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Any BMW 3 Series owners out there?
- Thread starter ClassicBlue
- Start date
I own a 2011 BMW 328i. Love it. I know several people who own older 3 series bimmers. None of them have had any transmission issues. With the BMW it's very easy to drive fast and put a lot of wear on the tranny. Which is why some have issues. One good way to test it is to drive it like you stole it. See if it slips. Many people just hear BMW and think everything is stupid expensive. That is not always the case. Just find an honorable BMW mechanic and your all set. I know a good one if needed.
Now that I know you're ballin', the price just went up on that Kayfun.
Think about It before you buy your kid ( I assume she's a teenager) a car that screams "I'm RICH " ! ! !
"my parents are RICH" ! !
That's the perception that everyone is going to have
The company has worked hard to cultivate their car as a status symbol
You could take the same amount of
Money you would spend on a Honda or Toyota and buy a BMW and suddenly everyone thinks your rich
A mini Cooper costing the same dollar amount won't scream I'm rich. And it's made by BMW
Plus an automatic is any car is a time bomb. About $3K to replace
Teach her to drive a stick
Anyone that's not coordinated enough to drive a manual has no business on the highway
"my parents are RICH" ! !
That's the perception that everyone is going to have
The company has worked hard to cultivate their car as a status symbol
You could take the same amount of
Money you would spend on a Honda or Toyota and buy a BMW and suddenly everyone thinks your rich
A mini Cooper costing the same dollar amount won't scream I'm rich. And it's made by BMW
Plus an automatic is any car is a time bomb. About $3K to replace
Teach her to drive a stick
Anyone that's not coordinated enough to drive a manual has no business on the highway
Go to True Car and check their prices (from BMW dealers) on pre-owned BMW's. They usually will go through there vehicles pretty good and wholesale those that aren't up to their standards. If you're determined to go this route that is what I would do. We have two on our lot here, but they are fairly high priced and one has 101K and the other has 88K on miles.
Do a carfax and Autocheck on any car you buy. I just bought a 2004 M3 droptop with 57k miles on it. I LOVE it although I had to buy new tires and a front ball joint right off the bat, plus some minor stuff.
As far as transmissions go. In my experience ANY automatic trans that takes a dump is going to be $2000 or more to rebuild. Over the years, my 1987 trans am 700r4 was $1800, my ex wifes 2004 Accord V6 trans was $2000, my 1988 z71 700r4 was $2000, it is just part of life.
As far as transmissions go. In my experience ANY automatic trans that takes a dump is going to be $2000 or more to rebuild. Over the years, my 1987 trans am 700r4 was $1800, my ex wifes 2004 Accord V6 trans was $2000, my 1988 z71 700r4 was $2000, it is just part of life.
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Shemp, post a pic of your badass Bimmer.
This old thing?
That's putting it through its paces at the Nurburgring, of course I'm driving.
Are you looking at 325's? 330's?
I've had a 328i as my DD for the last 8 years. It's a real love hate relationship. I bought it from a friend in 2006 with right at 180,000-ish on the clock. The BMW automatics aren't very well built transmissions. Some of them tend to develop a slip when they get older, and older can be anywhere between 120,000 and 220,000. They can still be driven, but they tend develop a slip/delayed shift between the first and second gear. The autos are also notorious for "lurching", meaning when you put it in drive, you need to have firm pressure on the brake as they like to jump forward. Most of the non-routine stuff I've replaced on mine is fairly minor - ignition switch, rear diff bushing, flex disc, ball joints, etc.
What has given the most trouble is the cooling system. I hate BMW cooling systems with a passion. And everyone I know with a BMW experiences the same thing at some point in time. The radiators and water pumps were designed piss poorly, and with plastic parts (plastic impeller in the water pumps and plastic inlets/outlets for the coolant hoses on the radiator). Well (as common sense would tell you) after constant heating up and cooling down, the plastic becomes brittle and breaks. That's not a "repair" job, it's a "replace" job. Expect to replace at least one radiator, water pump, t-stat, t-stat housing and random coolant hoses. I also had my heater core go out and later a heater core valve, but that seems to be bad luck and not something that is necessarily common on these cars.
That being said, mine is about 2k away from 300,000 and I drive it almost every day ~60 miles round trip. If you do pick one up, try to find one that has had the common issues addressed. Also, find a reputable independent shop and avoid the stealership. The stealership wants over $100 now for a basic oil change.
I've had a 328i as my DD for the last 8 years. It's a real love hate relationship. I bought it from a friend in 2006 with right at 180,000-ish on the clock. The BMW automatics aren't very well built transmissions. Some of them tend to develop a slip when they get older, and older can be anywhere between 120,000 and 220,000. They can still be driven, but they tend develop a slip/delayed shift between the first and second gear. The autos are also notorious for "lurching", meaning when you put it in drive, you need to have firm pressure on the brake as they like to jump forward. Most of the non-routine stuff I've replaced on mine is fairly minor - ignition switch, rear diff bushing, flex disc, ball joints, etc.
What has given the most trouble is the cooling system. I hate BMW cooling systems with a passion. And everyone I know with a BMW experiences the same thing at some point in time. The radiators and water pumps were designed piss poorly, and with plastic parts (plastic impeller in the water pumps and plastic inlets/outlets for the coolant hoses on the radiator). Well (as common sense would tell you) after constant heating up and cooling down, the plastic becomes brittle and breaks. That's not a "repair" job, it's a "replace" job. Expect to replace at least one radiator, water pump, t-stat, t-stat housing and random coolant hoses. I also had my heater core go out and later a heater core valve, but that seems to be bad luck and not something that is necessarily common on these cars.
That being said, mine is about 2k away from 300,000 and I drive it almost every day ~60 miles round trip. If you do pick one up, try to find one that has had the common issues addressed. Also, find a reputable independent shop and avoid the stealership. The stealership wants over $100 now for a basic oil change.
Just as a side note: for what you're looking to spend, I'd recommend an 04 or 05 325i sport. I almost bought one several years ago. They tend to be in the $5k-$8k range nowadays with fairly reasonable mileage. They have a nice sporty look, good on gas mileage.
These are both on the high side (the one Douglasville has a laughable asking price, hence why it's been for sale for months), but here's an idea of what the 325i sport looks like.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4529306115.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/cto/4501878052.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4529306115.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/cto/4501878052.html
