What should I pay for 2004 330i Sports Tourer?
Discussion
Looking at a 2004 330i Sports Tourer with 54k on the clock. FSH BMW / Indepandant
Immaculate condition with Bi Xenon headlamps, Montana leather plus bluetooth and all the usual specs.
2 Owners, from a reputable independent dealer with 6 month warranty Titan Silver
£8000
Immaculate condition with Bi Xenon headlamps, Montana leather plus bluetooth and all the usual specs.
2 Owners, from a reputable independent dealer with 6 month warranty Titan Silver
£8000
Edited by peterjfox on Wednesday 20th January 00:15
It is certainly top of the market for an E46, even if it is a very nice one with very low mileage!
I would say only pay anywhere near that amount if a) you absolutely have to have an E46 330i Touring, and b) you intend to keep it for some time (as you will be very lucky to get £5-6k when you move it on).
And the issue with keeping it for a long time is the issue with nearly all E46's now - rust! Most if not all have some issues now. Personally love the E46 but can't be bothered with the hassle of rust treatment.
E90/E91's seem to be where the value is at the moment, although 330i Tourings are rare and seem to command a premium (esp. manuals).
I would say only pay anywhere near that amount if a) you absolutely have to have an E46 330i Touring, and b) you intend to keep it for some time (as you will be very lucky to get £5-6k when you move it on).
And the issue with keeping it for a long time is the issue with nearly all E46's now - rust! Most if not all have some issues now. Personally love the E46 but can't be bothered with the hassle of rust treatment.
E90/E91's seem to be where the value is at the moment, although 330i Tourings are rare and seem to command a premium (esp. manuals).
Has it had all the bushes and dampers replaced? It is 15 years old so fi not budget for doing them if you want it to feel like new. Cost is around £3k.
Not sure it is worth £8k personally, if you don't use it much it might be in a few years, in all honesty, right now I would say more like £4500.
Not sure it is worth £8k personally, if you don't use it much it might be in a few years, in all honesty, right now I would say more like £4500.
£8k is very strong money for an E46 although good ones are getting quite rare (and desirable) particularly in that condition and mileage.
Is this a manual? They do seem to be up for stronger money.
They are great cars and I anticipate (and hope!) they at least hold their money. As a long term proposition buy the best you can.
Is this a manual? They do seem to be up for stronger money.
They are great cars and I anticipate (and hope!) they at least hold their money. As a long term proposition buy the best you can.
peterjfox said:
Hi Guys
Thanks for the replies.
Looking to purchase as a keeper really, going to be garaged and stored and used only on sunny days etc
I popped this on to your other thread:Thanks for the replies.
Looking to purchase as a keeper really, going to be garaged and stored and used only on sunny days etc
Personally £8k feels a bit high (I'd have thought £6-6.5k would be more reasonable); the M54 3.0i engine is superb; but it will need a full cooling system overhaul and the car will probably want the suspension refreshed; it's done low miles, but it's the age of the car and the rubber parts that lead to this!
Unless there's paperwork to show the above and it's recent, that should give you leverage for the price.
If you've got the budget for a car like this and it ticks all your boxes, IMO go for it
Plus the touring has the more versatile space to use and it's not a huge car; so for me, it's a much better proposition over a saloon 330i and the tourings always seem to be more sought after
I have spoke with the dealer today who has said the price is non negotiable but it's a beautiful car and in excellent condition. He does sell high end cars for a premium price but they are lovely cars.
This one has two previous owners and was sold by BMW as well as serviced by them and a specialist independent. It will be fully checked over by a BMW dealer locally before being sold and also have any work required carried out.
What sort of money to sort cooling system which I presume is all hoses and brackets plus the expansion bottle and connections around that?
What about suspension overhaul? How much?
What is the difference in price between the Auto's and Manuals re pricing? I suppose the manuals are more desirable so what would that add to the value of a car like this?
Will come with that 6 month warranty and fullMOT with no advisories.
Yes they are just bits of paper but his reviews are very good.
Any info will be helpful.
Thanks
This one has two previous owners and was sold by BMW as well as serviced by them and a specialist independent. It will be fully checked over by a BMW dealer locally before being sold and also have any work required carried out.
