Looking at buying my first BMW

[NAPO]

Hey all,
I`m looking at buying my first BMW as a second car. My budget is only 6k so I`m not expecting anything extremely crazy. I`ve been looking at a few 2006 BMW 325i`s. They hover around the 170k - 200k Kilometers (Ì`m in Canada) And they are usually around my price range.
I`m looking for advice of what I need to look out for. Any regular rust spots I should look at? What questions I should ask about past maintenance?
Whatever you, the pros, think I should look for.

So far, both cars I`m looking at look really clean, comes with two sets of rims (Winter and summer) and are stick shift.
Any help is appreciated! I`m also looking at anew automotive forum to get my future information on how to fix whatever happens to it :-)

I grew up with Honda`s, so I was big in the Honda world and most comfortable with them. I figured I`d try the BMW since I really love the way they look (especially the 2006).
Thanks for your help.

[Pelican Parts]

Welcome to the forum! The E46 that you're referring to is a great daily driver that you'll have a lot of fun with. Whatever car you're look at, make sure to get a full PPI (pre-purchase inspection) done by a BMW mechanic. Other members will give you details as to what to look out for within the E46 platform - but as a general rule, BMWs are prone to some electrical issues; mostly blown fuses and other minor inconveniences. I've attached a link to our site's DIY tech articles, they'll give you a great place to start troubleshooting and hopefully resolving any issues. If you have any questions or need additional help, feel free to post a Comment just below one of the articles and someone will get back to you with more detailed info. Best of luck and throw up some photos of the new ride when you get it!

BMW 3-Series E46 (1999-2006) Technical Articles


-Dmitry

[justinca540i]

2006 325i if sedan is e90 btw

[Pelican Parts]

2006 325i if sedan is e90 btw

You're absolutely correct - I hate the transition years

BMW 3-Series E90 (2006-2013) Technical Articles

[justinca540i]

You're absolutely correct - I hate the transition years

BMW 3-Series E90 (2006-2013) Technical Articles

Yeah, I find it annoying that the 2006 coupe is still an E46.

[NAPO]

Thanks for the reply guys! I haven't checked in for a while because the BMW I was looking at getting didn't happen to do personal reasons. Now, things have changed again and looks like I'm buying a 2005 BMW 325i M Package.
Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be part of the BMW family!! And before he posts, I will not need a lease :-)

[NAPO]

So I called my dealer to enquire about the PPI and the saftey and he explained that it's about the same...If a safety is being done, there is no real need for the PPI...is that the same for most of you?
Mind you, I live in Canada, Ontario. Unsure how different things are elsewhere.

Thanks again

[BimmerBreaker]

What is a safety?

[NAPO]

What is a safety?

A Safety is a required inspection in Ontario when selling or transferring ownership.
It's the seller's responsibility to have that done when selling the car to someone unless agreed otherwise.