BMW 330d Touring (E46) | Shed of the Week
Discussion
I had a 2004 sport touring auto in the mid 2000’s and still maintain its one of the best all round cars I’ve ever had. Took it to 125k miles with no problems.
At the time I remember thinking the suspension was very firm but by modern standards it would probably feel very supple.
According to MOT checker it’s still going strong at 160k miles but it’s obviously been clocked as I sold it with approx 40k more miles than listed in 2007!
At the time I remember thinking the suspension was very firm but by modern standards it would probably feel very supple.
According to MOT checker it’s still going strong at 160k miles but it’s obviously been clocked as I sold it with approx 40k more miles than listed in 2007!
g3org3y said:
Good shed in the best shape as an all rounder. The Touring is surprisingly practical. Do like the cream interior and quite rare as a manual.
I don't know much about diesels so shy away from them as I can't be bothered to deal with turbos/intercoolers etc (hence my 330i).
Petrol FTW.
True! But petrol drivers no doubt have leather driving gloves and BMW baseball caps..;)I don't know much about diesels so shy away from them as I can't be bothered to deal with turbos/intercoolers etc (hence my 330i).
apm142001 said:
I’ve had bad experience with E46 build quality so it’s interesting to see/hear of others that seem to do the mileage without causing trouble. Perhaps the Germans do Friday afternoon cars too.
The E46 seems decent but imo the E36 was better built.SidewaysSi said:
I prefer the 330d to the 330i. Not sporty but they do like to go sideways!
But then you have to wear those terrible little gloves when filling up the car. Petrol FTW.
The 330D does like to just oversteer at will. Worn tyres, wet road and it's properly sideways at any speed
Dont think that looks "council" 75% of whether a car looks down at heel is the surroundings, the rest whether its been badly modified or is disgustingly scruffy, an E46 will fit in anywhere still, touring models especially so.
No reason either why it wont perform as well or better than the day it left the factory if its been serviced and isnt broken, its made it to that mileage, sometimes older engines make pretty decent power, its largely down to all the stuff around the engine working as it should like the turbo, injectors, breathers, injectors and all that, and may have been remapped at some point. Guy I worked with bought a Passat 130 tdi and ran it to over 200k, it was pretty tired looking, had been in two accidents but it pulled like there was no tomorrow still at 200k, reckon that had been got at. He bought a newer one with 60k on it and missed his old one as it just didnt drive as well.
Good shed
No reason either why it wont perform as well or better than the day it left the factory if its been serviced and isnt broken, its made it to that mileage, sometimes older engines make pretty decent power, its largely down to all the stuff around the engine working as it should like the turbo, injectors, breathers, injectors and all that, and may have been remapped at some point. Guy I worked with bought a Passat 130 tdi and ran it to over 200k, it was pretty tired looking, had been in two accidents but it pulled like there was no tomorrow still at 200k, reckon that had been got at. He bought a newer one with 60k on it and missed his old one as it just didnt drive as well.
Good shed
g3org3y said:
Good shed in the best shape as an all rounder. The Touring is surprisingly practical. Do like the cream interior and quite rare as a manual.
I don't know much about diesels so shy away from them as I can't be bothered to deal with turbos/intercoolers etc (hence my 330i).
Agree, I had two E36 tourings before my E46 coupe; they were sheds with 6 figure mileages and bought for under £1k but they caused a lot less trouble than the E46. I don't know much about diesels so shy away from them as I can't be bothered to deal with turbos/intercoolers etc (hence my 330i).
apm142001 said:
I’ve had bad experience with E46 build quality so it’s interesting to see/hear of others that seem to do the mileage without causing trouble. Perhaps the Germans do Friday afternoon cars too.
The E46 seems decent but imo the E36 was better built.I tried to buy a good E46 3 years ago but all the ones I looked at were absolute turds even at five times the cost of this shed. Rust, knackered interiors and suspension and loads with dodgy or peeling paint? The really basic ones are just horrible as well with their crap seats and 1980's radios. A colleague had a 330cd which had clearly had a very hard life but it was one of the most uncomfortable cars I have ever driven with the most miserable interior in the world. It had around 130k on it which didn't seem all that much considering how totally shagged it felt but I think they are cars that really need a decent repair and maintenance budget and really suffer if the previous owner is a tightarse.
I think his was broken because it never felt like it had anywhere near 200bhp and it sounded and smoked like a very angry lorry. I'd still like an M3 or a Clubsport but the SE spec stuff just feels a bit rubbish to me considering what else is around if you're not bothered about the badge.
I think his was broken because it never felt like it had anywhere near 200bhp and it sounded and smoked like a very angry lorry. I'd still like an M3 or a Clubsport but the SE spec stuff just feels a bit rubbish to me considering what else is around if you're not bothered about the badge.
Love(d) these, bought and sold numerous 320 and 320d routings a few years ago
I know what the post about the rear window wiper means but I’d be looking at the tyre makes as more indicative of a caring owner who isn’t constrained by ££££
Never had a single problem with any of them.
I must say that I always bought with black or Frey leather or cloth, and not this bleached toffee looking abomination that looks like it has been worn to a shine by countless bums sliding in and out
Good shed, Shed, now get back to thinking about how you are going to fill Mrs Sheds (Christmas) stockings in a few days time...
