E46 vs E90

Which one is the best?? I used to have an E46 325i but i crashed it!
now i need to buy another one but i dont know if i should buy a E46 or the E90.
HELP!!!

I imagine its much harder to find a clean, low mileage, well-cared for E46 than E90.

I wouldn't mind having an e46 M3.

Originally Posted by Dr.checho

Which one is the best?? I used to have an E46 325i but i crashed it!
now i need to buy another one but i dont know if i should buy a E46 or the E90.
HELP!!!

You're asking an Internet Forum to make your buying decision.

Advice: Look at both

Advice: Read up

Advice: PPI, used

Advice: Buy what you like

Originally Posted by Dr.checho

Which one is the best?? I used to have an E46 325i but i crashed it!
now i need to buy another one but i dont know if i should buy a E46 or the E90.
HELP!!!

E90 are more reliable, practical, athletic and less BMW-esque. Having owned both, I would go with E90, but not by much.

I owned an E46 (2001 330i 5MT purchased in 2004) for 7 years. It was a great car, and very reliable, other than the typical BMW quirks.

1. All 4 window regulators broke and replaced.
2. Valve cover gasket leak fixed.
3. Oil filter housing leak fixed.
4. Power steering supply line leak fixed.
5. VANOS seals replaced, which was one of the best things I have ever done for that car.
6. AC final stage resistor replaced.
7. A and C pillar liners peeled. Replaced those 4 pillars.
8. Sunroof shade plastic clips broke and had to be replaced.

I also did preventive maintenance of the cooling system by replacing the plastic expansion tank and the water pump.

Now I've owned my E92 (2010 335i 6MT purchased in 2011) for a year and a half. The ONLY thing that's malfunctioned so far is the passenger seatbelt butler, which will be fixed under warranty next week. The butler works, but the belt slips off.

My E92 is definitely a hell of a lot more fun to drive!

get a 2005 (before 2006 release of E90), they put all the best options into E46 325i to get rid off their stocks

I had it for 8 years and 70k miles
three sensors and door seal were the only problems.
The coupe did not suffer from the door regulator window problems which is what
I had and the problem I saw reported most on e46 boards.
Things I like about It came with a spare (, it didn't come with Run Flat Tires and came with a real spare) It felt lighter , It came with a decent sound system , It didn't require the battery to be registered and wasn't a battery hog. It had a real dipstick.

e91 is more of a cruiser and more gadget oriented.
E9x has some known engine problems
Head Bolt breakage and valve ticking.
The turbo version has turbo hardware and turbo problems.

We had an E46 with FIVE power window failures. When dad sold it, he was at the point where he was afraid to roll down the windows. It had other issues as well.

My E91 has not been all that reliable either, sadly. Lots of electrical issues and then a big mechanical problem (gas tank cracked).

What turbo problems are you talking about? Other than the HPFP issues, I've not read of any turbo issues.

Originally Posted by Dr.checho

Which one is the best??

Best for what?

A new E90 will be better than a used E46. But a clean, low mileage E46 will be better than a clapped out E90.

The major difference I noticed between my '99 328i and '07 E91 is the 6th gear on the E90.

Tom

The logic 7 audio on the E90 is better then anything you can get on the E46. Yeah, I said it!

The car's initial crappy ride can be mitigated with 3rd generation run flat tires if you choose to keep run flats.

Other then those two things above, I think both cars are equally fun to drive and I can comfortably put my kid in the rear seat with the E90 leg room. The E90 lacks alot of the front/rear end suspension woes of the E46. Overall, I think the E90 is more reliable versus my old E46.

I'm happy with my E90 but I miss and prefer the E46 I used to own with the exception of the nightmarish window regulators. Like CarlsonTheFlyer and Kilgore Trout, I too had all four break! I'm baffled at how brilliant German engineers designed perhaps the least reliable power windows in the world. The E46 felt more rock, solid German (except the windows) and the higher tech E90 feels more Japanese (dare I saw Lexus-esque). One consideration might be whether you want the E90 with RFTs and a computerized engine oil check or no RFTs and a real oil dipstick.