2001 BMW 3-Series

I’m writing this review to provide potential owners with a real story of what I have experienced with my BMW and some general things to keep in mind.
First I would like to say that I’ve driven a ton of cars and this one is VERY impressive. My 2001 BMW was purchased after I Carmaxed a troubled 2001 Mitsubishi Galant. Now I’m by no means rich, but after looking through an auto trader I found that BMW aren’t as expensive as people make them out to be. The trick that I later found is that someone can give you a Ferrari; however it might cost you over $20k a year to maintain. I hope you see my meaning. Anyways, I brought the car used with 67k miles on it and have driven it practically trouble free ever since. It’s important for futures owners to realize that a BMW is just a car. If you’re handy you can do a lot of the work yourself, with the help of a few online forums. For example most BMW 3 series’ conveniently wear out the control arm bushings; this is a small part under the car that the dealer usually charges $1000 to do, but can be done at home in the >$400 range. An oil change at BMW runs over $70 where as you can do it yourself for half the price.
-Driving experience- The BMW 325CI is one sharp looking car. The coupe has beautiful lines and a nice style that’s sure to grab attention. It’s no speed demon though, its 2.5l inline 6 does 0-60 in around 7.7sec with the 5sp manual. Kicking out a decent 184 hp puts it as an average accelerator in my opinion. Seeing that a Nissan Maxima, or Acura TL-S would knock about a second off that 0-60 time. That’s kind of disheartening, but this car was built for luxury. The inside offers easy to read gauges and comfortable seating. However the back seat is a pain to access and it’s not too big.


All in all this is a solid car to have and enjoy. The repairs are pricey, but the comfort and quality is equally yoked.

I love the handling and comfort of this vehicle. I drove four hours immediately after leaving the dealership and I immediately fell in love with the vehicle. It accelerates very smoothly and is very fuel efficient. The seats never become uncomfortable, even after four hours of highway. The price of the vehicle was unbeatable, and the service I received at Ewing Mercedes was outstanding...Definitely the greatest buying experience I have ever had.

The seller did not deliver, once, he got his money, he stopped answering his phone. He said, just take the car and come back so i can fix everything. I should never trusted him.

Seller omitted stating both in the ebay listing and in telephone conversations about the wrecked front bumper section amounting to $914.36 in repairs. Numerous other problems related to undercarriage boot, steering well gasket leakage, leaking vacuum hoses to cylinders 5 & 6 causing car to be presently in shop for repairs, front end wheel alignment (misalignment due to wrecked front bumper section, and what ever shows up in the near future.
Seller was dishonest in not stating front bumper wreckage plus I'm still checking into shipping charges and should have an answer by next week if he was honest in the transaction on transportation charges.
Initial reason to wanting to purchase this car was because of the 4 wheel drive which was stated in the listing. After placing $1000 down in the initial bid a few days later I learned that and 4-wheel drive model has an "X" in the model number which should read 330xi. Statement in listing said "no return on the $1000. So, I figured I was stuck in the transaction. I questioned the seller and he said ebay was at fault. I said, "How can that be when you provided the information." He kept saying it was ebay's fault. Had I known about the wrecked front bumper section in advanced, I would NOT have bid on this car. Now I've invested over $10,500 in license tags, tax, transporting fee, and repairs. How I can't ask for a total return? I'd loose $2,500+. I'm having the front end replaced and that cosing $900. Therefore, this car is costing me a total of $11,400+. I made a big mistake of not paying about $150 for a private inspection. I'll never do this again!

This is an awesome little car, great gas mileage, gets looks always!!! It is definately a girls car though, a boy could drive it- but only if he is wanting to get looks from the women!!!

I love it because it is my first car, I have to fix it and after that it will be great. There is a lot of work to be done untill it is finished, but I am willing to do it. The car came in great shape

These are the best cars on the road to drive! They are the worst cars on the road for cost of repair. If you get one that needs a lot of repair you will regret it. If you buy a used one always, always buy a good extended warranty...you will need it. Did I say that these are the best cars to drive!

The E46 automobile platform is the fourth generation of BMW's highly successful 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. The sedan was introduced in 1998 and replaced the E36 sedan the same year. The touring and coupé models appeared in 1999 with BMW's newly designed steptronic transmissions (available in all 3 series models), and the convertible and M3 later in 2000. The E46 compact, a 3-door compact hatchback, was revealed in 2001 to be sold in European and Australian markets.
In 2000, the E46 lineup received an engine boost when the new M54 engines appeared for Model Year 2001 cars; with the new 3.0 L 330 replacing the 328, BMW renamed the 2.5 L car the 325. Outside of the engine and exhaust upgrades, there were few cosmetic changes, the most noticeable being the 330 receiving silver accents on the front fascia.
Also in 2000, the E46 lineup expanded to include the new (model year) 2001 M3 Coupe. The M3 only came in a coupe and convertible (model year 2002) platform, with either a 6 speed manual or SMG transmission. Unlike its predecessor, the E46 M3 shared very few parts with the standard 3 series. The exteriors of the two cars only shared the doors, roof, and trunk. The exterior of the M3 had wider fenders and "M styled" bumpers, side skirts, mirrors, a protruding hood, spoiler, and the new tradition of M marked grills on the front fenders and four exhaust pipes. The interior of the M3 was accented with an M steering wheel, seats, rear view mirror, and instrument cluster.
The first major overhaul occurred when the E46 sedan underwent a facelift in 2002, which included re-designed headlights, new bumpers and a stiffer chassis. Also, the 316i and 318i models received new, more powerful engines. Then in 2004 the coupe and convertible had a facelift which included new headlights, new front wings and bumpers, new selections in exterior colour, and redesigned sidemarker lights and LED tail lights. The M3s got a much more mild facelift that same year, with the inclusion of the updated boot and LED tail lights from the coupe/convertible.
Despite being introduced last, the E46 compact was the first to be replaced when 1 Series was launched in September 2004. In mid-2005 the E46 sedans were phased out with the introduction of the new E90 saloons. The E46 touring was also replaced later that year with E91. The E46 remained in production as coupé, convertible and M3 until the E92 coupé and E93 convertible was revealed in late 2006. The new M3 coupé concept was later unveiled in March 2007 during Geneva Motor Show.
The E46 experienced enormous success in all markets and was widely considered the performance benchmark of its class. The record year for the E46 was 2002, when 561,249 vehicles were sold worldwide.
As a credit to the E46 platform, it was chosen for Car and Driver Magazine's "10 Best Cars" every year of its production. See Car and Driver Ten Best.
The BMW E46 was an evolution from it's predecessor, the E36. Many of the lines and the over all exterior shape was taken from the E36, but was upgraded to a more rounded, aerodynamic shape, similar to many of the "rounded" designs of the mid to late '90s. Many features were passed along from the E36, including the shape of the rear view mirrors, side molding trim, center arm rest, the steering wheel, gauges, and the design of the front and rear seats. With an exception to the tail lamp shape, most of the lines are similar to the E36.

Hi,

I didn't buy the car. I looked at it and it's a crash vehicle. there are several body parts replaced on the front, right and back of the bmw.
the interior looks really bad too. a lot of scratches and mailfunctioned buttons.
the passenger seat didn't work well too and the seat belts are broken.

It's really a beautiful car, clean inside/out. Very nice sellers and even though I got the car with a complete empty tank and the next day it shows a a ligth to check engine soon, I think the service was very outstanding from sellers, I would thing I will buy another car from them but this time I will be more careful.