It’s no secret that I love wagons, my first car was a wagon, and I still drive one to this day 16 years later. Here in lies my constant struggle, I’m a car enthusiast and a wagon lover, 2 things that are generally at odds with each other. If I lived in Europe this would be more the norm, than a problem, as the European market understands the need for practical performance. Sadly though, in the states this is not the case
Historically few marques like BMW, and Audi have understood the need to practical performance, and have offered options for a rare breed like myself to satisfy both needs in a car.  Though as the model years progress, sport wagons are becoming a thing of the past, and sport wagons with manual transmissions are approaching extinction.
In my constant quest for the perfect sport wagon, and the eventual replacement for my aging Audi, I came across this stunning 325xi for sale in Riverdale, NJ.
2001 BMW 325 XITÂ
VERY RARE
RED INTERIOR
5-SPEED MANUAL
EXTENDED WARRANTY AVAILABLE. FORM 6 MONTHS TO 4 YEARS UNLIMITED MILIAGE
This 325 was clearly owned by someone after my own heart, with the stunning silver exterior, Imola Red leather interior, and the ever important 3rd pedal, this is exactly how I would outfit my wagon.
This one owner beauty looks to be well cared for, and saw just over 10K/yr, which by today’s standards is less than average. At $11,499, they’re a about $2K strong on the price, but if you’re like me, and have to have a manual transmission in your sports wagon, this clean BMW may just be worth paying over market value.  If this car were just a bit cleaner, with less mile I’d be willing to go upwards of $10K  because there just aren’t a lot of options out there anymore.
-Brian
manual trans….check
6-cylinder engine…check
all wheel drive…check
extra cargo space…check
quality craftsmanship…check
You’re not alone in feeling like so few cars have those incredibly desirable features. You’d think they would, since they are functional aspects that should be appealing to any intermediate and above driver. But, they don’t, and so we are left salivating over cars like this amazing example.
Great find and hope you find something like it.
Anyone that’s tried to find a car like this knows how rare it is. Very nice.
This seller offers a lot of cars on ebay – some very nice finds, some not in such great shape, but all consistently a few grand over what they probably should be.
As a long time owner of German wagons, I agree that this one is very appealing and checks all the right boxes. Since BMW saw fit to outfit their US-bound 3-series wagons only with the smaller engine offering, this examples is as good as it got.
Great car but the seller is shooting the moon with that price. ZSP and manual transmission are desirable but $11.5k is about $4k higher than a comparable auto. Too much.
WOW, stunning is the correct way to describe this!
It totally has ALL of the features I’d LOVE in a 3-Series and the fact that it’s a wagon along with the color combo – SPEECHLESS.
…..now if I only had an extra 9.5k laying around
A high-mileage E46 with no service history/records? Pass. Not to mention that the dealer thinks that listing the msrp of all the options supports their selling price of the car. And I hate that they mandate a $400 “Dealer Prep & Handling fee”. But, I guess considering that the car is “rare”, all is forgiven.
@David:
Normally the lack of service records would be a problem but wagons with sport and manual are rare as hen’s teeth so you can’t be too choosy. The upholstry is in amazing condition for an 11 year old car and there are no mods so it’s probably been lightly used. Besides, there are no problems on an AWD 2001 E46 that I haven’t already encountered and fixed myself. 🙂
Wes, you really can’t make the correlation, “there are no mods so it’s probably been lightly used” here. The previous owner modded this car right on the original order sheet!
I think we can all agree – this very rare combination of options on a 325xiT didn’t happen accidentally – it was carefully chosen by an enthusiast who knew what they were doing.
In my experience, those types of people tend to drive their cars a bit harder, but they typically care for them very well also.
So, as you said, good luck trying to find another 325xiT optioned like this. Not gonna happen. If you want it, you have to take the pros with the cons.
David, I agree with you – the extra “Dealer Prep & Handling” fee is BS. Unfortunately, it’s become common practice. Until people start walking away, it will continue to happen.
Fortunately, everything is negotiable – if they are willing to sell the car to you for the *total* price you are willing to pay, then how the numbers are broken down is irrelevant. Pull the $395 out of your offer price, if you want.
@Larry:
I should have been more specific. There are no boy racer aftermarket mods.
I drive an 03 325it. Mine is pretty rare as well. Sport package, manual gearbox, factory navi,Xenons, Mystic Blue. When I bought it I wanted a RWD model, because I was toying with the idea of an M3 running gear swap. Anyway, they are great daily drivers. mine has been quite reliable. It is setup with Koni FSD’s Bigger sway bars, 330I brakes and an Alcantara ZHP steering wheel. Enough power for scooting around, while getting good mileage.
I wish I had an AWD one at this point, as I have had some moments where she didn’t get me to my destination even with snow tires.