12 years ago last week, I picked up my 2000 323i with 34 miles on the clock. Over that time it's been extremely reliable, costing me a grand total of $5k in repairs and maintenance--including brakes and tires. Seems now it's time to move on. Heading out this afternoon to negotiate on this 335d:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...17837401&Log=0

Just shy of 10k miles, never titled. Hits most of the high notes--premium and cold weather packages, xenons, heated steering wheel. No nav, but I'm going to put a dynavin in it anyway, and that's much easier if you don't start with nav. A bit sad to give up my manual trans, but it has boatloads of power--dynos I've seen show 400-405lbft at the wheels is typical--and is a blast to drive. Diesel being 50 cents cheaper than premium around here plus close to 40mpg certainly helps too. Not quite Prius territory, but then again there probably aren't any of those that get to 60 in under 6 seconds. White is not my first choice, but it's by far the best equipped and cleanest version I've seen.

There's also a local tuner (10 miles from my house) that can bring it up to just under 500lbft at the wheels for 700 bones, so that will come at some point, probably next year.

All told, I'm exited, but a little sad to be saying goodbye to my trusted friend.

 

Diesel is cheaper around you?! Here diesel is more expensive than premium X(.

And was that sarcasm with your first statement about extremely reliable? Then again, 5k / 12 years = about 417.XX a year, so I would guess that isn't too shabby for a BMW?

 

Diesel in my area costs $3.99-4.29 a gallon. Premium runs $4.47-4.89.

Not even close to sarcasm. It's been the most reliable vehicle I've ever had direct contact with, by a long shot. Remember, that $5k includes repairs AND maintenance (and upgrades, now that I think about it). $1200 worth of tires, $280 in oil changes, $140 worth of other fluids, $400 for brakes, etc. etc. The only major expense was replacing/upgrading the suspension (I replaced a lot of parts I didn't need to, like swaybars, control arms, shock/strut mounts) at 80-85k, which cost about $2300.

Exactly two things broke in those twelve years--the window regulators, which was a defective run by Bosch that affected all German cars of that era and was covered under warranty; and the final stage resistor, which controls the blower motor. So my total expenditure on repairs only was a whopping $76, or $6.33 per year. So make fun of my little BMW all you like, but let me know if you see any other cars that average fifty cents per month to repair over more than a decade.

 

great experience with the 2000 323!!!!!!....(I don't think those are typical results tho)

but how did you come up with only $280 in oil over 8 years (4 yrs were free)...assuming you changed at least every year right...and changed yourself?

335d looks great in white BTW !!!!

 

I did change it myself, but not every year. ~$70 per change, times four changes not covered under maintenance program. Did it whenever the computer told me to, which was usually in the 17-18k range. When I had the valve cover off to replace the VANOS seals just over a year ago, the valvetrain was PRISTINE. Light coating of amber colored oil (that was in the process of being changed after 18k), no sludge, no wear.

Thanks. I haven't adjusted to the idea of going from silver to white (first choice was Space Grey, which they had one of, but the white one had more equipment and was in much better condition, for the same price), but I'm sure I will, especially once it's tinted and I pick up some summer wheels . Probably next year on that though. I'm sure half of my reluctance is because the wife's RX350 is white. Humorously enough, when we met we both had silver cars, tomorrow we'll both have white.

 

I would concur with the OP, I just traded in a MY2000 323 (e46) with 257K km on the clock. Very reliable as long as you know of the common issues and plan for them.

- early e46's had a reverse gear issues with the transmission. as long as it was discovered within warranty, it was OK, if not, the most dealers would rape you over the coal, Only in latter years did BMW realize that they had some weak gears in there and had a rebuild kit for it.

- Camshaft position sensor causing loss of performance, fuel economy and everntually a CEL. Easy DIY, and since it won't leave you stranded, it is easy to plan for.

- Plastic impeller water pump. This is now a common issue with almost all moder cars. Watch for signs of leaks near and around the water pump and check cooling fluid regularly. If you have refill, then plan a replacement before it fails and leave you stranded in the best of cases or requires significant engine work if it happens on the highway and you decide to keep driving causing the engine to overheat. BTW, you can't rely on the engine temperature sensor in that case as it needs coolant to detect the temperature, yet the coolant is all but gone when the pump fails.

- Window regulators. while early version did have a fault, replacement versions where not much better. A lot of places to buy the OEM parts besides the dealer for less than 1/2 the price. It is DIY if you are so inclined with lots of sources for instructions.

- Second stage resistor - This is a common design issue with resistive load based motor speed control. again, OEM parts readily available and lots of DIY instructions on the net.

