330 E46 Cab, what to look for?

[BlueNGT]

I am in the process of looking for a new car and think the E46 Cab ticks a lot of boxes. This is taking into account build quality, power, looks, value for money and hopefully residuals (3 series Cabs seem to hold a reasonable amount of their money!?)

I have driven one in the past and really liked it.

What are the main things to look for that may need to be replaced etc or worn?

I will be looking for an Automatic. Anything that needs to checked in particular?

What kind of MPG should I expect around town, motorways and combined?

Does anybody know how the 330 compares to the 325 in terms of economy and performance?

Thanks in advance

Edited by BlueNGT on Sunday 6th January 11:24

[f1stoxfan]

i had a 03 325 sport auto convertible a while back,around town 18-19 mpg,on motorways it returned 30mpg,i would go for a 330 over a 325,i found mine a bit underpowered when over taking,it really needed flooring to make decent progress,i would imagine they are quite a bit heavier than a coupe or saloon.wouldnt want any smaller than a 2.5 in one of these,in auto anyway. nice cruiser though.

[FesterNath]

If it weaves / tramlines on a test drive then the front wishbone bushes are probably gone. Not a major job, but something to be aware of. As far as I know they don't have many problems. Economy - wise, my 6 speed manual has returned 30mpg over the last 2k miles, with a mixture of all types of roads.

[BlueNGT]

30 mpg is better than most 330 reports I have read on here. Most people appear to be getting 20 - 25!?

[Ciaran]

My 330ci will do about 32mpg on the motorway and about 20 about town.

[BlueNGT]

Ciaran said:

My 330ci will do about 32mpg on the motorway and about 20 about town.

Is that a Manual?

[w80hwa]

my '00 330i sport manual returns a healthy 32mpg combined.

[M3 UFM]

I had a 325ci sport manual convertible and I usually averaged about 25mpg, a lot better than my M3 SMG 17mpg.

I've had a few E46s and they have usually been a bit squeeky getting in and out on the back with the handbrake on. Had my mechanic service the brakes and it was fine again.

Drivers seat gets worn quite quickly especially on sports models with bigger seats.

The most important thing is make sure you have a front armrest because it gets annoying after a bit in an e46 auto without one I find.

[Stuismyname]

Ciaran said:

My 330ci will do about 32mpg on the motorway and about 20 about town.

I'll second that. Although it rather depends on how many leptons I'm doing on the motorway.

[BlueNGT]

I've read a couple of reports on here that people only get 300 miles per tank!?

What does a Full Tank equate to? I had a Boxster when they first came out and got very annoyed at having to go to the Garage to fill up all the time.

[f1stoxfan]

i would love 300 miles to a tank,just got 285 miles until light came on,out of 320ci conv manual(2.2) all round town though,not too bad really

[BlueNGT]

f1stoxfan said:

i would love 300 miles to a tank,just got 285 miles until light came on,out of 320ci conv manual(2.2) all round town though,not too bad really

What is the tank capacity?

A friend of mine had a 320 a few years back and found it was pretty thirsty as it had to rev harder and it revved higher on Motorway journeys due to less power/weight than the bigger engines.

[f1stoxfan]

not sure what the tank capacity is,whatever an 03 model is,a smaller engine using more fuel can be true to some extent,but this deffo more economical than the 325 conv auto previously that i had,being around 240 miles to the tank,being a motor trader,the wife will use whatever i buy,usually bmws,and then i will sell when something else nice turns up,she does the same journey every day,8 miles each way in,so i can compare mpg in different cars quite accurately

[VtecLover]

Shocks go on them easily too, tracking aswell.