E46 320d m sport. What to look out for.

[johnfm]

Looking for a high mileage bargain - under £3.5k.

Aware this will probably be a 150k miler or more.

Never bought a high mile car before.

What are the 'obvious' things to check - apart from service history. I assume at that mileage, suspension components, bushes etc.

Gearbox?

Any thing else?

[Pablo16v]

I've never owned a diesel BMW but based on my experience of running a high mileage E46 325i M-Sport Touring you might need to spend some money on suspension components. Over the course of 15,000 miles (I sold the car with 137k on the clock), I had to replace both rear shocks (leaking), front bushes and ball joints. Total cost for all the work was approx. £650. The previous owner also replaced both rear springs during his ownership, which I believe is a common fault on most E46 Beemers.

Other than that I just had to service it and replace tyres.

On a high mileage diesel I'd be keeping some cash aside for turbo replacement, and also look into the swirl flap issue.

The M-Sports are great drivers cars, I miss mine, but they often need a decent amount of TLC to keep them in tip top condition.

[Fox-]

Something else instead.

If you are after a 320d economy is probably at the forefront of your mind. If economy is at the forefront of your mind probably the last thing you want is a cheap 7-10 year old 150k+ mile BMW. You'll just be swapping fuel spend for repair bill spend.