What sort of money to sort cooling system which I presume is all hoses and brackets plus the expansion bottle and connections around that?
What about suspension overhaul? How much?
What is the difference in price between the Auto's and Manuals re pricing? I suppose the manuals are more desirable so what would that add to the value of a car like this?
Will come with that 6 month warranty and fullMOT with no advisories.
Yes they are just bits of paper but his reviews are very good.
Any info will be helpful.
Thanks
Edited by peterjfox on Wednesday 20th January 13:25
Edited by peterjfox on Wednesday 20th January 13:26
The cooling system would be radiator + expansion tank + hoses + new coolant.
Not sure what it would cost if you get a dealer to do it, but for DIY probably £400 should cover it. It's quite an easy job too, I've done the radiator on mine, was a couple of hours max and the expansion tank and hoses had to come off anyway, so replacing them at the same time won't and any time (Mine were fine).
The radiators start to bow at the bottom, they can look fine from the top though.
Can't help on the suspension refresh, I've changed the rear shocks on mine, again quite easy, but have not done any bushes yet.
Check for rust on the rear arches and also check for rust under the sill plates when you open the back doors, mine have started going here and I have seen it on others as well. I'll be using these as test areas to see how well I can repair them before attacking my arches before they get too bad.
Not sure what it would cost if you get a dealer to do it, but for DIY probably £400 should cover it. It's quite an easy job too, I've done the radiator on mine, was a couple of hours max and the expansion tank and hoses had to come off anyway, so replacing them at the same time won't and any time (Mine were fine).
The radiators start to bow at the bottom, they can look fine from the top though.
Can't help on the suspension refresh, I've changed the rear shocks on mine, again quite easy, but have not done any bushes yet.
Check for rust on the rear arches and also check for rust under the sill plates when you open the back doors, mine have started going here and I have seen it on others as well. I'll be using these as test areas to see how well I can repair them before attacking my arches before they get too bad.
On the cooling system, my old E46 330i needed a water pump, radiator and expansion tank, in that order and within a very short time of each other.
Suspension-wise, up front first, the suspension is a pretty simple affair, but the wishbone rear bushes (also referred to as lollipops) are a weak point. Not a big deal to replace them though. On the rear, it's a more complicated set-up; I had to replace loads of things - trailing arm bushes and various other joints and arms. But they all manifest themselves similarly - knocking noises, pulling under braking or a good old fashioned MOT advisory. I suggest a pre-purchase inspection. OK it's "only" £8k, but it's a 17 year old E46 too.
Suspension-wise, up front first, the suspension is a pretty simple affair, but the wishbone rear bushes (also referred to as lollipops) are a weak point. Not a big deal to replace them though. On the rear, it's a more complicated set-up; I had to replace loads of things - trailing arm bushes and various other joints and arms. But they all manifest themselves similarly - knocking noises, pulling under braking or a good old fashioned MOT advisory. I suggest a pre-purchase inspection. OK it's "only" £8k, but it's a 17 year old E46 too.
Olivergt said:
The cooling system would be radiator + expansion tank + hoses + new coolant.
Might be worthwhile doing the thermostat and waterpump (if original).I recently had the garage do the following:
- New radiator (Nissens)
- New thermostat (Wahler)
- New expansion tank (Meyle)
- New hoses (Febi Bilstein)
All bought from eBay. Much cheaper than ECP/GSF etc. I can look up the parts/prices if you want?
I didn't do the waterpump as had been done a couple of years back by the previous owner.
My E46 is a 2003 model with 74k on it. Over the last few years I have replaced various suspension components (dampers/arms/links) and also cooling (the radiator bows down at the bottom) as well as the plastic reservoir on the side of it. I paid c£550 for the cooling refresh and suspension bits are normally c£150 - £300 at a good specialist fitting OES/OEM parts.
On any car this age these are wear and tear parts. By all means check them but it shouldn't be something that needs doing as a matter of course. If it's OK then get them changed when they need it.
