Buying a 99 323i

[diezel06turk]

Originally Posted by Sneaky

Why?

bcuz that will give u a chance to see the difference in all of them i got a 325 and i regret not gettin a 330

[Sneaky]

Yeah since i started tihs thread i started looking at a 2001 325i. Its a bit more but it has way lower KM...I just wonder what the insurance will be like.

Id love to get a 2002...but for some reason between 2001 and 2002 they just shoot up in price.

[HIM]

Originally Posted by StikiGreenZ

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.

Well its not as much of stuff missing but rather the difference in power is very noticeable. I have just as many luxuries as my moms 330, but its always nice having a bigger engine

[dtthiaga]

Originally Posted by Axxe

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).

Yes, BMW has bad front ends. It's a very common issue on most e46 cars (not sure about 05-06). It is also based on the same stupid design of the e30 (Straight from the mouth of a Shop Foreman at a BMW Dealership with 20+ years experience).

I've owned the car since new (2002), and it's all highway miles and babied. At 34,000KM or so, I had to replace both left and right control arms because the ball joints went. Before you accuse me of a hard/bad driver, my 03 Accord I bought around the same time has had 0 problems. At 55,000KM on my BMW, I still have over 50% of my brakes still remaining, and original tires, which are still pass safety.

Our GM cars suspension lasted longer than this.

Also, Honda do have ball joint problems, and CV Shafts, and even those cars, you'll get 120K out of them before it goes. Lucky, those repairs are very very cheap. BMW, control arms are not that cheap.

BMW Dealers have e46 controls arms in stock all the time.
The new ones are slightly different (I hope they last).

http://www.e46fanatics.com/features/...php?news_id=67

[Deep 3.2TL]

Originally Posted by dtthiaga

Yes, BMW has bad front ends. It's a very common issue on most e46 cars (not sure about 05-06). It is also based on the same stupid design of the e30 (Straight from the mouth of a Shop Foreman at a BMW Dealership with 20+ years experience).

I've owned the car since new (2002), and it's all highway miles and babied. At 34,000KM or so, I had to replace both left and right control arms because the ball joints went. Before you accuse me of a hard/bad driver, my 03 Accord I bought around the same time has had 0 problems. At 55,000KM on my BMW, I still have over 50% of my brakes still remaining, and original tires, which are still pass safety.

Our GM cars suspension lasted longer than this.

Also, Honda do have ball joint problems, and CV Shafts, and even those cars, you'll get 120K out of them before it goes. Lucky, those repairs are very very cheap. BMW, control arms are not that cheap.

BMW Dealers have e46 controls arms in stock all the time.
The new ones are slightly different (I hope they last).

http://www.e46fanatics.com/features/...php?news_id=67

Thank you for proving my point!

Deep

[StikiGreenZ]

Originally Posted by HIM

Well its not as much of stuff missing but rather the difference in power is very noticeable. I have just as many luxuries as my moms 330, but its always nice having a bigger engine

I was thinking more along the lines of more standard features (granted they are available optionally on other models.). There's more chrome on certain models (330's), headlights are different color, bumpers are slightly different, wheels, etc...

All I'm saying is research and real life test drive is the best way you will make an informed decision.

[diezel06turk]

Originally Posted by Sneaky

Yeah since i started tihs thread i started looking at a 2001 325i. Its a bit more but it has way lower KM...I just wonder what the insurance will be like.

Id love to get a 2002...but for some reason between 2001 and 2002 they just shoot up in price.

i drive a 2001 325i its got 94xxx km. it hasnt given me any problems yet.
the insurance on dat car (my old man been the primary driver) for a 19 yr kid with a real bad drivers record is $315 ONE WAY.