1996 BMW 328i Reliability?

[Willbro96]

I am considering a 1996 BMW 328i coupe or sedan and was wondering if anyone has had any reliability issues with thier own cars. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[1998328Is]

they're just as reliable as any other car as long as it was taken care of. it doesn't matter what car you have if it was neglected its not going to be as reliable as it can be. my m3 has almost 200,000 miles on it. it was taken care of and it never gives me any problems.

[Corio92]

120k on my 96 sedan, runs well engine wise, plenty of little things that have nothing to do with the engine to fix, however.

[aaant0ny]

222k on my '96 328 and still running strong. Just make sure to keep an eye on the cooling system if it hasn't been refreshed in a while.

[darkhorrus]

The BMW inline 6 engines are very reliable and as long as they are properly maintained they will last 200k++, the ZF tranny which comes in the 328 is a great tranny as well and is built to withstand more power than the 328 puts out. The rest of the car is pretty good- suspension is the only concern for most - expect to spend about 1500-2k for new bushings from bmw plus struts/coilovers of your choice(thats for new OEM equipment- aftermarket/used can bring this way down... I refreshed my entire suspension for $1k including coilovers)

[morzada]

The big issue, as with anything is maintenance. I bought mine two years ago and, while it hadn't been abused, it hadn't been particularly well cared for either. After two summers of tinkering with it (I have a second car and can afford to have the BMW in pieces for days at a time) I put more faith in it than in my newer, but equally high miles Mazda that I've owned since new.

All older cars will require a certain amount of maintenance to bring them up to a classification that I would call reliable. The big difference with BMWs is the cost of this maintenance. Done yourself it is entirely tolerable (in my opinion). Left to pros it'll destroy your pocketbook.

Go in eyes open. Good luck!

[The Raven]

My 202k 328i has been neglected for the past 4 salty winters, beat to hell for 80k miles with only 1 oil change per year (amsoil) and it is still running and going strong. I'm only working on it now as I figured it's this good, might as well keep it going another 200k. If the engine blows...I'll drop and M3 engine in.

[VerticalNeptune]

Totally agree - BMW engines are virtually bomb proof if you look after the cooling side of things properly, which is their achilles heel.

I would recommend you take the opportunity, go for it, learn how to maintain it yourself (they're really quite easy and largely accessible) and you'll be rewarded with an extremely enjoyable drive for many years to come.

[Omchavez]

185 000 in my 

[The Raven]

Yeah I should add I agree with the cooling side, last winter the bearings in my 70K waterpump went south in the middle of a snowstorm. Had been dripping for a little bit and squeaking for a while so my own fault. in 200k the entire system has been replaced from the radiator to the tstat cover....

[paanta]

No one here is going to tell you they're money pits.

BMWs are always going to be more expensive than a Japanese or American car. That's just the way it is. Anyone who says otherwise probably hasn't had owned very many cars. How much more expensive depends on who maintains it...

Drivetrains are fine and they won't leave you stranded. Suspension, electronics, cooling system and interiors are where you'll spend your money. Budget $2K for initial maintenance, minimum, on all but an absolutely flawless E36.

[Thames]

No one here is going to tell you they're money pits.

BMWs are always going to be more expensive than a Japanese or American car. That's just the way it is. Anyone who says otherwise probably hasn't had owned very many cars.

..... but only if you have someone else work on it, or get parts from the stealer.

If you shop at places like bavauto.com the parts cost is about the same or less than your average japanese or american car. Where it gets expensive is if you have a mechanic do the work. Even though BMWs are easier to work on (imo) than japanese imports, mechanics seem to charge out the wazoo just because they can.

Having done my own work for the past 10 yrs or so, I can honestly say that BMWs don't cost any more than any other car if you're getting your parts in the right place.

[strad]

To the OP: You've got to realize that these are not Chevrolets or Toyotas or Hondas. They are high-strung, relatively expensive luxury cars (or they were when they were first sold). They do require more attention than the aforementioned vehicles -- no way around that and anybody who says they don't either is lying or doesn't have experience with both.

That being said, if you stay on top of the maintenance requirements (which are more involved than the aforementioned cars) in my experience they are extremely reliable cars. Do plan on being either very rich or becoming handy with tools if you aren't already. If you have to take these to the shop for everything they get very expensive real quick.

[The Raven]

I own a jeep and a 328i, both the same year. The are the same cost to maintain. but then I do 90% of the work myself. The 10% I can't I have a local backwoods bmw mechanic I can call on that charges $35 hr. I do look at it as it's paid for and unless I'm paying $400mo for repairs/upgrades, it's cheaper than a car payment.

[IvanBvB]

Mine is a 5speed with 145k '96 328i. I've had this car for nearly 10 years and had one problem with my master cylinder & cooling system that's it

[coastcanuck]

I bought a 1997 328i 5spd for $1800 last October and sold it for $3000 in June. Put 8,000km's on it and put $1300 in brand new parts (installed myself) onto the car while working minimum wage and living at home. That doesn't account for other parts I bought used or from friends, althought I kept most of them. That also does not account for gas/insurance. I bought the car at 207k (km) and basically played "catch-up" for the last 100,000km's of ignored maintenance. The straw that broke the camels back with that car was 2 trailing arm bolt holes, one that no longer had all of it's threads, and another that was filled and retapped at an angle so the rear toe was unadjustable. I'm going to school again this fall so I needed something more reliable. That being said, the car never once refused to start, or shut off without warning on me. They are great cars, however the cheapest one to repair is the best quality one you can buy. If the owner has receipts all the better. I wouldn't purchase an E36 to daily drive without an outstanding maintenance history. UNLESS you're a mechanic (or want to be), or have deep pockets (or your parents do) and a good BMW tech. All this being said, I'm not trying to scare you off the car. I did all of the work on the car without a manual, and very little mechanical knowledge, bimmerforums is about as good a resource as you can get for car repair. The cars ride amazingly. In my opinion there isn't a better driving car for the pricepoint they come in at. Luxury, performance, and reliability. If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a PM.