What did make a big difference on mine was upgrading the VANOS seals. The originals perish and performance is reduced. I bought a kit and did it myself, the difference was very noticeable. Also worth upgrading is the DISA valve components.
I've found that these are fairly simple cars to work on and parts prices are pretty good (some genuine but good OES availability).
On any car this age these are wear and tear parts. By all means check them but it shouldn't be something that needs doing as a matter of course. If it's OK then get them changed when they need it.
What did make a big difference on mine was upgrading the VANOS seals. The originals perish and performance is reduced. I bought a kit and did it myself, the difference was very noticeable. Also worth upgrading is the DISA valve components.
I've found that these are fairly simple cars to work on and parts prices are pretty good (some genuine but good OES availability).
As for all this 'refresh' nonsense; with 54k it'll still be fine. Replace bits as and when required, not before. I used to maintain a 2002 330Ci Convertible with 43,000 miles and it was perfect. car was sold 12 months ago with the original radiator, header tank, suspension etc. It needed nothing apart from a heater resistor and an auxiliary belt in 12 years apart from yearly servicing.
g3org3y said:
Olivergt said:
The cooling system would be radiator + expansion tank + hoses + new coolant.
Might be worthwhile doing the thermostat and waterpump (if original).I recently had the garage do the following:
- New radiator (Nissens)
- New thermostat (Wahler)
- New expansion tank (Meyle)
- New hoses (Febi Bilstein)
All bought from eBay. Much cheaper than ECP/GSF etc. I can look up the parts/prices if you want?
I didn't do the waterpump as had been done a couple of years back by the previous owner.
As a "Keeper" I would say an E46 is the better car. The prices do seem to have been creeping up over the last few years.
E91 has electric steering, which takes away a lot of the feel of the car. Also may have early iDrive which was not the best and may date badly.
And I agree on the "refresh" comments, it's very obvious if the radiator needs doing, I only did mine because it was bowing at the bottom and I didn't replace the expansion tank as that looked to be in perfect condition.
On the suspension front, I'm not so sure, I thought mine was fine, but it failed an NCT (Irish MOT) on a rear damper, I hadn't had it long and it did feel a bit unsteady at 90+ MPH, but was absolutely transformed with fresh dampers on the back, steady as a rock now.
Mines definitely a "keeper" but does have quite a long list of "little" things that need to be done to it at the moment.
OP, don't rush in to the first one you find, there will be others along shortly. Mine was up for sale with a dealer with no NCT, so very cheap and I missed out on it, same car came up for sale 3 months later, lad had bought it, done the few bits for the NCT and then didn't want it, I think the high road tax here may have put him off, so managed to get it second time around. (2003 325i saloon, silver/black leather, 100k miles now)
E91 has electric steering, which takes away a lot of the feel of the car. Also may have early iDrive which was not the best and may date badly.
And I agree on the "refresh" comments, it's very obvious if the radiator needs doing, I only did mine because it was bowing at the bottom and I didn't replace the expansion tank as that looked to be in perfect condition.
On the suspension front, I'm not so sure, I thought mine was fine, but it failed an NCT (Irish MOT) on a rear damper, I hadn't had it long and it did feel a bit unsteady at 90+ MPH, but was absolutely transformed with fresh dampers on the back, steady as a rock now.
Mines definitely a "keeper" but does have quite a long list of "little" things that need to be done to it at the moment.
OP, don't rush in to the first one you find, there will be others along shortly. Mine was up for sale with a dealer with no NCT, so very cheap and I missed out on it, same car came up for sale 3 months later, lad had bought it, done the few bits for the NCT and then didn't want it, I think the high road tax here may have put him off, so managed to get it second time around. (2003 325i saloon, silver/black leather, 100k miles now)
Touring442 said:
As for all this 'refresh' nonsense; with 54k it'll still be fine. Replace bits as and when required, not before. I used to maintain a 2002 330Ci Convertible with 43,000 miles and it was perfect. car was sold 12 months ago with the original radiator, header tank, suspension etc. It needed nothing apart from a heater resistor and an auxiliary belt in 12 years apart from yearly servicing.
Not nonsense; it's called peace of mindSome folk will do it, others won't...
Deffo not nonsense!
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