Vague question about what 3 litre BMW to buy……
Discussion
My mint E39 530i sport was cruelly written off recently and my insurance payout will be about £5k. My E39 was used as my commuter for my 110m a day journey and had recently been converted to LPG which I still have he kit for and can get refitted to a similar engine pretty cheaply.
So I’m after a 3 litre, manual, sport variant E39 or E46 which I will convert to LPG.
I loved my E39 and 95% of the time I never needed all the space it had but it really frustrated me that the seats did not fold down to allow me to fit boxes, bikes, snowboards etc.
So my questions:
Does the E46 330i feel ‘sportier’ than the E39 530i?
Is the build quality significantly better on the E39?
Do all E46 coupes have folding seats? How usable is the space?
Is the ride on 18/19 inch wheels very hard on the E46?
Anyone owned both and care to compare?
If I thought I could get a manual E39 with folding seats for sensible money I would probably go for it but they just don’t seem to exist.
Considering the 330i coupe/saloon/touring or the 530i touring/saloon.
I’m sure the touring would be very usable cars but I probably don’t ‘need’ and estate and the E39 touring is a big car!
Like I said in the title……..its a vague question!
My ‘fleet’ is a small car for the missis, an S1 elise ‘toy’ – so this will be my ‘all the other stuff’ car…hence why I’m considering the tourings, to cover all bases.
What do you think?
So I’m after a 3 litre, manual, sport variant E39 or E46 which I will convert to LPG.
I loved my E39 and 95% of the time I never needed all the space it had but it really frustrated me that the seats did not fold down to allow me to fit boxes, bikes, snowboards etc.
So my questions:
Does the E46 330i feel ‘sportier’ than the E39 530i?
Is the build quality significantly better on the E39?
Do all E46 coupes have folding seats? How usable is the space?
Is the ride on 18/19 inch wheels very hard on the E46?
Anyone owned both and care to compare?
If I thought I could get a manual E39 with folding seats for sensible money I would probably go for it but they just don’t seem to exist.
Considering the 330i coupe/saloon/touring or the 530i touring/saloon.
I’m sure the touring would be very usable cars but I probably don’t ‘need’ and estate and the E39 touring is a big car!
Like I said in the title……..its a vague question!
My ‘fleet’ is a small car for the missis, an S1 elise ‘toy’ – so this will be my ‘all the other stuff’ car…hence why I’m considering the tourings, to cover all bases.
What do you think?
da_murphster said:
Does the E46 330i feel ‘sportier’ than the E39 530i?
Not enormously.da_murphster said:
Is the build quality significantly better on the E39?
Yes.da_murphster said:
Do all E46 coupes have folding seats?
Yes. da_murphster said:
Is the ride on 18/19 inch wheels very hard on the E46?
Not compared with an E39 on 18's, though only the M3 had 19's on the options list.da_murphster said:
Anyone owned both and care to compare?
Own 530i Sport, driven E46.da_murphster said:
What do you think?
Nothing in its price bracket is anything like as good as a good E39. Buy another one or spend significantly more money on something much newer. IMHO those are the only two credible options.Does the E46 330i feel ‘sportier’ than the E39 530i? Yes, if you drive them back to back you will really notice it. M Sport on 18" wheels tends to tramline, especially on motorway lane 1 lorry ruts.
Is the build quality significantly better on the E39? Not really, when new really nothing in it. I've seen lots of good and bad used examples of both E46's and E39's. Probably bigger percentage of nice E39's because of the people who tend to own them compared to E46. On the other hand so many more E46's on the road gives a broader market to choose from, so again really nothing in it.
Do all E46 coupes have folding seats? How usable is the space? Yes. Helpful for long thinnish (if thats a word?) items, or multiple small boxes. Can't really get anything bulky in it. Folding seats was an option on both E39 and E46 Saloon, although cheap it got specced very rarely.
Is the ride on 18/19 inch wheels very hard on the E46? 17" or 18" wheels are standard on E46 330i. How hard is a real subjective thing, drive one and see how you like it.
Anyone owned both and care to compare? Extensive experience of both. I would say the answer to your needs (based on your post) is most closely matched by an E46 Touring, you are more likely to find Manual and it gives you the flexible load space you need. Although there really isn't a lot in it if you like all of them. As ever I would say be open either of your choices and buy the best example you can find.
Is the build quality significantly better on the E39? Not really, when new really nothing in it. I've seen lots of good and bad used examples of both E46's and E39's. Probably bigger percentage of nice E39's because of the people who tend to own them compared to E46. On the other hand so many more E46's on the road gives a broader market to choose from, so again really nothing in it.
Do all E46 coupes have folding seats? How usable is the space? Yes. Helpful for long thinnish (if thats a word?) items, or multiple small boxes. Can't really get anything bulky in it. Folding seats was an option on both E39 and E46 Saloon, although cheap it got specced very rarely.
Is the ride on 18/19 inch wheels very hard on the E46? 17" or 18" wheels are standard on E46 330i. How hard is a real subjective thing, drive one and see how you like it.
Anyone owned both and care to compare? Extensive experience of both. I would say the answer to your needs (based on your post) is most closely matched by an E46 Touring, you are more likely to find Manual and it gives you the flexible load space you need. Although there really isn't a lot in it if you like all of them. As ever I would say be open either of your choices and buy the best example you can find.
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