# Old BMWs

> I want to own an old BMW and work on it myself. I haven’t jumped the gun yet.

Canonical: https://mark-web.com/bmw
Author: Mark Sulleza

## The shortlist

- **E30.** The 3 Series of the 1980s, and the oldest of the four.
- **E36.** The 3 Series of the 1990s.
- **E39.** The 5 Series of the late 1990s, the only big saloon on the list.
- **E46.** The 3 Series that followed, into the 2000s. First pick.

The first one would be an E46 with a petrol straight-six. Of the four, it’s the one that is still cheap.

## Why there isn’t one in the drive

I don’t have a garage, so working on one means renting space somewhere and buying the tools, on top of the car itself.

So it’s a plan with a date, not an impulse buy, and the date isn’t now. Until then I read the listings and the guides.