Do you have to buy from a lot? If you can't pay cash then I'd advise to find an individual seller, agree on a price and then get a loan from your bank. Unfortunately I think they have to be less than 5 years old.

Anyway, a white 325i w/ 115k...I'd pass if it were me (chick car). If you're dead set on an E46, I'd say check the forums out and look for a "what to look for when buying" thread, or go a few pages back and look for common problem areas.

2/12/2010 11:17:21 AM

I'd be careful man, as has already been mentioned in this thread the automatic transmission for that car can be serious bad news.

I'm with Matt^


FWD cars are inherently off balance b/c all the weight is on the front tires. As far as turning and stopping on snow a RWD car is superior. Starting and acceleration I've already conceded FWD is better. But that's it. Keep in mind I'm talking about a well balanced RWD car (as a BMW which is almost always 50/50). Given a timed track situation with a FWD car and RWD car on identical snow tires the RWD car will be faster

Oh, and Rich yeah wider tires = bad on snow. You want to go narrower.

2/12/2010 2:45:15 PM

I've heard that one of the best ways to check the transmission on the lot is to look at the transmission fluid (after its been sitting for a while) for its consistency and color.

I really do not want to drive manual and you guys are making me want to head more towards the s60 route. I wish I just wanted an impreza2.5

2/12/2010 4:04:43 PM

Welp, I went to go buy it this afternoon and they had sold it this morning. Poop.

2/12/2010 9:06:55 PM

i'm thoroughly enjoying my high mileage 325i thus far... in fact, it's easily within the top 5 of fun dd's i've owned.

[Edited on February 12, 2010 at 9:25 PM. Reason : .]

2/12/2010 9:23:16 PM

What are you up to? 180k?

2/12/2010 10:06:38 PM

226k

[Edited on February 12, 2010 at 10:09 PM. Reason : it's a 5 speed, though...]

2/12/2010 10:09:28 PM

Quote :

"you're the first one I know that think those are bulletproofs. I have a friend who has one and the transmission went out at 120k."

I think the only year they had a decent transmission in it was 98. The 4.0 engine is solid though, it's not too uncommon to put 200-300k on it without major engine problems.

I'd love to get a 98 zj with the 5.9 though.

2/15/2010 5:56:19 AM

^I'm going to look at one (a 5.9) this afternoon that needs a new heater core...

[Edited on February 15, 2010 at 8:57 AM. Reason : 5.9]

2/15/2010 8:57:32 AM

i've seen a couple for <4000 lately

2/16/2010 3:18:11 AM

Made an offer, he had to think about it.

2/16/2010 10:12:04 AM

I am also looking for a cheap car that doesn't suck.
< $ 5000
Manual transmission (just a preference)
Decent gas mileage: > 22 city
Easy enough to work on

I will be switching from a 94 Geo Tracker (still runs fine, but the folks don't want me driving more than I do on it now which is in and around raleigh and the occasional trip back to wilmington)

Basically I don't care as long as it is reliable

3/29/2010 5:24:55 PM

I can vouch for the crown vic/grand marq/town car. Mine never left me stranded in 3 years and I drove it "with spirit" ... the mileage was what you'd expect from a 2 ton vehicle with an underpowered v8.

I'm actually trying to get rid of it in favor of something smaller and just as reliable. I've had my eye on miatas for a while. The guy at Sports and Compacts is a friend of my parents and I'd actually trust him to do work on my car every now and then

3/29/2010 7:34:23 PM

Protege 5

3/29/2010 10:02:56 PM

lol i just read the 3000gt post.

I find it funny that my cherokee was more of a "sports car" than the 3000gt

i mean it weighs less has more hp than all models other than the vr4 and it was 4/awd

3/29/2010 10:15:26 PM

The guy didn't take my offer on the 5.9. Oh well, wasn't meant to be

3/29/2010 10:42:26 PM

good for your... their transmissions are crap...
all the jeep 8 trannies are.
well atleast with 275/75/r16s on the rig.

3/30/2010 12:16:17 AM

Kinda looking for the same thing whats cheap and gets good mileage and is also reliable?

4/15/2010 1:43:19 PM

Hey -- Im doing some CPO shopping and am a little undecided on where I want to go with it. Im comfortable spending about 15-21k and am looking to keep it under 30k miles. Theres an a3 or two in that price range (Im currently driving an 02 golf and have a crush on hatches, but cant do a gti since it just seems like my current car too much). However, I feel a bit stupid buying an a3 for ~20 with 25k miles CPO. At that price point I could also get a 3series with a few more miles, legacy gt, or something similar. They both seem more or equal reliable, a little more adult (even though I like hatches, part of me wants an 'adult' sedan), and more well balanced. If the GTI didnt exist Id have a much easier time with the a3, but because it reminds me of the car i drive, I just need a little more change. Anyone have any ideas?

I live in Cleveland so, despite the previous posts, Id ideally like awd/fwd. Id consider rwd but Id rather avoid that. Any ideas guys? Room for 4, sporty, somewhat reliable, etc etc all that.

4/15/2010 8:55:40 PM

legacy gt wagon would be great.
or an 08 wrx hatch may just sneak in/out of your price range

4/15/2010 11:09:19 PM

I suggest a 3 or 5 series with a m50 based i6. Those engines ARE bulletproof, can handle tons of boost stock, have gone over 500k miles many, many times and are mad easy to work on. I don't know wtf you did to your 323i, or why you decided to buy a car that has the detuned m50 2.5l. That's like buying a 318ti, and then suggesting a Volvo. Do you understand that the s60 uses a 5 cylinder engine? That's a inherently poor design, and they just tacked a turbo on it so it's not so fucking slow.
"A disadvantage of a straight-five over a straight-six engine is that a straight-five engine is not inherently balanced. A straight-five design has free moments (vibrations) of the first and second order, while a straight-six has zero free moments. This means that no additional balance shafts are needed in a straight-six."

^ Those are good cars too, and great for rallyx haha.

[Edited on April 20, 2010 at 3:06 PM. Reason : "]

[Edited on April 20, 2010 at 3:08 PM. Reason : ^^]

[Edited on April 20, 2010 at 3:08 PM. Reason : "^]

4/20/2010 3:06:01 PM