on your same boat. kind of, looking for an E46 too, 328i is considered too, looking forward to responses.

 

Great cars, i've got no complaints about mine (apart from the fact that its an auto DO NOT BUY AN AUTO but seriously - this question has been answered hundreds of times. Please search, it's not hard and it saves the members a lot of time. I'll dig up some old responses for you in a little bit though.

 

The two biggest things to look out for with the 328 is the autos are prone to failure and perhaps the biggest problem with the 328 is rear subframe failure, where your subframe literally pulls a whole in the rear floor of your car. Other than these things they are great cars well maintained well. Mine has been an absolute treat to own.

 

+1 noreverse.org, and subframe's are fragile on <01 models.

 

my 328i had a tear in the subframe as well as had no reverse for a little bit... but now the auto trans has completely gone (147K miles), and is sitting at the shop awaiting a new trans... try to get a manual if possible... so those who have posted above are telling the truth... just make sure the car you're looking at has had all of its preventive maintenance done so you don't have to do it.

 

Love mine! It's an auto and been working fine (72k).....for now. The auto suits my lifestyle and driving habits better than a manual. If I want to race around I take my 67 Camaro out. Beside replacing the vanos seals, leaking valve cover gasket, and power steering pump it has been a great car. It turns heads and still gets compliments. Tighter steering and cable throttle is nice IMO.

 

same age. have an 00 328i. had a subframe issue at around 150xxx miles. at 175k now and have had NO problem with subframe or auto tranny. if you want auto, get auto. if you want manual, get manual. but to to warn you. If you dont have a really good amount of money in hand, then you might should reconsider. at any given time something could go wrong and cost 500-1000 dollars to fix.

 

I was reading a website with over 95 pages of complaints about the automatic transmissions made by ZF throughout almost all models. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean its not going to happen to the OP if he gets an auto.

Whatever you do, do not get an automatic transmission. If you absolutely need an automatic, get a post 02 one as they are not as prone to failure. If you can't afford that, make sure you get a 328i. The majority of auto failures happen in the 323 and the 330. I've only read of maybe 5 or 10 transmissions going out in a 328i, and never in a 325i.

www.noreverse.org

 

I just bought an 00' 328CI and it is one slick car.

The problems with this model are

Lower Control arms in the front go bad
Rear sway bar goes bad
VANOS gasket seal goes bad
Power Lock actuators go bad


I just placed an order for 2 door lock actuators and a Trunk lock actuator for a total of 250$ shipped. Should take about a whole day to replace them myself, if I paid shop to do this it would be $1000 in labor.


Things you should test for:

-Check under the car, look at the control arms near the suspension, do they look good?
-Take the car in harder turns does it handle well
-At a cold start, does the Idle jump around or stay stable? If it jumps around, you will need to replace the Vanos Gasket, which is cheap but long and hard to DIY.

And if you have to take this to the shop for anything, expect to pay lots of money.

 

Love my E46. Common issues: window/lock regulators, actuators, Oil sensor issues, and other little nuisances that just about every car has. This site is a great resource however, I strongly recommend that you :search: before you ask questions. If you're having a problem, chances are, a thousand other fanatics had the same problem and there's a solution.

 

auto rearsubframe +1

have about 1000 dollars to do major maintence stuff.

 

1. Buy a manual transmission

2. Check the subframe.

 

I don't know if it has been said, but with that mileage, i'd be sure to check out the power steering hose for potential leaks, check the belts and replace tensioner pulley if needed. The front control arms with bushings may likey have to be replaced at some point. Of course cooling system has to be checked out as well. I have a 99' 328i manual w/ 108,000 miles. The said above were the "big" problems I have faced thus far. Other than that, it's a great car

 

Thank you guys,
I expect to buy the car this week.

I have searched and read many threads about this car and the conclusion I've come to is that these are great cars....if they stay allright and no part fails
I suppose I have to take that risk though.ww

 

Definitely check the subframe, have it put on a bridge so you can actually see it. Bought my car and only a few months after started noticing 'the sounds'. Got the dealer to fix it, but did scare me for a while.

I still adore it like the first day, but in retrospect I would have preferred to get a 330. It's the little things (new key, DSC rather than ASC, reverse fold-down mirror, new design (2-stage) steering wheel) and of course 40 extra hp. Plus from what I've read on this forum, 330's appear to get way better fuel economy than a 328.

