WTB: A New Daily Driver

[autokunst]

It is time to retire my beloved Daily Driver, Gadget, a 2011 335i x-drive, manual 6-speed with 200,000 miles on the clock. It is not being retired for the mileage alone - there are other unfortunate factors.

I have already started to look for a suitable replacement, in hope of finding a new-to-me trusted and beloved fair weather daily. I just recently missed out on a car that I thought was a perfect fit:

This is an E46 touring, with a ZHP drivetrain swap, manual trans, and a color combination that I love.


Here is the short list of my Wish List. By no means complete as there are so many cars I am open to considering:

- E46 touring
- E46 sedan (preferably ZHP package)
- Any car with the M54B30 engine
- Form factor not much if any larger than my current E90 sedan. So likely a 3-series or earlier 5 series? Or?
- Younger or older than E46, definitely considered
- Something that rises above a sea of "normal" daily drivers. An IYKYK car

To sum up: A car with at least a decade of life left to enjoy because it is low mileage and was cared for by one of us.

I am excited about tourings, sedans and even "special" coupes. Prefer the E46 era but would seriously consider special cars outside that range. I do think a manual transmission is necessary, but am open to being challenged.

Thanks for looking!
Stephen

 

[e9Leveque]

Go for the best BMW sedan of the modern era - E39 or even better M5 E39. Relatively reliable, parts are pretty easy to find, loads of power, available in manual (yes!) or auto (well, ok).
I own one and love it, previously had an E38. One of these in good condition can be found for relatively cheap. Like any BMW, there are certain things that are “has to be checked” before purchasing, mainly whether the VANOS and chain guides have been redone around 100-120k.

 

[Bmachine]

Yes! The e46 touring with zhp motor and manual box is (to me) the holy grail of DDs. I have the first part and can attest to the incredible usability combined with fun to drive character of that car. Great to throw around the corners with a bunch of 8’ 2by4s along with several 10’ conduit pipes for the next remodeling project.

Only downside is the poor gas mileage and the e90 seats are definitely better (to me at least)



10ft Xmas tree

 

[autokunst]

Go for the best BMW sedan of the modern era - E39 or even better M5 E39. Relatively reliable, parts are pretty easy to find, loads of power, available in manual (yes!) or auto (well, ok).
I own one and love it, previously had an E38. One of these in good condition can be found for relatively cheap. Like any BMW, there are certain things that are “has to be checked” before purchasing, mainly whether the VANOS and chain guides have been redone around 100-120k.

Well, sure. I think an M5 would suffice in the power category - ha ha. I hadn't let myself consider such a beast, but I am enjoying thinking about it after your suggestion. That might be a little more car than I need. But I'll add it to the list. My fears are the necessary maintenance to that wonderful S62 engine and the associated costs therein. But otherwise, yes!

 

[autokunst]

Yes! The e46 touring with zhp motor and manual box is (to me) the holy grail of DDs. I have the first part and can attest to the incredible usability combined with fun to drive character of that car. Great to throw around the corners with a bunch of 8’ 2by4s along with several 10’ conduit pipes for the next remodeling project.

Only downside is the poor gas mileage and the e90 seats are definitely better (to me at least)

View attachment 213682

10ft Xmas tree

I can only imagine the storage capacity is glorious. Heck, I can get 8' 2x4s and 10' pipes in my E90 sedan. These wagons - no one seemed to want them when they were new, and now they are a niche thing. Love it! Which version do you have, Bo? 325it? (that seems to be the most prevalent iteration).

So the hunt has been refined to:
- E46 touring/sedan
- E39 touring/sedan/M5 (these are roughly 10" longer than my E90, and 15" longer than the E46s)

This search (and fun) continues.

 

[e9Leveque]

I have the 540i, which is the M62 engine, but both that and the S62 are really not that maintenance-heavy. There are some common things that go wrong but aside from the above-mentioned timing chain/VANOS, most of them can be fixed in your own without too much difficulty. This is likely the instance, though, where spending a bit more upfront to purchase one that’s mechanically sound pays off over time. Especially for a daily driver. That evaluation may be more necessary for a 530/540 over the M5, since the non-Ms can be picked up for $8-12k, so you get a lot of younger folks purchasing them and using for a bit then selling. Since the Ms cost a bit more it’s a different crowd. But yes, highly recommend checking them out. And getting a nice M5 for around $40k is definitely possible

 

[Bmachine]

I can only imagine the storage capacity is glorious. Heck, I can get 8' 2x4s and 10' pipes in my E90 sedan. These wagons - no one seemed to want them when they were new, and now they are a niche thing. Love it! Which version do you have, Bo? 325it? (that seems to be the most prevalent iteration).

