I'm SHOCKED to see how cheap '06 325s are. Screaming bargain if you ask me!

So how reliable are they? I remember back in '06 my friend had a new 330i which had a few electrical problems, were they fixed with software updates or should I avoid the '06 altogether?

I havn't had any problems with my car yet. I have about 37.5 k miles and the only problems I have encountered were caused by myself/after market parts :rolleyes

06' im sure is fine but treat yourself and get a used 07 335i. Get that sceaming deal on a much better car!

My honest opinion, as a 2006 325i owner, and as a prior owner of an E36? My 2006 has been fine. However ... who knows what will happen in the future.

I say this because of my prior BMW, a 1995 325i. That car had problems, and they were not unique problems: They were issues that most E36 owners had, and that I eventually developed. (In fact, by reading the forums, I was able to foresee these problems and take care of them just ahead of time.) Examples of notorious problems with the E36 included, but were not limited to:

1. Bad water pump. The water pump from 1992 to 1995 was infamous for a plastic impeller. At around 60-70,000 miles, the impeller would wear out or break, causing immediate overheating problems. Sure enough, mine went bad - abruptly - around 70k.
2. Leaking valve cover gasket. This wasn't a major breakdown issue, but it was a mess for the engine and your garage floor. I sincerely doubt any E36 owner didn't have this issue.
3. Brake light switch. The switch would build up deposits, giving a warning message. Your brake lights worked fine, but the message persisted until the switch was replaced.
4. Bad blower motor resistor. This would go bad, causing the fan to only work at the highest setting.

The E90 has lots of new electronics - e.g. an electronic water pump (not belt driven), an electronic thermostat (not open/closed by itself), an electronic oil gauge (no dipstick). Will these develop problems later? Who knows. I'm sure people had no problems with the E36 when they were brand new.

My honest opinion, as a 2006 325i owner, and as a prior owner of an E36? My 2006 has been fine. However ... who knows what will happen in the future.

I say this because of my prior BMW, a 1995 325i. That car had problems, and they were not unique problems: They were issues that most E36 owners had, and that I eventually developed. (In fact, by reading the forums, I was able to foresee these problems and take care of them just ahead of time.) Examples of notorious problems with the E36 included, but were not limited to:

1. Bad water pump. The water pump from 1992 to 1995 was infamous for a plastic impeller. At around 60-70,000 miles, the impeller would wear out or break, causing immediate overheating problems. Sure enough, mine went bad - abruptly - around 70k.
2. Leaking valve cover gasket. This wasn't a major breakdown issue, but it was a mess for the engine and your garage floor. I sincerely doubt any E36 owner didn't have this issue.
3. Brake light switch. The switch would build up deposits, giving a warning message. Your brake lights worked fine, but the message persisted until the switch was replaced.
4. Bad blower motor resistor. This would go bad, causing the fan to only work at the highest setting.

10+ years, 130k miles on my previous e36 and none of those problems. I had my own set of problems, but none that are out of the ordinary for an aging car.

06' im sure is fine but treat yourself and get a used 07 335i. Get that sceaming deal on a much better car!:nono Maybe he should save for a much better M3 :rolleyes