What car do you have now? What's your full budget? Can you do the service for your car?

Generally having old BMW as daily ride requires mechanic skills or deep pockets. RWD is fine winter car, but should have top of the line winter tires, E46 is safer if you never drove RWD before. E30 is too old to be safe in any accident ever.

 

What car do you have now? What's your full budget? Can you do the service for your car?

Generally having old BMW as daily ride requires mechanic skills or deep pockets. RWD is fine winter car, but should have top of the line winter tires, E46 is safer if you never drove RWD before. E30 is too old to be safe in any accident ever.

I have a 2001 Audi S3. I can do most general maitenance and repairs and my dad can always help me if need. My budget is about 17k but I don't want to spend that much on an older BMW. I can afford either one if I sell my S3 and still have some money left over as a cushion.

 

Ok, that's more like it. You already have Audi which is not new, then you have clue about what maintenance mean. And if buying old car you shouldn't use all your money on it, because something probably need to be fixed soon.

 

Yes. I might be young and dumb but I know how to treat a car properly. Since it would be my first RWD, and my concern is safety, the E46 would be a good choice? How is the true reliability of a well maintained one? How accessable and cheap are parts compared to other cars?

 

I have owned two E30 for extended periods (88 325i convertible sold with 115k miles and a 91 318is sold with 225k miles) and also the 02 330ci convertible for the past 17 years - it replaced the E30. One of the reasons for the update was safety equipment as the E30 had no airbags and felt a bit vulnerable compared to the then new E46. Same reason my partner gave up his NA Miata for the R53 Mini Cooper S...

I'd go for the E46 for several reasons.
1. Although it is just a sedan, putting a nice e30 into daily driver duty at this point is almost a sin particularly if it will see snow...
2. Safety equipment and more creature comfort. The E30 is a fantastic platform; everything was overengineered and is durable but there was 15 years between the launch of both cars and the E46 is more up to date on so many levels.
3. Tons of DIY info for the E46. All you have to do to find info regarding any problem is Google it and you will get plenty of videos to take you through the fix. Some better than others but enough that you'll figure it out with common sense and logic applied.

Ironically I have been shopping hard on the BMW certified site for a E70 X5 diesel replacement. Part of the reason is that there will not be any more diesels so I'm tempted to hit the reset button with a near new 2018 X5 diesel, but only if it came with all the safety garbage (lane assist, active cruise, etc...) Found an M sport with under 4k miles coming into a dealer in my state but ran a search and it's had a rear hit with rear body panel and quarter panel replaced. Would not be a show stopper assuming the work was done properly, but they want top dollar for it. Sigh... Search continues...

Good luck with your search.

 

Is the 330ci reliable enough to be a solid daily? And are parts cheap(ish)? Any recommendations on things I should look out for and how much to offer?

 

Reliable? Well.. I had E46 for 7yrs (two different cars), and needed tow truck only once. That was when starter motor died. There are often some smaller issues, but rarely so bad that can't drive to work. Any needed parts can be ordered online and realoem.com
help to figure out exact part numbers.

 

I can handle a few little quirks and electric gremlins, pretty used to it with the two Audi's. Unless something impairs my safety or has detrimental and expensive results, shouldn't be an issue.

How long can a well maintained E46 last?

 

Is it reasonable to have E46 as daily ride? No! Not any bit, it's insane, but that's how I enjoy driving to work, and I pay for it.

 

Exactly. If I wasn't willing to pay and take care of a car properly, I wouldn't be here, I'd have kept my Honda. I didn't want a car that doesn't require a connection to drive or work on, or a car without anything that makes it feel like it's yours if that makes sense. A car with a soul.

If I can sell the S3, the E46 ZHP in Imola red would be top of the list. Provided some of the service records are of known issues and there's proof of proper ownership, it'd probably be the one for me. I think the E30 is out of the question due to safety and age.

A silver E39 M5 and a burgundy E39 540i Dinan 5 just popped up for sale though...

 

I have daily driven my 2005 E46 330i for 5 years now and love every minute. Fix it when you have to and keep up on the maintenance. Nuff said.

 

See that's the thing. I see so many BMWs with owners of 5,6,7+ years and I wonder, it can't be that bad of a car if so many people keep it for so long.