I know what the post about the rear window wiper means but I’d be looking at the tyre makes as more indicative of a caring owner who isn’t constrained by ££££
Never had a single problem with any of them.
I must say that I always bought with black or Frey leather or cloth, and not this bleached toffee looking abomination that looks like it has been worn to a shine by countless bums sliding in and out
Good shed, Shed, now get back to thinking about how you are going to fill Mrs Sheds (Christmas) stockings in a few days time...
JD2329 said:
Considering the 3.0 petrol is very good on fuel and an infinitely nicer engine, I’d be looking at one of those instead. But £1k is good value for a 330d, specially a Touring.
I'd prefer a 330i too, but good luck finding a touring for a grand! I think Shed has done very well this week. The bang for buck ratio is right up there as these were quick cars in their day. Cheaper than last week's Golf GT TDI 150 too, ...bravo Shed.
Edited by greenarrow on Friday 20th December 09:08
JD2329 said:
Considering the 3.0 petrol is very good on fuel and an infinitely nicer engine, I’d be looking at one of those instead. But £1k is good value for a 330d, specially a Touring.
At the time I tried the both 330 petrol and diesel variants and for day to day driving the diesel felt the much better all rounder. Especially in autoForm.
But at this age and mileage I would go for the petrol as I expect the diesel will cost £££’s to keep going.
I had a 330d (not a touring) and didn't gel with it. This was after a few years of a 325ti and 328ci. I didn't gel with it very well, and they're quite maintenance intensive for a shed. On the whole they're reliable, and the M57 is my favourite diesel engine ever, but they always need 'something' sorting. Namely vac lines or thermostats. They're almost a consumable on these engines.
The colour combo is nice though. I'd rather a 330i, but at these prices it's whatever is good, and the 330d is good. They still monster 'outside lane' motorway driving. It was very easy to p
s off the Golf GTD drivers along the M4. Anywhere else it felt tiring to drive though, gear changes seemed to be much more frequent than in my petrol models.
The colour combo is nice though. I'd rather a 330i, but at these prices it's whatever is good, and the 330d is good. They still monster 'outside lane' motorway driving. It was very easy to p
s off the Golf GTD drivers along the M4. Anywhere else it felt tiring to drive though, gear changes seemed to be much more frequent than in my petrol models.SidewaysSi said:
I prefer the 330d to the 330i. Not sporty but they do like to go sideways!
I'm the same having had both a E90 330i and 330d. I thought the 330d was the better all round car(plus all the rear wheels wanted to do was spin up at the touch of the throttle!). You needed about 7000rpm to get the 330i's going!! 
Great shed and I remember driving a E46 like this year's ago but in 325i form.
JD2329 said:
Considering the 3.0 petrol is very good on fuel and an infinitely nicer engine, I’d be looking at one of those instead. But £1k is good value for a 330d, specially a Touring.
I wouldn't say no to a diesel. As lovely as the 3 litre petrol is, I'm fed up of the oil usage of mine (in an E39) and sometimes wish I'd bought a 530d. 
Driven a couple of these ...and when new a nice car with the typical diesel narrow rev range, they get clocked a lot, my pals on had had 100k haircutted off of it !! baggy as hell when older. Also the turbo is proper expensive and hugely time consuming to replace, obviously if you like driving buy the petrol !
Great shed choice. Fast, cheap and even a bit PH.
I've had 4 E46 330Ds, currently on a 2006 330cd with 31k and 1 previous owner. I just can't find anything like them that gives such a great blend of performance, economy and driver engagement whilst not having DPF, coded parts or other modern claptrap. I've always done most of the work on my own cars and never found these to be expensive or time consuming to maintain. Yes, they like a thermostat once in a while and a fresh MAF keeps performance perky and the economy good. If looked after they go on for ever and are a great place to do miles.
Personally, I think the facelift engine (from 53 plate) is much nicer, a bit less crumbly and with a little more poke. I also found the one SE I had to be a bit baggy with slow steering, could have just been that particular car though. A late M sport one is great motoring for relatively little outlay.
I've had 4 E46 330Ds, currently on a 2006 330cd with 31k and 1 previous owner. I just can't find anything like them that gives such a great blend of performance, economy and driver engagement whilst not having DPF, coded parts or other modern claptrap. I've always done most of the work on my own cars and never found these to be expensive or time consuming to maintain. Yes, they like a thermostat once in a while and a fresh MAF keeps performance perky and the economy good. If looked after they go on for ever and are a great place to do miles.
Personally, I think the facelift engine (from 53 plate) is much nicer, a bit less crumbly and with a little more poke. I also found the one SE I had to be a bit baggy with slow steering, could have just been that particular car though. A late M sport one is great motoring for relatively little outlay.
J4CKO said:
Dont think that looks "council" 75% of whether a car looks down at heel is the surroundings, the rest whether its been badly modified or is disgustingly scruffy, an E46 will fit in anywhere still, touring models especially so.
Yes, agreed. No fake M3 alloys or heavy window tints on this car.Easy to shout "council" at anything in SOTW price range, but an unmolested E46 Touring is fine by me.
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