Hi! Just joined BMW CCA yesterday. I can't wait to get involved in some autocross and driver's school/track days. I did some Skip Barber a while back but it's been far too long since I've had a chance to push a car to its limits. Just one catch - I still need to buy my first BMW! I'm looking to buy a 3-series sedan sometime in the next several months and then hopefully replace it with an M3 down the road. I'm a 30 year old computer programmer in Millersville and I'm a big F1 fan and ALMS fan. Currently I'm driving a 2001 Mercedes C320. It's good for what it's made for but is by no stretch a driver's car. Before that I had a 1992 Mitsubishi VR4 which was a ton of fun and served me well during a one-month driving vacation across the country and back. Before that it was a hand-me-down Chevy Cavalier and, my first car, an '85 Buick Century. Any tips for finding a good deal on a used 3-series sedan would be appreciated!
Welcome to the club! You didn't specify whether you were interested in an E30, E36, E46, E90 or F30 (there were no E21 sedans), but start with your budget and what you're interested in. http://www.autotempest.com/ is a fairly comprehensive search site, particularly useful for searching Craigslist ads nationally. You may find autotrader.com, ebay, cars.com, and the others load more quickly if you search them individually.
Wow, sweet site, thanks! Looking for an E90. I'm thinking an '06 or '07 325i/328i. I would love the power of a 335i but I'm trying to get in cheap this time with the hopes of getting an M3 sedan or coupe for my next car.
There's probably some info if you search these forums, but you may want to check bimmerforums.com, bimmerfest.com, and any forums specific to your target car, to check for specifics or issues to look for when shopping. Good Luck, let us know what you got when you get one landed!
Welcome to the asylum! Look for a pre-N55 335i with the N54 twin-turbo; they scared the scheisse out of people for several reasons, but they are insanely fast, and relatively cheap---because they scared the scheisse out of peopl.
Those are BMW engine codes, describing the type of engine in the car - The N54 & N55 are towards the end of the list - http://www.bmwism.com/bmw_e_m_symbols.htm
The N54 is the twin-turbo three-liter six in the 335i; it was succeeded by the single-turbo N55 in most applications, except the Z435is and the 335is.
Bought a 2008 335i on Saturday! Feels great to finally be driving a proper driver's car. Just under 40k miles. Sport package. Black leather w/ silver trim. Manual transmission. I'm still getting used to it so I haven't really cranked it up yet, but it's still pretty fun to drive. I can't wait to get more comfortable with it and they try some autocross or HPDE.