 

We bought our 2004 330Ci convertible in January of 2015 with about 92k miles. I daily drove it for a while. Technically it's still my daily driver, but I'm semi-retired so it sits for as much as a week at a time in the garage going nowhere as my wife has a hard time getting in and out of it (actually, right now she cannot get in and out or the BMW). I've had to do some repairs, but nothing difficult or out of line for a car this age. As for safety equipment...I don't really care. I have two old convertibles ('67 Barracuda and '68 Dart GTS) and am planning several trips in them when they are back on the road. What I want out of a car is performance and handling. That's why I bought the BMW...

 

What does everyone think about the price of the E46?

2005 330ci ZHP/ZAM with 140,000kms for $12.9k CAD asking price. All service records, 10 year ownership from the current owners, good all season tires on the OEM ZHP rims.

Imola Red, 6 speed manual, fully optioned out as far as I can tell and in the pictures, it looks beautiful and in great condition. They claim no accidents. No rust either.

 

What does everyone think about the price of the E46?

2005 330ci ZHP/ZAM with 140,000kms for $12.9k CAD asking price. All service records, 10 year ownership from the current owners, good all season tires on the OEM ZHP rims.

Imola Red, 6 speed manual, fully optioned out as far as I can tell and in the pictures, it looks beautiful and in great condition. They claim no accidents. No rust either.

I think it***8217;s an $8000 car. ZHP owners seem to live under an illusion the ZHP is worth M3 money, it isn***8217;t, not at that mileage. A very low miles car (under 50k) might command that kind of premium or more. I was a ZHP owner, I know. I sold mine in 2014, with TONS of goodies, maintenance, and power for $6500, granted it had 200k miles, but still, people need to be reasonable.

 

About $10k US dollars. It is a desirable car, but I'd have to see any others that may be available to see if that's high or not.

 

A bought my wife a 325i brand new in '03. It was high maintenance right off the lot; coils, speed sensors, software updates, etc, etc. And it certainly didn't get any better once the warranty ran out; cooling system replacements, CCV replacements, VANOS kit, valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gaskets, window regulators, numerous suspension parts, intake boots, exhaust headers replacement, 02 sensors, and on and on. That's without even mentioning your garden variety maintenance items like numerous brake jobs and etc. The vast majority of that, I did myself, otherwise I would have sent it down road many years ago. It's in the garage right now with the intake off awaiting parts, plus it needs a drive shaft, oil pan gasket, engine mounts, tranny mounts & rear wheel bearings. I replaced it as a daily driver 4 or 5 years ago, but still use it as a backup and errand runner. I probably should have sold it then but there is just something about it that keeps me from selling it.

They are great cars, but if you're going drive one daily, you should be prepared to spend a lot on it. That's just the nature of owning one.

 

Wow. How many miles did you have on the car when all of these maintenance started to happen? I find that any car the wife drives will generally end up in worse shape faster than if we drive that same car. Reasons? 1) They don't let the car warm up briefly 2) they drive like a bat out of hell right after startup 3) they seem to gravitated to pot holes and rough patches in the road 4) they tend to tailgate and hard on the brakes etc.

 

You didn't even consider 1-series? You would like to upgrade into bit bigger size after S3? E87 has caused much less work than my E46, but then again wife drives less and always slowly and carefully.

 

I don't trust the N54/55. Plus I personally prefer E46 design. Size and practicality isn't much of an issue for me right now.

 

You're in Canada, I suggest that you peruse Auto Trader. was just there. I have an 01 330ci cabby 130km's on it never seen winter. I'm shocked at how cheap these cars are going for. The coupes and sedans must be around the same price, under 10 grand. if you find a good one, you're getting a hell of a car for well used Civic money.

 

Noone on this site suggest to keep Audi.. Why would anyone want to drive Audi?? LOL

 

Hey, so in a little dilemma with my vehicle situation. Insurance will pay out $10k less than I bought my car for and will instantly write it off because it is an import. And I cannoy simply buy a donor car or buy body parts so if I get into an accident, I'm screwed out of $10k with a car I cannot repair. Even if I get a hit and run my insurance will write it off no matter how minor if I report it.