When I bought mine this was out of the question because of the price difference (atleast 30% more from 328 to 330 with equal miles). Now that car prices are dropping rapidly, you may want to check if a 330 would be within your budget.

 

I thought this car had DSC? - I rely a bit on the these systems as this car will be used in Iceland where there is snow for about 8 months per year

Would it affect me if the car had ASC and not DSC?

 

00328ci auto 102k mls......no subframe issues, a little rough idel when is cold out but once the car is warm no issues, just start it up and go, no issues.

 

rock, your saying that the 00 328 mt has cable throttle where as the 00 328 at has electronic??

 

Yes that is what he was saying and it is correct, I think there was actually a recall on some of the post-2001 with electronic throttle due to very poor and jerky throttle response.

 

that just doesnt make sense. the same year and model, two different throttles. i mean electronic throttle would require a different everything. production date on my car is in 99. this could make a difference.

 

I didn't say that the AT Had an electronic throttle they BOTH don't have electronic throttles.

 

Sorry Rock. What happened was, you said, "if you get manual, believe me, its a good thing." then proceeded to say that they have cable throttle as apposed to electronic. I thought you were comparing AT to MT. My mistake fellas.

 

on the 328s, the rear subframe is prone to failure....
the automatic transmission go bad, so be aware of the possibility of learning manual or changing transmission.
water pump/cooling system needs overhaul at around 100k miles.
front control arms and bushings go bad frequently.
same with rear differential bushing.

those are the major problems that i know of.

 

yeah. honestly man dont get a 328i. If i could, i would get an 01 325ci or 330.

 

I, too, have a '00 328i. 5 speed manual. I just ordered new lower control arms and upgraded control arm bushings from bimmer world. Other than that, it drives like a charm. I would never guess it had 117,000 miles on it. It is tight.

 

Don't let the "rear subframe issue" scare you away. It's overhyped on this site. In actuality, probably less than 1% of 328i's ever had the problem.. it's just that people come to this site to complain when it happens to them. The people who it doesn't happen to don't come here to praise the product. Sure, check it out, along with the other 50 things you should have a qualified BMW mechanic check out before you buy. Good luck with your purchase!

 

+1, this is very true. Not every subframe fails, probably about 10% of them will at some time (could be well past 150-200k), and BMWNA will cover the entire cost of it. It's more of a hassle than a reason not to buy.

 

bryce, i see where you are coming from but I think there is a lot more than 1% that have that problem. its almost inevitable.

 

There were +/- 560,000 e46's produced in it's best year.... I wish there were a way to find out if there were really 5,600 totally blown out subframes out there.

I agree that eventually, subframes might eventually all go out, if given time, but all the other major items needed to drive the car will go out eventually as well. The shops I take my car to in the Seattle area have put reinforcements into some e46's, but not post-incident. And those that have had issues (count on a couple digits on one hand) were because of jackrabbit starts and basic mistreatment of the car. All others were because of track time needs. But even the track isn't putting forces on the mounts the way jackrabbit starts would put on them.

I beat the hell out of my car at the track and because of this overrated submount fear, I have the required tack inspections take a peak at the subframe mounts everytime it is in there; it's human nature I guess.

But realistically, I think there are much more important things to worry about in a pre-buying inspection than the subframe mounts. I'm not saying, "don't check 'em out". I mean, why not, especially if it's up on a rack already.

Again, I wish we could get numbers somehow... it would be intresting to know. The internet skews negative items greatly. Further, I greatly feel for anyone who has indeed experienced a subframe issue.

Cheers.

 

lovely cars, but having owned one for 6 months, not sure i'd recommend them.

from all that i've gathered (including my own experience), they can be problematic and very expensive to maintain. my car before this one was an acura which required absolutely nothing besides oil changes and tire rotations for 50,000 miles. i've already spent $300 on the BMW for other maintenance.

 

What some people don't understand is that on BMW's, some parts are consumables, whereas the same part on another car is not considered a consumable. Control arms on BMW's for example, especially if you are respectfully flogging it, are consumables, just like brakes. Most of the bushings are consumables, just like brake pads... but that's the price you pay for the ride. Once you get over this little variable, owning a BMW and experiencing it's costs become more understandable.

If operating costs are important, surely, don't get a BMW. Get a Japanese car; there are lot's of good ones out there that are a total blast to drive and are an amazing bang for the buck.

 

superman does have a point...