BMW 3 Series question - what car edition

As my lease end is getting closer, i'm starting to seriously shop for what's next. I love the Fiesta ST, it dominates H Stock, and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. I can buy the car for $15k and change. That puts me in a 2014 car with under 15,000 miles. That's the bogie, that's what I'm trying to beat.

The downside to the fiesta is the fact that it is an economy car at its base. I'm 47, and executive at my company, and outside of the occasional summer autocross, mostly I drive to and from work drop my kids off. The stiff suspension and low-rent interior are not impressing any of my other managers or subordinates. I know, who cares, but I'm driving a car that is ideal for autocross, which is only 1% of what I do with the car. If I could find something that looked a little nicer, have a bit more quality, I was still fun to drive every day and could on the cross occasionally, I think I'd be a little happier.

So I had to remove some BMW three series today. Seems to take all the boxes, if you get the right mix of features. Here comes the questions.

1. To be in my price range, $20-$25,000, I have to get something hi spec and high miles, or lowers spec and lower miles. My annual commute is about 7000 miles, so I won't rack many miles up over the next few years. Is a 75,000 mile 335i better than a 50,000 mile 328?

2. Around here 99% of the cars are X-Drive. It would be nice for our snowy winters, but does that kill any performance aspirations, or are they basically a German WRX? Don't care about the gas penalty, again, short commute. Am I eliminating more stuff that could break if I go with RWD?

3. Also around here, most are an automatic. I drove the paddle-shift, and it was not bad. Not as satisfying as the 6-Speed, but for long trips and driving with other people or jus not wanting to deal with shifting and a screaming 4yr old, the automatic would be nice. Any serious con to the paddles outside of having to turn in my man card?

4. There seems to be a lot of options to the 3-Series, is there a magic code I should be looking for? Seems like the coupe had a ZHP package or something? The M-Sport package looks great, but seems like it doesn't offer any performance benefit. Do they have a limited slip option? What to look for?

5. I am not looking to dominate any class at the autocross, just to participate when I have the time. Mostly, this is a commuter that I can enjoy and drive like a German. I drove a really nice 75,000 mile 335i that was clearly mom's car. No abuse or wear at all. Is that better than a 50,000 mile 320i that may have been driven harder?

This is all GRM's fault with their article on best $5K performance cars!

If you want best bang for the buck, get an E46 330i. If you want to splurge a little, get the E46 330i ZHP. Afflicted with automotive ADD, I've owned (and driven / raced) a BUNCH of cars. A nice E46 330i is the best do-it-all car I've ever owned, and I plan on keeping mine a long time.

Skip the xi if you can get away with it. Everything about the suspension is different...it's designed to be a RWD car anyway. Add an LSD with the money you save from tinkering with the xi.

Don't go cheap -- spend a few bucks more for a nice example from an enthusiast owner. These cars are easy to own if you keep after the little things. A neglected example will need about $2k to put right. Cooling system, control arms, control arm bushings, rear trailing arm bushings, oil filter housing gasket, final stage resistor for the HVAC, blah blah blah. Everything is DIY-able and well-documented.

^All of this^, and strongly seconding that the price that matters is the one that includes correcting deferred maintenance. Documented maintenance history is a huge driver when I'm looking at cars, and the cheapest one is seldom the least expensive in the long run.

I must sound like a broken record, but basically ALL 3-series between 2000 and 2014 are in F Street. That makes it hard for anybody that's not in an M3 if an M3 shows up.

An E46 might feel a bit old, especially coming from a brand new FiST. With your price range of $20k-25k, you can definitely pick up a great condition E90 328i and have money left over for some modifications to make it more sporty. The NA motor would have less to go wrong, but you can also pick up 335's at that price range too.

I'd take a RWD one, but I haven't heard of many issues with the AWD either.

There isn't a special package like the ZHP anymore. There's the M-sport, and sport packages which add some cosmetic changes to the bumpers and a stiffer suspension. Gear ratios and power still stay the same.

In reply to pinchvalve:

A 2014 FiST with 15k for $15k??? I'd love to find a deal like that on one! Does it have the Recaro's?

The 135/335i are vastly more rewarding when you press the go pedal. I miss my 135i.

I can answer some of your questions. I picked up a 2010 (E90) 335xi sedan with about 24k miles on the clock through BMW's CPO program almost 2 years ago. It's typical suburban housewife spec: AWD and automatic with an exciting white/beige color scheme.

The nice thing about the 335 vs. the 328 is they all came fully loaded. Adaptive HID lights, good satnav system, heated seats, etc. Of course, that means lots more stuff to go wrong.

The xdrive system is not in any way performance-oriented; it's very much designed for safe street driving. I've taken my E90 out on a track for a couple of sessions when the racecar was out of commission and it's not really much fun. Not an understeering pig (like an Audi), but nothing like an STI or Evo. If you're planning to slide the car around, you'll want RWD for sure.

Another issue with the xdrive versions is the damping is awful: way too much rebound. Between the slightly raised ride height, jacked up rebound, and runflat tires ... the car feels like an oxcart on bumpy roads. I solved the problem by swapping in H&R springs, Koni SA dampers, and conventional tires. Totally transformed the car.

Then there's the general issue with modern BMWs. If anything goes wrong out of warranty, it's costly to fix. Routine maintenance is difficult and annoying. Many (most?) were owned by non-enthusiasts or lease-returns, so maintenance was probably close to zero. I'm not sure I would own one out of warranty, especially if the mileage is over 50k or so.

If you're looking for a higher mileage car, I would avoid turbos, AWD, and automatic. I'm sure a manual, RWD, 328 would be a safer bet as the mileage approaches 100k.

Was looking for pre-'06 325 and 330xi's, most were near or over 100K, dragged my feet. As slush fund allowed bought a '09 335xi last year w/ 55K. Premium, Cold Weather and Sport Packages. Since, had all fluids and 2 PS hoses changed. Water pump went at 57.5K. Now that that's outta the way (and ya know it's comin') I just DD it. It's a real pleasure to drive, although I don't auto-x or track it it feels like it was made for me but YMMV.

For me the paddle shifters are straight line only use as you lose your acclimation turning the wheel in corners, especially tight. Console shift in Sport mode is the answer there. Love the Sport seats btw so glad for that package. Not a heavy snow AWD car by any means so don't drive it like that. Heated seats and wheel FTW but no remote start. Dislikes are few, no digital speedo but all kinds of useless info on the data center, an oil temp gauge but no coolant temp gauge. Cost of ownership but ya gotta know that comin' in. Thanks Germans.

Out of warranty you're always lookin' over your shoulder for the next big maintenance bill, know that goin' in. I'm hooked on turbos now and will roll the dice, just something about mashing the go pedal that brings a smile. DI engines will carbon up the intake ports/ valves, currently planning a DIY walnut shell blast at 60K and installing a separator/ OCC. Dealer and indie shops want $600- 800 just for media blast, I figure $250 DIY. Separator/ OCC is $180. Stock N54 engine will take (claimed) 15 psi boost w/ a tune vs the factory 8 psi, tempting but satisfied w/ stock for now.

Absolutely love this car, prolly keep it over 100K and do the typical cooling system and suspension replacements (and upgrade it at that)... unless something better comes along.

RWD's are fewer around NE snow country. Good luck w/ the search.