BMW E46 318i auto - anyone had one?

[ollyh1988]

Hello,

Has anyone owned an E46 318i or have any experience of them?

I'm looking for a car for daily driving duties and one of these has popped up with an auto gearbox.

I understand it's probably not going to be the best or most fun BMW I could own but should be good for what I'm after.

Anything to watch out for?

[helix402]

Which engine is it? M43 is ok, any N series, run away.

[ollyh1988]

helix402 said:

Which engine is it? M43 is ok, any N series, run away.

Hi - it's a 2004 car - so a 2.0 engine - is that the M43?

[helix402]

That'll be an N46 or N42, avoid as they have terrible problems with timing chains and the valvetronic system and oil leaks. The engine was made near Birmingham.

[InfoRetrieval]

I own a m43 engined 318i auto. It's my daily driver. It seems this isn't the one you're looking at but I'll add my comment for anyone else considering one.

It's not fast, but it's a really nice drive and pretty reliable. It will get 34 mpg on a motorway run. The main issue with the e43 is body rot. They're all getting old now and its getting harder to find one in decent condition.

[ollyh1988]

Thanks for the posts.

Is the problem with the later engines really that bad, or is it just a small percentage that are affected? It seems like every car has its issues - like Porsches with the bore scoring or my last MINI where the timing chain failed just after I had sold it.

I really like the 318 for sale but haven't driven it yet.

[ollyh1988]

Update to this - not keen on the 318i auto, but have 2 possible options:

E90 320i auto or E46 330i auto - both similar miles and both similar price. Any advice on any of these? The specs and body types are different but would you go for a slightly newer but smaller engine, or go for the older 330? This is a car I will be using most days to keep miles off my other car. I don't do more than 5k a year so the fuel won't be too much of an issue, but I have heard auto 330i's don't do good mpg at all?

Any advice or thoughts appreciated!

[cerb4.5lee]

ollyh1988 said:

Update to this - not keen on the 318i auto, but have 2 possible options:

E90 320i auto or E46 330i auto - both similar miles and both similar price. Any advice on any of these? The specs and body types are different but would you go for a slightly newer but smaller engine, or go for the older 330? This is a car I will be using most days to keep miles off my other car. I don't do more than 5k a year so the fuel won't be too much of an issue, but I have heard auto 330i's don't do good mpg at all?

Any advice or thoughts appreciated!

I have a E90 330i auto and it returns around 26/27 mpg, the gearbox is pretty lazy in drive and it can feel a little gutless on occasion(better in sport mode).

So I'd imagine the E90 320i auto to feel flatter than a pancake, so my pick would be the E46 330i auto and that's a highly regarded car too from what I read.

[ollyh1988]

cerb4.5lee said:

ollyh1988 said:

Update to this - not keen on the 318i auto, but have 2 possible options:

E90 320i auto or E46 330i auto - both similar miles and both similar price. Any advice on any of these? The specs and body types are different but would you go for a slightly newer but smaller engine, or go for the older 330? This is a car I will be using most days to keep miles off my other car. I don't do more than 5k a year so the fuel won't be too much of an issue, but I have heard auto 330i's don't do good mpg at all?

Any advice or thoughts appreciated!

I have a E90 330i auto and it returns around 26/27 mpg, the gearbox is pretty lazy in drive and it can feel a little gutless on occasion(better in sport mode).

So I'd imagine the E90 320i auto to feel flatter than a pancake, so my pick would be the E46 330i auto and that's a highly regarded car too from what I read.

Thanks - still want it to be interesting to drive, so the 320i probably isn't the one for me. Just seen an E90 325i auto a bit over budget but might be worth it to get the newer model and keep for longer.

[cerb4.5lee]

ollyh1988 said:

Just seen an E90 325i auto a bit over budget but might be worth it to get the newer model and keep for longer.

I've been happy with my E90 330i overall and had it four years this year, the E90 325i has the same smooth and free revving N52 engine(slightly detuned) so it could be a good shout for you.

You don't seem to get the same rust worries on the E90 compared to the E46 either.

[ollyh1988]

cerb4.5lee said:

ollyh1988 said:

Just seen an E90 325i auto a bit over budget but might be worth it to get the newer model and keep for longer.

