Sprog's Drunken BMW e46 Purchase
Discussion
So, I was sat in the pub watching England win the rugby grand-slam.
Half time arrived, so I had a quick peruse of facebook.
On one of the local car sales pages there was an e46 323i, manual, no MOT, but runs and drives for sale for virtually no momey.
I messaged the the seller with a cheeky offer and carried on with my beer.
The rest is a bit of a blur, but they accepted my offer. After a couple of texts, I had borrowed a trailer and had arranged a pick up time.
The next day arrived, and I left a pretty grumpy wife to collect my new acquisition.
I turned up at a delightful housing estate to see my new P&J languishing in a corner.
'It wants a wheel bearing' said the seller
'Really? it's only the brake disk holding the wheel on!'
I gave him a pittance, and loaded my new HOS on the trailer.
The exterior looked like it needed a damn good wash, but not too bad.
The interior? Well let's put it this way P.C Plod would have been quite interested in some of the content, and I'm not just talking about the horrible tapes (yes, tapes!) left all over the place.
Pictures to follow
Half time arrived, so I had a quick peruse of facebook.
On one of the local car sales pages there was an e46 323i, manual, no MOT, but runs and drives for sale for virtually no momey.
I messaged the the seller with a cheeky offer and carried on with my beer.
The rest is a bit of a blur, but they accepted my offer. After a couple of texts, I had borrowed a trailer and had arranged a pick up time.
The next day arrived, and I left a pretty grumpy wife to collect my new acquisition.
I turned up at a delightful housing estate to see my new P&J languishing in a corner.
'It wants a wheel bearing' said the seller
'Really? it's only the brake disk holding the wheel on!'
I gave him a pittance, and loaded my new HOS on the trailer.
The exterior looked like it needed a damn good wash, but not too bad.
The interior? Well let's put it this way P.C Plod would have been quite interested in some of the content, and I'm not just talking about the horrible tapes (yes, tapes!) left all over the place.
Pictures to follow
So, I had it home.
All 4 tires were bald, it badly needed a wheel bearing, and the interior wasnt fit for a dog to sleep in unless it wanted to get really stoned and listen to s
te music.
Photos..
Loaded.
Home and washed.
Some of the 'paraphernalia'
Gratuitous bucket shot. This was the back seats and foot well.
All 4 tires were bald, it badly needed a wheel bearing, and the interior wasnt fit for a dog to sleep in unless it wanted to get really stoned and listen to s
te music.Photos..
Loaded.
Home and washed.
Some of the 'paraphernalia'
Gratuitous bucket shot. This was the back seats and foot well.
Looks like a fking skip, what were you thinking?! 
'Some' money says you suddenly get a lot of interest from local plod when it goes back on the road
I do find threads like this more interesting than all the supercars and flash stuff though, must be my inner massochist lusting after something knackered to fiddle with, good luck!
king skip, what were you thinking?! 'Some' money says you suddenly get a lot of interest from local plod when it goes back on the road
I do find threads like this more interesting than all the supercars and flash stuff though, must be my inner massochist lusting after something knackered to fiddle with, good luck!
I wouldn't be surprised if the car has a marker on it for the police. I had a BMW years ago that I kept getting tugged in, then a kindly officer told me it had a "vehicle of interest" marker on it. I kept the v5 in it so I could show I'd only recently bought the car.
That was a nightmare couple of months.
That was a nightmare couple of months.
jamiebae said:
I do find threads like this more interesting than all the supercars and flash stuff though, must be my inner massochist lusting after something knackered to fiddle with, good luck!
Me too, I don't know how many hours I have spent on eBay looking at cars like this.I must be odd because I would much rather own a 10 to 15 year old BMW, Audi or Mercedes that I had found on eBay than a brand new car.
Actually, I enjoyed the 2000 E46 318 I paid £1600 for and drove for two and a half years more than the brand new 2000 Subaru Impreza Turbo I paid £21K for.
I enjoy this sort of stuff too.
