Eagle 1662 Report post Posted December 17, 2016 I dont think the 4 cylinder M42,M43 and M44 powered BMW's are fine , they lack in power dept but they have less flaws than the 6 cylinder M5X engines. The last 3 series that id consider truely reliable would be the E30 - better built, much more simple and cheap to maintain and repair. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) 11 hours ago, Eagle said: I dont think the 4 cylinder M42,M43 and M44 powered BMW's are fine , they lack in power dept but they have less flaws than the 6 cylinder M5X engines. The last 3 series that id consider truely reliable would be the E30 - better built, much more simple and cheap to maintain and repair. For reliability, you'll have to go a long way to beat an M43! Older BMWs may be simpler to fix, and in some cases will match reliability, but won't necessarily give you the same refinement. It's a balance. I recall someone saying to me (many years ago, when I bought an E21 323i) that he'd never buy a 6-cylinder car because they were 50% more expensive to service than a 4-pot. I thought he was just a doddery old geezer at the time, but there's a lot less to go wrong, less to fix, and... Well, you get the idea! Edited December 17, 2016 by gjm 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted December 17, 2016 in addition, there's something very special about the handling balance of the M43-powered e46. Yes, it's missing 2 cylinders... but the way it tips in to corners is sublime. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjm 3258 Report post Posted December 17, 2016 1 hour ago, Olaf said: in addition, there's something very special about the handling balance of the M43-powered e46. Yes, it's missing 2 cylinders... but the way it tips in to corners is sublime. The engine is so far back in the engine bay, there's almost enough room to climb in there with it. Just saw Ray's post re the Z3... Tempting, for Miss M. That, or (if I can find one) a E46 M43TU coupe with a manual box. There was one for sale on here a while ago but the timing (for us) was wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huff3r 347 Report post Posted December 17, 2016 I can definitely agree about the M43. After doing over 30,000kms since I bought it, with only oil changes, the waterpump is leaking. At 250,000kms. I'd say thats well overdue, but apart from that it runs smoothly and almost like new. I'd happily say it's one of the most reliable engines BMW ever made, and easily the most reliable car I have owned. Beats the E30 M40s and M20s hands down just by not having a potentially troublesome cambelt, and I haven't really heard of anyone having issues with the M43s chain. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Haitoman 110 Report post Posted December 17, 2016 Looks like I am repeating others but from experience I can say that six-cylinder E46 BMWs are very reliable. In 10 years ownership of both a 330i and an M3 I can hand on heart say I have only spent money on oil changes and tyres. Everything else has been cosmetic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
My545 25 Report post Posted March 27, 2017 What did ya get? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted May 13, 2017 @BimDim - so did you go any further on this journey? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted May 13, 2017 1 hour ago, Olaf said: @BimDim - so did you go any further on this journey? I'd say they were scared away from a 6k BMW for life Last logged in: December 15, 2016 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted May 13, 2017 21 minutes ago, Michael. said: I'd say they were scared away from a 6k BMW for life Last logged in: December 15, 2016 it's possible, or perhaps even likely. Still, I didn't want to assume... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted May 13, 2017 Their loss if they didn't 2004-2006 last of the E46s would have been a good buy! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