Therefore I'm looking for a new daily and have seen two very interesting BMWs that are relatively the same price.

The first: A 1987 E30 BMW 325i sedan in the Nerzbraun color. Listed for $12.5k CAD at 178k kms. From the pictures, it looks to be in amazing condition and the original owner owned it for about 30 years. Has a lot of upgrades like coilovers, E46 steering rack and reservoir, a few E36 handling goodies, an exhaust, and a performance chip.

The Second: A 2005 E46 330ci ZHP/ZAM. Coupe, imola red, alcantara steering wheel but leather seats. Cannot tell the dash trim but has the alcantara shift boot and ZHP shift boot. Fully stock as far as the ad says and looks to be immaculate from the pictures. About 140k kms for $12.9k. The current owners have had it for the past 10 years.

Both cars have all service records available, but the E30 had a lot of owner service on it. The E46 owners claim they had anything and everything done ASAP when needed and have the records to prove.

I really like both cars, but am super concerned with safety of the E30. No airbags, very minimal side protection, and the overall construction and size of it does not strike me with confidence in an accident. I live in an area of high collisions and huge trucks/SUVs compared to the car. I know the E46 is not a huge car either, but it has more modern construction and safety items like airbags and not 30+ year old seatbelts and crumple zones.

Power isn't a huge concern, but the E46's extra torque would definitely be nice for a daily around town. And will be moving to a big city soon, so the tiny car vs big truck wouldn't be as big a concern.

Reliability and cost to own is the second highest concern after safety. I've heard plenty of horror stories about both cars' engines. CCV and Vanos for the E46, and just general age and lack of maitenance for the E30. If the E46 truly has all preventative maitenance and things like CCV, Vanos, subframe and struts, etc have been attended to, what else would there be to worry about aside from oil leaks and general maitenance? And is the reliability and simplicity of the E30 worth more than safety?

I really like both cars. Never driven a BMW but have a little experience and knowledge wrenching on my own cars (my dad used to be a mechanic, so he can always help me out). Would only use my local mechanic for big projects if needed.

Any input is appreciated. I do have plenty of experience with questionably reliable cars (two Audi's) and currently have a 2001 Audi S3. I don't want a car that will make me go broke or that I'll be afraid to push hard every now and then but I don't want something that will bore me to death (already been there, had a Honda, sold it very quickly)

Also, can either of these cars be driven safely in rain, or even light snow? The E30 has no assists and slicks on and that also concerns me. The E46 has all seasons and assists at least, so rain wouldn't be torture. If I were to get one of these, it would be my first RWD car, never have driven one before.

TL;DR - 2005 330ci ZHP/ZAM for $12.9k with 140k kms or a 1987 325i sedan for $12.5k with 178k kms. Both have all records, both have hadowners who have kept the car a long time. Biggest concerns are safety, reliability, and cost to own.

Sorry for long post.

You realize that BMW's are an expensive obsession, more so when they're old. Our '88 325is, 59kmi (that's ~ 2kmi/yr, driven frequently) 2-owner has been in the family over 20yrs with regular on-time (not miles) maintenance. We love it, but it's a hobby car and over the last 10yrs it's cost us over $1/mi., no extreme problems. mostly age related, but timing belts every 5 yrs, a bunch of seals, fuel pump, all coolant and fuel rubber, and recent sub-frame and AC compressor and it adds up. No serious electronics problems, yet, but you may have trouble replacing things like the trip computer. It's a blast to drive, handles turns well and has sufficient power. If it doesn't have them, consider mounting 15in. wheels as few tire companies make good 14in. tires these days. Safety is a valid consideration, too.

I prefer older BMWs, wouldn't have a newer one (just not my thing). Mustangs aren't my thing, either, but a son has newer one - it handles like a race car, great suspension and brakes, and after driving it for a week it was hard to return it.

