E46 320 cab, what to look for when buying

[Roger645]

A mate is going to look at an 06 E46 320 cab, manual M-sport. Are there any specific things to look for, it's done 13k miles and priced at 18k.

Thanks

Roger

[[TW]Fox]

A badge on the back which says '330i'. If it isnt there, walk away.

Seriously - there is no point buying a 320i. The fuel consumption etc etc is largely the same between all 3 cylinder engines in the E46, servicing and repair costs are identical. They are just different capacity versions of the same engine.

Buy a 320i and you'll be paying 330i running costs for 320i performance.

[5ltr-chim]

First & foremost: A bigger engine!

The four pots can be troublesome whereas the six's are pretty well bulletproof.

Apart from that:

Bushes on top of rear shocks - tends to squeak if worn/slipped, twisting of front strut mounts because of pot holes/humps, gear selector difficult due to wear from someone resting hand on it plus the usuals for any car eg panel alignment, paint matching, vin numbers ties to V5C, wear on pedals, handbrake, selector all look right for mileage, FSH ideally dealer or specialist etc etc...

[[TW]Fox]

5ltr-chim said:

The four pots can be troublesome whereas the six's are pretty well bulletproof.

The E46 320i has a 2.2 litre M54B22 Straight Six.

[5ltr-chim]

[TW]Fox said:

5ltr-chim said:

The four pots can be troublesome whereas the six's are pretty well bulletproof.

The E46 320i has a 2.2 litre M54B22 Straight Six.

Sorry - my mistake, half asleep here. I was getting muddled with the 318 - 4 pot 2 litre.

[Aubrey]

What about a 325?

[agiggle]

i had my 320 M sprt cab for just over a year and while it was a great car it just didnt have enough poke to it. it was fine on the motorway but driving around town it did feel sluggish and i would certainly suggest getting a 330. i have since sold it and boungt an M3 cab