tjangi

Anyone have any thoughts/experience with this car? Which year is recommended (2006?) and should on get a low mileage CPO vs private seller?
I went to a bmw forum and the first response was to search on google to find the answers. Thanks

Juha G

I have a 2006 325Xi wagon, bought it new and now it has 65,000 miles on her.
Zero problems, ever! I have only replaced the battery and rear brake pads just recentely. Othewise just fill 'er up and drive.
I would still get a CPO with warranty. If something breaks, it will most probably not be very cheap to repair/replace.
The four wheel drive is excellent, we've been pounded with snow this winter (the car is with me in Finland). Being able to plow trough big snow banks has made me lazy and I haven't even shovelled our driveway in days...

beers4all

I've owned both a 2006 and a 2005 330xi. If you don't require all the gadgets and electronics that the idrive system introduces, I would go with the best 05 you can find. It is a much more neutral handling car and performed perfectly for me. I had a top end rebuild done on the 2006 at about 30,000km's under warranty.

mjsporsche

I have been a BMW owner for many years. The 3 series E90 platform lives up to all the 3 series of years past. Great handling car, very Porsche-like in the twisties and unfortunatley not cheap to repair out of warranty. These cars have a fair amount of electronics that can require attention if the gremlin strikes.

I currently have a 2008 328xi which is similar in performance to the 2006 330xi. 225 hp and strong torque.

My suggestion would be to find a CPO car, either private party or from a BMW dealer. The dealers are providing cheap financing .9% and may offer a month or two free payments. You might be able to save $2,500 if not a CPO and you could take the savings and bank it until a repair comes up.

To bad you could not wait until end of year to pick up my leased 328xi. Outstanding car with Sports Package (great seats), paddle shifters, Nav, cold weather, premium and Sirius radio. Black on black. It gives me my 993 fix while I wait for the right one to surface.

Mark

sce46m3

BMW owner many times over. My 993 replaced an '07 M Coupe. Go with the CPO and the cheap financing as it provides a very nice warranty extension with a $50 deductible on repairs. But do be careful. I have seen CPO cars with accident repairs. That particular motor, in my opinion, is the best one BMW makes, smooth as silk. Do check the maintenance records and look for one that has had oil changes done between the 'free' oil changes done by the dealer. BMW mysteriously doubled the recommended intervals when they started picking up the tab. Go figure. Like the P car, find a good local independent garage for any routine maintenance. A couple of good forums are www.bimmerforums.com and www.e90post.com. Best of luck.

matt777

You can also try http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/
You might find a rant or two about my X3.

flyingchappy

Had a few BMWs mostly 5'ers before the 993, however my wife and I have had an X5, X3 and now 09' 328xi sport as a second car. The 3 series xi drive is phenomenal in the snow and it is an all around solid platform. I know that recent bimmers have had some questionable reliability issues but the 3 doesn't disappoint. I recommend a CPO.

tjangi

you guys are just the best. Tks for all the help sofar.

race911

No AWD experience to offer, but we picked up a sub-30K CPO '06 325i when the market was stalled out Dec '08. The car will never see 100K in that 6 years-from-in-service date, but it's light years ahead of our '99 E46 328i. Sport seats are just so comfortable for the long, long trips. I casually saw they were back to the .9% + 2 free payments, but not sure if that's still going.

Barney1

My DD is a 2003 325xi with 137,000 miles. I have to say its one of the best cars I have ever owned. Aside for some little thinks lately, R/F axle, oil filter housing seal and a coolant expantion tank, this thing is awsum in the snow. I put 4 snows on the factory wheels, and nothing stops it. My father has a 2006 328xi coup. and loves it.