What is the Best 3 series BMW?

[Eric Hahl]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

E46 is considered a bulletproof tank. Certainly compared to the fragile 911 with broke head studs and top end rebuilds even at 100k. More viable as a daily driver than the E30, which is 30-40 years old now.

What were the exact issues you had?

Headlights going out every two months or so, Cam position sensor on intake side 3x, cam sensor on exhaust side 2x, some funky AC unit under the dash, radiator and lots more that I can't think of now...car has been gone for about 8 years now.

Really, really wanted to get the new M2 but talked myself out of it because of the past experience. Got 981 Cayman S instead.

[lgb240]

I have an e30 325i and an e46 325xi
E30 is bullet proof, no issues. Have had it for 15 years. An appreciating classic, getting hard to find good ones . They are getting expensive.
My e46 is a great daily, 4 season driver. I've had none of the issues mentioned by others. No electrical faults ever. I've had to fix some oil leaks, replaced a couple of front axles, but nothing crazy. Just normal wear. It has 260k km, it's unstoppable in the snow, and I don't baby it. I just look after it. Everything is (currently) ok.
I may go wash it with holy water now to not jinx myself.

[KNS]

Every time I think of selling my E46 325i I change my mind. I'm the original owner and I'm currently at 239,000 miles - probably the best all around car (reliable, fun to drive and easy to work on) I've ever owned.

[908/930]

I think a lot of the problems with these older cars are self inflected, by tec's that shouldn't be working on cars. I did the service on my uncle's e30 325es, 1 idle control board, rest was reg maintenance timing belt, water pump, fan clutch. The 325es was nowhere near as fast as my E28 533i.

[Nostril Cheese]

My daily is an E46 wagon.

[KNS]

Recent photo of my E46 at near 239,000 miles.

[tdw28210]

E36 - the 1990's

[gebra]

Thanks

[McLovin]

For daily driving, E46 or E90. The E46 is simpler.
Both are fine if you get a good one, and if you can work on them yourself.
E30 are reliable, but pretty old now. Any 30-40 year old car is going to have needs if driven regularly.
I’d avoid the E36. I had one that I bought new. It was “ok” for me. But IMO it’s the worst of the 3 series, quality wise.

[Kraftwerk]

My E36 M3 has been pretty rock-solid, has 140,000 miles on it (I have put the most recent 70,000+ miles on it) It has needed tires, one muffler system (Supersprint! ) all new shocks, a few bushings and exhaust gasket or two muffler hangers < all the time (!) something with the headers (a broken bolt I think that was a while ago, changing the gasket ) water pump and belt and tensioner, 1 oxy sensor, ( there are 4 ! all four were new at 85 when I bough the car.) radiator & few hoses, brake fluid, Air-filter has Dinan intake, spark plugs & coils, cabin-filters, brakes, Guibo, Vanos, Secondary Air pump ( fixing that this week!) Cam-Position Sensor ( easy fix!) oil changes, new Fuel Filter, (twice) & new hard lines (once).. maybe something else? anyways, not too bad really, the easy stuff I do myself and save $$ It's getting old though, needs a rear sway bar and bushings too.. but all in all this is pretty normal maint. for 70,000+ miles. The suspension refresh was quite expensive , but that is a wear item and the handling improvement is nice. Great drivers car.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by 908/930

I think a lot of the problems with these older cars are self inflected, by tec's that shouldn't be working on cars. I did the service on my uncle's e30 325es, 1 idle control board, rest was reg maintenance timing belt, water pump, fan clutch. The 325es was nowhere near as fast as my E28 533i.

I had an e28 533i 5-speed manual and it was one of the best cars I've ever owned. Drove it to MN. from SoCal one year for Christmas w the family and got in a convoy of cars doing 100+ through Nebraska and Iowa, passing semis w perfect lane discipline...one of my greatest road trip memories. I maintain the heck out of my cars and it was just spectacular. When I got to MN., it was frigid cold and lots of snow, the car was a blast to drift on every turn and ran like a Swiss watch. Sigh...

