RE: Shed Of The Week: BMW 320ci (E46)
Discussion
4rephill said:
leon9191 said:
I only need to know one thing, does it have an LSD?
The only E46 BMW's that left the factory with an LSD were the M3's.BMW stopped fitting LSD's to the 3 series in 1996 when they did the "facelift" on the E36 series and replaced them with the ASC+T traction control system.
(An LSD could have been fitted later on but on a 320i it's not really worth the effort)
The M3 diff can't be easily fitted to non-M3 models, different rear subframe, driveshafts, rear track etc.
I have a 2001 320SE Coupe purchased on Ebay. It had full BMW service history, and 1 owner and my local dealer checked the history for me. I had relaced discs and pads, new oil, handbrake adjusted and a winter check up at Chandlers BMW which was reasonable for cost. I also had a water pump failure but managed to free wheel downhill to my dealer.
THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FROM BMW TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG - CHECK WITH YOUR DEALER
Next year I am getting the rusting rear wings replaced, as part of a tidy up.
I use 18 inch wheels in the summer on Pirelli and 16 inch in the winter on Michelin. A great second hand buy now on 120,000 miles. After my 911, it is relatively trouble free, if you regularly check oil, water, coolant & tyres & brakes and give it a hand wash every week or so. Owned for 5 years this year, still miss my Lancia MonteCarlo, and Mazda RX-7 turbo.
It still has a full BMW service history.
Edited due to IPAD messing with me.
THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FROM BMW TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG - CHECK WITH YOUR DEALER
Next year I am getting the rusting rear wings replaced, as part of a tidy up.
I use 18 inch wheels in the summer on Pirelli and 16 inch in the winter on Michelin. A great second hand buy now on 120,000 miles. After my 911, it is relatively trouble free, if you regularly check oil, water, coolant & tyres & brakes and give it a hand wash every week or so. Owned for 5 years this year, still miss my Lancia MonteCarlo, and Mazda RX-7 turbo.
It still has a full BMW service history.
Edited due to IPAD messing with me.
Edited by pagani1 on Friday 21st November 16:09
Edited by pagani1 on Friday 21st November 16:10
Edited by pagani1 on Friday 21st November 16:12
All current BMW's are suffering Munich Bloat and apart from being fatter also now wear appallingly exagerated eyewear at the front, fashion addenda victims. The E46 was the last pretty 3 series IMHO and apart from the recent M4 seem to be struggling to keep the BMW cohesiveness under control and now post Bangle are no longer distinctive.
I have owned M5 and Z1 both which were good cars, the new ones just don't turn me on- Sorry Munich.
I have owned M5 and Z1 both which were good cars, the new ones just don't turn me on- Sorry Munich.
330 sport Convertible owner for 4 years.
People who say they're boring havent driven them. Simple.
I've had hot clio's, a barmy tuned up MR2 turbo, I've been in various other sports cars.
But none of them can go relatively fast and do 400 mile trips in absolute comfort.
Jap nutters and older french cars in this price range are cheap nasty tat.
HOWEVER - I feel people have glossed over regular E46 issues.
In my 4 years I've fixed
Rocker cover. Twice.
Thermostat
Front control arm bushes
Drop links
Wish bone - ball joints go and cant be fixed on their own.
Front wings rusted
ARB bushes
The centering spring for the gear stick gets stuck when cold.
Steering coupler
Heater final stage resistor AKA hedgehog.
The oil usage is down to the CCV going - that's on my list to fix
Mines on 80k miles - this ones done more than double - I would expect everything above to be needing attention and then some.
People who say they're boring havent driven them. Simple.
I've had hot clio's, a barmy tuned up MR2 turbo, I've been in various other sports cars.
But none of them can go relatively fast and do 400 mile trips in absolute comfort.
Jap nutters and older french cars in this price range are cheap nasty tat.
HOWEVER - I feel people have glossed over regular E46 issues.
In my 4 years I've fixed
Rocker cover. Twice.
Thermostat
Front control arm bushes
Drop links
Wish bone - ball joints go and cant be fixed on their own.
Front wings rusted
ARB bushes
The centering spring for the gear stick gets stuck when cold.
Steering coupler
Heater final stage resistor AKA hedgehog.
The oil usage is down to the CCV going - that's on my list to fix
Mines on 80k miles - this ones done more than double - I would expect everything above to be needing attention and then some.
I bought a E46 330ci about 6 months ago, a 1 owner from new, full service history on 118k miles, front wings replaced job for under 2k, there were no other e46 330s for sale in scotland at any price so it was a good deal in my opinion.
not boring, I'd say fun and comfy, not as fun as my wife's impreza WRX but that's a different animal.
so far only a wishbone,a wheel bearing and the handbrake have had an issue. it still has the original clutch and exhaust, both of which i'd class as consumables so i'm expecting them to go at some point.
i get about 29mpg on my commute, a mix of town driving and a 80mile motorway stint. not bad for a 230bhp car, the scooby(226bhp) gets about <25 on the same commute.
fun i'd say, buy it, and ignore the tramlining
not boring, I'd say fun and comfy, not as fun as my wife's impreza WRX but that's a different animal.
so far only a wishbone,a wheel bearing and the handbrake have had an issue. it still has the original clutch and exhaust, both of which i'd class as consumables so i'm expecting them to go at some point.
i get about 29mpg on my commute, a mix of town driving and a 80mile motorway stint. not bad for a 230bhp car, the scooby(226bhp) gets about <25 on the same commute.
fun i'd say, buy it, and ignore the tramlining
kambites said:
I think whether you view the 3-series as dull or great simply depends on what you expect.
