Can I buy a cheap and reliable BMW?

[GorGasm 563]

No idea sorry   I just saw it on the street when I was running the other day and thought it looked very nice, didn't say for sale or anything, then I saw it come up on market place a day later.  Funny how the world works.

[KwS 2429]

Yeah the last engine i would recommend to anyone that wants a cheap reliable bmw is an N4x series! 😂 Horrible things.

Nice colour on that one though...

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:06 PM, Herbmiester said:

My Niece will be getting her licence in July and she has her heart set on a BMW. She will have a bout 3.5k to spend which I think wont be enough to get something reliable. I was thinking about a an E46 sedan. I see some 1 series are cheap but they are all 116i's which dont have a stellar reputation. Is this possible or do I steer here towards a Japanese car or maybe a Golf? What to do think? 

There's an E36 318ti just popped up in the For Sale thread Barry. Not sure what kids nowadays would think of that, are they "old school" cool yet?

[Olaf 3342]

On 3/13/2022 at 2:24 PM, gjm said:

E46 M43 318i.

yes, we love the way they drive, but compared with a Corolla the BMW will need a whole lot more stuff replacing, like LCAs and bushings, cooling system parts, etc etc... they're really an enthusiast buy not a practical buy.

[KwS 2429]

20 minutes ago, Young Thrash Driver said:

There's an E36 318ti just popped up in the For Sale thread Barry. Not sure what kids nowadays would think of that, are they "old school" cool yet?

Not to toot my own horn, but its a good car. Simple enough to work on that nothing is too scary, and no real common issues like the N series engines in the E46s. Its also fast enough to get out of its own way (and the way of traffic) but slow enough that it shouldn't end up wrapped around a pole.

Corollas of a similar age will need similar servicing (bushings, cooling system etc), but BMW parts are generally a bit pricier than Corolla stuff and maybe not as simple to work on. The interiors on Corollas last a whole lot better too, with many 200,000km+ cars looking almost factory fresh (other than the stains on the seats)

[Deffed 10]

No.