Hi, all, I am a student in college, and have found a pretty good deal on a BMW 3 series, e46 generation. However, I have only driven new cars before, and I have 0 experience in fixing anything car related. I would like to know what maintaining costs would go into owning an old BMW, as well as its durability, the chances of it actually breaking down, if it is durable enough to be driven in the winter. All in all I am just concerned about how durable it is, not really trying to have it die on me on the freeway :/. Thank you all!
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[–] SkepticalMartian ago
S54 engines are solid. The most common failure point is the cooling system. The coolant pump is sort of bad, and when they go they like to pretty much shatter since the impeller is made of plastic. Not necessarily a showstopper, and not horribly expensive to deal with, but it's a potential issue.
People are going to try to tell you that the cost of ownership is horrendous, but it really isn't. Certain parts may cost a bit more, but if you source them properly it's not bad. The only time cost of ownership gets a little high is when you get in to the M and Z series.