[carendt242]

i'm considering buying a used (2002) bmw... probably 30-40k miles... this will become my daily driver (~100 miles/day)...

how reliable are the cars?
any bullshit electronics problems? (i'm very paranoid about this w/ the BMW)
how easy is it to do simple maintenance (oil changes, spark plugs)?
anything else i should watch out for?


thanks,
chuck

 

[s14roller]

I'd be careful with BMWs if you want a reliable DD. I also was considering a used e46 M3 but am going to just stick with a nice japanese car. I have 3 buddys with new body 3 series BMWs and they all want to get rid of them due to small issues here and there with electronics.

 

[shupore]

A friend of mine has two e46 m3's in his family. He owns a 2002 and his brother a 2005, both with the smg transmission. Recently the 2002 was in the shop for over a month becuase the transmissions was having problems, was torn completely apart, and almost had to be replaced with a new one. I think the warrently on them are only up to 40k and he was under it by less than 300 miles :eek3: . I dont even want to imagine how much a new smg transmission or anything else would be on the car. imo the m3 is fucking sexy, but get a beater as a dd and keep the m3 as a weekend car.

 

[orijinal_poser]

if you want a good e46 m3, get an 02 or higher m3 as the 01 had a rod bearing cap issue......

the reliability issue of bimmers greatly depends upon how well you treat them. if you take care of them well, they will last well into the 200k mile mark. if you treat them like shit, well........

as long as you're a pretty good DIYer, maintenance on a bmw can be cheap.

 

[carendt242]

ok, there are too many horror stories out there.... my supra is my money pit, i don't need another.

i'll probably just get a used is300...

 

[begone]

if you want a good e46 m3, get an 02 or higher m3 as the 01 had a rod bearing cap issue......

the reliability issue of bimmers greatly depends upon how well you treat them. if you take care of them well, they will last well into the 200k mile mark. if you treat them like shit, well........

as long as you're a pretty good DIYer, maintenance on a bmw can be cheap.

Well about the Rod Bearing situation that was true up until a few months ago. BMW just had a new recall for all 02's and 03's. My 04 E46 M3 just made it by without having to get the recall done. As far as reliability goes I would personally stay away from any used BMW that does not have an existing warranty to go with it. You'd be better off buying that IS300 your thinking about.

Good Luck.