5 1999 - 2005/2006 BMW 3-series | The Benchmark for Awesomeness
By David Zenlea
In case you've spent the last few decades in a cave or some other awful place where you can't read Automobile Magazine, know this: we love the BMW 3-series. In fact, love isn't quite a strong enough word for a car that's been a fourteen-time All-Star, has received five stars after a Four Seasons test - three times! - and generally serves as our benchmark for awesomeness. In a way, our inclusion of the 3-series in a used-car roundup is about as surprising as if NBA commissioner David Stern decided to launch an old-timers league and said, "Hey, why don't we see if that Michael Jordan guy wants to play?"
Every generation of the 3-series has proven extraordinarily fun to drive and worthy of used-car consideration, but the model under discussion here is the fourth generation (E46), which, thanks to its incredible success, is about as plentiful as corn in the U.S. market. The E46 debuted as a sedan in 1999, and coupe, convertible, and wagon variants soon followed. Compared with the preceding E36 3-series - also much loved and very popular - the E46 brought a bigger footprint, new levels of luxury and feature content that we associate with modern BMWs, and, of course, ever greater capabilities. Things started out calmly enough, with a pair of small in-line sixes that produced 170 hp and 193 hp, respectively. We spent a year with the former, and we found it mechanically and dynamically unimpeachable, although some, predictably, thought it had "lost its edge" compared with the previous generation. Power increased to 225 hp from a new 3.0-liter in 2001 and topped out at 235 hp in 2003 with the very desirable ZHP sport package, which also included a sportier suspension and appearance upgrades. All-wheel drive eventually was added to the options list as well. Coupe and convertible E46s hung around until the 2006 season.
But the real revelation was the new M3, which debuted for 2001 with more aggressive, flared bodywork; a fortified suspension; and a 333-hp in-line six that was shockingly high-tech then, is still impressive today, and will likely be considered a classic powerplant years from now. We lived with the 2001 M3 for a year and essentially concluded it was perfect in every way. We haven't changed our minds - we'd happily live with it or any gently used E46 3-series.
Price Then $26,970 (1999 323i)
Price Now $6500
> Awards
All-Star ('99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04, '05)
> Watch out for
The E46 3-series is quite reliable, particularly for a performance-oriented European car. The glaring exception is the all-wheel-drive model - avoid it. Engine cooling in general can also be an issue.
> Fun fact
Since the inception of All-Stars, there has been only one 3-series not to receive the award: the 1984-1991 E30. Even the legendary E30 M3 garnered only an honorable mention. Oops.
> Web site
e46fanatics.com
> Certified Pre-Owned
6-yr/100,000-total-mile limited warranty
> Specs
- 2.5L I-6, 170/184 hp, 175/181 lb-ft; 2.8L I-6, 193 hp, 206 lb-ft; 3.0L I-6, 225/235 hp, 214 lb-ft; 3.2L I-6, 333 hp, 262 lb-ft
- Five- or six-speed manual, five-speed automatic, six-speed sequential manual
- Rear- or 4-wheel drive ...next page >>