BMW 330ci Sport coupe - A premature end-of-term report...
Discussion
EDIT: UPDATED PHOTOS!
Well, upon buying this car in September I told myself that I must get around to writing up a report once I had put a few miles on it. However, having been offered a convertible V8 for a price I can't turn down, the BMW is on its way before I've had the chance (I only put 2k miles on it in 5mths)!
Truthfully, I didn't set out to buy a 330ci Sport. They had always been on my radar, as they appeared to offer a great compromise of fun and affordability/practicality - most notable by their consistent recommendations in "What car?" threads here. However, I spotted one that seemed to strike a balance between well-spec'd (HK audio, black/black, electric seats, auto-everything) and reasonably-priced (the market for these things is all over the shop), so I took the plunge.
Truthfully, it's not perfect - the front wings show signs that rust has been repaired (I planned to bolt on replacements after winter had passed), the paint on the wheels was flaking a little from a cheap refurb job, and it has a couple of small 'supermarket scars'. In its plus column, it was mechanically 100%, with new brakes and wearing matching rubber all round (something I tend to look for), and with a good-looking MOT history.
A good mate popped around with his super-duper fault-code reader thing, and I was very pleased to see that it had no faults (current or historic) recorded. A first for my cars!
First impressions were that it felt immensely well screwed together, even after 104k miles, and a really good driving balance of ease and sportiness (the steering weight is well-judged, the auto gearbox is smooth in D and responsive in Manual, the seats are supportive but comfortable, the engine is Jekyll and Hyde either side of 4k).
Perhaps all those people were onto something...
As with all cars I buy, particularly those with a few miles (22k) since last service, I gave it a full once-over. The oil/filter was a remarkably easy job, as was draining and flushing the coolant. For good measure I also threw in a new air filter and sparkplugs. It was then, buoyed with confidence, that I decided to take on the fuel filter - big mistake. The (factory) original item had welded itself to the rubber hoses, and the breather pipe had perished and broken. Cue 2 hours underneath the car, replacing breather pipes and rubber hose (lots of swearing due to poor access, melted rubber and dripping fuel) to get the job done - it goes to show that stubbornness does occasionally pay dividends.
In all honestly, the decision to sell was nowhere near as easy as I expected, given the replacement I've been offered. I caught myself looking over my shoulder as I walked away from it the other night ("it's just a 3-series", I told myself), and making plans to swap out the intake to free up a bit more of that glorious straight-6 noise. Truthfully, I don't need a sensible car (I've averaged 28mpg!), as I cycle to work - so it makes sense to enjoy a fun car while fuel is cheap.
Nevertheless, here we are, and with a heavy heart I'm off to write an advert in the usual places. Not even man-maths could save the 330ci Sport (two cars for the weekend would be ludicrous), but I'd have another in a heartbeat.
I should get around to taking some decent photos for the adverts at some point - winter sort of gets in the way of good evening photography! I'll let the few I have do the talking, and dig out the rest from wherever they lie.
Well, upon buying this car in September I told myself that I must get around to writing up a report once I had put a few miles on it. However, having been offered a convertible V8 for a price I can't turn down, the BMW is on its way before I've had the chance (I only put 2k miles on it in 5mths)!
Truthfully, I didn't set out to buy a 330ci Sport. They had always been on my radar, as they appeared to offer a great compromise of fun and affordability/practicality - most notable by their consistent recommendations in "What car?" threads here. However, I spotted one that seemed to strike a balance between well-spec'd (HK audio, black/black, electric seats, auto-everything) and reasonably-priced (the market for these things is all over the shop), so I took the plunge.
Truthfully, it's not perfect - the front wings show signs that rust has been repaired (I planned to bolt on replacements after winter had passed), the paint on the wheels was flaking a little from a cheap refurb job, and it has a couple of small 'supermarket scars'. In its plus column, it was mechanically 100%, with new brakes and wearing matching rubber all round (something I tend to look for), and with a good-looking MOT history.
A good mate popped around with his super-duper fault-code reader thing, and I was very pleased to see that it had no faults (current or historic) recorded. A first for my cars!
First impressions were that it felt immensely well screwed together, even after 104k miles, and a really good driving balance of ease and sportiness (the steering weight is well-judged, the auto gearbox is smooth in D and responsive in Manual, the seats are supportive but comfortable, the engine is Jekyll and Hyde either side of 4k).
Perhaps all those people were onto something...
