2003 BMW 3 Series Values & Cars for Sale | Kelley Blue Book
3 Series Consumer Sentiment
What Owners are Saying About the 2003 BMW 3 Series
“3 Series E46 still the best model”
“This body style came to America for the 1999 model year and stayed in production until 2005 in sedan form. Many consider this the best 3 series as newer models have become more luxurious, burdened with needless tech and saddled with electronic steering….and now a 4 cylinder! the 2.5 liter inline 6 has always been one of the top rated engines by car experts. The sound of it at full throttle is music to the ears. While not super powerful or torquey it still moves the car with authority while getting 30 mpg highway. Not a bad trade off at all. Nothing drives like a 3 series and I have owned a LOT of cars in my day. The near 50/50 weight distribution, responsive chassis and connected steering are very hard to find and the only cars I have driven that come close are the Cadillac CTS and the Infinity G series. The car had great visibility and rides very well for its size. It cruises nicely at 80 and the seats are comfortable for long drives.
If I were to change anything it would be back seat and trunk space. Both of which are very limited. The folding seat was an option on this model and it is one that should have been standard…..never sure why that was the case. So, it is small if you carry passengers a lot and the trunk is also smaller than most cars in this class. If you can live with that there isn’t much I would change except for maybe more in cabin storage space. These cars can now be purchase in the 5-10k range and are worth every cent. I have owned 4 E46 BMWs and they just impossible to top if you love driving.
Issues to be on the lookout for that go bad on EVERY one of these cars. The secondary air system that you will hear and will run for a few minutes when you first start the car. This always seems to go bad at some point. WINDOW REGULATORS are probably the number one “go bad” thing and only last about 6 years I am told. They are about 350-550 depending on dealer vs speciality shop (labor). There was a fault with the radiators as well so have that looked at. BMW said the auto transmissions were “sealed” but then rescinded that and they should now be flushed so don’t let someone tell you that they don’t need it, they do. When you get the tranny flushed it has to be done twice in a row to get all of the fluid out and there is a special tool to pump the fluid out that only BMW has so beware of places like Jiffy Lube or Midas, they won’t do it properly. Above all else, buy one owned by an enthusiast and make sure the car was kept up service-wise or else they can get expensive to repair. Enjoy, there is no car quite like it!”
