New BMW Owner Looking at a '99 323i-Good Buy?

[99323ilover]

Hey all,
I'm looking at a '99 323i to buy soon. 78.000 miles 2.5 L, 5-speed. Its Carfax report came back clean and its only had one owner. It seems to be in GREAT condition. The price is about right for '99 323i's, so I'm not concerned about whether or not it was in an accident.

I'm really interested in the reliability of this car. What problems have been reported? Are there any little things that can be lived with that I should be aware of? Other things I should look for before I buy it? I don't want to get it, have it run great, and then fall apart on me, as once I buy this car, I need to stick with it for a while.

Any help is appreciated!

99323ilover

[denyo77]

the 99 323i is the very first year of the e46 series, right?
it might have some glitches being a first-year model
has it been regularly maintained?
other than that, the 323i is a nice car which won't guzzle a lot

[witeshark]

I've heard about some cooling fan issues. But I'd say it's likely this car has had that fixed.

[99323ilover]

Thanks for responding so quickly!

Yes, the '99 323i is in the first year of E46, so it makes sense that it could have some first year glitches. The car has been very well maintained, no reports of major servicing done to it.

In response to a possible cooling fan problem, there was no report of there ever being something fixed on it. However, if I do purchase it, how likely is it that the cooling fan will go out. And if/when it does, how much will it cost me to replace?

[witeshark]

If it hasn't happened, it's more than likely that it won't. What I heard about was really a switch that failed to turn the fan off after engine shutdown. Electric fans are usually very reliable.