Welp, in an effort to keep miles off of my MCS, which I plan to keep 'til forever, I bought this 2000 323i from a family member. The price was right (great loan interest rate!) and it'll do the job of 25k a year while the MCS can have fun on nice days and track events. This car is good because it's comfortable, looks good, has a sports package, and has a sunroof. It's bad because it's got high mileage (well maintained, though) and has a (gasp) automatic tranny:impatient. I'll get used to it. After driving it around for a few days, I can tell that it does exactly what it's supposed to: really make me miss my MINI. I definitely can't complain about the auto tranny in traffic on my commute.

Here she is:



mb

 

Bummer to saddle such a great car with an auto, but oh well. Our daily driver (subaru) has an auto, too, and honestly it's nice sometimes - mainly in stop and go.

Just be careful at the stop signs that you don't take your left foot and push the brake pedal all the way to the floor thinking it's the clutch That's the downside of having one manual and one auto.

 

Beautiful car --- it will make you miss driving the MINI, but it will also make you realize how fortunate you are when you MOTOR in your MINI!!!

 

I slammed the brake when starting the car twice already thinking I was pushing in the clutch...

Yea, it is a pretty car and shouldn't cost too much to maintain. I just had to do front rotors/pads and some bushings. Eventually the radiator/water pump/thermostat will need replacement (1000$), but other than that, this thing is in pretty good shape for the mileage (140,000).

mb

 

There aren't very many cars out there that you miss driving after driving a BMW. MINIs are AMAZING!!!

 

So very true!

 

So sad that you had to settle for a 3 series Bimmer. The automatic is a bummer, though.

Seriously, nice move. Having had an assortment of rentals on days when my MINI was in the shop (including a Chevy HHR today), I've had the thought that a plain-jane car with an automatic wouldn't be a bad thing for the day to day commute. Keep the miles off the MINI, and discourage me from being frustrated about traffic - if your car won't easily dust off most of the others on the road, it's harder to get upset about being stuck with them.

 

Well, mbcoops, you could have done far worse for yourself in choosing day-to-day transportation, I'll tell you that much.

God, do I ever miss the E46.

 

Dunt(tm) forget to check the thermostat housing! If it is the OEM plastic one, it will need to be replaced soon. I have seen those things blow on freeways and it ain't pretty. Costs the owner an engine every time. When you replace it, get the after market metal housing.

Nice ride though.

 

Congrats Mark.

 

Thanks for the tip on the thermostat housing; I'll get it checked out.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm "settling" for this car. The only two things I really don't like are the fact that it's auto and not a MINI! But as I said, I couldn't pass up the price for the opportunity to baby my MINI a little more. Not the the extent of cycleguru, but it'll be nice to plan mods for a non 25,000 mile a year driven car.

So what do you think, Manny; are you ready for some cleanliness competition at the next run?

mb

 

That's right on the money. I was just driving it around for a few days to get it checked out before I officially buy it, and when I got back into the MINI it was like everything was in fast-forward. The steering, the responses, the acceleration, the noises, etc... were all on another level.

I will say that the e46, even with the high miles, is still a tight car. I'm sure the shocks are finished, but even so, it's still rewarding to take through some curves.

One thing pissed me off, though: I was pulling out of work with it and a colleague said to me, "New car? It's nice. It's a grown-up car!" I was very quick to say that the MINI isn't going anywhere. Grown-up car, who says that?

I think I need a "My other car is a MINI" bumper sticker. Or, "I'd rather be motoring in my MINI"

mb

 

Yeah, I purchased a daily driver for the same reasons - help keep more miles off the MINI and less frustration with other drivers. I bought an 04 Limited Edition Platinum Series PT Cruiser TurboLite with just about all the bells and whistles. Really easy to drive. Only 12,476 miles on it for a great price. I know, the PT thing is done. Mine too is an automatic. My left foot always is looking for the clutch! It looks like your new car is a beauty. Maybe you can keep the MOD bug away from it. I have not be able to do that. Had my new car two weeks and got a handpainted hotrod style flame hood for it (off eBay)!

 

You know, just mentioning the PT Cruiser brought back a memory from the other day... I was driving behind a black PT Cruiser... and for a moment there I thought it was a hearse! With the boxy back, a high beltline, and the Chrysler logo that kinda looks like the squiggly curvy thingie often used on hearses, it did look a bit like one... OK, maybe a mini hearse.

 

Is it the auto or the steptronic? If the latter it really is not a bad transmission and can do a good job with manual shifting (esp if you get the Dinan software ).

 

I will definitely keep the mod bug away from my e46 - that's money that can and should be spent on the MCS!!!

Eval - it's not the steptronic. It's a good tranny as far as automatics go, with the most important aspect to me being longevity. It shouldn't fail since it hasn't been beaten on, nor will it be.

I'm going to spend 1,000$ on this car in the next year for the thermo/radiator/water pump. The AC was replaced, door actuators replaced, rotors, pads; the car was maintained well but driven quite a bit.

mb