Newbie here..got a couple Q's

[Rgomez87]

Well i have been considering a used 3 series as a dayly driver for a while. My budget is around $6,000. I checked out a couple 97 M3's but theres just a little too high on price. So i started looking at the 328is and the 323is. Both are in my budget level with roughly 130,000 miles on them. First and main question is how reliable are they for both highway and street driving(and a little fun around the corners, thing like that )? Second question is how BIG of a difference is there in power between these models and the M3? Buddy of mine has a 97 M3 bone stock and it pulls pretty hard with 127,000 miles on it. Also is there anything i should be looking for when shopping around for one of these models? I look foward to your replies, and sorry for te long post. Thanks in advanced.

Roger

[agtur2001]

If you can afford the M3, go for it. You will be happier on the long run. The difference is Night and DAY.

What to look for? Do a search on Google for BMW recalls/problems. You'll see a few gotcha's that hopefully the original owner already took care of. used:

I'm on my second beemer, my first was a 93 318is and I currently own a 94 325ic. The 93 I paid $2500.00 and the 94 I paid $3500.00. So if you have 5 to 8 grand to spend, you should be good to go!

Last thing... my personal opinion. Get a 5 speed manual, not an Auto. My 325 is an Auto... I really, I really miss the 5 speed in my 318.

Good Luck!

[saltshaker185]

if you can drive a stick, then go for a manual... like he said... but yea m3 puts out about 240 hp while 328 is about 190... if i were you i would look into a 325, they are not much different in terms of power then the 328 but the price would be a bit lower because its a "lower end" bmw then the 328... spend the extra cash on an intake and other mods and youll find some fun hiden in it... 323 is a great car, but not going to have the extra power of a 325 or 328... also, bmws suspensions are very tight from the factory so they tend to wear out over time... quicker then you suspect, so i would look into one that maybe the owner has done some suspension work to it or one with lower miles on it... the engines will run forever though if it has had proper mateninece...

[Rgomez87]

yea thats what i keep hearing when i read about these motors. They say they ca handle up to 200,000 with no problem. Another question is there a difference between the 328ci and the 328iS? Im guessing its more sporty...