I'm thinking of buying a used E46 BMW as a primary vehicle and wanted to see what wisdom GT could provide before I buy.
My current daily driver is a 1/2 ton truck that is nearing the end of its life based on miles but still fills its role perfectly. My wife has a band new vehicle that she would prefer to leave at home on some trips where weather or road conditions are less than good. I think an extra car for me and my wife would be a good addition to the family.
I would like to stay under the 5K mark. I've rebuilt engines and transmissions before so other than a lack of time, I'm not overly concerned with the possibility of a major failure but I would like to know that I'm buying a solid car with only a normal probability of problems. I'm assuming that I can get parts online for a little more than domestic parts.
It all started when I drove my cousin's Mini Cooper S. I really liked the power and manual transmission. After reading about the older Mini's, I started looking at VW GTI'S as a substitute. I even found an SVT Focus that seemed like a good value. Finally I've settled on a larger 3 series that will probably fit my needs better than the smaller cars. Regardless of which way I go, I would like to "stick" with a manual transmission to stay more involved with the driving process.
Where is the smart money? Drive my truck on and replace what breaks? Trade it in on a newer used truck and march on? Buy the high miles BMW and hope for the best? GTI? WRX? Something else?
