I'm a broke college student looking for a car that is cheap and kinda fun to drive. I've been thinking about getting a E46 or a E39 with M47 engine since they don't use that much fuel and are reliable.Is this a bad idea?
>>28204370>slow af diesel >still have to deal with all the typical 20/30 year old BMW niggles (plastic cooling system, window regulators etc)Just get a corolla anon
>>28204370all you need to do is set aside the stereotype and you've got the cheapest fun you can get
>>28204374>>28204375I forgot to mention that I'm in eastern europe so thanks to our amazing laws I'll end up paying an arm and a leg for anything that has over 2l of displacement
>>28204370>and are reliable
>>28204378Maybe a golf then idk? MK5 GTI might be a good daily for a europoor, if you can swing it.
>>28204383I would get one but they are above my price range of 3k
>>28204370>broke college studentYes. Any BMW affordable enough for someone who is broke will have problems, and unless you can fix them yourself, it will cost more than the cars worth to have them fixed. I love the E46 and E39, but they will wring your wallet dry if you're not willing or able to buy a decent one.
>>28204370just buy a miata already, fuck
>>28204395>and unless you can fix them yourself,They shouldn't be that hard to work on, right? I do know how to do some basic maintenance>>28204399They cost a lot here plus they are awful daily drivers
>>28204404>They shouldn't be that hard to work on, right?Depends on what you have to do, and if you have the tools to do it. Could be as simple as replacing a cam sensor, but could also be as involved as replacing a driveshaft centre support bearing. Not fun if you're working on your back in your driveway.
>>28204412>but could also be as involved as replacing a driveshaft centre support bearing.I don't think I could do this on any car so if it came up I'd be fucked regardless
>>28204399found a 1998 1.6 NB Miata at 180k miles for $25k
>>28204404>too expensive look harder>awful daily driversI daily mine no problem. actual, unironic skill issue
the m47 is a solid choice, last a long time with minimal maintenanceget the newer 110kw version. The old 100kw versions have bad injection pumps
>>28204426>I daily mine no problemDo you get snow where you live?
>>28204430Anything else I should know about?
>>28204431what does that have to do with anything?
>>28204431not a problem with snow tires and a semblance of throttle control
>>28204437It snows here, wouldn't it be cold in a soft top?
>>28204440I mis under stood
>>28204440As long as your soft top doesn't have a gaping hole in it, they're better insulated than you'd think. Their heaters are quite toasty too.
>>28204440NB miatas rust really bad even if you don't get road salt on it
>>28204416Then I honestly don't know what to say or recommend. I loved my E46 and E39 with a passion, but they ALWAYS needed something doing, just something that comes with age and perishing seals. Take the leap if you want, but just know there is risk in buying a cheap one that hasn't already had work done.
>>28204451How does the driving experience differ between them?
>>28204370Mondeo is the answerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxwMyiDJRy0&pp=ygUSbWlzY2hpZWYgdHYgbW9uZGVv
>>28204370If you find one in good condition it's a great car. Problem is most have had many owners and are shit. Look for gearbox slop (fifth gear lean). Bad breaks. Shit tires. Dirty engine bay. Problems with power. Coolant not getting up to temperature. Rust.If it has any of those you probably shouldn't buy it because somebody didn't look after their car.
>>28204462The E39 is the clear winner in terms of sheer comfort, but the E46 is probably the better choice for "muh twisties". The E39 would wallow about and understeer when pushed hard, but the E46 was much more composed and quick to respond, I assume due to the weight differences between them. Speaking of weight, I would also guess that the 4 pot diesel in a an E39 would result in a pretty lethargic acceleration, so if you don't want to get gapped by miatas, then I'd lean more towards the E46.TLDR; E39 is way more comfy, E46 handles better and is marginally faster.
