Brandon Carrigan, a Bethlehem, PA Realtor-turned-BMW enthusiast, posted what may be one of the more unlikely automotive finds in the Lehigh Valley: a 2006 BMW E90 3-series, manual transmission, 401,000 miles — original engine, original gearbox, and a smooth idle.

Carrigan, who works for Berkshire Hathaway, is unseen, but his excitement is palpable. He’s actually got two BMWs in the garage, but one is more cherished than the other.

“That one’s only got [280,000 miles] on it, but this is a rare bird,” Carrigan says. “We got a manual [BMW 3-series] E90 here, 2006. [401,000 miles]. No lights. Look at that idle. Original motor and trans. Wow. What a treat.”

But then suddenly, the coolant temperature symbol comes on, and he yells.

Commenters Are In Disbelief

“It’s probably had 50k in maintenance since 06,” joked one person in the comments. Another person replied, “So wrong! 2 water [pumps], 4 oil pan [gaskets], fresh coolant hose! That’s all you need on those [cars]!

A further user said, “My E92 328xi had so many issues with only 100k miles on it. Replaced just about everything, and it would still just die on me while driving down the [highway] at 70mph.”

What’s the Deal?

The BMW E90 series was once one of the best-selling and best pure-driving luxury cars in North America. In fact, the broad 3 Series was marked for decades as one of Car and Driver‘s 10Best.

However, while the E90, produced from 2005 to 2011, is a driver’s car with a devoted following, it’s no Toyota Camry. Drivers report that it can be a wildly finicky submodel, known for cooling system failures, oil leaks, and fussy electronics. Many say that the vehicle is considered an old soldier by 150,000 miles.

eEuroparts.com says the E90’s electric water pump is a known failure point that can cause engine overheating, and recommends replacing it proactively on high-mileage vehicles. One site recommends oil changes every 5,000 to 7,500 miles rather than BMW’s factory-suggested 15,000-mile intervals, given how many problems fresh oil can help prevent. Oil sludge clogging the variable valve timing solenoids can cause power loss and check engine lights, and is also a known issue.

The E90 also has a few electrical system gremlins, like door lock issues, flickering dash lights, and weird warning lights, that are often triggered by a weak 12V battery.

So, a manual-transmission E90 cresting 400,000 miles on its original drivetrain, with no rebuilds and no warning lights (until that moment), is absolutely a show-stopper.

“The 4-cylinder engines are a bit less reliable than the inline-6 engines in terms of longevity,” says one website. However, if that inline-6 is “properly maintained, every 3 Series should squeeze at least 150,000 miles.”

Carrigan’s Car

The coolant light at the end of Carrigan’s video, it should be noted, is almost certainly the electric water pump saying its goodbyes. It’s a $200–$400 part (plus labor) that, if this car’s previous owner has really driven it over 400,000 miles, they’ve probably replaced it at least once (and maybe twice) before.

MotorBiscuit reached out to Carrigan via Facebook message and comment, and to BMW via email. This article will be updated upon response.