2003 to 2005 BMW 330CI or 325CI
How reliable are these years 3 series models if under 80k miles Which one do you recommend 330 or 325. I am open for 4 doors sedans as well. I am not looking for newer models as i really like E46.
I am not asking for commentary or your opinion about german cars
It is shitty car man. Buy new 240i
2 series is amazing
They're both unreliable, OP.
E46 rocks. The best looking of the three series. I have an e39 that is very similar but for the five series. Definitely get 2003 or later as the rear subframe is stronger. 330 better than 325 as the M54 3.0 is better than the M52 2.5 in many ways, not just displacement. If you can find a ZHP model. More fun than regular 330i but not crazy expensive like the M3. Many M goodies on the ZHP Rock on. The are many support groups to help you diagnose problems, advise preventative maintenance, help source parts. You can even buy several aftermarket Android head units to totally update the car's electronics for a few hundred dollars including phone pairing and a backup camera. These cars are very reliable and have fewer of the electronics as compared to newer cars that tend to provide more points of failure. The driving experience is more traditional BMW ultimate driving machine and less modern BMW which seems a bit more like a Toyota Avalon. Check out Mike Miller from the BMW car club of America. Also ask him for his long-term maintenance schedule to help your E46 live as long as possible.
I own an avalon. Since i dont drive it that much, hence i am going to ditch it in favor of 325 or 330. I have driven 325i, one of my relatives had it. It was fun. I think the 540i and e46 3 series has probably the best design. They havnt aged and still looks beautiful
They are pretty reliable cars without the earlier issue prone turbocharged models that came after and there are shops everywhere who can service your car on the cheap. Best is 330i if you can find one, esp in the coveted 6 spd manual
Between these 2, 330CI
I had 2 e46s, a 330ci manual and m3 manual. Both were very reliable. I sold the 2002 M3 in 2016, and it was still very reliable. However everything including routine maintenance and repairs are expensive. Tires were $300+per tire etc.
These are awesome cars, and while cheap to buy now they were expensive new and a bit more expensive to maintain, about 2-3x more expensive than maintaining a Toyota. Every thing costs more from 91+ gas to oil changes to tires to brakes to parts when one fails. On the plus side they have a loyal following and a cottage industry has sprung up to help maintain them. For example I just used Cheap-ABS.com when the ABS module on my E39 needed rebuilding
I've had my my '01 330i since '03. Still primary car though I don't drive much. It's aging gracefully. At one point I did a cost per mile ownership calculation and it was not expensive. The hassle of maintaining is real but not necessarily expensive. It does still drive beautifully and I haven't bought a new car obviously. As to your question: I'd go 330. The engine is awesome. Also the stock wheels are still the best wheels on any BMW in the last 20 years IMO. Only car that is prettier is the 540i of the same era.
I've had 2006 328i. Up to this day, It remains my favorite car to drive for fun. Newer 3ers never got the same handling. As far as reliability, oh boy, get ready to spend big money. It was not reliable at all, I've had all sorts of problems. Mechanical, electronics, leaks. If you ever go to dealer for service be prepared to loose a small fortune. To give you some numbers: ~$2800 to replace front shocks. I ended up getting bilsteins that cost a fraction of that quote and come from the same factory and oem ones. Around 2k to replace the head radio unit. ~$200 to fix a flat tire. Why so expensive? The way to fix a flat on a BMW is to replace it with a new one. Stupid right? Run-flat tires they are called, come standard on all bimmers. Of course a sane person would never repair at a dealer and go somewhere else. But you still better diagnose the problem with the dealer, which means paying $300-400 each time you want to find out what's going on.
2006 is the first year of that generation I would assume 2004 and 2005 will be more reliable.
I mean bmw was never known to be a reliable car. Not Honda, Toyota level anyway. Sure 06 could have more issues than 05, but I won't expect 05 to be on par with Japanese cars. It seems like you're pretty sold on the idea of owning that car. If you have a bit of time and money, by all means go for it, it's a very fun car to drive.
Don’t buy German cars man, they are full of maintenance issues