Buying a 99 323i
 

Greetings., Ive been lurking on the forums for past 3 months, I love this place.

Been looking a series for the past couple months. I was going to get a 96,97 model 3 series but I knew if I didnt get an e46 id reget it lol.

So yeah I narrowed it down to this 99 323i. I went to see it the other day and I fell in love. It was so nice. It looked so black and shiny in the indoor show room.

What exactly should I be checking for when I finially buy the car? I know i should check the power windows and such but what elese specifically?

I know many will say bring it to a mechanic and i plan on doing that But im asking about things i can check myself on the spot while I test drive it.

Thanks for any help in advace.

first,u have made a great choice by goin for an e46 but i would stay away from those early e46s, try putting a lil more on top and go for an 01 or something newer

yeah i love the 2002-2004 models but insurance will be too high.

well i assume ur lookin for a 4dr bcuz u mentioned a 323i but idont think there would be much difference between a 99 and a 02 4dr bmw

e46
 

I own a e46 99 323i and love it I have zero problems with it. How many KM are on the one you are looking at? and how much are they asking?

Do yourself a favor and test drive a 325 / 328 before you decide on the 323, might eliminate some future frustration.

Explain?


And the car has 130kms and is selling for around 12gs. I plan on trading my current car in though.

I owned a '99 323i and had EVERYTHING go wrong on it... So did Soldo... My tranny went, power steering pump, ball joints at 100K, electrical issues (like the power door locks not working on hot days).

STAY AWAY FROM THE EARLY ONES! Save yourself the hassle and go 2001 at least.

Deep

i have a 2000... and no issues,

i donno why people whine about the early year models... the 99 is a 8 years old car already!!

Yea well I owned it when it was a 4.5 year old car... A tranny shouldn't go at 100K... not a good one anyways... it was a common issue with those years...

Ball joints at 100K? Have you ever driven an american car? The suspension is shot at 25K. Honestly, transmission and suspension problems can usually be attributed to driver abuse, that is the risk you run of buying a used car. If you ran into all those problems after owning it from new, and it was babied, then i can understand your frustration. Either way, early models of any production usually have the most problems, so stay away unless you are prepared to deal with them. That's the trade off for buying a "cheaper" car (early production models usually depreciate most).

Here we go again...

I've had many used cars - never had a tranny fail. Soldo had his fail. My friend in New Jersey had hers fail. All of them were early model 323i's. Now you are going to tell me we all don't know how to drive...

Deep

good point !

Why?

Lots of people, myself included, dont realize what they can have. Be an informed buyer, see the differences in the 323 and 325/328 (especially the 328). You'll be surprised at what's in a 328i versus a 323i which is basically the entry-level BMW (not sure if the 320i exists in this year).

I was 100% dead-set on driving a 325i. Everyone told me to drive a 330 and I didn't listen. Finally I found a 330 and drove it and I was instantly against buying anything else (because i wasn't informed-enough on the intricacies/differences in models.). So many things missing in 325's compared to 330's. I suspect its the same if not worse for teh 323's.

It doesn't hurt to test-drive a 325 or 328 before you make your decision.