- Control Arm bushings - BMW uses soft rubber bushings to try to make a softer ride and yet keep the road feel of a BMW making for a common wear item. PolyUrethane bushings are available after market and most mechanics can press them in for a lot cheaper than a dealer. DIY can be done if buying the bushings already pressed in the bracket for a small premium.

- Sun roof panel clips. These are clips that hold the interior panel for the sunroof that were prone to break and jam up the mechanism. BMW didn't come up with a repair kit until much later, but one is now available, without having to swap out the whole sunroof assembly. Lots of DIY on the net.

Nothing beats being able to change your oil dressed in your suit.
- Use a vaccum based oil pump from the dipstick, once all oil is sucked out,
- open the filter canister (that is now mostly free of oil) reach in
- with your hand wrapped in an inside out plastic bag and take out the filter element abd wrap in the bag.
- drop in new filter element and close canister
- refill with fresh oil.

The oil canister with the old oil and the used filter element can now be dropped off at your nearest oil disposal facility or to your friendly neighbourhood garagist if you buy him a beer.

 

This is exciting! The torque is no joke

 

Good choice! I think white on black combo is the best out there, maybe it will grow on you.

And good to hear your experience with your 323i, sometimes you get lucky on the BMW and will never need to do any repairs. My friend had similar experience like yours, he purchased a 1995 325I manual new, drove it 10 years, put on 190k and paid nothing put maintanance and minor repairs. Then he move on to an used 2001 330I with 10k miles, so far all he needs to do is regular oil changes, and 90k on the odo still running strong.

 

drop oil off for recycling at crapmart...I mean Walmart with zero hassles.

 

You are luckier than most

 

Congrats on the new car, Im sure it will provide you with the same reliability as your previous BMW

 

Picked it up last night. I guess at first look I was overly critical of the white, from up close in a fluorescent-lit garage. From a modest distance in the waning evening light, it's actually quite gorgeous. I don't think there'll be that much of an adjustment period for the color. Driving an automatic day-to-day will be a bit more of an adjustment (coming off of 14 years of 5MT), but for whatever reason it doesn't bother me in this car nearly as much as the (by all accounts amazing) 8-speed in the 2013 328i I test drove two weeks ago. Perhaps that's due to the always-on torque curve.

Mileage is definitely going to be impressive. I reset the counter at the start of the vehicle overview. Despite idling for nearly 30 minutes during the overview and having to drive out of downtown Chicago (7 miles city, 12 miles highway), the average was up to 29mpg by the time I got home.

First mod will definitely be a Dynavin headunit. I had one in my E46, and it's awesome having the flexibility and functionality of Android right in the dash, with the appearance of a factory head unit. Window tints and ~330hp/490lbft (at the wheels) tune will not be far behind. This should be fun.

 

congrats...just in time for the long weekend.


how much does the dynavin cost? (I didn't see to link to purchase on that site)

 

$849 for the Android version. There's a Windows CE version that's $100 cheaper, but F that. Between Google Navigation, Pandora, Amazon MP3, and Doggcatcher (podcasting app), I'm set. SiriusXM app unfortunately works like *** and crashes all the time on my E46 unit (or at least did the last time I tried it), but the rest is more than enough for me.

 

Almost a month in, and I love the damn thing. Crazy fast, especially compared to my old 323i, and the sheer power is just way too much fun--it'll light up the tires from a roll in second gear, no problem. The first weekend I had a SES light, due to a bad NOX sensor (probably from sitting too long at the dealer without being driven), and they also did a recall on the EGR/SCR Mixer. So a bit of a pain upfront, but it's been golden since. MPG has been 26 city/42 highway so far. My 323i averaged 25.5 in probably 70% city miles.

Going to hold off on the Dynavin for now, as replacing the head unit will mean losing Satellite radio and the BMW Assist service. That money instead will probably go into amp/speakers to bump up the sound quality and listenability with the windows down (mine has the base audio). Just ordered an ODB cable so I can code in some tweaks like the corner delete mod (use only Angel Eyes for DRLs, and not the orange LEDs in the corner of the headlamps), closing windows/sunroof and folding in mirrors from remote, auto ejecting the key when the engine shuts off, adding some display options to the center cluster, and most importantly, recoding the head unit to HiFi to best work with the impending amps. Installed a Blackberry Music Gateway to add A2DP streaming support to the stock headunit, while retaining its handsfree capabilities.

In the spring it'll be getting 18" or 19" staggered wheels and Pilot Super Sports, while the stock 17"s will get some winter tires next fall. And once the sticky rubber is on, I can finally get the ECU tune done. I think the stock 225s would last about a week with 550+ lbft.