help finding a car - BMW Forum

edsav00 · 02-10-2007, 09:52 AM

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and BMWs I currently own a 2001 Honda Civic which I use to commute to work. I've been looking for a used BMW at cars.com and see that 540i is within my budget of $12,000, I like this car but a friend told me to stay away from the 8 cylinder and that I would be better off in a 325i, 328i. Honestly I like the horse power that the 540i has but it does require premium gas and there might be some reliability issues (???). Can someone recommend a reliable and dependable model and year, I will primarily be using this for commuting during the week and for me and my wife and two children on the weekends. Any advise will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

-Ed

Hootie · 02-12-2007, 07:23 AM

Any year or model will be reliable so long as it was maintained by the owner(s). I still see E30 models on the roads (that's a 3-series 1989-1991), and they don't cost much more than a few grand. Just have a BMW mechanic look over it well. BMWs also do not require premium gas. They are designed to run on 87 octane, it just so happens that they run better on 89. I've been using 89 octane in my 2000 328i for 3 years now, not a hitch.