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Well, the worst he can say is no...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Congrats on your new Bimmer.
2. Find a good independent BMW tech. Don't even think about taking it to places like Jiffy Boob.
3. The E46 has proven to be a very reliable vehicle, so forget the non-BMW extended warranties; they are legalized gambling- and the house almost always wins. Instead, put $1500 in a money market account as a cushion for unexpected repairs, which should be few and far between. That assumes that your 3er receives proper maintenance.
4. Enjoy the drive.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
2. I do have a good BMW tech. He did all the work on my last car. I'll go to the dealership for the next year though cause I still have the warranty and maintenance plan.
3. Yeah, I am always skeptical of these things, but my last warranty paid for itself due to some repairs.
4. Thank, already enjoying it. Quite a difference going from a BMW to a FJ Cruiser back to a BMW.
My two cents is that such a car is high risk for trouble. I'd prefer you chose a BMW with fewer miles. But others may disagree---it's only my two cents remember...
Price seems high also, so it had better be an absoutely pristine unit.
If you're hot for it: a)run a CARFAX b) have it checked top to bottom by a BMW independent shop (about $150 bucks) and c) ask to see all service records.
1. Lease a 2007 335i or 2007 328i (I will see if the turbos are worth the extra dough when I drive it). If anyone has payment numbers on these two cars with a 36 mo. lease, I would like to know what to expect.
2. The local dealer has a 2004 525i with 15k and is CPO asking 38.9k I think I could talk them down a bit and go with BMW's 2.9% 60 mo. financing. Downside, BMW is very vague about the CPO program, at their website, they state under the covered tab--engine, transmission, then under the what is not covered, they state engine, transmission, it seems to me that they have sort of a carte blanche type attitude if they will take care of a problem under the CPO---SCARY!!! Any bad experiences with BMW CPO? Also the 4/50k will be up sometime in 2008, I will have to see the in service date. And I know this is a 3 series blog, but again this is what I might do.
3. Go with a 2004 3 series with the E46, which I have heard was a great car if you stay away from the completely sealed and unmaintenanceable auto tranny of the 2000-2001 years. But the cracking rear subframe issue has me very afraid of even touching the car, bummer about this car because I would love to own one and feel for those that do. So there again, it leaves me with a 2004 5 series to avoid the rear subframe problem that to my knowledge is part of the 3-series up until 2005 or go with an 07 3 series. I will take any opinions or guidance in this matter.
Life is expensive, get a good job to pay for it all!
Thanks in advance..
The '04 525i will be painfully slow... 184 hp.. Also, first year of production...lots of glitches (not with the engine, though).
E46 3 series? Get the performance package model.. Sedans from '03-'05 and coupes up through '06.. Go CPO if you can find it.. '05-'06 models will be $28K-$34K for nice CPO versions..
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I don't need AWD, I had Quattro in an A4 and it was great for Colorado, but now that I will be in Las Vegas, I don't see the point unless I want it to really rally around the corners.
The E46, from other forums that I have read refers to the 3 series cars that have been prone to the rear of the subframe cracking. But the E92, which began in 2006 I guess doesn't have this problem. Please educate me if I am incorrect on this. So I guess that leaves the '06 CPO or new 2007, which I will have to evaluate price and lease offers.
I wouldn't avoid the model because of that issue.
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New forum member here - great feedback from what I have read so far. I am looking to purchase a 2001 BMW 330ci convertible. The car has 35,000 miles. I would welcome comments on this specific model or the 2001 3-series in general.
Thank you.
Or should i just get a post college Honda, and work my way up to new Bimmer.
Thanks in advance
Remember though you aren't getting an extension of the factory warranty with CPO. You are getting a different, more restricted warranty that kicks in when the factory warranty expires. CPO does NOT cover: upkeep items, wear and tear, body and interior, or accessories.
So you have to decide what this "new and limited" extra warranty is worth over a private party target price.
I'm sure you've probably already made your decision by now. But this is my take. I own a 2001 325cic and a 2003 330ci. First, decide if you want to own or lease. Then I will say that you MUST get the extended warranty. It will be about 1,800 to 100k but worth it. Also, check on extending the service warranty(break job is about 600-700 at dealership) That almost pays for itself. Not that BMW are a lot of trouble. I love mine. But when you need something done...it will be worth the warranty. You can get some good warranties through companies like GMAC if you don't go through BMW but the payment and settlement of claims may be a bit more time consuming since you'll be responsible for making it happen on your end. But either way, you will love your BMW.
-Joe
Also I checked carfax and it's a company lease car and I don't know why they want to get rid of it after just one year.
Any suggestion is appreciated
- a new cop
Ummm, no.
I'd pass that one by at a trot if not a full run. There are plenty of used 3-Series cars out there to choose from.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Might be an okay car but it had better be very attractively priced. Sounds like somebody took a beating on a lease deal. Could have been a business write-off or something.
There are so many pristine, well-maintained 3 Series for sale, that I'd pass unless the price was just a steal, like way off book.