I also owned a 325es manual trans that was very new at the time and it was fantastic but I don't think a 35 year old example would do it for me at this point. As much as people love e30s, it did not have the *strong car* feel of the e28. When pushed hard in corners, I could feel it twist a little. The e28 was a tank w shocking grip in corners.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

My daily is an E46 wagon.

Those are great cars. One of my closest friends bought one new in 2001, put 250k miles on it and he does not take good care of cars. It saved his life on Angeles Crest Highway when someone crossed the center line and head-on crashed into the left half of the front of the car. If you saw the car, you would not believe that anyone could have survived. He limped away w a bad foot injury.

THAT is what you are paying for in a BMW. They are worth a little more maintenance than a Hyundai, IMO.

[stealthn]

89 M3 4 door

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by stealthn

89 M3 4 door

89? The E30 M3 was only had in 2 door coupe, or the unicorn, cab.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by speeder

Those are great cars. One of my closest friends bought one new in 2001, put 250k miles on it and he does not take good care of cars. It saved his life on Angeles Crest Highway when someone crossed the center line and head-on crashed into the left half of the front of the car. If you saw the car, you would not believe that anyone could have survived. He limped away w a bad foot injury.

THAT is what you are paying for in a BMW. They are worth a little more maintenance than a Hyundai, IMO.

Mine is at 250K. 2001 325i Bought it off a buddy from high school for next to nothing. He stopped driving it because a coil pack went bad.

I love it. Great road feel, handles like a smaller car. I didnt think I'd like owning a automatic, but the Steptronic changed my mind. In sport mode its quite fun, but usually just drive it normally for the MPG (20-24). It has enough power that I really dont miss having a manual.

In the last three years...

Front control arm bushings
New fuel pump and filter (preventative fix)
coil packs and plugs
HVAC main relay

I also put a set of the cheapie headlight covers on as the originals had fogged up bad. Made it look like a new car.

In the past I had...

1982 E21 320is (grey market car with Recaros, 3:91 LSD)
1989 E30 325is (built a custom M20 with more power)
1983 E24 633CSi (heavy, but had a 5 speed)
1987 E24 635CSi (MUCH more refined and powerful, a 3:73 swap made it more fun)
1992 E36 325is (bought it as a beater, drove it around with no issues for 4 years)

I think I miss the 635 the most. I'd convert it to a five speed if I still had it.

[yellowperil]

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

Headlights going out every two months or so, Cam position sensor on intake side 3x, cam sensor on exhaust side 2x, some funky AC unit under the dash, radiator and lots more that I can't think of now...car has been gone for about 8 years now.

Weird. Never heard of that. Those are 100k mile maintenance items. Headlight ballast is a simple repair that lasts 100k miles. Cam sensors are also a simple repair, once every 100k. Cooling system is another 100k service item. All routine maintenance, and way cheaper than $20k 911 engine rebuilds and $5k suspension jobs.

Glad to see some other posters step up and give a more accurate picture of BMW ownership.

[masraum]

Every time I've seen someone or even if I asked about BMW, it seems we get a 50/50 split of "great cars, no problems" and "horrible cars, nothing but problems." And I've been hearing about "always in the shop" for BMW since I was a teen in the 80s.

My assumption is that QC is moderate and you might get a good one or a lemon and your odds are a

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Mine is at 250K. 2001 325i Bought it off a buddy from high school for next to nothing. He stopped driving it because a coil pack went bad.

]

$30 repair that takes 30 minutes. Great example of a clueless car owner or someone who just needed an excuse to buy a brand new car.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Weird. Never heard of that. Those are 100k mile maintenance items. Headlight ballast is a simple repair that lasts 100k miles. Cam sensors are also a simple repair, once every 100k. Cooling system is another 100k service item. All routine maintenance, and way cheaper than $20k 911 engine rebuilds and $5k suspension jobs.

Glad to see some other posters step up and give a more accurate picture of BMW ownership.

How is it more accurate if that's the list of issues that he had?