BMW Wagon - need your 2 cents

I'm looking at a 2001 BMW Wagon 325xi. It's got 114K on the clock and has had some suspension maintenance (ball joints etc). Looks pretty clean and will likely sell for $5000. I own a 17 year old 911 and a 45 year old BMW, so I'm not overly concerned about older German things, but I don't know EWhathaveyou BMW cars. I once considered a 2000 V8 Wagon, but was so traumatized by frightening tales of collapsed air bags and broken timing chain guides that I fled and started looking for early 90s full-size Ford wagons. I'm kind of back on the BMWs now. I have no idea what a Vanos is either.

What do I need to know?

I was looking for one of these a few months ago. I love the way that they look, but I hated the way the steering felt with the AWD in that generation. I took a test drive and had to turn around at a cul de sac. The steering feels absolutely dead, especially as you get further off center.

Look for oil leaks, bad cv joints/boots. Bushings may be worn. Typical that the cooling system will need lots of work like a new rad and water pump. Vanos is variable valve timing. It can be a problem and require some hours and fairly expensive parts to fix. Check that the rear wiper actually works, the pivot bearing will seize with time.

The E46 cars are pretty solid, but YMMV. I have owned a 2011 328ix wagon (E91) for one year. I spent about $2200USD on repairs plus $400 on maintenance again YMMV.

I'm on my third BMW wagon 5 Series. Got over 300000 miles each on the first two period on my third one I have about a hundred and eighty thousand miles 2002 model. If you have an oil leak up high on front it's a $3 gasket for the oil filter fitting. Often cooling service required at 100000 but you can buy a radiator for a hundred bucks and I have another hundred for the water pump and that's all you need for the next hundred and twenty thousand miles. Mine has been awesome. Or rather should I say all three of mine have been awesome with a total of 800000 miles on the three of them

Fwiw I bought all of them used with about 90 to a hundred thousand miles on them

Wagons are hard to find, so beggars can't really be choosers, but do you really want AWD?

The AWD components on my E90 get in the way of a lot of DIY maintenance tasks and access to change fluid in the transfer case in that vehicle is quite bad.

I've also been looking at BMW wagons for quite some time, and would likely be looking for something about 10 years old. I'm not committed to either the 3- or the 5-series, but I'm inclined to favor the inline sixes based upon their reputed reliability/durability and of course fuel economy. How are the V-8's? Are there any engines to avoid? I agree that they are very appealing vehicles.

Starting with the 2003 m/y, steering feel is substantially improved from the "Ultimate Parking Machine" of the pre-facelift E46s. However, the xi AWD still compromises the front suspension geometry somewhat.

Plan on replacing the entire cooling system. All of it. These blow head gaskets quite easily.

Up here in the NE every one of those that I have looked at had rust in the rockers and in the A and the B pillars. After that cv joints seemed to be an issue. Other than tgat it was "normal" BMW stuff.

For 5k it better be a very good car. Needy ones go for about 3k around here with clapped out ones with the rust noted above for challenge money.

E46fanatics now has a dedicated Touring sub-section. Some really knowledgeable folks there.

e46 Touring section

Really solid cars, way better than the E36s in my opinion.

Only downside I think to the AWD models is the front suspension is kinda strange, there isn't much of a "subframe" as much as there is stringers here and there that brackets hang off of that the control arms actually attach to.

Also, when the oil pan gasket leaks, it's going to leak more or less forever since the front diff is part of it and what would normally be an annoyingly difficult task becomes something totally other and "car diapers" start to sound like a good idea, since you have to do a lot of onion-peeling before you can actually get to the part where you deal with the oil pan.

Anyway, I'd hold out for a 330. The difference in driving is quite noticeable, and they aren't any more expensive or different maintenance/repair-wise.

I'm kind of surprised at the idea that wagons are rare. Probably half of the E46s that I service are wagons. And most of them are AWD.

Ooh, that reminds me: Almost nobody makes replacement shocks for the AWD models. Pretty much your only option for front struts is Bilstein HD. So you can't put crap-o-matic Monroe Sensatracs on an AWD E46, you're forced to buy something decent

I don't think BMW offered a 330i in the wagon. The only ones I've ever seen were swaps.

dyintorace wrote: I don't think BMW offered a 330i in the wagon. The only ones I've ever seen were swaps.

Come to think of it, every wagon I've seen was a 325. I simply assumed that BMW made every chassis with every engine given that the only functional difference between the two is more oomph and different numbers on the back of the car.

What's the one with the electric water pump?

Looks like I'm going to continue looking for a 1990 Ford Country Squire.

A 3.0 engine goes for about a grand more than the 2.5 so it depends on how much ypu want the hp and if you care about the lower mpg, about 2-3 difference.

E90s (2006-on) got the electric water pumps. In reply to Knurled:

Apis Mellifera wrote: What's the one with the electric water pump.

e9X series.

Knurled wrote:

dyintorace wrote: I don't think BMW offered a 330i in the wagon. The only ones I've ever seen were swaps.

Come to think of it, every wagon I've seen was a 325. I simply assumed that BMW made every chassis with every engine given that the only functional difference between the two is more oomph and different numbers on the back of the car.

I sure wish they had offered all of the various engines in the Touring! A 330i, or even an M3 motor, in a Touring would be awesome! That's what I hope to do with the 2003 Touring I just bought.

OP - I don't think you mentioned whether this car is auto or 5 speed. If it's a 5speed wagon, it's a little bit of a unicorn and maybe worth a slightly premium price. That's assuming that there is NO rust. If you do your own wrenching and shop carefully you can most of the deferred maintenance for around $1100.