And there lies the rub...
I owned a 2002 e46 for ten months. On the surface it was good buy but in reality I ended up spending 2K on repairs (big long list both mechanical & electrical) and then lost another 2.5K when I sold it on after it developed an oil leak from around the water pump.
As a coincidence I bought the Lex ten months ago. Since then I've paid €300 for a full service & €500 on a set of tires. If I sold it tomorrow I reckon it will have depreciated by about €1500. The only problem this car has had is Err3.
Both cars were/are of similar price, age, mileage, condition. Both had a FSH.
I know which I won't be buying again.
(BTW I love Beemers, have owned many and am planning on an e60 once the Lex gets the chop)
So you prefer the lexus so you will be buying a bm next
It's true to say that my IS is a much better car than the singular E46 I owned & despite being smaller, it's on a par with my last e39. As there isn't anything better (for the same money) than the E60 523 it will deffo be the BM next. Given the technological differences between the much newer IS and the now very old E36's & E34's you can't compare them. But leaving aside the Naskil and suspension issues (and not forgetting that they're now Chav specials) you could do a lot worse than have a good one of either as your daily drive.