I bought my e46 for the winter basically. Had it for just under a year.
I have a 325 XI which is the awd version(window sticker says XI-A), fully loaded tan leather and cold weather package, hid, etc. Its great in the snow actually and i have never gotten stuck even when we had the small snow storm. I was able to drive around people who were stuck on the unplowed blo streets.
pro- has not cost me too much to own, basic maintance and such i find reasonable considering i have owned other german cars. I dont find my self wanting to mod this car so thats saving me tons on money. I got a steptronic auto (manual/auto) so best of both worlds… even tho i prefer manual
con- if you need to repair something it can be expensive, even oil changes can add up if your doing it your self.(had to replace a stering angle sensor which ran me 500, rear lower control arm 400 w/ alignment and thats it.)
For my e46 i would not change anything… it was actually a custom built one when purchased new with options and what not.
I was actually thinking about getting a new car in the spring and i think if anything ill get a wagon/hatch. I almost bought a cx7-awd, a few weeks ago but changed my mind last minute. for the price… i didnt like it and it only comes in auto. To me once spring comes my cars get a back seat to my bike… so i dont think ill get a new car anytime soon
Hope that helps… if you need something else pm me