>>28204494I'll look at e46s then>>28204484Thanks for the advice
>>28204370>broke college student>eastern europe>cheap and kinda fun>3k budget>I do know how to do some basic maintenanceOh sweet summer child.Friend of mine has an E46 320d and just about everything on it has gone in the 3 years of his ownership, bunch of little issues popped up as soon as he bought it so it sat for a month before he saved up enough money to fix him, soon after the turbo died, alternator died and left him stranded once, had some kind of electrical issue this one time and none of the doors would open so he had to crawl out of the trunk, sunroof stopped working, springs gave out and so many more issues. I can't speak on the E39 but from what I can tell the E46 is a horrible car that's also very expensive to maintain here for its age. You'd probably spend twice the amount of money maintaining it than you would if you were in an econobox.I'm eastern yuro and in my cunt tree there's simply no such thing as cheap and fun beyond said old BMWs that are falling apart or some occasional rare find you can't even get parts for. I highly recommend just finding a shitbox that's somewhat fun to drive instead. The old Audi A3s with the 1.6 VAGina engine are a dime a dozen here, they're decently light, economical, they produce some okay power and I'm pretty sure they're fairly reliable.If you're still set on something sporty then you could also keep in mind some Fiats/Alfa Romeos with the 1.9 JTD engine, they're really quick.
>>28204513your friend just bought a shit car full stop
>>28204513>fix himIt>out of the trunkto exit the car>if you were in an econoboxOf its ageI hate multitasking
>>28204513I've heard horror stories about alfas of that era (well besides the engines). An a3/golf/octavia with 1.9 might not be bad tho
>>28204513if you can't handle a bmw vagshit is even worse lol
>>28204521I dunno man, I've always been told that old Beamers are money pits and the closest I've had to an experience with one more than confirmed that myth to me.>>28204523>I've heard horror stories about alfas of that eraI think you could find a pretty solid 147. Another friend of mine has had it for a year or so and, beyond some minor issues that popped up when he bought it, he's pretty much had zero issues with it. Just avoid the Selespeed ones and make sure to check for rust.>An a3/golf/octavia with 1.9 might not be bad thoAs an econobox yeah, they have a good reputation, but I doubt it would be particularly fun.
>>28204549people say that to keep the prices down hehehe
>>28204549I saw an old Toyota broken down on the side of the street. Well I guess they are not as reliable as people say.
>>28204378>>28204370>broke college student in fucking eastern europeShut the fuck up, commute by bicycle and spare us the daydreaming.
>>28204505e46s need subframe reinforcement, while rack and pinion (STRAIGHT six) E39s are perfect out of the box and are the best sports sedan overall tjat there is
>>28204370>broke college studenta 20 year old german sports sedan is not for you, get a sim
>>28204730>get a simI need a car and a 4 cylinder diesel is not a sports sedan
>>28204370I drive an E46 and it has a handful of annoying electrical issues that my mechanic and I haven't been able to solve. It is fun to drive, but can be discouraging to get pulled on by a soccermom in some eggshit since it doesn't have a ton of power.
>>28204370Neither of those are are reliable.fun, shure.reliable, hell no.are Euros retarded?
>>28204943bmws are the most reliable euro cars silly child
>>28204370>broke college student mk1 Fabia TDISpare yourself of having to pay tow to a crusher with e46/e39.
>>28204947is the bar set at rock bottom?no Toyotas of Honda in Euro land?
>>28205274>fag wheel drive
>>28204370What the fuck?! No. Get a Corolla.
>I'm a broke college student...>I'm also European (therefore poor)>Not only that, I'm eastern European (therefore extra poor)>I need something reliable>... and fuel efficient>A used, beat up BWM rustbox? Perfect!every fucking time lmfao
>>28204378Fucking grim. I am thankful every day I was not born eur*pean.
Those cars ain’t for broke students.
>>28205278do Euro Poors really?
>>28206499Care about driving dynamics? Must be why there's so many successful Japs in F1, they're raised on FWD shitboxes.
>>28204370I own both these - e39 m5 and e46 m3 pic rel. my m5 recently hit 300k km, e46 at 140k km, ask me anything.M5 is the better daily but M3 is my fav M car of all time (i also own an M4 btw)
>>28206986I’ve also owned 2x e46 328ci, 318ci, 325i, 320d touring, e39 520i, 530i, 525d touring, 530d touring, 540i and many other bmws, mileages from 60k km to over 600k km
>>28206991how do you get rid of the slop in the gear box?
>>28206991Have you driven a Z4 M? Are they any good?
>>28206991Was 320d reliable and was it hard to maintain? Was it expensive to run? How was it to drive?