It's a big heavy saloon car; it's not going to be as agile as a Caterham or even a good hot hatch. It is, however, significantly better than its direct competition. If you want a car which will spend 90% of its time cruising on motorways but can still provide a modicum of entertainment of a B-road, it's quite hard to beat the 3-series.
Agree and I see my 330 as both dull and great at the same time, they are dull as in they are comfy and hide their speed well which in turn makes the drive a tad boring, but I love the driving position and how well the seat holds you in and I love how smooth the engine is and how nice it sounds at the redline. It's a big heavy saloon car; it's not going to be as agile as a Caterham or even a good hot hatch. It is, however, significantly better than its direct competition. If you want a car which will spend 90% of its time cruising on motorways but can still provide a modicum of entertainment of a B-road, it's quite hard to beat the 3-series.
Plus to me it feels well screwed together too, I bought it as I knew it would be a nice steady eddie all rounder and for that job it does it very well.
leedsutd1 said:
A strange couple of comments on here from people saying "It looks like a new BMW " or " put a private plate on and people will think its new " The e46 looks nothing like a new 3 series , or the 3 series before that or the E90/91/92 version from 2005 on , okay for a grand but interior very dated now
The vast majority of people can't identify a given model from its shape. Just seeing that it's (a) not a boxy relic from the 80s, (b) has a BMW badge, (c) looks clean inside, is huge value for a grand.MadDog1962 said:
Nice car. Very nice SOTW.
One thing I'd want to know would be how old the clutch was. I understand it's not a traightforward DIY replacement, so it could be a big bill lurking just a few months away.
Otherwise looks good :-)
Clutch is not an issue on these under normal use, my e46 320d is on 175'000 miles and my 335i is on 190'000 miles both on original clutch.One thing I'd want to know would be how old the clutch was. I understand it's not a traightforward DIY replacement, so it could be a big bill lurking just a few months away.
Otherwise looks good :-)
The Crack Fox said:
fushion julz said:
The Crack Fox said:
Jesus! Another one! I had a 330 CI Sport - IT WAS BORING!
Don't you people get it? Shed should be interesting. The E46 is as interesting as toothpaste.
So your Metro and Mk1 MX5 are more interesting?Don't you people get it? Shed should be interesting. The E46 is as interesting as toothpaste.
Hmmmm....
You learn something new everyday........................
320Ci, underpowered lazy engined car that will struggle to outdrag your average 2 litre turbo diesel, don't understand the fuss to be honest, and E46s tend to rust....also, under 1,000 miles per litre of oil - really?! Is this what they call quality german engineering? My 100,000 mile 2 litre Jap hatch has used just over a quarter of a litre in 8,000 miles....
...something not german next time please!
...something not german next time please!
43034 said:
I owned one. It was boring, to me.
I owned an E46 SE and it was a bit disappointing to me. I think it's only rated highly because it's RWD and more fun on a track than most FWD saloons of the time. It did cost more though so it was no bargain compared to any of them.Great smooth, wide torque band, nice sounding engine was the highlight along with the nice looking interior with smooth feeling buttons. Good brake feel, accelerator feel and stereo. Plus it just looked classier inside and out than a non-German saloon of the same age.
No idea if an E36 drives better but I've driven an E46 M-sport and they feel even worse to me.
I think over damp, wet or bumpy roads you don't want to be driving an E46, especially an M-sport. They all have steering kickback and feel a bit unstable unlike a FWD car. Also the ride is firm considering the roll and the handling is average to me. The steering feel is average and the gearbox is notchy but precise. The clutch is ok with a slow but smooth engagement that is well weighted. They have lots of good and bad points, but overall they're not for me.
I think the E90 is a better car though it's far more money.
GreenArrow said:
320Ci, underpowered lazy engined car that will struggle to outdrag your average 2 litre turbo diesel, don't understand the fuss to be honest, and E46s tend to rust....also, under 1,000 miles per litre of oil - really?! Is this what they call quality german engineering? My 100,000 mile 2 litre Jap hatch has used just over a quarter of a litre in 8,000 miles....
...something not german next time please!
But you championed an RX8....something not german next time please!
mmmmmm.
ok.
Had 4 6 cylinder E46's in every body style through the early / mid naughties. Covered over 350k miles; the only fault I suffered was one failed thermostat on a 323Ci, which was replaced under warranty.
Lovely, lovely things. I genuinely can't believe that you can get one that looks so superficially fit and healthy for so little.
We'll look back in 20 years time and feel more than a twinge of regret...
Lovely, lovely things. I genuinely can't believe that you can get one that looks so superficially fit and healthy for so little.
We'll look back in 20 years time and feel more than a twinge of regret...
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