E39 530 or aan E46 330

[thebullettrain]

I am a new BMW person looking to buy either an 2003 BMW 3 SERIES 330i SE 4dr Auto Saloon with 39k miles at 7k or a 2002 02 Reg BMW 530i SE with 29k at the same price.

Any views on either would be appreciated.

[matt uk]

I've got an 02 530i Sport.

Not sure what info you are after, but in general the e46 is smaller and lighter, the e39 bigger and more refined.

[sparks_E39]

As far as looks go the E39 has it,the E46 will be quicker though and a bit more fun to drive, depends what you want from the car. Have you considered a 530 sport? Don't let low mileage be a deciding factor, I bet you could find an 80k (nothing on these cars, not even run it) 530 Sport in the same condition as that 29k SE.

[SJobson]

I've driven three E46s and find the steering too light, even in the post-2001 cars with slightly heavier steering. Prefer the E39's handling, and interior. So for me, it would be an easy decision.

The E39 feels quite a bit bigger to drive though, so it depends if that's what you're after.

[Fox-]

The E39 is better built, doesn't handly appreciably worse, looks better (It has more modern signatures like Angel Eyes and CELIS rear LED's, the E46 does not) and is less likely to have been owned by dodgy wideboys previously (Although only slightly less likely )

[jboy72]

Although it took me a while to get used to my new 530i sport (coming as I did from quick, low-revving diesels and turbo-charged petrols) I have got used to hitting 5000rpm and now love it. I got a chance to give it a good run yesterday and let rip on a very straight stretch of A road from a standing start - extremely fluid autobox and gorgeous sound, if a little muted from the inside. I was left with egg on my face (no pun intended, given the season) as I had for some reason mistaken the 'vert behind me for an mx-5 - it was a 350z and was hustling! The trump card of the sport has to be its handling - despite the fact that the 350z was hustling very quickly on the straights (and no I wasn't imagining it - it definitely wanted to let know it was behind me) it just couldnt keep up in the corners. I wasnt even really trying to corner that quickly, but it just seems so natural to "point and squirt" if you know what I mean... so fluid, so little correction ever needed. I bought my 01 sport touring for £4k this year. It has needed about £500 of work but Im still happy.

[u13rr1]

I am thinking almost exactly the same question as the OP. There's a mint '01 530i Sport Auto with 67k for £4,850 near me which I have been deliberating over for about two weeks. As it'll be my only car I wonder if it'll satisfy my need for a hoon every now and again. A clean low-mileage 330ci would be ideal, but the E39 looks such good value.

[Bill Carr]

At a guess the 3-series would be better on fuel, being the lighter car.

5-series boot is massive.

I think manual gearbox would suit the 3-er better, but YMMV etc.

5-er is "more car for the money", but do you want "more car"?

[Matthew_Eames]

For me i'm looking for a 330ci Sport, but if your looking for something a bit more practical (i.e a 4 door saloon) then the E39 (Sport if you can, they look brilliant) would be the obvious choice, more car for not much more money

They really are fantastic cars

[Fox-]

I needed something small, easy to park on the street and cheap to run to take me to and from Uni lectures.

Naturally, the 530i Sport was the ideal choice and I've never regretted it. What a car.

[matt uk]

Having had an e46 3 series and now an e39 5 series, I would also add that in terms of refinement and build quality, the e39 is in a different league.

[Deano_BMW]

ive just made a similar change, e46 330 to an e39 530, albeit a diesel. the e39 is a lot more refined and comfortable but not as sharp as the e46.

[mike62]

In terms of practicality for a five year old and two adults, which would have more interior space, the 330 or the 530?

[matt uk]

mike62 said:

In terms of practicality for a five year old and two adults, which would have more interior space, the 330 or the 530?

530

[Matthew_Eames]

Fox- has the perfect example, they really are great looking cars, but the sport is definately the one to go for IMO

[matt21]

Matthew_Eames said:

Fox- has the perfect example, they really are great looking cars, but the sport is definately the one to go for IMO

almost perfect....you need a touring

[DirtyHarry88]

What are the running costs like between 2 cars like this?

From what I gather they wouldn't be that different.

[skoff]

DirtyHarry88 said:

What are the running costs like between 2 cars like this?

From what I gather they wouldn't be that different.

Yes I'd also be interested in a similar comparison.

I am in the market for a new daily hack. I do 110 miles a day 95% motorway and need a reliable car that will take this in its stride along with carrying my wife and 2 year old in comfort at the weekends. I want to spend no more than £4K (though the less the better - £2.5K would be fantastic) and whilst I am happy to spend an appropriate amount keeping the car in tip top condition I'd still like to minimise repair costs and divert that money to the TVR.

So far I have narrowed the search down to:
E39 528i (prefer the looks of the sport, though not the end of the world if they are out of budget)
E39 530i
E39 530d (a bit unsure regarding big bills)
E46 328i
E46 330i (will be pretty high mileage in my budget)

Would be happy with saloon or touring for any of the above...

Anybody have any more words of wisdom?