00-05 Bmw 3 series is not a bad choice. I had a 00 320i and its still pretty awesome and comfortable to drive and somewhat is pretty reasonable to maintain so long as you up keep it well with regular checks at home. Surprisingly, it's looks still retains and doesn't really out date quickly unlike many other makes. As for performance, the 330i is in a class of it's own, pretty awesome pulling power and pretty good fuel consumption as well surprisingly. As for the 320i, its good to cruise in and much better fuel consumption but all's good in either model. I personally prefer 6 cylinder engines which the 00-05 Bmw 3 series have unlike the current 07 320i model which only has 4 cylinders and just doesn't do it for me cos' you don't get that deep humm...of a straight 6 which ever car should sound like anyway and 4 cylinder engines seem to burn more petrol than a 6 cyl. Anyway, that's my opinion and hope i didn't bore you but good luck and happy shopping for your new car. Btw, i'm a real BMW fanatic and i also own a Bmw X5

ok just to start off i believe ALL BMWs are reliable. and you should definitly get one. second, you cant look as good getting out of any other car than a bmw. as far as perfomance goes... BMWs are built for there perfomance!

i don't own and never have owned an 2000-05 3 Series, but i have opinions :-)

to me, the E46 3 series looks too feminine, even with the sports package. i'm excluding the M3 which if you don't mind the gas mileage and you can find one that hasn't been abused, would be a top choice.

i would say that all the premium car makers are reliable. it's just that when the mileage gets high, sensors and other smaller components start to fail.

based on my own experience with my E36 328i, cost of ownership really hasn't affected me. i consider all the money i've put into my car, money well spent. i get way more satisfaction out of my car than it costs me to run it. i haven't done anything extra to it. i just take it to the dealer regularly and have them fix anything that may be broke.

from my experience, nobody out performs BMW in any category or does everything so well. in the last couple weeks i drove across Poland comfortably three times with no issues (my car has over 170k miles on it). i've also driven the Nuerburgring around fifteen times over the past few years, sometimes in the rain and with completely worn tires. i'm an amateur driver and the "ring" is a beast, so that should say a lot for BMW cars as every BMW model is tested there.

since you already have a Cadillac, you might want to consider a M5. if gas mileage is your main concern, i'd get something newer with the smallest gas sipping engine available (i have no idea) except that i read somewhere that BMW has produced a four cylinder diesel that gets over 50 mpg and has almost 200 bhp.

if you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask.

Brad

The 03,04,05 run very smooth and they have an amazin pickup. They are very reliable since they are sorta mondernized techonology inside of them

The E46 3 series is an amazing car. I have a 2002 330ci which I then took to Dinan and had a ton of work done to.
It has great performance, handling, and most important to me was it is very quiet inside and comfortable. It is also
a very quick car and can easily be tuned. The only downside is BMW's are fairly expensive to fix and the E46's are
known for their computer problems. I haven't had any issues with mine yet and it is running strong. I also added a
lot of modifications to my car and it looks very masculine and sporty is gets heads turning. I would definetly
recommend the E46 to anyone.

ugly rear lights   go for the 07 hard top WAAYYYY BETTER

One word for performance. 335i Twin-Turbo Coupe or convertable (I Don't know if there one that is X-drive maybe) the only reference for sport the BEST bmw engine...
  
For the cost to own... That's German, means. hum... hope money's not your problem cause a bimmer=lot of heavypriced repair and maintenance in genuine BMW robbers/dealers (in canada but I think its the same in the U.S)

For reliability hey! its a bimmer, its some good german stuff, a surefire in the market.

My last car was a BMW 323i from the E46 body style.  It had a full service history when I bought it and was always serviced at the dealership.  I bought it with 102000 kms and sold it with 125000 km.  I had no issues with it except replacing brake pads with it and an oil change.  It was a phenominal car and miss it now.  I am hoping to get a newer one.  I really enjoyed driving it...and would highly reccomend one to you if it has been maintained well......Oil changes were $100 per change which wasn't bad because they use synthetic oil and the brakes were done by my friend....but it never gave me issues...performance was very acceptable too and I really enjoyed the car.

you wont regret buying one thats for sure. ive been driving an 87 3 series for 5 years now, and it has 185,000miles with no major issues. bmw has been building quality vehicles for a long time and the new 3er is no exception. and for performance, the twin turbo 335i is a screamer, and the 325 is no slouch either. depending on your situation you may also consider the slightly small 1 series 135i for a little less cash.