I'm about buying a clean 2000 Bmw 325i but I need some input before making a final decision. If this deal pulls through it will be my 5th BMW (my first e46 though) but I've gotten quite some negative reviews about the car in question basically bordering on the reliability of the particular double vanos 2.5ltr engine.

I'm not interested in a smaller engine and the car in question is clean and used by a BMW mechanic. It's a steptronic transmission too.

I'd like to know the common issues with Nigerian used 325s. Are they reliable like e36? What's the average cost of maintenance (I'm not concerned about fuel).

I'll apreocate your urgent input so I don't miss out on the deal too.

Thanks

Cc Yungboss uboma

Bump

Hello Friend,


Sorry for the late response. I had to attend a wedding all day.


The E46 is a great car and less problematic (I can say this with all confidence from my experience with the E46 Touring Bimmer). I have used this car for 4 years and counting.

So far, I have replaced the fuel and water pumps once. I recently replaced the control arms, tie rods and stabiliser linkages for both front legs due to the bad roads in my area. The window regulator will also go bad as I have had to fix the front windows on separate occasions. The yellow oil sensor light always comes on at every start even after replacing the oil with a new engine oil. All these are minor issues which should not discourage you.

There was a time I had an issue with my gear. The car dragged when driving uphill. I replaced the gear oil but with little improvement. I later discovered that it was an electrical problem after a competent "rewire" who also doubles as a Bimmer fan, did the quick fix. It is two years now and I have not had this issue again.

Kindly list the negative reviews you have received about this model so we can analyse it together.



By the way, is the E30 on your profile page for sale? I am interested if it is....

uboma:
Hello Friend,


Sorry for the late response. I had to attend a wedding all day.


The E46 is a great car and less problematic (I can say this with all confidence from my experience with the E46 Touring Bimmer). I have used this car for 4 years and counting.

So far, I have replaced the fuel and water pumps once. I recently replaced the control arms, tie rods and stabiliser linkages for both front legs due to the bad roads in my area. The window regulator will also go bad as I have had to fix the front windows on separate occasions. The yellow oil sensor light always comes on at every start even after replacing the oil with a new engine oil. All these are minor issues which should not discourage you.

There was a time I had an issue with my gear. The car dragged when driving uphill. I replaced the gear oil but with little improvement. I later discovered that it was an electrical problem after a competent "rewire" who also doubles as a Bimmer fan, did the quick fix. It is two years now and I have not had this issue again.

Kindly list the negative reviews you have received about this model so we can analyse it together.



By the way, is the E30 on your profile page for sale? I am interested if it is....

Many thanks for your post. Reviews of the 323 online have been great in contrast to those for 325s & 328s. Sensors always breaking down, belts snapping and general maintenance costs are over the roof.

My naija guys here also say its parts are costlier to fix and resell value is low as many nigerians prefer the 4 plug engines.

Truth here is I've used a 325is (e36) with this same engine size and I faced no issues, I had a blast stomping the i6 and I desire that feel again. I just hope its the same with the e46. I think I'll go for it then.

The e30 was my last restoration project. Sold it off last month

laivwire:
I'm about

I'm not interested in a smaller engine and the car in question is clean and used by a BMW mechanic. It's a steptronic transmission too.


Thanks

Cc Yungboss uboma

In bold, Don't buy.

Sadly, I am not in the mood to talk plenty

laivwire:


Many thanks for your post. Reviews of the 323 online have been great in contrast to those for 325s & 328s. Sensors always breaking down, belts snapping and general maintenance costs are over the roof.

Yes, I forgot to mention that I have replaced the engine belt too. Asides from these, for a period of 6 months or more, I get to change just the engine oil and brake pads.

laivwire:


My naija guys here also say its parts are costlier to fix and resell value is low as many nigerians prefer the 4 plug engines.

I don't think the parts are expensive. Going back to the parts I have replaced as listed above, it is 4 years now and I have not had cause to replace same part within a short time. The parts may be expensive but you will get value for money in the long run except a defective part was sold to you. And yes, most Nigerians prefer engines with 4 cylinders because of fuel economy and cost of servicing the car. Personally I do not bother about these because of the performance my BMW E46 Touring gives me when on the road. My car has a better MPG than some of my colleagues and friends whose cars are 4 plugs.

laivwire:


Truth here is I've used a 325is (e36) with this same engine size and I faced no issues, I had a blast stomping the i6 and I desire that feel again. I just hope its the same with the e46. I think I'll go for it then.

That's the spirit that drives all Bimmer fans. You will love the performance of the E46. Be sure to check for overheating signs before you pay for it.

laivwire:


The e30 was my last restoration project. Sold it off last month

Ooooops. My loss. I am still on the lookout for one to add to my collection. I saw a clean one on Copart sometime ago but could not proceed with the purchase because of the importation laws.

