Help me find a GT car. Must be BMW

[vegaskyle]

E46 touring with a s54 swap. Done.

HA. I had the same idea when I thought of a e46 touring.

I have had a e46 touring for over 7 years now. its really not that great of a long drive car-- better than an e30, but not all that comfortable either.

I had an 02 325ic and I thought it was comfortable on long drives, had the sport package too. Is there something about the touring that makes it less suitable for long drives?

Here is my thoughts on some of the other cars suggested:

E39: It looks like the 530i sport is going to be the best of the bunch. The 540i still holds some appeal. However, the reduced MPG, reliability, and added weight are all draw backs.

E38: A 740i sport would be a nice car to have but too much of a lux sedan for me.

E24: I do like the idea of a shark. It would have to be well sorted for me to take it on long road trips. Last thing I want is a broke down 25 year old car. The only other issue is the bumpers. euroshark's car looks great, the US bumpers kill it for me. I'd have to find a euro car or at least euro bumpers.

1600GT: Cool car but I need some modern comforts.

[Nairb]

I have an e46 325xi Touring. It's a great all around car. I have the premium/cold weather package, silver on black leather. I get about 23/30 MPG. I've driven it to North Carolina from South Florida 3 times, and it's been nothing but great. The heated seats are awesome.

It currently has about 112,000, and as far as "major" maintenance, nothing real serious. Some front control arms, water pump/thermostat. Nothing too serious.

It's got enough power to pull hard when I want it to, and it's economical enough to not destroy my MPG's. It has plenty of cargo room for what I need it for (dog, beach stuff, etc) and the leather is holding up very nice. I put some really nice tires on it (Michelin Pilot Sport AS+) and the thing is unstoppable in heavy rain on these slick Florida roads, and I can take on-off ramps like no other with the AWD.

Only thing I don't really like is the automatic, but it does make it convenient. And since it's going to be a dedicated baby hauler, that's an added bonus. You can find the e46 xi's in stick, but good luck finding them.. they are few and far between. (I've only ever seen 1 for sale.)

So, my vote is for the e46 Touring.

[Jon325i]

^^^ I agree. E46 Touring should be choice #1. Choice #2 an E39 Touring (528 or 530).

If the intent of said GT car is for long road trips, you'll want room to haul people AND their stuff. Tourings make the most sense for this. I would stay away from anything ///M, just more costly to keep it on the road. If it were me I would be putting dependability/durability over performance for this type of car.

The ultimate would be a E46 Touring with an M54B30 swap & 5 or 6 speed manual.

[twism]

My first car was an 85 635CSi. I took a trip from Fargo to New York and back, it was something like 5000 miles total, didn't had a single problem, and I loved every mile that I drove! I sold it and got an 88 635 CSi, the bumpers on later 6ers are tucked in so they look pretty good, and I loved this car as well. Maintanance is not bad at all, the 3.5 liter engine is extremelly solid, the whole suspension is the same as the e28 so its not expensive at all, only problem could be body damage. If you can spend around 5 or 6 grand on a late 6er like 88 or 89 this will give you a great car, and I promise you would love the ride, its just amazing. The sixer was actually longer than my brothers e46 wagon, and its a real GT car :)

edit:

pic of my 88

[Joe G]

i may get flammed, but you should pick up a B6 A4 1.8t with the sport package. 190ish hp, 6spd, 31mpg highway, awd, and very very smooth and comfortable. I sold mine my mint 04 with 70k miles for $10k in july.

[leothedrummer]

If you want to be different, get yourself an E28 M535i. Those things are awesome.

[EndreM]

or

http://www.finn.no/finn/car/used/viewimage?finnkode=20715850

[Nairb]

Yeah, we don't have those in the states. BMW is punishing us for winning the war.

[Joe G]

^ lol

[gearheadE30]

E32s are great distance cars, and you could get early 735i's with a stick, and the drivetrain is dead reliable...

E39s are good cars and drive well, but at least for someone as tall as I am, they aren't the most comfortable.

E34s are wonderful. Basically a slightly smaller and more nimble E32, and not quite to the point of ridiculous electronics.

8s are great, if you have money. I don't really think there is such a thing as a cheap e31...

E46s fall under the same being small thing as e39s. For the size of the car, there isn't a huge amount of space inside.

I personally would go with an e32 735i.

[walktheboard]

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/cto/2023802533.html

[James]

e24 or e28, they are excellent at this task.

[CorvallisBMW]

Oooh L6

[Stanley Rockefeller]

Why not consider just renting a car when you need one, esp. if you dont' do these trips very often?

For me, I decided that renting a full size luxury/sport or even just a full size car would suffice for my hauling and comfort needs. I didnt' have to pay for depreciation or repairs either. Not to mention that you get to try out whatever is newest on the market. I've rented for anythign from a few days to a couple of weeks.

Some of the cars I've rented include: Cadillac DTS and STS, Fusion, Impala etc.

take a look at this option, it's worth a look even if it's jsut the money that will be saved, and you can save wear and tear on your DD.

[F34R]

That L6 is so much WIN! The only thing that makes me lose my steam is the auto =( I want to finish my e24 really bad, but one car at a time!