As with all cars I buy, particularly those with a few miles (22k) since last service, I gave it a full once-over. The oil/filter was a remarkably easy job, as was draining and flushing the coolant. For good measure I also threw in a new air filter and sparkplugs. It was then, buoyed with confidence, that I decided to take on the fuel filter - big mistake. The (factory) original item had welded itself to the rubber hoses, and the breather pipe had perished and broken. Cue 2 hours underneath the car, replacing breather pipes and rubber hose (lots of swearing due to poor access, melted rubber and dripping fuel) to get the job done - it goes to show that stubbornness does occasionally pay dividends.
In all honestly, the decision to sell was nowhere near as easy as I expected, given the replacement I've been offered. I caught myself looking over my shoulder as I walked away from it the other night ("it's just a 3-series", I told myself), and making plans to swap out the intake to free up a bit more of that glorious straight-6 noise. Truthfully, I don't need a sensible car (I've averaged 28mpg!), as I cycle to work - so it makes sense to enjoy a fun car while fuel is cheap.
Nevertheless, here we are, and with a heavy heart I'm off to write an advert in the usual places. Not even man-maths could save the 330ci Sport (two cars for the weekend would be ludicrous), but I'd have another in a heartbeat.
I should get around to taking some decent photos for the adverts at some point - winter sort of gets in the way of good evening photography! I'll let the few I have do the talking, and dig out the rest from wherever they lie.
Edited by C70R on Monday 1st February 10:07
n3il123 said:
Nice looking car, i've been pondering these (and the 325) myself the last couple of days.
Cheers. Not sure these are the right photos to show it off, but I've been very impressed.I've driven the 2.5-litre engine in a 325ti, and it shares similar characteristics to the 3.0. However, the 3.0 felt a bit more 'muscular' to me, and seemed keener to pull from low revs (think it's a 40-50lb/ft difference, from memory). But then, I would say that...
C70R said:
I've driven the 2.5-litre engine in a 325ti, and it shares similar characteristics to the 3.0. However, the 3.0 felt a bit more 'muscular' to me, and seemed keener to pull from low revs (think it's a 40-50lb/ft difference, from memory). But then, I would say that...
I've recently sold my 325ci too, after 1 and a half years and nearly 10k of ownership. Funny you should say that as I got a chance to drive a 330i and didn't feel much difference whatsoever, but then again I would also say that 
Even though I did own the car for quite a while, I just felt I didn't bond with it. Felt maybe a bit too grown up for me, I was 20 when I bought it. It was also bloomin' fiddly to work on and everything seemed to offer large doses of frustration, I had exactly the same experience with the fuel filter! It has now been replaced with a rough 90s turbo Japanese coupe, much more character and simplicity!
All valid points. To be honest, I thought the difference was reasonably pronounced, but obviously doesn't take relative health of the cars into account!
As for the fuel filter, none of the 'guides' prepared me for what a pig of a job that was, particularly when referring to "taking out the front bolts of the guard plate". They were behind the bloody front crossmember! I ended up 'manipulating' the guard for access, and would have probably thought twice about DIYing it had I known...
As for the fuel filter, none of the 'guides' prepared me for what a pig of a job that was, particularly when referring to "taking out the front bolts of the guard plate". They were behind the bloody front crossmember! I ended up 'manipulating' the guard for access, and would have probably thought twice about DIYing it had I known...
Edited by C70R on Wednesday 27th January 10:39
I had a manual Imola Red one, of similar vintage. I really did enjoy its noise, drive etc. But at 130k it was starting to give me a lot of mechanical woes, and what BMW call "Common problems" (Read as, wallet rape) not to mention the niggles with the bodywork. I got burnt hard and ended up loosing a fair bit of money on it. I keep seeing them pop up but I think it's put me off BMW's for a while...
... I realise this now sounds like a sabotage of your for sale ad. It's not, they are awesome cars tbf!
... I realise this now sounds like a sabotage of your for sale ad. It's not, they are awesome cars tbf!
Haha! Cheers for the resounding endorsement!
Badly maintained and cheap E46s (and there are a LOT out there) can throw up big bills, which is why I looked at quite a few before settling on this one.
Knowing the internet motoring community's propensity to exaggerate, I decided to have my mechanic do a bit of inspecting/investigating. After a look over the cooling system, a poke around on the ramps and a test-drive, his summary was: "I'd probably rub down that anti-roll bar and give it a lick of Hammerite".
Badly maintained and cheap E46s (and there are a LOT out there) can throw up big bills, which is why I looked at quite a few before settling on this one.
Knowing the internet motoring community's propensity to exaggerate, I decided to have my mechanic do a bit of inspecting/investigating. After a look over the cooling system, a poke around on the ramps and a test-drive, his summary was: "I'd probably rub down that anti-roll bar and give it a lick of Hammerite".