So the hunt has been refined to:
- E46 touring/sedan
- E39 touring/sedan/M5 (these are roughly 10" longer than my E90, and 15" longer than the E46s)

This search (and fun) continues.

Yes, I have the plain Jane 325 IT. And, automatic on top of that! I've been trying to do the zhp or just 330i/manual conversion for a while but, as you know, budget is needed elsewhere these days…

One thing I have to mention is the reliability. You always hear about how fickle the modern era BMW's are. I bought this one with 95,000 miles. It now has 185,000. The only thing I've ever had to do was replace one sensor and one coil pack. I am ashamed to admit it, but, as a daily, it has been taken far too much for granted. It sleeps outside, regularly assaulted by wind, rain, fog and salty air. But it has never missed a beat. I love it

 

[Arazz73TII]

Go for the best BMW sedan of the modern era - E39 or even better M5 E39. Relatively reliable, parts are pretty easy to find, loads of power, available in manual (yes!) or auto (well, ok).
I own one and love it, previously had an E38. One of these in good condition can be found for relatively cheap. Like any BMW, there are certain things that are “has to be checked” before purchasing, mainly whether the VANOS and chain guides have been redone around 100-120k.

I’d have to agree. I have a 2003 M5 I was looking to sell to help me buy my first E9 but I just replaced my timing chain guides and tensioners, Vanos, thermostat, and rod bearings. The car is near perfect. Hard to give up.

 

[Clubsport_CSi]

I love my 2002 330iA Sedan as daily driver. Driving it on LPG
Bought with around 90k km, now I am at 350k km.
Pay attention to rust; the M54 has its issues (cooling system, air leaks, vanos, valve cover gasket, crank shaft ventilation, etc.) - but everything can be handled by yourself.
There is a great community at E46fanatics.

 

[sfdon]

Don’t buy the California low emissions model! $6000.00 fuel pump replacement cost!

SULEV (California emissions) models (like some M56 engines) where the pump is sealed in the tank, requiring a whole tank replacement,

 

[Bmachine]

Don’t buy the California low emissions model! $6000.00 fuel pump replacement cost!

SULEV (California emissions) models (like some M56 engines) where the pump is sealed in the tank, requiring a whole tank replacement,

Yep, good point. Actually I believe all M56s had the sealed tank and pump combo. They had a 15 year warranty but that has long since gone of course. So these days I would indeed definitely stay away from those. (Says the guy who has a perfectly healthy 185,000 miles M56 himself...)

 

[bluecoupe30!]

I can only imagine the storage capacity is glorious. Heck, I can get 8' 2x4s and 10' pipes in my E90 sedan. These wagons - no one seemed to want them when they were new, and now they are a niche thing. Love it! Which version do you have, Bo? 325it? (that seems to be the most prevalent iteration).

So the hunt has been refined to:
- E46 touring/sedan
- E39 touring/sedan/M5 (these are roughly 10" longer than my E90, and 15" longer than the E46s)

This search (and fun) continues.

An E39 Touring makes a wonderful daily driver. There is a 5 speed manual on BAT right now.

 

[Bmachine]

Here is another option that goes in a different direction.

Since we are talking daily driver, the priorities are different than simply "The most badass set of wheels I can get". Efficiency comes to mind. As I mentioned, one thing I do not like about my 325it (besides the transmission) is the gas mileage. We have a lot of hills where we live and no freeways so I get an average of 22mpg. And I have to cover a lot of distances so it gets expensive. So I have decided that, when the time comes, my replacement for this one will be... a 2018 or later i3. This is the latest incarnation of this carbon fiber pioneering car, it still is a breakthrough design in many ways, uber functional and, with the REX version, you get about 180 miles range. And, as an electric car, almost $0 maintenance costs except for tires. Very compelling characteristics for an interesting daily driver.

 

[boonies]

Electric is interesting for sure. I have a 2018 Tesla Model S and a 2018 Audi Q7. Before I retired I used the Audi as my commute vehicle after my wife was done with it and wanted the EV.

The Tesla irritated me with a repeated maintenance item of a door handle that failed and a window switch that failed....not so bad, and the Audi has been bullet proof until just recently. 85k miles on it and it is DRINKING oil at a clip of a quart every 300 miles. We have had this car since new and do regular oil changes, heck I have even changed the lifetime transmission fluid.

I am going to do a piston soak (filling the combustion chambers with Berryman B-12 to soak) this week. I am doing it myself as the dealer wanted $1,900 for the job (after the extended warranty company said nope) and I figured that I certainly have the skill set for that job.