There's something strangely rewarding for me buying an old snotter that's been abused and unloved, cleaning it up, fixing it and enjoying it.
I'm not too worried about there being a marker on the car, I'm friends with a couple of traffic cops and my workshop is next door to the local police station, so any problems like that can be quickly identified and dealt with.
Aim to get the Beemer in to the workshop when we have a quiet day or two.
When I was swapping the wheels I noticed a couple of other things that need doing.
Wheel bearing hanging off.
Prop support bearing knackered.
Rear metal brake pipes crusty.
Front pads really low
And both front drop links gaitor split.
All good fun!
There's something strangely rewarding for me buying an old snotter that's been abused and unloved, cleaning it up, fixing it and enjoying it.
I'm not too worried about there being a marker on the car, I'm friends with a couple of traffic cops and my workshop is next door to the local police station, so any problems like that can be quickly identified and dealt with.
Aim to get the Beemer in to the workshop when we have a quiet day or two.
When I was swapping the wheels I noticed a couple of other things that need doing.
Wheel bearing hanging off.
Prop support bearing knackered.
Rear metal brake pipes crusty.
Front pads really low
And both front drop links gaitor split.
All good fun!
Excellent cheap purchase. I hope you paid more for the wheels and tyres than the car from the state of it
I'd check all the smaller storage compartments, take the back seat base off, and check behind any bits of interior trim that can easily pop off and back on again. You'd be surprised what people forget when they're.....errr....relaxed.
I'd check all the smaller storage compartments, take the back seat base off, and check behind any bits of interior trim that can easily pop off and back on again. You'd be surprised what people forget when they're.....errr....relaxed.
Joey Deacon said:
I must be odd because I would much rather own a 10 to 15 year old BMW, Audi or Mercedes that I had found on eBay than a brand new car.
Actually, I enjoyed the 2000 E46 318 I paid £1600 for and drove for two and a half years more than the brand new 2000 Subaru Impreza Turbo I paid £21K for.
Agreed, I drive around in a £30k Range Rover, but one of the cars I remember most fondly was my 10 year old Subaru Forester, bought for £950 and I'd happily drive something similar again if I had the space to actually work on it.Actually, I enjoyed the 2000 E46 318 I paid £1600 for and drove for two and a half years more than the brand new 2000 Subaru Impreza Turbo I paid £21K for.
Nothing better than buying an unloved shed for buttons. Though I do consider a trailer cheating a bit, the best experience is nursing your shed home, preferably over some unfeasibly large distance. Clearly with no MOT, the trailer is required!
My most recent experience was buying an Alfa GTA Sportwagon on the basis of a few photographs, meeting the seller (in the dark) in a shopping centre car park 250 miles from home. I then had to commute in the shed for the remainder of the week (hotel to work), then drive it the 250 miles back home. Stopping at B&Q for some wire and a dust sheet, then wiring the exhaust up so it didn't bang on the roll bar (in my suit, hence the dust sheet) was unbelievably satisfying. Unfortunately, my example is bereft of wacky baccy, at least so far.
My most recent experience was buying an Alfa GTA Sportwagon on the basis of a few photographs, meeting the seller (in the dark) in a shopping centre car park 250 miles from home. I then had to commute in the shed for the remainder of the week (hotel to work), then drive it the 250 miles back home. Stopping at B&Q for some wire and a dust sheet, then wiring the exhaust up so it didn't bang on the roll bar (in my suit, hence the dust sheet) was unbelievably satisfying. Unfortunately, my example is bereft of wacky baccy, at least so far.
jamiebae said:
Agreed, I drive around in a £30k Range Rover, but one of the cars I remember most fondly was my 10 year old Subaru Forester, bought for £950 and I'd happily drive something similar again if I had the space to actually work on it.
If it werent for needing to transport kids, i'd happily drive an alfa 33 or 155 right now, sadly those are a bit old(ish) and would probably not be entirely reliable for kiddo transport, so ive got a 147, still 14 years old mind you, and i like it better then the '12 megane it is replacingGassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff