Seeking Advice On 2nd BMW - E46 vs E39

[HaqimRashid]

Fellow brothers, friends and sifus, I recently bought a 94' 325 E36 and currently looking to buy one more unit for the Mrs. We are looking between an E46 99 - 318i, 320i, or E39 99 - 523i for the second car. Seeking advice since i have heard numerous stories abt the 318i saying its a problematic car. Some say not to go with the 318i (2.0) or 320i (2.2) b'coz its BMW (Banyak Makan Wang). If i'm looking for the 318i, i should go for the 318i (1.8) which is less problematic... they say. Any advice and thoughts on this? What's the price range for this model if i'm looking for a 99 model?On the other hand,I tested an e39 525, 97/99 last Sunday. Black, stock E39 rims but the exhaust has been changed to twin tip (L&R). The car's engine looks ok given that it has been cleaned for viewing but the tranny jerks when i floored the pedal. Selling for RM65,000.00. Again, what's the price range for this model for a 97 - 99 model and what should i be looking for when i'm test driving / viewing a car?Appreciate your thoughts and advice.Thank you.Warmest regards.

 

[phas3r]

well the 318 2.0 and 320 2.2 should be the facelifted e46, produced from 2002-2005. not too sure why they said its more problematic? facelifted should be less problematic? and those are the smaller engines ones
also the pre facelift 318 e46 is 1.9 engine, year 99-01. price rm69-80k

also a 97 e39 should be a 523 instead of 525. price is rm48-70k

 

[king82]

e46 or e39...will be depending on which your wife prefers...smaller or bigger...e39 will be slightly higher on the maintenance side, but i guess it's worth it...(my preference would be an E39)

be pretty cautious when you buy from dealers...and if you could, take the car to your trusted mechanic for fault and condition checking so that you'll know roughly how's the car been maintained and what you need to fix/ repair to get it back into tip-top condition...

and jerky gearbox should be a sign of a bad gearbox...a good gearbox should be smooth when transitioning between gears...

for price ranges, you could actually check out mudah.my and thestar classifieds...there's a lot of E39s for sale...

last but not least, don't rush yourself into the deal...take as much time as you need to find the one suitable for you and your mrs...

happy hunting!

 

[HaqimRashid]

Good luck...

Thanks Bro.. Appreciate it..

e46 or e39...will be depending on which your wife prefers...smaller or bigger...e39 will be slightly higher on the maintenance side, but i guess it's worth it...(my preference would be an E39)

be pretty cautious when you buy from dealers...and if you could, take the car to your trusted mechanic for fault and condition checking so that you'll know roughly how's the car been maintained and what you need to fix/ repair to get it back into tip-top condition...

and jerky gearbox should be a sign of a bad gearbox...a good gearbox should be smooth when transitioning between gears...

for price ranges, you could actually check out mudah.my and thestar classifieds...there's a lot of E39s for sale...

last but not least, don't rush yourself into the deal...take as much time as you need to find the one suitable for you and your mrs...

happy hunting!

Hi Sir,

Many thanks for the input and thoughts.. really am taking my time on the search but more incline towards the E39 and also exploring the E38...

well the 318 2.0 and 320 2.2 should be the facelifted e46, produced from 2002-2005. not too sure why they said its more problematic? facelifted should be less problematic? and those are the smaller engines ones
also the pre facelift 318 e46 is 1.9 engine, year 99-01. price rm69-80k

also a 97 e39 should be a 523 instead of 525. price is rm48-70k

Hi Phas3r,

really appreciate the input and thoughts.

 

[kayzhen911]

get the E39 for urself!

 

[rhpw]

Agree! Get the e-39 for yourself and pass the e-36 over to your mrs!
E-39 is a legend and it will always be!

 

[kayzhen911]

used car of the year forever!!!