another 'which BMW' thread....e30...e36 m3....e46

[TobyB]

I have had crap luck with e36 daily- driver little parts. My wife's E46 (post facelift)
has been fantastic compared to it. But it's not an E36m3, that's for sure.

Personally, I think the E36 is the ugliest 3 series... right up until I look at the current generation.

I'd drive an E34 any day. With a 5 speed and a 4 liter engine. 'Course, it wouldn't be
cheap...

t

[graveshaker]

e46=no lsd. The lsd was only offered on M3 models and the entire subframe would have to be swapped. Or you you can add an aftermarket unit for big dollars. The manuals also come with a horrible 2.93 final drive that sucks off the line. Only cheap alternative is buying one from an auto with a 3.46 but you would still have an open diff. And the most scary thing is the rear sub frame ripping! I owned one and would NEVER buy another e46.
Do a google search for e46 sub frame rip.

I've owned an e36 M3 and sold it with 209,000 for $5,300. The only issue I had was the door panel bubble. The drive train is really nothing different than any non M e36 so maintenance really wasn't an issue. The power and handling is almost perfect, I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

[Gregs///M]

These are all good options except on the Maxima. Switching to Nissan is up to you. Considering the BMW's I would suggest you spend the bulk of the money on the car with the best maintenance history, lowest miles and best condition.

That said, the E46. However, you can get a E30 in superb shape for a few grand and still have good money for major maintenance.

[TimKninja]

The Nissan Maxima is the official pace car of the Jersey Shore.


Buy an e30, or e34.

[blackhawkimpact]

E39s are not ugly. I have one stock and looks pretty decent. Maximas are yucky.

[m3/e30fanatic]

e30 dump money into it. call it a day....

[325ix]

so did you like your time with the 5?

I absolutely love my E39 but, it is a 540i/6. The E39 has more things to break and you have to be a little more on top of the maintenance.

The E30 or Maxima is your best bet if all you have is 5k for the car and maintenance.

[agent]

^ You and I are going to get along just fine.

[NufnSus]

Of all the BMW series, the 5 has got to be the ugliest.

Run b!tch.

:hitler:



The 5-series (maybe not E12, but E28, E34, E39 - skip E60 - and F10) are some of the most balanced designs BMW has on offer, period.
IMO, the E39 shape in particular is absolutely time-less. The 1st series was released in '96, more than 1-1/2 decades ago, and a well kept MY02 example will still contend with many of the modern cars today in terms of both design and comfort.



...having said that (and back on topic), OP, only consider the E39 if you can find a decent example in that price range.
They can be a PITA, not to mentioned $$$, if not cared for properly.

[mbonanni]

Manual e34 wagon..

[worangejuice]

yeah the m3 is lookin a lil out of the running right now.....and now I'm looking at 350z's

[dnguyen1963]

Of all the BMW series, the 5 has got to be the ugliest. The most beautiful models to my eyes are the 1980's E30s and 8 series. Although the 6 series convertible is also highly desirable. I did not mean the 5 series is uglier than the Maxima. BTW, I hate jelly bean shape cars, regardless of the manufacturers.

[BoxDriver86]

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Seems legit.

I've been in the same boat recently. I am a huge fan of the e39, but after driving one just after an e34, I felt more connected to the e34. We're probably going to end up getting an e46 wagon although I agree it feels less solid than my e30.

That being said, try out a clean e34 and see what you think. A decent e46 can be a great car, but I doubt you can get a decent e46 for $5K that won't have crazy mileage and a slew of issues.

[evandael]

worangejuice, i'd try to stretch your budget to $7K and get a better-kept e36 m3. probably a perfect all-rounder car out of all of those.

[agent]

so did you like your time with the 5?

Still do - I drive it every day. ;)

Immediately after I bought it I put some money into it. I replaced the cooling system and related parts, the OFH gasket, the VCG, rebuilt the VANOS, and did most everything else on the Inspection II list. The PO sold it knowing all that stuff needed to be done, so I got a great deal. The only unexpected expense was the torque converter replacement (the Steptronic ZFs have a known seal failure issue).