E46 high(ish) milers...

[freenote]

Hi all,

I'm currently thinking of trading in my 200sx for something a little more practical whilst not sacrificing too much on dynamics and FUN.

Looking at a budget up to £3k and need something for every task - city, motorway, weekend fun as I live in London and work all over South-east/Midlands.

I can get an early E46 330ci with 80-100k miles at this price looking at autotrader and would prob get very little p/x for mine.

How do these generally fare at this mileage? And is general maintenance (disks,pads etc etc) excessive given that it's a BMW??

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated.

[DickSkruttock]

Early E46's suffer from rusty rear wheel arches and sub frame issues.

Also, beware the passenger occupancy sensor mat failure that throws up an airbag light.

Sure there's a few more things to look for, but it's been 3 years since I sold mine (325i).

[Willy Nilly]

I've never driven one and they are getting too old for me to be bothered with now, but my manager had an E46 as a company car and it was an utter pile of ste. It spent most of it's time either on the back of a recovery truck or being fixed. It got to the stage where if he was going far he would take one of the pool vehicles.

The problems were a variation on the cooling and electrical theme.

[Welshbeef]

A consultant at work has a IIRC 54 reg 330i vert m sport.
Every single lunchtime he gets in it starts it up and floors it away - sounds great. Aparently he has owned it from new and has always driven it like that - he does 20k plus a year so I'd say keep on top of the maintence no problem. But do remember you are buying a £34-36k car and it has running costs to fit.

[freenote]

Mixed views so far. Obviously the bad ones scare me a little as I need something reliable and can't afford massive bills.

Any thoughts on alternatives??

[obscene]

I've run my 330 for 30,000 miles and it hasn't cost me a penny other than simple maintainence

[ex vtskid]

I had a 2001 330i that was on over 183k miles when I sold it, ran great. Only real proble I could think of was that the gear change was sloppy and really needed the linkage doing. Was still on the original clutch which felt fine. Only thing out of the ordinary (but common on this engine) I saw looking through the SH was the cooling system being replaced.

Just to add as well it was the best all rounder I've ever owned.

[freenote]

obscene said:

I've run my 330 for 30,000 miles and it hasn't cost me a penny other than simple maintainence

What's the mileage now??

[freenote]

Hugo Agogo said:

Parts prices aren't bad, check out eurocarparts for an idea. As for the cars generally, they're pretty tough! Front arches go before the rears and some had issues with the subframe ripping the floor. The M54 engines are known to consume oil, but not all are affected. Go have a look and judge each one on their individual merits, if you get a good one you'll absolutely love it.

Hmmm...prices don't seem a whole lot more than the 200sx.

I assume all the E46s are the M54 engine???

And how would one check for the subframe issue?

[V6Alfisti]

I had a 330i at 110k and it was a PITA:-

All common things on E46's

Engine gasket went
Key remote fobs break
Key lock barrels known to fail
Window regulators fail
Heating control unit went funny
Rear light cluster decided to burn out

Also known to have problems with rear subframes and they break through the floor plan, double check all bushes (although this is a wear and tear item).

A seriously loved one might be ok but buy with your eyes open.

[Welshbeef]

I'll reiterate it's a £35k car new so bills are going to be higher.

Buy a dog even a mini would be bad buy good it will cost little.

[freenote]

Ok...I'm clearly struggling with my next purchase and have been for a while. I find it so difficult to make a decision.
If I saved up an extra £2k or so and went for a lower mileage slightly newer E46, is it likely to pay off in the long-run, or is it just luck of the draw??

[a_bread]

I sold mine not long ago. it was a 2002 car. I'd had it for tens of thousands of miles, sold with around 105k on, for a lot more than the figure being quoted in the first post. however it was a sport version, in very good condition, especially inside (barely a hint of the drivers seat having been sat in) good spec, with a full main dealer history which showed no expense spared, and I think that all helped.

I guess you're talking about X or Y plate non-sport versions for 3k?

[taylor86]

I have had my E46 2001 330ci for nigh on 3 years now, I bought mine at 30k for £7,800 in 2009.

Its just ticked over 50k in that time and all i have had done is a new thermostat, oil level sensor, wishbone bushes and inspection 2 routine servicing. Tyres and brakes are due but in 20k miles thats bargain motoring for a car that was £34,000 new!

It has been spot on and would have no problem buying a 80k miler providing you know what your looking for.

I love mine to bits, and considering its coming up to its 10th birthday its in cracking condition!

If your serious about getting one go one e46fanatics or e46zone there is loads of info.

parts are not expensive AT ALL, main areas being:

4 x falken tyres £400
complete suspension overhaul £200
Coolant system renewal £200
Discs and pads all round £300

These are the four main areas to look at when buying one of these, suspension bushings need renewing every 40 - 50k miles and is quite obvious when its gone.

I've averaged 29 mpg, 500ml of oil usage over every 4k miles (well within tolerances) just as an example for you to consider.

[MattOz]

I've had a number of E46's.

Many have been work horses and some have been sold with 125k miles or more. they've been a mix of 3 litre petrol and diesel.

Great cars in my opinion. Weak front wishbone (fluid) bushes aside and the occasional snapped rear spring they've been relatively cheap cars to run. The 330i would average just over 30mpg and the 330d over 40mpg. My current 330d has done 101k miles and is going strong. I have replaced the swirl flaps with PMW blankers mind you as I don't fancy the flap failing and lunching the engine. One of my previous 330d's did that, fortunately under warranty.

As the chap above says, e46zone and perhaps e46fanatics are good places to gather info.

Matt

[snotrag]

Honest question -

What perceived improvemnt in practicality do you see between a 200SX (S14A I presume) and a 330Ci?

There just about the same thing arent they!? Same size, 2 door coupes, just over 200ish bhp as standard, 4 seats, similar size boot, similar MPG?

Genuinely interested - I always had the 200SX down as being quite a good everyday car, I've fancied one myself. I KNOW a 330Ci is a very practical, mildly interesting everyday car, so what do you see as the difference between the two?

[freenote]

snotrag said:

Honest question -

What perceived improvemnt in practicality do you see between a 200SX (S14A I presume) and a 330Ci?

There just about the same thing arent they!? Same size, 2 door coupes, just over 200ish bhp as standard, 4 seats, similar size boot, similar MPG?

Genuinely interested - I always had the 200SX down as being quite a good everyday car, I've fancied one myself. I KNOW a 330Ci is a very practical, mildly interesting everyday car, so what do you see as the difference between the two?

Good question.
It is an S14a and it's a good fun car to drive. Unfortunately it just feels a bit old now and is a little twitchy in the rain - great fun but I need to be in the mood.
I think MPG is going to be better on the BMW - I get 18 around town if I'm lucky and very careful.
Also, the 200 doesn't enjoy short journeys or sitting in traffic I find. It also sounds like a diesel sometimes on a hot start.
Overtaking is wonderfully easy and motorway driving is fine for a couple of hours at most - then my back starts aching.
If I'm honest I'd love to keep it as a weekend car as it's loads of fun but as an everyday car it just isn't practical.
Maybe I'm just getting old

I think the BMW seems like a slightly more "grown-up" alternative but if anyone has experience of both please correct me!