>>28204370SAAB would be perfect for you, 9-3 petrol or a TTiD diesel 180hp
>>28207566They are rare around here but I found one for 2700. It's a 2005 150hp diesel and judging by the pictures it's in good condition. I'm worried about parts availability
>>28207572The diesels are a fiat 1.9, pretty good simple engines and there are parts, go try it see how it feels
>>28207581If they are fiat engines then it should be fine. I'll give a guy a call and try to meet him next weekend
My dad had a 540i E39. The repairs made it impossible to keep. You won't be able to fix it cheaply unless you do it yourself, and parts are expensive and sometimes have to be imported from Germany. I found the handling to be a bit stiff and really my biggest issue was the lack of joy. It was just sort of cold and mechanical. The V8 was fast, but it wasn't much fun to wring out, it was just more like cold-blooded. I only drove/rode in the e46 briefly but it seems fine if small, but the smaller v6 is garbage, the 330 was fineI thought the e36 was a lot more fun but you won't afford repairs let alone for the m3 e36 that actually has the best handling of any that I tried. Maybe you should get a turbo mazda 3 hatch, anon. Or a used Honda Accord 2.0T.
>>28207588>Maybe you should get a turbo mazda 3 hatch, anon. Or a used Honda Accord 2.0T.Those don't really exist over here. It's mostly german, italian and french cars
>>28204706Have you ever driven an E39 I6? I have a 530i and while I love it, that shit is not sporty out of the box for sure. Rack and pinion or no, the stock steering is vague compared to real sporty cars. And yes I replaced all the suspension components.
I have had a e87 120dcurrently have a 325i e91 and an e36 coupe 320ibuying a non i6 bmw is a joke, an i4 diesel e46/e39 is the biggest clown thingyou get all the benefits of an 25 year old bmw with all the amazing characteristics of an inline poor dieselkys opjust buy a honda jizz
>>28204378buy a 1.7 lada
>>28207682We actually had a niva that we used to transport shit around the farm, rust destroyed the car
>>28207603Yes, I have an E39 530i with M-sport suspensionRack and pinion E39s are perfect out of the box and are the best sports sedan overall that there is; get over it
>>28204370>Eastern yuropeanyeah sorry bro but your gonna have to get a LADA/VAZ/UAZ or some chink car
>>28204370lmao
>>28204384bmws are only cheap to maintain if your time is worthless
>>28207989Well it kinda is
>>28204370>e46 or e39>fun to drivelmao my ass offGot an e46 330xi automatic as a winter car, occasionally drive muh dad’s e46 330ci manual in the summers. They’re nice cars and I enjoy driving them, but make no mistake, it’s a semi luxury everyman’s car. Check for rust tho
>>28204438basado
>>28204370>I'm a broke college student looking for a car that is cheap and kinda fun to drive.fiesta or focus zetec
>>28204416It's not a good car for you then. They drive very nicely but they are also very needy, you should expect a cheap BMW to be leaking everything from everywhere.
>>28209065Those that came with a zetec badge or just with the engine?
>>28204440I daily a rag top wrangler with bad heat and it gets to single digits (Fahrenheit) for months here.
>>28208665>xdrive automatic>convertibleYou’re driving the heaviest possible models of the E46
>>28204370Just buy an e90 328i or 325i and shut the funk up
>>28209459>convertibleNTA but C is coupe or convertible.
>>28204370I have a e46 320d 2004.It's been pretty reliable. I've had it for 2 years now.I had to do all of the brakes, everything was rusted to shit.Had to change the front control arms.Small coinsize hole needed to be welded in the floor.It's been very reliable. You have to push it once in a while to get out all of the carbon and shit and it runs very smooth.
>>28205331Universal healthcare apart it's a hellscape of overregulation and despair
>>28212988if healthcare is universal how come I don't have healthcare unless I pay 270 euro every monthi don't pay fuck the communists
>>28208665xdrive is for faggots only.
>>28204370Nothing is more expensive than a cheap German car
>>28204370>broke college studentyour most "fun" options are:focus mk2 1.6 petrolgolf/seat leon 1.9 tdi 131 bhpmazda 3 1.6 petrol which is the same car as the focusoctavia 1.9/2.0 tdiopel astra g coupe
>>28213788and if you dont mind a small car perhaps an ibiza, polo or corsa
>>28213796I had a corsa but a run in with a deer made me no longer have it
>>28209446Why would you admit this on the internet?
