turns, and stops well, but my SC had more leg room. I'm 6'1", 204lbs, and simply cannot fit.

[David]

I'm surprised you have a problem with leg room. I'm 6'3" with freakishly long legs and I don't even put the seat all the way back. Shoulder room is a different issue.

The seat height has a lot to do with leg room since it slides up and down on a angle. Put it low and it goes way back.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
Well based on what some of you guys are saying, I either got lucky, or the early E-36's are better than the newer E-46's.

Thats almost a definite. It seem BMW and MB started down the dark path together at some point in the late 90s.

I was recently researching MB E320/E350/E500....I was shocked at how many dealer buy back cars are floating around. Cars that were nearly $70k new are going for $30k 3 years later because people are so scared off by the reliability issues.

[Rot 911]

Let me throw out another car that meets all of your requirements, but will be a hell of a lot more fun to drive than the BMW you are looking at: Mazda RX8

[Nathans_Dad]

I like the RX-8, but there is no way I can fit in one at 6'5"...

[Rodeo]

I hate to be negative, but neither of your cars would make my top 10 list, Rick. Get and Infinity G35 and be done with it.

[allaircooled]

I bought my 01 330xi last June for $25k from BMW with CPO warranty. 45k miles, 5 speed, leather sport seats, xenon, etc...I couldn't be happier with it. No problems as of yet. What surprised me about it was when I had a flat, I went to the trunk to get out the spair and it was a matching wheel and tire. Little things like that make a difference to me and there seems to be alot of little things I like about it.

[Rodeo]

A 330i or ix would be in my top ten ....

[Nathans_Dad]

I looked at the Infinity and it looks pretty bubbly to me. I just am not big on the styling of the thing.

By the way, I decided to do the responsible thing and keep driving my Honda...lol, good thread though!!