I'd just find another E46; they are common enough that you can take your time to select a good one. The car in question might make a good track rat if has a manual AND it is cheap enough- but that's all I'd want to do with it...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I am looking to purchase a used 330i. I found this one at local Honda dealer that I have been keeping an eye on.
link title
I did see it in person and it appears to be in good condition. The thing is, they have had it on the lot at least 4 months. When I first saw it in May, it was priced at 26,000 and now its down to 20,600. The price almost seems too low. Should I take it to my BMW dealer to have it looked at?
The carfax only reports that in 10/04 and 12/04 the electrical system was serviced. It also shows that is was a leased vehicle.
If anyone wants to give me their opinion on it, id appreciate it.
My guess is that the model year and the manual transmission are making the car hard to move; the vast majority of BMW wearers prefer the latest and greatest Bimmer fitted with a slushbox. It looks like a great deal, especially considering the miles. It would be nice to have Xenons and heated seats, but for $20K I wouldn't quibble. I would definitely have it checked out by a good dealer or independent BMW tech. A service history would also be a plus. Still, if the car checks out I'd be inclined to grab it.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I have been dreaming getting a BMW for a long long time. New BMW is too pricy for me. I am also a little bit scared about buy a used. So I'm thinking maybe a CPO is a good fit for me. Now the decision comes down to 04 vs 06 325i. 04 is about $5-7K cheaper for similar features and BMW offers lots of incentives. 06 has 2 more year original warranties and looks nicer.
I'm pretty new to the BMW world. I would like to hear any suggestions you may have. Thanks!
KC
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'm so conflicted between:
1. 2004 Certified BMW 325i with CPO from the dealer for $21,800 +ttl with 27k miles
2. 2005 uncertified BMW 325i from the dealer for $21,950 +ttl with 29k miles
3. 2006 BMW 325i from CarMax for $26,955 +ttl with 24k miles
All three cars are black without any sports package etc., but do have moonroofs. I used various calculators to check the residual values of each of the cars after 5 years (that's how long I'm planning to keep the car), and see that I'll probaly loose couple thousand dollars more on the 2006 model when I sell sell it (by comparing Initial price paid minus what I will get for the car).
So could you please let me know your opinion, and what would you would do if you were to make a choice among these three options?
Thanks!
2) Why is the '05 car not certified? That would be a prime candidate for certification, and I'd want to know if it doesn't qualify for some reason.
The '04 model may have only two years of warranty left with no maintenance, while the '05 should still have a year left on the original warranty, with free maintenance. That would tip me towards the '05, assuming there aren't any issues with the car.
But, there are lots and lots of '04s and '05s coming off lease.. You should be able to find plenty of candidates..
regards,
kyfdx
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In terms of 2004 versus 2006 cars, ... Yes, horsepower is important to me, but so is money. I really don't want to spend a lot on the car after spending 30k on a Honda Pilot for wife and kid 6 months back. But if the 2006 is really a good deal, then I can probably stretch myself once in a lifetime!
Also, just want to reiterate one point: There are a lot of used 3-series out there.. Take your time, and make sure you get one that you really want.
Good luck,
kyfdx
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Do you think it's a good deal? I had to drive 70 miles from Chicago to Indiana to get it!
Do you think it is strange? Is there any problem?
thanks
E46
Would my 2004 325i be previous generation E46 and not have the infamous RFTs problem that you mentioned? By the way, wat is RFT?
E46 sedans '99-'05
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It does sound like a pretty good deal. If you don't have a full service history I would advise changing the following fluids so that you'll have a baseline from which you can determine future maintenance requirements:
Engine oil- use BMW Synthetic 5W-30, Castrol Syntec 0W-30, or Mobil 1 0W-40 and a BMW filter. Change it at 7,000-8,000 mile intervals.
Brake Fluid- Any good DOT 4 fluid such as ATE Super Blue, BMW Brake Fluid, or Castrol LMA. Change it every two years.
Coolant- Use ONLY BMW Coolant+ distilled water, and change it every three years.
I'd change the ATF and final drive oil in the 75,000-100,000 mile range, using BMW's proprietary fluid for the transmission and any good synthetic 75W-90 gear oil for the rear axle(Mobil 1, Redline, Royal Purple, etc.).
The E46 3ers have proven to be very reliable vehicles. Take good care of yours and you should be able to drive it well past 150,000 miles without replacing any major components.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
My dashboard indicator shows that next oil change is due in 7200 miles. Should I go to the dealer and request oil change, brake fluid, coolant and inspection? The car is under manufacturer warranty with full service for the next 10 months .. but since the indicator doesn't have service light on, do you think that the dealer would charge me for it? Any idea on how much?
Yes, the dealer won't perform the work for free unless it's due within a couple of hundred miles.
Any idea on how much?
Depending on the shop, $75-$100. If you aren't a member of the BMW Car Club I suggest that you join. The Windy City Chapter is very active and you can find out what shops that they recommend. And don't forget- if all else fails, an oil change is a dead easy DIY procedure.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive