Fiancee considering the purchase of a 3-series - need advice

[speedemn]

Hi there,

My fiancee is considering the purchase of a 3-series sedan between 2002 to the brand new 2005 model. However, I wanted to get some advice and recommendations from current owners and enthusiasts. I am hoping that you can answer some questions for me.

Most likely she will be going for the 325 or 330. The 320 just seemed to lack some of the options that should be standard on a car of this class and it seemed as though it would cost more to add those options to make it equal to a 325 at least (minus the stronger motor of the 325). She will be getting a manual transmission.

1) Is there any advantage to going with a later model 325/330... were there any note-worthy changes between the years of 02-05 that would make the later model a better buy?

2) In terms of ongoing maintenance and upkeep, how expensive (or not) is it, to own one of these cars?

3) In terms of little maintanance and repairs that might crop up later in the life of this car, is it something that DIY car guy like me can handle or will I have to run to the dealership, everytime something goes wrong, because of the car being too "unique" and not like any other car to work on?

If I can think of any more questions I will post more later; if any of my questions need clarification please feel free to ask. I want to be able to get a clear understanding of what I/she would be getting in to.

Thanks for your time, all.

 

[theBMWenthusiast]

first off welcome to the board

1) the only difference is the 2.5 liter engine (325) and the 3.0 liter engine (330), if your fiancee doesn't care for power go for the 325, but if she would like more power in the car the 330 is for her, but you should go to the dealership and test drive both and see which one you like better, its the easiest way to pick one. There are not any noteworthy changes during those years, so there shouldn't be any differences for getting a different year...from 2002 til now they are very good vehicles
2) well from owning a BMW you should know that the upkeep is going to be above other cars, but BMW's are very reliable and if you get one that is still under warranty you will be in good hands
3)there are a lot of DIYers here on the board and im sure they can tell you about the car, there are some things though that you should turn to the dealerhsip, but only the major stuff

altogther the BMW 3 series from 2002-current is a very good car and hope that the purchase goes well

 

[rjp325i]

There are many differences between a new 325 and the 330 besides the engine but you can see that in the dealer brochure. The standard equipment is different between models also. That drives up the cost differential. One of the nice differences is the 1 inch larger brakes both front and rear on the 330. That alone necesitates 17 in wheels being std (18" optional) instead of 16s on the 325. The 320 is not available in the States so I do not know much about it. New BMWs in the States have free maintenance for the first 50K miles or 4 years. A good CPO car is a good choice as well. You can "build" your desired new vehicle using one of the many web sites available as well as BMWs own site. My 2004 has 14K miles on it and the only trip to the dealer was for its free oil change at 13K miles.

 

[Unit74]

After the 4th trip to the dealer, our 330i finally was repaired. The Bizenons failed all the time and when you least expected it. They change bulbs, cleaned connectors and once place told us there was nothing wrong with the car!!!


Anyway, other problems we have had are as follows:

There is a rattle under the car on cold start ups. Goes away after a few minutes.

When going from reverse to drive, there is a heasitation and it clunks into gear.

The brakes squeal often.



That's about it. The car has 23k on it and is a late 2003 model. The early/mid year models only had 2 head rests in the rear seats and the late year production had 3.

We are currently trying to get into an X3 though as it suits are needs better.

 

[dpnguyen]

If she def wants an E46, I'd wait a few months and get an '05. They will be quite a bit cheaper once the E90's hit the streets. Also, you will get free maintenance for 4years/50k miles.

My'03 325i has 10k miles and I have had absolutely no problems. My thinking was (for the $ I wanted to spend), I could get a 325i fully loaded or a bare 330i. I decided on the 325 and still had $ left over for other essentials like snow tire/wheel package (I see you live in Canada), 18" rims with performance tires for summer driving, and other mods to fit my taste.

In terms of power, you will feel the 330 is quicker off the line. However, my 325 can still 125 MPH when I want.

Good luck!

 

[Unit74]

DP-


That was what we were looking at as well. Once we drove the 330 though, it was all over. The back to back test drive against the 325 made the 330 a no brainer. It comes with more standard options than a moderatly equiped 325 and it just feels better. We did turn down a fully loaded 325 for about the same price, but we didn't need the pho-pho items like heated seats or Nav .....

Edit: ~~Our car is back in the shop again for headlight failure~~

When we talked to Riverside BMW, we were told the residual values on the 04's and below are going to drop rapidly with the introduction of the new E90's. Keep that in mind when bargaining.

 

[speedemn]

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for all the advice so far - and good tip with the release of the E90 - when might that be - Sept. 2005?

Outside of the issues that Unit74 experienced with his car - are most of these cars pretty worry free, like rjp325i described - not just with the 325 but the 330 as well?

I will have to ask my local dealer what the warranty options are - price/coverage/duration/etc. Reason being - if it would cost me $2000 for example, to have coverage for another 2 years (if I am buying a car that is 2 years old) then it might not be worth my while to pay that - unless it comes with free maintenance too... it is a question of spending that money all up front or MAYBE having to spend it over an extended period of time. The final purchase price of the car will have to have that worked into it or something.

But if the amenities inside the car are pretty standard through those years, then that eliminates one worry of having to search for this option and that, which may or may not be available in a certain year. IT seems like the only standard equipment in the 330 that is an option on the 325 are the electric glass sunroof and 3-stage heated front seats. The upgrade packages are of course different for the 325 vs the 330.

She should be satisfied with the motor of a 325, but if we can get a good deal on a used 330 then we might just get that... from what I have seen these cars depreciate 20% - 25% in the first year and then about 10%-15% over the next year. Is that a fair estimation?

 

[Unit74]

As far as trade in value goes, our 330 stickered for around 38 and trade in 2 weeks ago was quoted as 28. We will have had the car 2 years in Dec. And as far as I am concerned, not worth mych more tha a paperweight...

 

[snowcrash]

Wait for the E90 this spring! =)

 

[aNoodle]

Maintenance is $$$$. But if you're willing to do some work yourself...parts are very reasonable from the dealerships. The expenisve part is the labor...BMW will charge an hour or so at $100/hr to pop in a new sensor. For example....my shift gate was off and the little indicator might read 'N' when I was in 'D' along the PND4321. One dealership wanted $235 to replace the shift gate. I found out the part was $75...and for their hours of labor...LOL...all you do is lift on the shift knob, lift out the old gate indicator and plug in a new one! What a joke. Not even a single screw is involved!!!

So, I'd say maintenance is $$ only cuz many dealerships thrive on suburban yuppies who can't be bothered or don't know how to do anything on their cars. If you go to an independent guy or DIY some things, I've found BMW orginal parts to be very reasonable....they don't rake you over the coles (my rubber jack point fell off, and was only $6, my automatic sterring resevoir lost it's washer and it was only $0.56, some trim clips that were broken were only 10 cents each).