BMW

Which gen is the most reliable/least expensive to own?

I'd love to get into an E46 but I know those are likely the worst.

in terms of reliability:
e30=e34>e46=e39>e36
in terms of costs:
e36>e34>e30>e46>e39 etc

>e30
>reliable
Lolno

out of my experience yes.
but generally you're probably right, it's getting too old.
e46 is really good too, probabaly the most reliable euro car from the early 2000's.

Literally anything besides BMW

Are e36s actually super unreliable? I wanted one dang

>e34
lol

You're wrong. Although I did just spend all day maintaining my e46 m3. E30 if you want cheap and easy to work on and not hard on the wallet.

Isn't the e46's biggest issue that they rust away?
Engines are gud

e36 is durable but unreliable
rust
oil leaks
cooling system issues
the drivetrain itself is very reliable though
also very, very cheap to fix as the junkyards are full with them

Anything old and BMW will be "unreliable". You can't buy one and expect to drive it without issues.
Having said that, if you buy one, do the cooling system, vacuum lines and anything specific to the chassis that needs doing within maybe a month then they will be reliable.
In my experience
Reliability
E36>E30/e34>E46
Cost of upkeep
E30/early e34>e34/E36>E46
Availability of parts
E36>E46>E30>e34

>rust

not really though

>Which gen is the most reliable/least expensive to own?
The one still under factory warranty.

Biggest issues on the e46 is sub frame cracking, and the cooling system.

There's no such thing as a ReliablE German Vehicle.

i just bought an e46. 2002 325i sports package specifically. in good condition, everything taken care of, 125k miles, things that needed fixing or replacement got it. did i do good?

There's no such this as "unreliable BMW".
Just neglectful owners and slightly more stringent maintenance schedules.

This

So much this

E36 outside of the USDM are fine generally. The M50 engines are tanks. M52 isn't far behind but the VANOS seal has to be replaced fairly often. S50 is a bit more of a headache but what do you expect.

Main thing to look out for is rear subframe problems but it's fairly cheap to reinforce. Electrical issues is the other thing. They aren't a big deal on an E36 but there will probably be a handful of them. Easy to fix but annoying. Unlike later BMWs though an E36 will still run with half the electrics not working.

Besides the nikasil problem on the 328i you really just need to remember that they are 20-25 year old cars now. Also assume the VANOS seal is fucked if it's an M52.

Oh and like said. If the coolant system piping hasn't already been replaced do that asap and delete the fan clutch.

Had an e30 that used to break once a week and it was a well kept car but I kinda abused it so I don't want to blame the e30. However, now I have an e36. Swapped an m50 and other mods bla bla bla. Never let me down, other than some minor rust (fuck salt man) it's been a tank.

REGV up your engines?