I've been happy with my E90 330i overall and had it four years this year, the E90 325i has the same smooth and free revving N52 engine(slightly detuned) so it could be a good shout for you.

You don't seem to get the same rust worries on the E90 compared to the E46 either.

Yep will go and see this 325i - the 330i is a coupe and this is an estate and if I'm going to be using this more as a daily I might as well go for the more practical version. And the not rusting is going to be a bonus!

[cerb4.5lee]

ollyh1988 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

ollyh1988 said:

Just seen an E90 325i auto a bit over budget but might be worth it to get the newer model and keep for longer.

I've been happy with my E90 330i overall and had it four years this year, the E90 325i has the same smooth and free revving N52 engine(slightly detuned) so it could be a good shout for you.

You don't seem to get the same rust worries on the E90 compared to the E46 either.

Yep will go and see this 325i - the 330i is a coupe and this is an estate and if I'm going to be using this more as a daily I might as well go for the more practical version. And the not rusting is going to be a bonus!

I do like the estate and I miss the practicality of when I had one, my Labrador isn't keen either now he's in the footwell instead of a nice and roomy boot.

The fact my E90 is a saloon is the worst thing about it in terms of practicality, and the rear seats don't even fold!

Even the E92 Coupe I had was better, because the rear seats folded and the dog was much happier.

Let us know how you get on.

[stevesuk]

cerb4.5lee said:

The fact my E90 is a saloon is the worst thing about it in terms of practicality, and the rear seats don't even fold!

Having rear folding seats was a fairly expensive factory option on the saloon (but standard on the coupe). Quite an odd omission... It's always been that way though I think (certainly was on the E46).

[aka_kerrly]

Normally I'd join in with the "only get a 6 cylinder" BMW crew but I shall make an exception as I recently had a go in a mates 318i auto and was genuinely quite surprised.

It doesn't sound like a BMW but it wasn't awful, it pulls along fine and had enough pace to make it comfortable but by no means interesting.

I'd go so far to say I preferred it to a 320d that I drove previously.

[SebringMan]

I'd say avoid any of the 320is.

The E46 320is are no better, if not a bit worse on fuel than their larger capacity brethren and don't really go all that fast. The 4 banger 320is are a nice idea in theory but seem to be plagued with faults.

Put it this way. I once got and indicated 36.4 on a motorway in my E46 M3. I struggled to do the same in a 520i 2.2!

[cerb4.5lee]

SebringMan said:

Put it this way. I once got and indicated 36.4 on a motorway in my E46 M3. I struggled to do the same in a 520i 2.2!

I agree with this too and when I had my 520d touring because it was a small engine working it's butt off in a heavy car...it wasn't great on fuel.

For me it's better to have a bigger engine that works less hard.

[ollyh1988]

Thanks for all the advice - time for an update.

Took my car up to a main dealer for a service and the loan car for the two days was a new 420d. Really impressed with the car as a package - the 8 speed gearbox is fantastic - although the car had paddle shifters I tried them once then left the car to do everything for me. The diesel engine didn't appeal that much to me but, for a daily driver, I suppose it is exactly what you need. So, out of interest, I went to the local BMW dealer and they had a great looking nearly new 320d estate for sale. Had a talk over some numbers and went away for a think.
Meanwhile I went to view the 325i estate I mentioned on here earlier and realised that for the deposit required for the finance deal on the nearly new 320d, I could own this car outright. The car drove great, was in good condition for the age, and I really liked the smoothness of the engine, especially compared to the diesel. Anyway, a deal was done and it now sits on my drive. I'll post a picture if anyone is interested. It was a nice smooth journey back home and it returned about 32mpg according to the trip computer, so that's not too bad.

Thanks for the help again.

[helix402]

Good choice.

[stevesuk]

Having owned both an E46 and E90 (well, E91) the newer car is definitely better in my opinion. We've had our 55 plate E91 325i for 7 or 8 years, and the biggest problem is not being able to find something to replace it with It's had a few problems recently (wheel bearing, antenna diversity module, leaking shocks), but I've happily paid out to have it put right because there's nothing else anywhere near my budget that I'd want to replace it with.

I'm fully expecting the water pump to go at some point, because the car is well over a decade old, and internet folklore says it will. On the other hand, for every water pump failure you read about online, are there another 100 cars that are just fine?