E46 - Good or bad ? Advice required.
Discussion
JS Baby is after a '98 to '06 E46 3 Series. She'll be buying up to around £6k, maybe a little more and when she does it'll have to be a keeper for several years.
Her favourite is the two door Ci coupe - I'll agree it's a lovely looking car. I've suggested she sticks with a 4 cyl petrol as that gets her a newer, lower mileage car, hopefully with better fuel consumption too. Surprised at how expensive the E46 still is but guessing prices are bouyed up by demand.
Any pointers or comments - 3 series in general? 4 cyl instead of 6? Running costs? Reliability? Any known issues or ones to avoid?
Cheers Chaps
Her favourite is the two door Ci coupe - I'll agree it's a lovely looking car. I've suggested she sticks with a 4 cyl petrol as that gets her a newer, lower mileage car, hopefully with better fuel consumption too. Surprised at how expensive the E46 still is but guessing prices are bouyed up by demand.
Any pointers or comments - 3 series in general? 4 cyl instead of 6? Running costs? Reliability? Any known issues or ones to avoid?
Cheers Chaps
Sticking to the smaller petrol engines should minimise the initial outlay - the 318i is not going to offer amazing performance but should be perfectly respectable - I'd go for for one of those.
My E46 was a fantastic car - great looks (better than our current E90), superb handling and completely reliable.
Not sure how much they fetch but the Sport versions look particularly good.
My E46 was a fantastic car - great looks (better than our current E90), superb handling and completely reliable.
Not sure how much they fetch but the Sport versions look particularly good.
Edited by richterswil on Saturday 9th January 13:54
I'd personally look at a 330. On my search for an E46 I started out with a 318 which was a massive upgrade coming from a 1.25 fiesta. After that I drove a boggo 2l mondeo which was the same price and twice the car. I then drove a 330 and it was game over, I bought it. I'd personally look at an E90 if she is after a 318 as the engines are impressively economical and have much more power, it's just a shame they're so ugly compared to the beautiful E46. Just my 2p!
obscene said:
I'd personally look at a 330. On my search for an E46 I started out with a 318 which was a massive upgrade coming from a 1.25 fiesta. After that I drove a boggo 2l mondeo which was the same price and twice the car. I then drove a 330 and it was game over, I bought it. I'd personally look at an E90 if she is after a 318 as the engines are impressively economical and have much more power, it's just a shame they're so ugly compared to the beautiful E46. Just my 2p!
He's right - the E90 is ugly compared to the E46!!OP - base don the comments so far it looks like a no brainer - E46 it is, you just need to decide on an engine and spec now - good luck, let us know how you get on.
Fox- said:
Jaguar steve said:
turbo-ww said:
Is 'JS Baby' OH or offspring? May have insurance implications....
Offspring - she's 22 with no NCD after stuffing her Zetec S into a hedge last Jan 
Yes, short, sharp lesson learnt on some black ice last winter but even so you could still quite reasonably question the wisdom of putting my daughter in a RWD car...However the Ci was driven today and found more than a bit sluggish 3 up. I think she's liable to end up maxing it everywhere if she bought one which means it'll cost her a fortune in fuel.
To be fair that's not really surprising, it's the smallest engined one after all but she wants somthing that feels a bit more lively so I think it's unlikley to get bought. Still, useful experience for her as she's only ever driven quickish FWD Fords before. Nice car though, and cheers for responses.
GTCDI said:
Hi sorry to highjack this. I found a e46 328i coupe here at work with 150k on the clock, got most service history to it and looks very tidy for its age. Whats the most common things to look out for on these? and how much do you think its worth?
thanks
With that sort of mileage it isn't normally any problems with the engine as such but the same as any other car with "high" mileage. Suspension bushes, & general parts that get worn over time. Always worth paying out for an inspection in my opinion.thanks
Edited by boobles on Tuesday 12th January 12:28
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