Car to replace 325i for 16YO brother | FerrariChat

Car to replace 325i for 16YO brother

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by MB_Fahrer, Jun 23, 2012.

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  1. MB_Fahrer

    MB_Fahrer Formula Junior

    Dec 22, 2009
    657
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    Rick
    #1 MB_Fahrer, Jun 23, 2012
    Howdy,

    My younger brother needs a car. He turns 17 next January. He currently has a 2000 BMW 325i with a 6-speed. It is a great car, except that it's crap to drive. It has NO feeling in any of the controls. The throttle is electronic, the clutch has no feeling, and the steering is rather light. From my experience, what he needs is an E36 328i 5-speed sedan. What other cars would you all recommend looking into? The requirements are: reasonably sized, standard transmission, somewhat fun to drive, and between $5-13k.

    Best,
    Ricky
     
  2. Jdahlstrom

    Jdahlstrom Formula 3

    Feb 28, 2005
    1,184
    Miami, Fl
    Full Name:
    Josh Dahlstrom
    #2 Jdahlstrom, Jun 24, 2012
    You can find a good clean 4 door e36 m3 for that range.
     
  3. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

    Sep 4, 2001
    12,887
    Cumming, Georgia
    Full Name:
    Franklin E. Parker
    #3 parkerfe, Jun 24, 2012
    GTI
     
  4. dancmos

    dancmos Rookie

    May 10, 2012
    42
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    Dan M.
    #4 dancmos, Jun 24, 2012
    Maybe a WRX.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
     
  5. yoda

    yoda F1 Rookie

    Sep 27, 2004
    2,598
    UT
    #5 yoda, Jun 24, 2012
    I had a '00 328i and it drove very nice. I think the difference is that it had the cable throttle and hydraulic power steering rack as opposed to the electric throttle and steering in the 325i so I would check out an e46 328i, although an e36 M3 is a good option too. Also if the steering and handling is feeling poor check for rear subframe damage and swaybar mount tearing, and control arms. Those are all known issues that the e46 has that can negatively affect handling.
     
  6. eam3

    eam3 Karting

    Dec 16, 2003
    107
    South Florida
    Full Name:
    Ed Mendez
    #6 eam3, Jun 24, 2012
    Having owned a '94 325i and my current '06 330Ci ZHP, you couldn't pay me to go back to an E36. The quality and reliability was a huge step down from my E30s and it wasn't anywhere near as good as my E46.
     
  7. shmark

    shmark F1 Rookie

    Oct 31, 2003
    2,968
    Atlanta
    Full Name:
    Mark
    #7 shmark, Jun 25, 2012
    Find a very good E30 325i and still have to budget to modify it. Great cars, light, fast and a huge aftermarket.

    Disagree completely. The E36 chassis is more solid and better than an E30 in every way, except maybe a tiny bit more feel in the E30. I've driven multiple E46 M3s and you couldn't pay me to have one of them, heavy lifeless boats with no feel at all. Last year I looked very closely at an '09 335i convertible and didn't like it at all. Completely numb feeling and the shifter was horrible. I punted and bought a Mercedes instead, figuring if I wanted isolation then I wanted total immersion.

    The E30 and E36 both have a wired-to-your-nervous-system feel that's just missing in the later cars, as good as they are. Easy and cheap to maintain, and modify if you want.
     
  8. UroTrash

    UroTrash Three Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Jan 20, 2004
    38,985
    Purgatory
    Full Name:
    Clifford Gunboat
    #8 UroTrash, Jun 25, 2012
    A 16 year old wants handling, feel, ease of repair, cheap parts?

    Why a nice square tail BMW 2002, of course!
     

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