By the way, I learnt a lot about BMW cars from Yungboss. He is a long time user and has loads of experience....

laivwire:
Bump

Hi,

What is the update? Did you eventually try your hands on the E46? If yes, I will like to read about your personal review.

Cheers

uboma:




Hi,

What is the update? Did you eventually try your hands on the E46? If yes, I will like to read about your personal review.

Cheers

Oh yes, awesome car it was. I dropped it in May though as I had to relocate.

The Good
-Modern looks: Beautiful interior and exterior
-Good handling
-It had all the gizmos common with a turn of the century car. (CD loaders, automatic climate control, powered seats, controls on steering wheel etc)
-Parts are not so expensive and kazeems have a hang of its inner workings (to an extent)

The bad
-High Fuel consumption. I used a 328i though. No complaints
-Glazed LCDs. This is a common problem I've observed on the e38 all the way to the e46s.


The Ugly
-Snapped belts: This was really bad, I was on about 140kmh when the belt snapped, if flung off the radiator fan, burst through the gasket and I had a totaled cooling system which led to
-Radiator issues: Burst radiator and connecting water hoses. It can go wrong at anytime and it did especially in the night time within traffic. Simple solution was replacement.
-Transmission Issues: Ah, it had this hard to diagnose death cog wheel light that turns on switching from Gear 4 to 5. Gave me serious headaches.

Otherwise, good ride. Had heads turning with my matte black on black 17".


Got my sights on an e38 now or maybe an e90. I need to climb up the food chain.

Cool. I try to avoid the 328i though, I prefer the 320i/325i. I never had the belt snap off in all my years of driving my BMW cars.

The gear problem is common with the automatic transmission but with a good rewire, it will get resolved.

I have my eyes set on the X5 because of its good ground clearance.

laivwire:

Oh yes, awesome car it was. I dropped it in May though as I had to relocate.

The Good
-Modern looks: Beautiful interior and exterior
-Good handling
-It had all the gizmos common with a turn of the century car. (CD loaders, automatic climate control, powered seats, controls on steering wheel etc)
-Parts are not so expensive and kazeems have a hang of its inner workings (to an extent)

The bad
-High Fuel consumption. I used a 328i though. No complaints
-Glazed LCDs. This is a common problem I've observed on the e38 all the way to the e46s.


The Ugly
-Snapped belts: This was really bad, I was on about 140kmh when the belt snapped, if flung off the radiator fan, burst through the gasket and I had a totaled cooling system which led to
-Radiator issues: Burst radiator and connecting water hoses. It can go wrong at anytime and it did especially in the night time within traffic. Simple solution was replacement.
-Transmission Issues: Ah, it had this hard to diagnose death cog wheel light that turns on switching from Gear 4 to 5. Gave me serious headaches.

Otherwise, good ride. Had heads turning with my matte black on black 17".


Got my sights on an e38 now or maybe an e90. I need to climb up the food chain.

no try e90.

id4sho:

no try e90.

Why?

I’ve had an e90 (for three years, out of which it barely moved for half the entire duration of ownership) and I’ll confidently tell you that any bmw exceeding the M52/M54 engines aren’t for the faint hearted or shallow pockets. You won’t really be missing much sticking with your e46.

e90 cons -
Water pump (you’d have to buy brand new and that would set you at >100k. Tokumbo at Ladipo is around >40/50k but with no guaranty of long usage.

Camshaft issues, solenoids misbehaving and MAF. Those are a few common issues so in general, I wouldn’t say it’s the most reliable of the bmws.

I presently drive a Lexus GS and if I’m to consider a bmw again, it’d be any of the following :

e36 - reliability and very cheap cost of maintenance.

e53 / x5 (with the M54 engine) - high on fuel but cheap cost of maintenance as well. High ground clearance for our bad roads.

e60 / 5 series (with M54 engine) - low cost of maintenance, sleek, more spacious and beautiful than the e90.

Overall, don’t expect to sell off as fast or a good value so the trick is to buy as low as possible. Hope it helps. Cheers.

alphaNomega:


Why?

lanray88:
I’ve had an e90 (for three years, out of which it barely moved for half the entire duration of ownership) and I’ll confidently tell you that any bmw exceeding the M52/M54 engines aren’t for the faint hearted or shallow pockets. You won’t really be missing much sticking with your e46.

e90 cons -
Water pump (you’d have to buy brand new and that would set you at >100k. Tokumbo at Ladipo is around >40/50k but with no guaranty of long usage.

Camshaft issues, solenoids misbehaving and MAF. Those are a few common issues so in general, I wouldn’t say it’s the most reliable of the bmws.

