Buying a Used 3 series circa 2004

Absolutely great cars. Average reliability. Expensive repairs. Definitely worth it. www.e46fanatics.com www.bimmerforums.com (Search these.)

If it's 2004 MY, then it's an E46. It's a solid car, and reliable, but you have to keep up with the maintenance, and there are few known issues that are relatively inexpensive to do: - front control arms bushing tend to crack around this time. They were replaced at some point with bigger ones (66 mm vs. 60 mm) that are more resilient. The 2004 MY may have the big ones by default. - water pump tends to die before 100K miles - radiator neck can break before 100K miles - thermostat can die every 30K or so - window regulators in sedan die randomly - plastic cassette in the moonroof rails can break randomly - rear shock mounts can crack depending on the roads and driving style - the furry interior lining around the doors can become detached You should check the front shock towers to make sure there's no deformation to the sheet metal, and have the rear subframe chassis attachment on the driver's side checked for cracks. These are the two big major issues that're relatively expensive. At 30K, you should get the diff and transmission fluid changed (BMW says it's lifetime, but it's not). As with any used car, get a good, independent mechanic to inspect it before you buy. http://www.bimrs.org is a good way to find one. The car's history should have oil changes at 7500 miles instead of the BMW-recommended 12K intervals. 30K is also the first Inspection 1 interval which is about $600 at the dealer --- check to see if it's been done because that can affect the price. The list above may seem scary, but the E46's faults are fairly well-characterized, and those things are the things that tend to go wrong with it. There will always be lemons, but it's a solid car if you look after it. I have a 2000 328Ci with 117K miles on it, and most of those things above have happened to me, but the car is still going strong, and people have taken the E46 up to 200K miles no major issues. Good luck --- it's a wonderful car if you decide to get one. --Andre

Andre, you sure summarized my MY02 330i 120k miles's life! In my case, replaced water pumps twice.

chuckseabreeze, overall mine is a reliable car, but does require some maintenance $. I bought the BMW extended warranty + maintenance program so I was $/worry free for 100k miles.

Andre is a bit off with the mileage of the failures but for the most part is correct. BMW designs these parts to fail so prepared to pay for maintenance. I have an 03 M3 with 107k on the clock and properly taken care of they will last though they will be expensive. Fortunately I have a tech on the side and get parts cheaper than wholesale so it's no big deal for me. Do your homework when the car needs repairs and you will save yourself some dough.

If your water pump goes again, you may want to get the EMP Stewart. It's much better built than any version of the OEMs. I put mine in a while ago, and just forgot about the water pump.

--Andre

Nice car for the price. Maintenance will be more then other similarly priced cars but shouldn't be too terrible. I Highly recommend

Love my e46, though I definitely think it handles better with the sport package. I´ve had occasional problems (e.g., window regulator, a weakness in the e46). It´s advisable to find a trusty, independent mechanic. The rest of the time, however, I simply drive around with a bit fat smile.