Cadillac owner wanting to make the jump to BMW. Need help.

[Tunix]

Hey guys, I own a 2003 Cadillac CTS and I want to sell it to a friend and pick up a 4 door 3 series (or 5 if possible).

Is it possible to pick up a well taken care of 3 series, no older than 2005, with no miles over 50K for $15,000?

[pizzaman09]

Just after doing a quick ebay search, it might be a bit hard to find what you are looking for. For $15k you might need to either settle for a car with under 75k miles or settle for an older car.

If you are willing to look at 2005 3 series, you might as well also look at the rest of the years that that model was sold (1998-2005). That particular chassis is known as the "e46," and is incredibly popular in the enthusiast community. Many consider it to be the last good looking BMW.

[ezbmr]

No

[E37]

No

Nope, for the range your looking for 2005 or newer with less than 50k miles, budget should be slightly higher than $15k - Maybe $17-22k.

[DarthVaderSeats]

I have a 2000 323ci with all the options. I am very satisfied with this car and it only cost me $6000. It has 120,XXX miles and it runs very nice.

Don't pay more for a car with low mileage because from what I hear online, maintenance is a more accurate evaluation of how a car will run than how many miles it has.

Find a BMW independent mechanic and have them do an inspection of the vehicle you are interested in.

Research as much you can on preventative maintenance measures to take on the specific car you go with.

The E46 is what I would go with. From what I hear, the E90 is impossible to work on yourself? Because of this, even indy-mechanics would charge even more than their usual fees because they take longer to work on. (Anyone correct me if I am wrong.)

[FastJohn]

Be sure to try out several different models before you settle on a specific model.

I started out looking at E46's, but for me, they were a bit small: I'm 6'3". I finally settled on a 5 series E39: 540i with 6 speed manual. That suits me perfectly. Large enough to stretch the elbows out, agile enough to be entertaining, and the 4.4 V8 has a powerful and effortless feel to it. I did consider stretching the budget for an E60, but just didn't care for the styling. They don't have the graceful lines of the E39, and for me, they were a bit too electronic. If a wiring or component problem develops, go to the dealer, open your wallet, and say - help yourself.

The most you'd pay for a clean E39 with, say, 100k miles on it, would be $9k-10k, and you'll be amazed at how much vehicle you get for that sort of money.

But, that's just me. You may have different desires. Try them out and see what you think. It wasn't until I had driven both an E46 and E39 that I decided the E39 was more to my liking.

[EdirtySicks]

:confused why 05 or newer?

Go with a 2003 m3 with 100k...Or a 1998/1999 m3 with 50-75k :D

[sfgearhead]

For whatever reason 5 series prices are typically lower than 3 series. Drive a few to get a feel for what you like.

For that price I'd look at a 2002-2003 5 series, either a 530i or 540i. Both can be had with a manual trans, both are a lot of fun, and 2003 is the last year for the e39 which doesn't have iDrive and the "new" styling.

Once you've figured out what you want, find someone local that knows BMW's come alone to look at one, I'm sure someone will help out. They'll know what to look for, what maintenance should have been done (cough, cooling system, cough), etc.

Good luck!
Ian

[Cattani]

I bought a 2005 550i (4.8L V8) Base with 83k for $15,000 about 2 weeks ago and I love it. It makes me squeal like a child when I punch it and turns heads everywhere I go.

If you're wanting to stay under 50k on the mileage, you're not getting anything 05 or newer when it comes to BMW. The e60 is my favorite 5 series, but I have heard that the e46 is MUCH easier to DIY than the newer models. Good luck!