Haha. The replacement is a clk430 convertible. It's a tidy, facelift avantgarde, in need of a bit of love. I realised that I actually quite like a project, and couldn't actually find anything worth tinkering with on the BMW. Not driving every day gives me the luxury of being able to a slow 'mini-restoration', leaving me with a decent v8 convertible by summer. At least that's the plan...
C70R said:
Haha! Cheers for the resounding endorsement!
Badly maintained and cheap E46s (and there are a LOT out there) can throw up big bills, which is why I looked at quite a few before settling on this one.
Knowing the internet motoring community's propensity to exaggerate, I decided to have my mechanic do a bit of inspecting/investigating. After a look over the cooling system, a poke around on the ramps and a test-drive, his summary was: "I'd probably rub down that anti-roll bar and give it a lick of Hammerite".
Very very true! I paid a bit more for mine, it had all the worst problems sorted (Inspection report on the Subframe, Vanos, Cooling system etc.) It still managed to have random electrical faults, dead keys, broken lock and many more issues. Badly maintained and cheap E46s (and there are a LOT out there) can throw up big bills, which is why I looked at quite a few before settling on this one.
Knowing the internet motoring community's propensity to exaggerate, I decided to have my mechanic do a bit of inspecting/investigating. After a look over the cooling system, a poke around on the ramps and a test-drive, his summary was: "I'd probably rub down that anti-roll bar and give it a lick of Hammerite".
To be fair, I should've kept it after I spent a shed load of money on it. I think the new owner hasn't had a problem since he bought it. Oh well!
LankyLegoHead said:
C70R said:
Haha! Cheers for the resounding endorsement!
Badly maintained and cheap E46s (and there are a LOT out there) can throw up big bills, which is why I looked at quite a few before settling on this one.
Knowing the internet motoring community's propensity to exaggerate, I decided to have my mechanic do a bit of inspecting/investigating. After a look over the cooling system, a poke around on the ramps and a test-drive, his summary was: "I'd probably rub down that anti-roll bar and give it a lick of Hammerite".
Very very true! I paid a bit more for mine, it had all the worst problems sorted (Inspection report on the Subframe, Vanos, Cooling system etc.) It still managed to have random electrical faults, dead keys, broken lock and many more issues. Badly maintained and cheap E46s (and there are a LOT out there) can throw up big bills, which is why I looked at quite a few before settling on this one.
Knowing the internet motoring community's propensity to exaggerate, I decided to have my mechanic do a bit of inspecting/investigating. After a look over the cooling system, a poke around on the ramps and a test-drive, his summary was: "I'd probably rub down that anti-roll bar and give it a lick of Hammerite".
To be fair, I should've kept it after I spent a shed load of money on it. I think the new owner hasn't had a problem since he bought it. Oh well!
After a brief flurry of interest, and a slight drop in price (I think sub-£3k is this car's market, based on the other thread in GG), it's all quiet on the enquiries front.
To comfort myself, I took it out for a drive last night. Dry roads and cool air, combined with open windows and heated seats, was excellent fun.
Now musing on whether to sell this or the CLK I just bought. Truthfully, I need a project to keep me interested in a car, and the BMW isn't that. Once I had tarted the wings and wheels, it would have just been a case of fuelling and driving - not perhaps something that a weekend car should be about.
To comfort myself, I took it out for a drive last night. Dry roads and cool air, combined with open windows and heated seats, was excellent fun.
Now musing on whether to sell this or the CLK I just bought. Truthfully, I need a project to keep me interested in a car, and the BMW isn't that. Once I had tarted the wings and wheels, it would have just been a case of fuelling and driving - not perhaps something that a weekend car should be about.
Picked mine up from the factory in 2001, 180,000 miles ago.
It has been a great car.
It's a bit "well used" now, but still feels tight and well screwed together.
Driven enthusiastically but well maintained.
Changed 1 bulb, thermostat, 1 front calliper and various bushes in the suspension.
Refurbed the wheels once about 5 years ago.
A few rust spots on the wings but it's been outside in all Weathers for 15 years.
It's worth peanuts but still has a lot to give.
Can't recommend this car enough.
Lovely engine. Averaged 30 Mpg over 180k miles.
It has been a great car.
It's a bit "well used" now, but still feels tight and well screwed together.
Driven enthusiastically but well maintained.
Changed 1 bulb, thermostat, 1 front calliper and various bushes in the suspension.
Refurbed the wheels once about 5 years ago.
A few rust spots on the wings but it's been outside in all Weathers for 15 years.
It's worth peanuts but still has a lot to give.
Can't recommend this car enough.
Lovely engine. Averaged 30 Mpg over 180k miles.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff