E46 316-318ti Compact- any good?

[sat1983]

They're cheap- and its just what I need. RWD too. Any good?

[s m]

sat1983 said:

They're cheap- and its just what I need. RWD too. Any good?

Columns 3 and 4 in excerpt below apply

[wolfy1988]

I've had a 316ti a for about 4 months as a stop gap car now. I don't think they are nearly as ugly as some make up and they do drive well, turn in is great and they really can be hussled (not from power but momentum) but ultimately, it will understeer.

I think they drive well, stable and sure footed in typical BMW fashion.

Its not much of a motorway car, gearing is short in 5th and the engine isn't very powerful but it depends what your used too.

One thing of concern are that they are chain driven engines with a reputation of issues with the chain, tensioner and guides etc, if you go to look at any, take a screwdriver with you and undo the oil cap and you shall see the chain, lightly poke the screwdriver and rock the chain about. A little bit of movement is OK, some of them are you can nearly left the chain off!

I forgot to do that when buying mine, checked when I got it home and there was a little movement, so bought the revised chain tensioner from BMW and it has been fine since.

I am averaging about 35 mpg in mixed driving.

Also, I was quite impressed the fist time I had a proper look under the bonnet, the engine is very far back, almost all of it is behind the front wheels.

Edited by wolfy1988 on Sunday 14th September 09:16

[SamPet]

I had one as a company car back in the early noughties. It was a 316ti.

It was we'll built, economical, not too slow, respectable and the dsc could be switched off completely by holding the button down for 5secs, which meant lots of tail-out fun...so much more enjoyable than a Golf/A3 etc

While some used to sneer since it wasn't a "real" 3 series, they had probably never driven one.

[sat1983]

Thanks for the comments so far. Seems to be positive. Why so cheap? I guess they don't look fashionable which is great for me! I've seen one for £1,100 with 115,000 miles on the clock but FSH, no rust, and the SE is well specced including cruise control.
At that price- what can I lose?

[wolfy1988]

sat1983 said:

Thanks for the comments so far. Seems to be positive. Why so cheap? I guess they don't look fashionable which is great for me! I've seen one for £1,100 with 115,000 miles on the clock but FSH, no rust, and the SE is well specced including cruise control.
At that price- what can I lose?

Its the same as any car when you get down that low, buy on condition not spec.

Let us know how you get on

[sat1983]

wolfy1988 said:

Its the same as any car when you get down that low, buy on condition not spec.

Let us know how you get on

Will do- wish me luck!

[Toltec]

Check that the rear washer and wiper works, a common fault is the water leaking into the body of the unit which causes corrosion and the plastic gear gets stripped as the friction builds up. New one is about £200 and second hand ones are not common, easy to change though.

Check that the fan works properly, the control unit can die, a good quality replacement will be £40-50 and while buried in the dash and a bit of a pain to do is well within diy skill level.

We have also had one of the window switches break, a small piece came off the lever, I just took the switch unit out and swapped the rear lever to the front as we never open the rear quarter lights anyway.


Those bits are the only things that have gone wrong in the last seven years on my wife's 325.

[s m]

Toltec said:

We have also had one of the window switches break, a small piece came off the lever, I just took the switch unit out and swapped the rear lever to the front as we never open the rear quarter lights anyway.


Those bits are the only things that have gone wrong in the last seven years on my wife's 325.

Shame on you!

Great way to hear the exhaust note

If the car has the Storage Package, check the boot opens automatically on the fob remote

[Toltec]

s m said:

Shame on you!

Great way to hear the exhaust note

Never occurred to me as it sounds good anyway, it is the sport version, do those have a different back box? Certainly sounds much better than a Z3 2.8 I drove a few weeks ago, the radio drowned out the exhaust note in that, until we cut the back box off, then it was rather nice.

[Devil2575]

sat1983 said:

Thanks for the comments so far. Seems to be positive. Why so cheap?

Compared to what? E46 316i values are hardly through the roof?

It's an old entry model BMW with a 4 cylinder engine. I suspect similar performance Golfs are just as cheap.

[Leicesterdave]

Devil2575 said:

Compared to what? E46 316i values are hardly through the roof?

It's an old entry model BMW with a 4 cylinder engine. I suspect similar performance Golfs are just as cheap.

I guess he means they've aged well. Even if they're not the nicest looking motor on the road I certainly think they have!

[Leins]

I actually much preferred my E36 316i Compact to the E46 316ti that replaced it, despite the latter being arguably a better car. 318ti will be quicker, but if at all possible try to stretch to a 325ti. The most underrated and undervalued E46 IMO

[the_lone_wolf]

The missus bought one as a first car last year, not done huge miles yet but it's a nice place to be, engine is a bit weak but it's the 316 - still enough power for overtaking and motorway work if required

I've grown quite fond of it, it could never replace the XC70 as a mile eater, but it's eager and fun to driver after 500 miles in the tank

[Devil2575]

Leicesterdave said:

Devil2575 said:

Compared to what? E46 316i values are hardly through the roof?

It's an old entry model BMW with a 4 cylinder engine. I suspect similar performance Golfs are just as cheap.

I guess he means they've aged well. Even if they're not the nicest looking motor on the road I certainly think they have!

Subjective issues of looks aside my point was that they are cheap because used cars are cheap unlesss they are especially desirable.

[Baryonyx]

The first BMW I drove, and pretty hopeless too, I thought.

[sat1983]

I'm literally buying it for a runaround. It'll be treated to a cheap £5 wash per month and that's it. However the oil will be changed frequently. How it sort of looks/performs isn't o high interest.

Cruise control a must, I do like the idea of having a RWD car, and being based on an E46 is no bad thing imo. Not for the money at least!

[s m]

Toltec said:

Never occurred to me as it sounds good anyway, it is the sport version, do those have a different back box? Certainly sounds much better than a Z3 2.8 I drove a few weeks ago, the radio drowned out the exhaust note in that, until we cut the back box off, then it was rather nice.

Yes, different exhaust run on the Compact - plus they don't have the flap in the second outlet to quieten the exhaust note giving them a distinct sound.

Hence the Marc Gene comment below