BMW 3-Series Coupe (1999 - 2006) 320 Ci 2d (03) Owner Review

A true BMW is all about handling, grip, dynamics and perfect weight distribution (the E46 having a perfect 50/50 weight distribution). If you don't have a passion for cars and driving, buy something else. Another tip which you must remember is that you must convert your way of thinking - don't think in MPG (Miles Per Galon), but in SMG (Smiles Per Galon). As every premium car brand, it would require high-quality maintenance by BMW specialists, but compared to the others, it is well worth it and it is a very easy car to work on yourself as well. 4 cylinder petrol engines may be favoured by some, but are unreliable, too low on power for the chassis, MPG is relatively the same as a 6 cylinder engine and therefore not worth having one at all. The 6 cylinder M54 engine is the one you want. It comes in 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0-litre displacements.The fuel consumption is almost the same between them and they are bulletproof engines when serviced on time with quality parts. The diesels are M47 2.0l 4 cylinder and a M57 3.0l 6 cylinder. Both are reliable and have excellent MPG. The only drawback is that the 6 cylinder diesels after 2003 have piezo injectors which are not serviceable and you would have to buy new ones if they fail, so if after a diesel, go for a pre-2003 model. Manual gearboxes are perfect and if equipped with a short shifter and a slightly heavier gear knob, shifting gears becomes heaven. The automatic gearboxes are all bulletproof, just ignore the lifetime guarantee from BMW and service them every 50k-60k miles and they will perform excellent, same goes for the differentials. Automatic gearboxes can be remapped and therefore transform the car with better and quicker shifts, a common upgrade is having an Alpina automatic gearbox remap. Overall this is a car for the driver and enthusiast and if you just get one and expect to abuse it and neglect it, it will BITE you back (as it should)! It benefits from an enormous fan base and lots of groups on social media and forums where you can gain knowledge and find answers to all your questions. Being the car it is and a worthy successor of previous 3-series (E21,E30,E36) it still retains the old values of BMW from back in the day, compared to modern, money-making and plastic BMW's and you would find an abundance of parts for it and even better, parts are interchangeable from other series (5,7,X5 and so on). As a conclusion, the last REAL BMW's are the E46 3-series, E39 5-series and the E38 7-series on which you get all the character, mechanical feel, good bits and the last fun and reliable engines BMW had to offer.