 

So let me get this straight, you're getting out of the S3 because of the potential that if it's written off, you will get $10,000 less than you paid for it? All that tells me is you probably overpaid so if you try and sell, you'll take that hit anyway.
Is that the only reason to sell it? They're great cars, and if it's a good one (Audis A3s of that era seem to be either unbreakable or total crap) why not keep it? Sell it and you take the loss, guaranteed.
Having said that, if you really want to sell it, of the 2 BMWs the E46 is the easy choice. Far better car than the E30 and better than the S3.
Also a far better prospect to daily. They have known failure points, which when fixed are fixed and everything on them is very easy to DIY. Plus, second hand parts are cheap & plentiful. They're a fun car to swap parts & tweak.
$12K+ for an E46 is insanity tho. Find a manual 330 for half that and invest the other $11K of your budget. Or buy a car lift for your dad's garage.

 

I actually got a good deal on it compared to other S3s in Canada. A lot of them sell for $15-17k. Insurance substituted the value of an Audi TT, the closest "comparable" vehicle because the S3 was not sold in Canada.

Another reason I want to sell it is because body panels are a pain to get if I need something IE if I get hit. And insurance will not put an effort to finding or paying for anything.

Its just not a good situation for a daily car where accidents and stuff can happen at any time.

 

...

 

Where are you located?
I own a dealership and can hook you up with a car at wholesale if your in the US.
New and Used.

 

You own a dealership??? Are you serious? I've thought that you were just a regular guy who likes to boost his cars.

 

Ahh I see, Canada didn't get them. I can understand the situation now. Yes, if you can get good money, it makes sense to sell. In pure rational terms, 12K spent on a BMW would be better put into the next gen E9x. Anything with a turbo that is. It's only with the substantial performance increase that they became enough of an improvement over the E46. Did Canada get the 3L turbo diesels? They are phenomenal cars, great for easy performance upgrades & super reliable. Rare but cool as a 2 door; great looking as a wagon.

 

Don't believe we got a diesel until F30 gen. Out of my budget anyways.

Performance isn't my main concern. The S3 is good enough and the ZHP has a bit more power than it.

I don't trust the E9x engines, specifically the turbo ones. Yea the 323/328i are nice, but I really dislike the design of the sedan and the coupe, while attractive yet feminine, has a very bulbous front end imo. If something happens, E46 parts cars are much more common and cheaper than E9x, at least in my province.

 

There is a silver e46 ZHP being sold in Calgary, Alberta. I see it from time to time on instagram. Its selling for $6900. Not sure about maintenance or repairs it's undergone. but it's worth a look.The dealer is located on 7500 6th street SE.

If I didn't have my current car, i'd consider it.

 

Is that at the dealer that specializes in German Cars?

If so, it's automatic, was wanting a manual. And the owner of that dealer is a total jerk. Tried buying a E36 328i from them and he was a total douche about it.

 

I daily drive my 330ci, even in snow. It got to the point where I had to get of the car and push it in snow cause it got stuck. I didn't have winter tires so that made some difference. But all in all it is very daily driveable. Just do some preventative maintenance as others have mentioned and you should be good to go.

 

Just comes to my mind.. If you're so worried about anything happening to your car.. are you sure you need ZHP which is in perfect condition? If you had standard 330i which looks normally used, then you wouldn't worry so much for one more scratch or bump. You just need one which had good maintenance.

 

Very true, but there is only two ZHP's for sale in all of Canada that I'm truly interested in. The red one in 'immaculate' condition a province away, and a dark grey one in my own province. I'm going to be checking out the one in my province soon to see if I even want a ZHP/E46 (IE: I like how they drive and feel) both are similar in kms and stories, but there is a $5k price difference between them. Can't tell the condition of the grey one but I definitely prefer the red one.

Might check out a few E9X's, just to gauge my interest on them. Even a 1 series, to see how they look are in person. They aren't very photogenic IMO.

 

Well.. maybe I think same way of those N-series engines. My E87 is 118d, M47, most reliable engine in 1-series, makes it quite tractor, diesel torque is easy to drive and good for her, and that 6-speed transmission is really good, but I'm still happy with mine.

 

After some consideration and review, a 135i is kind of cool. Not many for sale but one popped up. 2008 135i with the N54. Both turbos replaced, as well as HPFP, as well as a few key gaskets. 400hp 400tq upgrades. 13200. I really like the white color on it and it has an M package. Might post something on the 1 series forum about it.