My oldest has been looking long and hard for a clean 400E with only limited success, to the point that he has decided to broaden his search to include the 300CE models. Also, a non-MB alternative has just come up in the shape of a single owner 2000 323i BMW 4 dr with 42k miles and a 7yr/100k X warranty (auto trans). We don't know a lot about BMWs, except that the ones owned by our other friends (318, 635, 850) seemed to be more than average troublesome, fragile, and expensive to repair/maintain.

But the idea of a warranty and lower mileage struck a chord with my son after wasting a month or so looking at several mis-represented 'mint' 400s. Does anyone have any experience with this model BMW and can elaborate on their strengths and weaknesses? Also, any idea on a good BMW tech in the San Diego area for a PPI if he gets to that point? Thanks for any input.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

my friend has 2000 323Ci - really pretty car. Needs revs to move though unlike a 400E but once it moves it's a quick car. On the highway it gave my 400E quite a workout! (Due to it having 5-speeds I guess)

The I-6 also sounds really nice. The transmission is one of my favorite automatics. (His has steptronic) - It responds quickly and shifts smoothly. The brakes are typical BMW - GOOD!

harsh ride.. then again it handles really well.

the coupe just looks particularly stunning - too bad u can find at least one E46 in every city block in Boston :-p

I've always thought that the A/C controls are annoying at best, and the AC is weak.

Problems he's had:

A/C died? don't remember what it was.. but it was covered
squealing brakes - covered
t-stat broke
rattttttllees
CD player / navigation problem
auxiliary fan had to be replaced
there was also some weird noise from the intake but it didn't cost much to fix (an adjustment of some sort)

I think it's pretty reliable? I'd definitely take one over a W203 C-Class

Good luck!

-Holson-

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

my friend bought a 323 last year but after a week of driving he felt it was really under powered. i agreed with him. so he went back to the dealer and after a bit of negotiating he ended up replacing it with the 330i.
if your son is looking for 400E let alone 300E that means he's going for a bit more power. i suggest test driving them both and figure out the difference for yourself. rather get a pre owned 330 for the same price with the pre owned warranty in the same price.
don't bother leasing a pre owned because for some reason bmw leases for 3 year olds are almost the same as brand new ones for the same model, diff year.
and yes going for a newer car will save him the hassle of buying a money pit which 400E is for a fact. I know because my good friend owns one right now. and i've read a little too many posts as well

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Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

The E46 is more troublesome than the W203. They have automatic transmission troubles that are only solved through expensive tranny replacement. They have all kinds of electrical glitches. The last of the E36's are older at being 1998 and earlier, but they are better cars. A 1999 E36 328is or 1998 328i is a superior car to the 2000 323i.

Has he looked into Lexus for a V-8? I have seen the GS400 coming onto the used market now at pretty reasonable prices. They are fast and reliable to a fault.

The problem with the W124's is, of course, age. They're all pretty much 10 years or more. If he doesn't mind the size of the BMW, then the last of the W202 C280's would fit, and they are pretty bullet-proof save for the balancer issue. 722.6 was sorted out and the M112 has no major issues. I've seen some really clean 99-00 C280's with warranty remaining for pretty low prices.

Happy hunting...

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

black mercedes,
i totally agree with you on the point of the lexus. but i wasnt sure if japanese makes was one of the options being looked into. otherwise the gs would be a far better option than either the 400e or the 3-series.
300hp, fastest 4 door sedan (stock) back in 1998, and these days with around 70K miles one can get them around 20 grands.

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Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

Thanks everyone for all the info. He doesn't like the 'mushy' handling feel of the Lexus - his Celica GTS had rally struts and 235/60 tires, and the only other car he has driven much is my Sportline 300E. He doesn't like soft suspensions. He will probably look at the BMW just because it is supposed to be immaculate and perfectly maintained, but will also keep looking for his MB targets.

The BMW owner is leaving the country for an extended overseas job in a few weeks, so presumably is motivated to sell. If it feels good to him, maybe he will live with the lack of power. (After the 84 GTS, any kind of acceleration will be an improvement). It should corner and brake at least as well as the GTS, so who knows. That BMW trans does give me pause, however. a friend on his third bimmer was told by his tech to expect between 80 and 130k from a BMW auto, but this was on the pre 95 units.

He feels a bit confined in our C230, so I don't know how serious he would be about a C280 - but they are nice cars. A C280 sport would be fun, I would think, assuming he didn't want to pony up for the C 43.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E