'01 325 XI Should I buy

So one of these is at my brother's shop. The Shifter Linkage mechanism somewhere is broke or disconnected (the shifter spins all over and into no gear). Body is pretty good overall, no major issues. Mileage is 209k and also is in need of a PCB valve which I was told is a 9 hour job? If I can get it cheap, are they reliable? I'm looking at it as a DD/Winter Beater. Any input appreciated.

Oil separator valve is a 9 hour job if you pull the intake manifold. Kind of like taking your socks off to take a leak. The last one I did took me (redacted) minutes, but I have had a lot of practice, and it already had the updated dipstick tube (which is a massive colossal PITA to install) I'll have to tell my co-workers that some shops are charging 9 hours, they'll have a laugh. Like the shop that charged a relocated customer 14 hours just to remove the engine from his Subaru. (They pulled it with the trans... WTF???)

If you remove the throttle body and break the old lines off, you can leave the intake manifold in place. The updated oil separator comes with new lines, anyway. (Get BMW, not aftermarket. Half the ones I do are new faulty aftermarket ones that a cheap shop installed)

All that said, it would have to be one hell of a deal. I was finding 330xis locally for $4-6k at dealerships. No sense settling for the 325 when a 330 is that cheap.

I can score this for less than 1K.

Be prepared to do the entire cooling system and the valve cover gasket and likely the front suspension. These are great cars but there are many regular maintenance items that are looked past once they get high miles. When I say entire, I mean radiator, fan (plastic not electric one), fan clutch, overflow tank, cap, 3 cooling hoses, water pump, thermostat, and 2 plastic hard lines (which basically require removing the intake. Just did all this on out 2002 325xi. Fun, fun fun.

I am thinking this is a regional thing. I never see failed plastic components on E46 except for sometimes the coolant tank splits and starts drooling coolant. Then you pull it out and find out the transmission thermostat is broken and that is a "suck wind until your meatballs bounce" expensive part. I think around $200. (This offer not valid for manual trans models, but IMO these cars are best served as automatics) That sounds cheap for anything you replace on a late model BMW until you actually see the part and realize there is absolutely nothing special about it, it's a chunk of molded plastic and a spring and thermostatic doodad, just like a $15 Robertshaw except shaped differently.

The '01 330xi that I just serviced the other day had 210k and all of the original cooling system parts, escept for the thermostat after it left my care, because after sixteen years it finally took a dump and was causing the P-oh-badthermostat fault code. (P0128, which is ALWAYS a bad 'stat)

Now, the E36s, I have replaced all SORTS of cooling system parts... because the engine mounts fail and when they do the cooling fan wreaks havoc on everything.

What's the cost on the OEM stuff to fix the PCB system? Also is the linkage a major pain in the ass? Any insight into the shifter issue? This would be my first dance with a BMW and just trying to get an idea of what it's like. As a previous Corrado G60 owner, I'm pretty decent with a wrench.

I love BMWs and I have been through a lot of them (though no E46). For my money, anything past the E36 has electronics I don't want to deal with on my own.