Best place to buy a cared for E46?
Discussion
I'm going to give the boring but obvious answer. You are going to have to trawl the main sites and use your instincts when you are sifting through ads. Mine was actually advertised on eBay and nowhere else when I bought it - not a place I would normally associate with "car" and "cared for" in the same advert but it was.
They are out there, but becoming harder to find for sure! I got my 05' 330cd a few months back, and it has clearly been pampered all its life. Interior is like new, with minimal bolster wear on the drivers side. Goes like a dream, and my plan is to run it as a daily and double the mileage. Its averaging 43mpg and is quiet and comfortable on the motorway, what more could you ask for for £5k? Good luck with your search!
I thought I had bad luck when the first E46 330Ci Sport I looked at was pissing oil and owned by an angry chav, but the fact that the next day I found one which (an '04 model, purchased 18 months ago) had 57k on the clock and was owned by a family man who was nearly in tears when he sold it, seems to be good fortune, reading other comments.
The second one had really bad photos.. Low resolution and bad angles, which may explain the lack of of interest. I just knew exactly what model I wanted, so went anyway and ended up paying £6k.
18 months in, I've had new brakes and tyres, a single cracked rim and a few minor engine bits (which were several hundred pounds, including full service).
Very happy! It's exactly the car I wanted as a teenager.. Lovely, especially on Goodyear F1 tyres all-round!
The second one had really bad photos.. Low resolution and bad angles, which may explain the lack of of interest. I just knew exactly what model I wanted, so went anyway and ended up paying £6k.
18 months in, I've had new brakes and tyres, a single cracked rim and a few minor engine bits (which were several hundred pounds, including full service).
Very happy! It's exactly the car I wanted as a teenager.. Lovely, especially on Goodyear F1 tyres all-round!
adbett said:
Agree with OP, I've always liked the look of the e46 and starting to look for myself as well - touring, not convertible though! When did the e46 shape get replaced? I thought 54 plates were the last but an 05 is mentioned in the thread?
The 05 mentioned, I believe, was a coupe. I had a 55 coupe, as the new coupe didn't come in until Autumn 2006. So definitely 06 coupes. Assuming tourings were replaced at the same time as saloon, then you're probably right although late registrations could see some 05's I suppose.
When I sold my old coupe, I was nosy about where it would end up so did some searching. I remember this company (they didn't get mine) always had a fair few E46s. whether they are any good, I don't know, but it might give you an idea of prices. They have a touring
http://www.odaviscars.com/stockdetails.asp?StockID...
Searched for a month on all of the usual sites and ended up buying from an independent garage.
I paid £5k for a 2004 (54) 330Ci, with beige leather. 95k on the clock, full BMW service history, sunroof, Harmon Kardon and Bluetooth.
I've had that since March 2014, so 17 months, and in that time I've put her through an Oil Service, an MoT (which it flew through, no advisories), and replaced a failed powered steering pump (£300), and that's all.
Mine drinks oil, normally 1 litre per every 1,500 miles which is possibly more excessive than most others.
Can't wait to stick some Conti's on mine, I bought it with nearly new Dunlops and they've performed well so far, but I really miss the Conti rubber.
Love the E46 shape, seriously want an M3 next but I think the 330Ci is the sweet spot in terms of price, running costs and performance.
I paid £5k for a 2004 (54) 330Ci, with beige leather. 95k on the clock, full BMW service history, sunroof, Harmon Kardon and Bluetooth.
I've had that since March 2014, so 17 months, and in that time I've put her through an Oil Service, an MoT (which it flew through, no advisories), and replaced a failed powered steering pump (£300), and that's all.
Mine drinks oil, normally 1 litre per every 1,500 miles which is possibly more excessive than most others.
Can't wait to stick some Conti's on mine, I bought it with nearly new Dunlops and they've performed well so far, but I really miss the Conti rubber.
Love the E46 shape, seriously want an M3 next but I think the 330Ci is the sweet spot in terms of price, running costs and performance.
wingman0401 said:
Searched for a month on all of the usual sites and ended up buying from an independent garage.
I paid £5k for a 2004 (54) 330Ci, with beige leather. 95k on the clock, full BMW service history, sunroof, Harmon Kardon and Bluetooth.
I've had that since March 2014, so 17 months, and in that time I've put her through an Oil Service, an MoT (which it flew through, no advisories), and replaced a failed powered steering pump (£300), and that's all.
Mine drinks oil, normally 1 litre per every 1,500 miles which is possibly more excessive than most others.
Can't wait to stick some Conti's on mine, I bought it with nearly new Dunlops and they've performed well so far, but I really miss the Conti rubber.
Love the E46 shape, seriously want an M3 next but I think the 330Ci is the sweet spot in terms of price, running costs and performance.
Beware of the Contis on the E46, very grippy but wear so quickly. Driving normally I was going through rears every 8 months (6000 miles). Michelin Pilot's seem to offer the same grip but last twice as long. I paid £5k for a 2004 (54) 330Ci, with beige leather. 95k on the clock, full BMW service history, sunroof, Harmon Kardon and Bluetooth.
I've had that since March 2014, so 17 months, and in that time I've put her through an Oil Service, an MoT (which it flew through, no advisories), and replaced a failed powered steering pump (£300), and that's all.
Mine drinks oil, normally 1 litre per every 1,500 miles which is possibly more excessive than most others.
Can't wait to stick some Conti's on mine, I bought it with nearly new Dunlops and they've performed well so far, but I really miss the Conti rubber.
Love the E46 shape, seriously want an M3 next but I think the 330Ci is the sweet spot in terms of price, running costs and performance.
Move fast when you do think you've spotted a good one, it probably won't hang around.
My E39 touring was similar to stories above, I found it at an independent dealer and was there within 24h to view. Paid close to asking but with quite a few little things to be sorted at dealers cost. E39 530i sport touring in good order with full history file was hard to find four years ago - took me three months. If you look at the cost of travelling to view in fuel, never mind time, then price becomes less relevant when you find the right one.
Best car I've ever owned, can't see myself needing anything more in the family wagon dept. Obv I need a 911, Elise, etc to compliment it - one day
My E39 touring was similar to stories above, I found it at an independent dealer and was there within 24h to view. Paid close to asking but with quite a few little things to be sorted at dealers cost. E39 530i sport touring in good order with full history file was hard to find four years ago - took me three months. If you look at the cost of travelling to view in fuel, never mind time, then price becomes less relevant when you find the right one.
Best car I've ever owned, can't see myself needing anything more in the family wagon dept. Obv I need a 911, Elise, etc to compliment it - one day
The answer to the original question may in some cases be a Saab forum - Deposit taken the day before I sent my PM so please don't all rush at once......
http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=50&am...
http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=50&am...
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