Long-winded way to get to the wind-up of electric is darn cheap to run as a daily...until the lithium battery goes, but you generally have years before you need to worry about that happening.

 

[otter74]

Perhaps BMW is a requirement for you, but my 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI is outstanding as an everyday car if you also need a car to do well on road trips too and not just city driving. It won’t have the suspension tuning of an E46, but it’s pretty good and that’s easy to fix. Mostly it’s just a bit soft. Mine has a tune on it (and emissions delete, because I was tired of getting my cats stolen over and over again and Illinois doesn’t test diesels) and has about 180hp, 300 ft-lb of torque, and I get 45-46mpg on the highway. Size is perfect - big enough to swallow any of my bikes, and lots of other stuff, but not too big. Stupid Volkswagen stuff happens (sigh), but this isn’t meaningfully different from any other flavor of stupid German car things.

 

[day66]

The E46 and E39 may well be the best (respectively) of the 3 and 5 series but they are getting old. From my E34 experiences, I'd say parts availability will be reaching a cliff edge pretty soon for the E46 and E39 too.
I loved the E46 saloon I had, the E46 convertible less so - that did have the ZHP/Motorsport stuff on it - better looks but a worse driving experience, with a particularly dreadful ride on the 18 inch wheels - for the majority of the time I ran it on 16 inch wheels, only putting the 18s back on to sell it.
I was looking for a large estate myself a few years back and was tempted by an E60 (or is it E61?) 550 touring as I don't do many miles and wanted an auto, but in the end went for the Jaguar instead (which has worked out well FWIW)

 

[lip277]

I am in the same boat (kinda) for what to have for my daily driver car......
I have two daily driver cars - a 2001 E38 with about 245,000 miles on it that was originally my parents car and a 997.1 with 160,000 miles. Both run great- but I know I am one thing breaking (again) on the E38 to put me totally under water for value for that one (plus - as good as these cars are - that many miles is just taking its toll on the interior and 'regular' stuff on the car as well).
I keep thinking of having some fun (with maybe E39M5 or AMG 'something' or.... Panamera or...??? ) - but then I bounce back and think that a simple E39 (or even E34) 525i would be ok too. LOL
That is why I have been driving my E23 around a fair bit recently - seeing what it is like to change gears and I still don't know what I'll do.
Will see what happens in the coming months.

 

[e9Leveque]

As someone who used to own an E38 (a long while ago) and now the E39 540, the 5-series has been more reliable. Also, for a daily and starting with a car of this age, I might go for the 540 over the M. The difference in HP is perhaps noticeable, but the 540 still rips and the parts for that car don’t have the M-markup. My primary car is an electric (Rivian) and yet every time I get in the 540 to drive it I remind myself of why it’s such a great vehicle. And overall cost for entry is fairly low, so can spend a bit more to get one that is mechanically sound without breaking the bank

I guess the other question is whether this is a daily of the “I have no other car” type or a “I plan to drive this but if it’s in shop or I’m waiting for parts I’m not completely screwed” type of car. When my son had first bought the E39 (which I then purchased from him with the agreement that we keep it running together), he loved the car but had a job that required true daily driving. Since this was his only vehicle, not a great option. In my and perhaps your case, you have a backup.

 

[craterface]

Here is another option that goes in a different direction.

Since we are talking daily driver, the priorities are different than simply "The most badass set of wheels I can get". Efficiency comes to mind. As I mentioned, one thing I do not like about my 325it (besides the transmission) is the gas mileage. We have a lot of hills where we live and no freeways so I get an average of 22mpg. And I have to cover a lot of distances so it gets expensive. So I have decided that, when the time comes, my replacement for this one will be... a 2018 or later i3. This is the latest incarnation of this carbon fiber pioneering car, it still is a breakthrough design in many ways, uber functional and, with the REX version, you get about 180 miles range. And, as an electric car, almost $0 maintenance costs except for tires. Very compelling characteristics for an interesting daily driver.

No Reserve: 42k-Mile 2015 BMW i3 REx

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 42k-Mile 2015 BMW i3 REx at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #226,288.

bringatrailer.com

 

[e9Leveque]

Ha, we are beginning the auction wars, as I just wandered over to BaT and saw the one below which is manual 540 with low mileage owned by a guy who at least presents himself as knowledgeable about what he is doing, but always buyer beware
@craterface and @Bmachine you guys are totally correct that something like the i3 is more practical. But we only live once…

40k-Mile 2002 BMW 540i Sport 6-Speed

Bid for the chance to own a 40k-Mile 2002 BMW 540i Sport 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #226,269.

bringatrailer.com