So, in the next coming weeks, I will be buying my next DD. I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to an E46 3 series, or an 8th gen Civic SI Coupe. Whatever I get will have about 40 to 50k on it, and will have a manual transmission. So from anyone who has owned either of these, or knows them well, what should I know before buying? I know about the subframe on the bimmer, and third gear on the civic, but is there anything else? Any information would he helpful. Thanks guys.
Anything you should know? How about the fact that the two cars you’ve narrowed your search down to have almost nothing in common. 
^what jay said.
my dad has an e36, after 2 years driving and working on that i bought an e46. had it for 2 years now. i will never DD anything other then a bimmer. i love these cars. 193k on my e46 and 145k on my dads e36, both been very good cars. i had the subrame done on my e46 at 150k covered by bmw. that is no longer an option as the timeframe to have it done has expired, so unless you find a car that it was done on already, then stick to an 01+ as that is the updated design.
edit…ive had ~12 cars now, so i do have experience with other makes as far as reliability and quality, working on them, etc.
For my criteria they do. I want something reliable, comfortable, something that will last for a long time, something decently quick (as in not a total dog), and something in the sub 15k range. Add it all up and it brings me to a Honda or a BMW.
I didn’t know 01+ had an updated design, so that is very helpful. My dad has an E46 525i with 110k on it, and has also been very reliable.
e46 only refers to 3 series 
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and based on your assessment… I’d go honda… it’ll be more reliable. (the bmw will cost you bucks “if” it proves to be unreliable)
Really? I thought a 2002 5 series was considered an E46. Hmm, better expand my bimmer knowledge. Anyways, I know the Honda will probably be a bit more reliable, but as long as the BMW isn’t breaking down weekly, I should be ok regarding cost of parts.
e46 refers to a specific body type. Since 3-series and 5-series are different body types, they cant both be e46’s. 5-series of that year is an e39.
Civic Si…
bmw not being reliable? absolutely rediculous. do regular maintenence and itll keep going. mine has 193k and i wouldnt even hesitate to drive it cross country, it runs great and still gets good gas mileage. the only thing you will see is the maintenence on the bmw is more expensive, but really isnt bad if you do your own work. but the bmw is in a whole different class compared to a honda.
e46 hands down.
BTW it’s a chassis code not a body type. Semantics lol
If these are the ONLY two cars you are looking at then I would say definitely go with BMW. They are two insanely different cars but the BMW will absolutely be more rewarding in the end. As far as reliability and maintenance is concerned the BMW will be equally as reliable and the cost difference will be moot.
On the other hand, you could most likely pick up an si in much newer condition for the same price as a 100k e46 if you shop around.
They’re not the only cars I’m considering, but definitely top two. Also, they both would have around 50k on them, but obviously the BMW will be older.
I raped a new SI with at least intake and exhaust by a lot with my audi A3 a while back. I guess I can’t understand why somebody would want one. I’d get an S2000 over an SI. If more space is needed than an S2000 then I would go elsewhere to BMW / Audi / Acura and so on.
I’m not buying it to be a race car, I just want a nice DD. Honestly, I would love something with a 2.0t, but I do not want to deal with the FSI. Therefore it would need to be atleast an '08, and I just can’t afford it. As for the S2K, space isn’t really an issue, but I am not driving that in the snow…
The Si claims to compete with the “hot hatch” market, but in reality, it doesn’t compete AT ALL.
Why not look into Mazdaspeed3?
S2000 is great in the snow… RWD + LSD = WIN WIN WIN
I can understand your hesitance with the FSI. audi now covers the cam followers to something like 110k so it’s not so bad.
if you want the nice daily and don’t want german then I would look at acura TSX, TL
For my budget and the amount of miles I want on it, there’s not many around.
No doubt it would be fun in the snow, but definitely not practical. As for the Acura’s, I feel like they’re a little to plain.
Why are so many people hung up on miles? I would happily own a car with 300K plus miles as long as I checked it out and it was in good mechanical condition. Miles mean nothing in comparison to condition. Low mile cars scare me, usually means it sat a lot, or was only driven in the city, the 2 worst things for a car. You will get a lot more bang for your buck on a well maintained high mile car too. But to answer the original question I would buy the BMW hands down. These 2 cars should not even be a question. Like comparing a TV dinner to a home cooked meal.
If I buy an '07 (ish) civic with 40-50k, it’s really not low miles for the year, so I doubt the car will have sat. I’m going to be spending a good amount of money (atleast for me) on what will be my only car. I don’t want something with 300k, even if it is in good condition. I want something with the right amout of miles on it.
You guys make is sound like the newer civics are horrible. My fiance has one and it’s a great car. Quiet, smooth, good features (and hers is an LX), etc… The BMW may be a little more confortable, but I wouldn’t say it’s THAT much better. With the civic you get GREAT reliability, decent comfort, sub-par performance. With the BMW you get good comfort, good performance, decent reliability but expensive maintenance.