BMW 320 Coupe, anything i should know?
Discussion
Hey guys, I have put my car up for sale and am on the look out for an E46 BMW 320 coupe. Are there any common faults or problems with these cars? Anything particular to look out for? With my ~£5k budget it will be a high miler but im of the opinion that these things are built to last so should be fine, i'm also a mechanic which is handy! Is the high mileage really an issue? Also are there any particular parts that are ludicrously expensive compared to what they should be? Any help or advice regarding these cars would be greatly appreciated 
Well me neighbour has one, '52 reg, and it does quite a low yearly mileage, running 2-3 years between services on the long life scheme. But, in 50k, he's had 2 sets of rear springs !!!!!!! last bill with service was well over the £1k mark, also, do they have a Vanos on this model ? cos they are reported as a weak spot.
Edited by icepop on Friday 20th May 18:41
icepop said:
Well me neighbour has one, '52 reg, and it does quite a low yearly mileage, running 2-3 years between services on the long life scheme. But, in 50k, he's had 2 sets of rear springs !!!!!!! last bill with service was well over the £1k mark, also, do they have a Vanos on this model ? cos they are reported as a weak spot.
A guy down the pub told me the wheels fall off if you do more than 60 mphEdited by icepop on Friday 20th May 18:41
icepop said:
Well me neighbour has one, '52 reg, and it does quite a low yearly mileage, running 2-3 years between services on the long life scheme. But, in 50k, he's had 2 sets of rear springs !!!!!!! last bill with service was well over the £1k mark, also, do they have a Vanos on this model ? cos they are reported as a weak spot.
£1k is certainly not representative of the average e46 service cost.Edited by icepop on Friday 20th May 18:41
OP, best advice I can give is- go 330ci or 325ci, much better engines and relatively little hit in mpg.
PaulB81 said:
icepop said:
Well me neighbour has one, '52 reg, and it does quite a low yearly mileage, running 2-3 years between services on the long life scheme. But, in 50k, he's had 2 sets of rear springs !!!!!!! last bill with service was well over the £1k mark, also, do they have a Vanos on this model ? cos they are reported as a weak spot.
A guy down the pub told me the wheels fall off if you do more than 60 mphEdited by icepop on Friday 20th May 18:41
£1K, is certainly a bit off the mark, for a major service on a 320, but not when you include the rear springs as stated.
icepop said:
. But, in 50k, he's had 2 sets of rear springs !!!!!!! last bill with service was well over the £1k mark, also, do they have a Vanos on this model ? cos they are reported as a weak spot]
I know there is an Internet "fact" or two about vanos. All the many people I've known who've had e46s, including me, have not had such issues. As for springs, yes I know this is a weakness, but two sets in 50k is a bit over the top, and implies he's been driving over humpback bridges at 80mph.As for anything you should know, yes: the 2.2 litre short stroke straight six is very smooth, it's quieter than its bigger brothers with a more lightweight muted high pitched exhaust note but not particularly powerful. Get the 325 or 330, you'll pay a bit more to buy, and more to insure (maybe a lot more, depending on your age etc) bur fuel economy I hardly any different and you'll get loads more fun in terms of performance, especially with the 330.
Edited by a_bread on Friday 20th May 19:38
sparks_E39 said:
They use exactly the same amount of fuel as the 330's and cost pretty much the same to service tax and insure. Still want one?
REALLY??!!!Surely the insurance on the 330 would be much higher? Im of the younger variety so this is a big point for me. Ok then, anything i should know about 330i coupe's?
DBaldwin said:
Ah just read the other posts, maybe i'll have to stick with the 320 then. Not too bothered as it will be a huge upgrade from my current car and its not just speed i'm after. Mmmmmmm... leather seats
Speed doesn't hurt though, right? 
I'd get some insurance quotes to see what sort of difference you're looking at. I know I'd take a 5mpg hit for that amount of power, and reports say it might not even be that bad.
STD said:
I changed the vanos seals on mine as my car was exhibiting some of the Internet "facts" associated with failure of, and funnily enough it made a hell of a difference........ The seals were ROCK hard and the pistons were looser than a prostitutes morals!
My car also suffers with another Internet "fact" of high oil consumption associated with the M54 engine, and the valve stem oil seals are leaking (another "fact")....... I sure as s
t won't touch another M54 engined Bimmer!
Ah ok, so m54 engines are bad engines then. Sad anecdote but I would say you have been unlucky.My car also suffers with another Internet "fact" of high oil consumption associated with the M54 engine, and the valve stem oil seals are leaking (another "fact")....... I sure as s
t won't touch another M54 engined Bimmer!I wouldn't attach the "internet fact" label to the oil consumption issue. I know a fair few people first hand who have experienced it. BMW have issued guidance on safe rates of usage. There is a trade off between frictional losses and the extent to which oil will be used/lost, and engineers make their choice on that trade off. Such phenomena of physics are not confined to one manufacturer.
As for the OP asking what to look out for, I hope and expect he'll be one of the majority who find the m54 engines more than acceptable. They're very smooth, refined, powerful, and spent years on lists of the worlds best engines.
oj121 said:
Why does it have to be something as bland and common as a 320? Surely there are better cars in your budget that dont have moon miles?
There sure are. But i want something comfortable, classy and which is generally a nice place to be. I'm trying to keep my racing to the track 
STD: You do sound particularly unlucky (or at least i hope so!) I take it the oil usage will be a new cylinder head jobby. Is the vanos a relatively simple fix if you know what your doing?
a_bread said:
I know there is an Internet "fact" or two about vanos. All the many people I've known who've had e46s, including me, have not had such issues. As for springs, yes I know this is a weakness, but two sets in 50k is a bit over the top, and implies he's been driving over humpback bridges at 80mph.
As for anything you should know, yes: the 2.2 litre short stroke straight six is very smooth, it's quieter than its bigger brothers with a more lightweight muted high pitched exhaust note but not particularly powerful. Get the 325 or 330, you'll pay a bit more to buy, and more to insure (maybe a lot more, depending on your age etc) bur fuel economy I hardly any different and you'll get loads more fun in terms of performance, especially with the 330.
I can't imagine my 65 year old neighbour being the most unlikely candidate for hump back bridge jumping. He was surprised too when he had to have a second set replaced, but the dealer said it was not uncommon, and BMW were replacing them gratis if the car had a BMW history. Strangely, they were reporting the coupe to be suffering the most from the problem.As for anything you should know, yes: the 2.2 litre short stroke straight six is very smooth, it's quieter than its bigger brothers with a more lightweight muted high pitched exhaust note but not particularly powerful. Get the 325 or 330, you'll pay a bit more to buy, and more to insure (maybe a lot more, depending on your age etc) bur fuel economy I hardly any different and you'll get loads more fun in terms of performance, especially with the 330.
Edited by a_bread on Friday 20th May 19:38
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