Long-term Reliability of 3-series

Apr 04, 2005 3 Replies

Hello:



I'm debating whether to sell or keep my (2000) 328 sedan, which has almost



99,000 miles on the odometer.

I'm the original owner, and the car has been relatively trouble-free. I've had to replace an oxygen-sensor, as well as belts and steering bushings, but all other maintenance has been routine. The suspension feels a bit less supple than when new, but in all the car drives well. No problems with engine or auto-transmission. I live in Northern California, so the the car's exterior is in excellent condition.



At a recent service visit to a local BMW dealer, the service technician opined that maintenance on these cars becomes more of an issue starting at



110,000 miles.

Has anybody else gone into over-100,000 mile territory with their E46? If I hold onto this car, should I expect frequent and expensive repairs? Would I be better off selling the car now, while it is still in good condtion?



Any advice would be much appreciated ...


well ive got a 97 E36 brougth it 6 months ago at 90K and now its done 106k and touch wood no problems at all.... think a lot of depends though on your engine, obviously a straight 6 is going to go on a lot longer also....

ill let you know when it starts going wrong!!!

good luck

Not true. Despite what a lot of people think, as long as you change oil, the engine is the last thing you have to worry about on a BMW. The whole car falls apart before the engine goes.

also....

You should be able to go another 100k without any major trouble. Of course, the suspension bushes may well need replacement at some time, and the shocks, brakes and exhaust but provided you don't get ripped of by a dealer then they're not hugely expensive. The engine will start to become less tight than a low mileage one but generally they last a long time. Depreication on a newer car will be more than the cost of maintaining the older one.

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