I presently drive a Lexus GS and if I’m to consider a bmw again, it’d be any of the following :

e36 - reliability and very cheap cost of maintenance.

e53 / x5 (with the M54 engine) - high on fuel but cheap cost of maintenance as well. High ground clearance for our bad roads.

e60 / 5 series (with M54 engine) - low cost of maintenance, sleek, more spacious and beautiful than the e90.

Overall, don’t expect to sell off as fast or a good value so the trick is to buy as low as possible. Hope it helps. Cheers.

Thanks for your sweet reply.

lanray88:
I’ve had an e90 (for three years, out of which it barely moved for half the entire duration of ownership) and I’ll confidently tell you that any bmw exceeding the M52/M54 engines aren’t for the faint hearted or shallow pockets. You won’t really be missing much sticking with your e46.

e90 cons -
Water pump (you’d have to buy brand new and that would set you at >100k. Tokumbo at Ladipo is around >40/50k but with no guaranty of long usage.

Camshaft issues, solenoids misbehaving and MAF. Those are a few common issues so in general, I wouldn’t say it’s the most reliable of the bmws.

I presently drive a Lexus GS and if I’m to consider a bmw again, it’d be any of the following :

e36 - reliability and very cheap cost of maintenance.

e53 / x5 (with the M54 engine) - high on fuel but cheap cost of maintenance as well. High ground clearance for our bad roads.

e60 / 5 series (with M54 engine) - low cost of maintenance, sleek, more spacious and beautiful than the e90.

Overall, don’t expect to sell off as fast or a good value so the trick is to buy as low as possible. Hope it helps. Cheers.

You have said it all.

uboma:
Cool. I try to avoid the 328i though, I prefer the 320i/325i. I never had the belt snap off in all my years of driving my BMW cars.

The gear problem is common with the automatic transmission but with a good rewire, it will get resolved.

I have my eyes set on the X5 because of its good ground clearance.

This is why you have left snoobor to me? Don't worry I am also gunning for the BMW X5 with you

lanray88:
I’ve had an e90 (for three years, out of which it barely moved for half the entire duration of ownership) and I’ll confidently tell you that any bmw exceeding the M52/M54 engines aren’t for the faint hearted or shallow pockets. You won’t really be missing much sticking with your e46.

e90 cons -
Water pump (you’d have to buy brand new and that would set you at >100k. Tokumbo at Ladipo is around >40/50k but with no guaranty of long usage.

Camshaft issues, solenoids misbehaving and MAF. Those are a few common issues so in general, I wouldn’t say it’s the most reliable of the bmws.

I presently drive a Lexus GS and if I’m to consider a bmw again, it’d be any of the following :

e36 - reliability and very cheap cost of maintenance.

e53 / x5 (with the M54 engine) - high on fuel but cheap cost of maintenance as well. High ground clearance for our bad roads.

e60 / 5 series (with M54 engine) - low cost of maintenance, sleek, more spacious and beautiful than the e90.

Overall, don’t expect to sell off as fast or a good value so the trick is to buy as low as possible. Hope it helps. Cheers.

What about the E39 5series?

I’ll pitch it’s level of reliability at par with the e46. With almost same cost of maintenance, since it’s also dated, parts for both aren’t expensive.

Pros - Well balanced/grounded. Stronger/more durable suspension/arms compared to the e46.
More space too. Executive/middle class sedan.

On the other hand, it’s not as sporty or arguably a better looking car compared to the e46 but that’s just a personal POV.

If buying a locally used one, (prepare for the worst and best to assume it might have been abused), buy as low as possible and keep a significant amount for maintenance. Don’t expect to sell off as pricey or easily as a Honda/Toyota.

Ladipo (bmw village, just after the Benz village will always have you covered)

And if resale value isn’t much of a big deal, by all means getting an unabused foreign used one is always way to go. If can be directly imported from Germany, added advantage as popular opinion has said them to be less problematic and more reliable than their American counterparts. Cheers.

Smartchoiice:

What about the E39 5series?

Hey bro.. I hope it's not too late asking this... What's your experience with the 325i? I'm about to buy a 2005 325i.. I want to know what I'm getting myself into.. my current car is giving me way too many troubles.. I need to be sure the BMW won't be worse..

laivwire:
I'm about buying a clean 2000 Bmw 325i but I need some input before making a final decision. If this deal pulls through it will be my 5th BMW (my first e46 though) but I've gotten quite some negative reviews about the car in question basically bordering on the reliability of the particular double vanos 2.5ltr engine.

I'm not interested in a smaller engine and the car in question is clean and used by a BMW mechanic. It's a steptronic transmission too.

I'd like to know the common issues with Nigerian used 325s. Are they reliable like e36? What's the average cost of maintenance (I'm not concerned about fuel).

I'll apreocate your urgent input so I don't miss out on the deal too.

Thanks

Cc Yungboss uboma